History 17B - California Government

Front 1

1. What was California's population in 2010? How many members from the state were in the House of Representatives? How many electoral college votes does the state have?

Back 1

A: Population in 2010 was 37,235,956. The state has 53 of the 435 members of the House of Representatives, and 55 electoral votes, more than 1/5th of the 270 required to elect a president.

Front 2

2. What percent of the nation's population live in California? What percent of federal taxes does the state contribute? What percent of total federal dollars does the state receive back from the federal government?

Back 2

A: In 2002, California had over 12% of the nation's population, contributed over 14% of total federal taxes, and received back 11% of federal dollars.

Front 3

3. Define federalism. What experiments has federalism allowed in California politics? How has federalism promoted rivalry between states?

Back 3

A: Federalism distributes power to both the national and state governments, thereby creating a system of dual citizenship and authority. It is a complex arrangement designed to assure the unity of the country while at the same time permitting the states to reflect the diversity of their people and economies. The federal system also promotes rivalry between states as they compete to attract new businesses and jobs or keep existing ones. Among the tactics used in this struggle are tax breaks, reduced worker compensation, and relaxed environmental protection standards. Variations in states' resources perpetuate inequality in schools, public hospitals, and other government facilities at a time when the nation as a whole is concerned about how to provide these services.

Front 4

1. California has immigrants who were born in many nations worldwide. Of these, which three nations lead in numbers of immigrants who live in California?

Back 4

A: Mexico, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Front 5

2. What is the percentage of the top three groups with religious (or no religious) identification?

Back 5

A: 36% Protestant, 31% Roman Catholic, and 21% no religion.

Front 6

3. How were the incomes of the top 5% of Californians affected between the late 1970s and the late 1990s? At the same time, how were incomes of the poorest 1/5 (20%) affected? Also, use Figure 2.2 to determine which area of the state has the highest college graduation rate?Which region has the lowest rate?

Back 6

A: The incomes of the wealthiest 5% of families increased by 50% between the late 1970s and late 1990s, while the poorest fifth of the state's families lost 5% of their income during the same period. The Bay Area has the highest rate of college graduates, while Monterey Bay Region has the lowest.

Front 7

From the time Spain first claimed California by coastal expedition, until its first colony, San Diego, how much time had passed? How long was California under control from first Spain, then Mexico, until acquired by the U.S. in the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo?

Back 7

Two centuries. From 1542 to 1848, California was under Spanish and then Mexican ownership.

Front 8

Throughout the state’s history, especially during economic downturns and war, minority groups have been scapegoats and discriminated against. Match an ethnic group that experienced severe repression during each of the following episodes: 1870s economic recession – 1930s economic depression – 1940s, World War II.

Back 8

Chinese immigrants, Mexican, and Japanese.

Front 9

Which corporation did Progressives attack in the early 20th century? How much land did it own in the state? Also, which direct democracy process did Progressives adopt that allowed voters to pass laws or amend the extensive state constitution bypassing the state legislature?

Back 9

Pacific Railroad, which owned 1/5 of the land in the state. Amendments may be proposed either by a two-thirds vote in both houses of the legislature or by an initiative petition signed by 8% of the number of voters who voted in the last election for governor. Second, the proposed amendment must appear as a proposition on the ballot and must be approved by a simple majority of voters. This allows for amendment of the state constitution without any legislative action.

Front 10

In the ongoing laws and rulings about civil liberties and civil rights, how have state courts ruled concerning prayers at public school graduation ceremonies?

Back 10

California courts have ruled for the right to not hear a prayer at a public school graduation ceremony, invoking a violation of church and state.

Front 11

As the level of education one attains is a large predictor of employment and wealth, which ethnic groups have the highest and lowest rates of attaining a Bachelor’s degree according to Figure 4.2? What are their rates of achievement?

Back 11

Asian have the highest with almost 70%. American Indian have the lowest with a little over 10%.

Front 12

Though women make up 51% of the population and claim more elected offices than prior to the 1990s, how many are on the state Supreme court; California’s delegation to the U.S. Senate; and in the House of Representatives delegation?

Back 12

The State supreme court has 4 of 7 female members, two women to the U.S. Senate, and 18 in the House of Representatives.

Front 13

The 2010 state election for both candidates for governor was the most expensive in state history. As media expenses form public image, what do critics say media campaigning emphasizes and ignores? According to Table 5.1, what entity contributed far more than its next closest competitor?

Back 13

Critics charge that political information conveyed by the media emphasizes personality factors, attacks, and scandals rather than significant policy issues, but despite “peace pledges” and other gimmicks, most candidates eventually use negative campaigning to attract voter attention.

Front 14

Special Interests lobbyists spend more time in California than any other state and greatly influence elections and legislation. Why have attempts to reign in campaign spending been defeated in U.S. courts?

Back 14

Limits in campaign spending have been ruled as limits of free speech.

Front 15

How have term-limits made some legislators “more susceptible” to lobbyists? What has the Online Disclosure Act required lobbyists to do?

Back 15

Term limits have forced a rotation of legislators, thus making the window to form a relationship much smaller, and making them more susceptible to lobbyists with long-standing experience in the area. The Online Disclosure Act has required all lobbyists to post expenditures online.

Front 16

Answers to the following questions show how the power of political parties in the state has diminished. What percentage of state government jobs are filled by exam, not patronage? What is the purpose of the office-block ballot? How many nonpartisan, and how many partisan elective offices are there in the state?

Back 16

98% of jobs through the California civil service are filled by exam. The office-block ballot lists candidates under the heading of the office being contested rather than in columns divided according to party, and thus encourages voters to concentrate on individual candidates rather than voting a straight party ticket. 179 of the 19,279 offices are partisan.

Front 17

According to Table 6.1, which registration category and/or political party has decreased the most in overall percentage singe 1950? Which one has increased 16% during that time?

Back 17

Democrat has decreased the most. Declined to state has increased 16%.

Front 18

What did more than half of all registered voters in the state decide to do in the 2010 gubernatorial election? Who is a “swing” voter?

Back 18

56% of all registered voters in the 2010 gubernatorial election did not vote. (44% voted.) A swing vote is someone who is not registered with either major party.

Front 19

What was the estimated cost for all contributions and expenditures in the 2010 state election contests?

Back 19

Nearly ¾ of a billion dollars.

Front 20

Despite negative aspects of direct democracy (expensive of initiatives; influence of special interests), what is one reason this process is “difficult to reform” according to our author?

Back 20

It still serves the purpose to remove power from elected officials and grant that power to the voters.

Front 21

While whites are fewer than 50% of the state’s population, what percent of voters are white? Between 1990-2010 how did the percentage of Latino voters change? (Table 7.1)

Back 21

Whites make up about 70% of the votes. The percentage of Latino voters went up 14% from 1990 to 2010.

Front 22

How many Assembly and State senate districts are there? How many registered lobbyists are there in Sacramento?

Back 22

There are 80 assembly and 40 state senate districts in California, with over 1,000 registered lobbyists.

Front 23

With the passage of Proposition 11 in 2008, how has the method of redistricting change based on the 2010 census? Why did voters wish to end “gerrymandering?”

Back 23

Proposition 11 has created an independent citizen commission to redistrict the legislative boundaries for the 2012 elections. Ending gerrymandering meant putting a stop to the manipulation of the boundaries to protect the majority party’s continued dominance.

Front 24

What is the title of the most influential member of the State Senate? What did AB119, authored by Assemblyman Jones of Sacramento, accomplish as it went into effect January 1, 2011?

Back 24

The President pro tem. AB119 prevents insurance companies from charging different rates for men and women for identical coverage.

Front 25

When a bill is sent to the governor from the legislature, what three things can occur for up to 12 days from when the governor receives the bill?

Back 25

The governor can either veto the bill, sign it into law, or do neither, under which it automatically becomes law.

Front 26

How does a governor’s item veto power affect the state budget?

Back 26

The governor can use the item veto power which permits the deletion of a particular expenditure entirely or the reduction of its amount, thereby giving the governor major control over state spending from start to finish.

Front 27

The governor appoints only 1% of all state government jobs. Among these are leadership positions of 12 administrative boards listed. Which one governs California Community Colleges? How many members are on this board?

Back 27

The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, with 16 members.

Front 28

The state budgeting process consists of the January budget plan, “May revise,” and June ratification and signing. What is the primary reason for a budget revision in May of the January plan’s “guesstimate?”

Back 28

The revision is after tax day, with a more clear understanding of how much the state has received in personal taxes and can now re-evaluate the projections in the January budget.

Front 29

According to Figure 10.1, which two taxes provide the state with about 2/3 of its revenue? According to Figure 10.2, which single expenditure is largest for the state?

Back 29

Sales tax and Personal income tax. General obligation and lease-revenue bonds

Front 30

What prompted the tax revolt with the overwhelming passage of Proposition 13 in 1978? If a homeowner bought a residence in 1976, and another person bought in 2010, how are the property taxes of each unequally assessed? What funding and power shift occurred for many state programs because of Proposition 13?

Back 30

The causes were primarily outside California, including factors such as heavy federal spending in the 1960s and the oil embargo of the early 1970s. Homeowners were suddenly confronted with double and tripled tax assessments from their county assessor. Many services were cut back, including library accessibility, fine arts and athletics in the schools, and parks and recreation. Also there was a shift from local control to a Sacramento-based funding system for cities, counties, and school districts. Property owners who rarely sell experience almost no increase in taxes, whereas owners of individual homes confront reassessments up to the current market value, causing dramatic tax increases when a home changes hands. Two neighboring homeowners may pay vastly differing property taxes based on when they purchased their homes.

Front 31

What are the two categories of state judges? How much do state judges and courts cost to run per year? How many criminal and civil cases do state courts deal with yearly?

Back 31

Trial court judges and Appeals judges. They cost roughly $3 billion per year. They deal with over 10 million civil and criminal cases per year.

Front 32

What is a civil case, and what is a criminal case? How are trial (superior) courts organized in California?

Back 32

Civil matters include all aspects of family law (divorce, custody, adoption), as well as the many varieties of civil litigation (malpractice, personal injury, bankruptcy, etc.) Criminal trials usually involve misdemeanor and felony charges. Courts are organized through counties.

Front 33

How many state appeals courts are in California? If you broke a law in Rocklin and appealed it from Auburn’s superior court to a state court of appeals, in which city would your case (most likely) be heard?

Back 33

There are six courts of appeal in the state of California. You would most likely be heard in Sacramento, the closest appeal court.

Front 34

How does the state prison system rate worldwide in its number of prisoners? What percent are male? What percent are doing time for violent crime?

Back 34

Except for China and the entire United States, California has the largest penal system in the world. Over 171,000 inmates are housed in 33 prisons, and another 125,000 parolees fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 94% are male, with 53% doing time for violent crime.

Front 35

How much does it cost per year to house a state prison inmate? What is the average yearly cost of aging “lifer”? How much does it cost yearly to educate a community college student?

Back 35

It costs about $49,000 per year to house the average convict, and we spend about $4,500 per year on a community college student. An aging lifer costs nearly $80,000 per year.

Front 36

Who usually serves on a grand jury? For how long do you serve? How long does a juror serve as a trial juror?

Back 36

A select group of citizens nominated by superior court judges, serving a one-year term for minimal compensation, thus leaving this task to the affluent or retired. Trial juries are created for the length of a particular trial. For felony trials, the jury consists of 12 citizens, while as few as nine jurors may try a misdemeanor case or civil trial.

Front 37

Which level of government usually supplies unincorporated areas with services? How does the process of incorporation begin?

Back 37

Unincorporated areas usually receive basic urban services from the county in which they live. Incorporation begins with a petition signed by at least 25% of the registered voters in an area.

Front 38

What argument defends the at-large model of city councils? What argument defends the district-based model? What does the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 require of local governments?

Back 38

The argument for at-large elections was that the most qualified people could get into office regardless of their address. District-based model allows for a clearer representation of all ethnic backgrounds. The California Voting Rights Act of 2001 requires that local governments prove that their at-large elections do not create “racial polarization.”

Front 39

What does the “Brown Act” require of all local governments? Who tends to serve on a city council that only meets periodically and is considered part-time?

Back 39

Any member of the public can participate in council business and speak to an elected body. Affluent business people or retired persons tend to have the time available to run on volunteer council positions.

Front 40

Of California’s 58 counties, what is unique about each of the following: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Alpine, San Francisco?

Back 40

Los Angeles County has close to 10 million residents, and more people than over 40 states. San Bernardino County has 20,000 square miles is the largest in the country. Alpine County borders Nevada near Lake Tahoe has about 1,300 residents. San Francisco is the only combined city-county in the state and comprises only 49 square miles.

Front 41

How many special districts are in the state and which is the largest, serving 6 counties?

Back 41

There are over 5,000 special districts in the state. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California serves six counties and wields enormous political clout.

Front 42

How many community college districts are there and how many students do they serve?

Back 42

There are 72 community college districts, serving over 2.9 million Californians.

Front 43

The author identifies a two-tier economy in the state. How does California’s regressive tax system disproportionately penalize the poor?

Back 43

The regressive tax system taxes the poor a greater share of their income than the rich, in part through subsidizing business and long-time property owners through Proposition 13, and then replacing those tax revenues with utility taxes, sales taxes, public university and college fee increases, and other forms of taxation the poor cannot avoid.

Front 44

Why are environmental issues concerns among ethnic and inner city groups, and not just wealthier white groups?

Back 44

The underrepresented ethnic groups who often shoulder the burden of environmental damage. Many of the state’s toxic waste dumps are located in minority communities, and rates of asthma and other respiratory disease are worse in inner cities than in suburbs.

Front 45

While California is the most multi-cultural state, how many children are born from parents whose ethnic backgrounds are different from one another?

Back 45

One-sixth.