Pols 111 Ch 10, Pols 111 ch 9, Pols 111 Ch 8, Pols 111 Chapter 7, pols 111 chapter 5, Pols 111 Ch6, Polls 111 Ch4, Pols 111 Chapter 3, Pols 111 Chapter 2, Pols 111 Chapter 1

During the 2015-16 campaign cycle, the average cost of a seat in the California Assembly was _______ and the average cost of a seat in the California Senate was __________

$1,010,528 , $1,877,994

In April 2016, Governor Brown signed a landmark bill that promised to increase the state's hourly minimum wage every year for the next seven years. Under this law, the state's minimum wage in 2023 will be how many dollars per hour?

$15 (The increased minimum wage rules will take effect gradually, increasing $.50 to $1 each year for small and large businesses, and reaching $15 by 2022 for larger businesses and 2023 for smaller businesses.)

If you buy a house in California today for $500,000, you will pay approximately _______ in property taxes next year. If your new neighbor has owned their somewhat more expensive $750,000 home since 1975 and originally paid $100,000 for it, they will pay approximately ________ in property taxes next year.

$5,000, $1,000

Approximately how much money would your household have to make each year to earn more than the median household in the state of California?

$77,000

If the state general fund receives $200 billion in revenue for a given year, what is the minimum amount of money that must be spent on the state's public schools that year according to Proposition 98?

$80 billion (Proposition 98 (1988) guarantees that the state's public schools receive at least 40 percent of the general fund each year.)

Which of the following is the biggest fiscal problem facing the state?

-Voters' willingness to approve propositions that allocate money without proving a funding source (Too often, the requirement to fund these initiatives leaves other programs underfunded.)

Place the average levels of voter turnout for different kinds of elections in order from lowest to highest.

-The average voter participation rate is uncontested, one- candidate mayoral elections -The average voter participation rate in competitive, two-candidate mayoral elections -The state of California's average voter participation rate in recent presidential elections -The national average voter participation rate in presidential elections

Suppose there was a political party in California that had the support of roughly 20 percent of registered voters in every Assembly district across the state. What percentage of the total seats in the Assembly would this party be likely to win?

0 percent (Assembly races are winner-take-all elections, which means that third parties are generally excluded from the legislature even if they have substantial support statewide. Without a majority of votes in any single district, these parties often cannot place a representative in Sacramento.)

In June 2014, major studies by Oakland's Pacific Institute, the Natural Resource Defense Council, and researchers from UC Santa Barbara suggested four practical solutions to California's water problems. -Rank each of these suggested solutions by how much water they are predicted to conserve each year, from the lowest predicted amount to the highest.

1. Capturing storm water at homes and business, 2. Reusing treated wastewater for irrigation, landscapes, industry, and recharging ground water basins 3. increasing efficiency in homes and industries by replacing inefficient appliances, reducing waste and leaks, and replacing traditional landscapes with low -water use plants and gardens 4. Increasing efficiency in agriculture through better irrigation techniques and practices

For statewide officials, the number of signatures to institute a recall must be equal to __________ of the last vote for the office. For other (non-statewide) officials, the number of signatures must be equal to______ of the last vote for the office.

12%,20%

Passed by a huge majority of voters in 1978, this ballot initiative rolled back property tax rates and limited the government's ability to raise local property taxes in the future.

13 (Proposition 13 is regarded by some observers as one of the most significant political events in California's history. It won by a landslide vote nearly everywhere in the state.)

What is the minimum number of days before an election that voters in the state of California need to register?

15

In 2017, the state legislature passed a bill that increased the gas tax on regular fuel by ________ cents a gallon and on diesel fuel by ________ cents a gallon.

17, 30

The first constitution of the state of California was ratified in which year?

1849 (Written by residents of the territory in anticipation of statehood and ratified in November 1849, this first governing document still contains many of the basic ideas underlying California's government today)

While California's constitution includes many ordinary laws, the U.S. Constitution's _________ Amendment concerning the prohibition on alcohol sales was the only experiment in U.S. constitutional history establishing a substantive policy, and it was quickly repealed by the ______ Amendment.

18th, 21st

In what year did woman obtain the right to vote in the state of California?

1911 (California was the sixth state in the country to grant women the right to vote, allowing women's suffrage before the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.)

The largest change to the California budgeting process happened in the _______ with the creation of a ______ budget

1920s, Unified

The U.S. Constitution is far more difficult to amend than California's constitution, requiring a _______ majority vote in the House and Senate followed by ratification by _______ of the states.

2/3, 3/4

Of the water used in California, ______ percent is for households, business, and industry, while _________ percent is used for agricultural purposes, including irrigation

20% , 80%

Study the graph on party registration by nativity, and then complete the following statement. While ______ percent of Californians born in the United States are registered Republicans, only ______ percent of immigrant Californians are registered Republicans.

27, 15 There are fewer voters registered with the Republican Party among immigrant Californians than registered with the Democratic Party (51 percent) or with no political party at all (31 percent).

Groundwater composes what percentage of the total water used in California in an average year?

35% (On average, 35 percent of the total water used in California is groundwater. In a drought year, pumping groundwater increases as users attempt to compensate for the lack of rain.)

California's total number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives has changed from_________ in 1960 to____________ in 2010

38, 53

How many years are the terms of members of county boards of supervisors?

4 (Members of county boards of supervisors are elected by districts for staggered four-year terms.)

If the state's general fund was $100 billion, what is the minimum amount that the legislature could allocate for K-14 education (in billions of dollars)?

40 (Proposition 98 (1988) requires that at least 40 percent of the state's general fund be devoted to K-14 education.)

California has a bicameral legislature consisting of the _______ member Senate and the _____ member Assembly

40, 80

Statutes require a number of signatures equivalent to ________ of voters in the last gubernatorial election in order to qualify for the ballot, while constitutional amendments require a number of signatures equivalent to _________ of voters in the last gubernatorial election to qualify.

5%, 8%

Approximately what percentage of Californians under the age of 65 had employer-sponsored health insurance in 2015?

50% (In 2015 about 50 percent of Californians under age 65 had employer-sponsored insurance—that is, they obtained their insurance through their employer, who typically subsidized some of the cost.)

The wealthiest 1 percent of Californians pay about ________ percent of all income-tax revenue, and the wealthiest 10 percent pay about ______ percent.

50%, 80%

There are _____ superior court divisions and ____ courts of appeal districts in California.

58,6

How many justices sit on the California Supreme Court?

7 (The California Supreme Court includes one chief justice and six associate justices.)

What is the baseline state sales tax rate in California?

7.25 (The baseline state sales tax rate is 7.25 percent. Counties or taxing districts are allowed to add between 0.13 and 0.5 percent per local district for local services.)

The percentage of Americans who claim they get most of their information about politics from newspapers changed from _________ in 2007 to _______ in 2016.

87% , 20%

What was the re-election rate for incumbents in the Assembly and state Senate in 2016?

93% (Five incumbents lost their re-election campaigns in the Assembly, and no incumbents lost in the Senate.)

California Senate districts have approximately _______ constituents, and California Assembly districts have approximately ______ constituents.

950k, 475k (There are only 80 state assembly districts, and each represents nearly half a million people.

Which theory best describes the functioning of California politics?

A mixture of pluralist and elitist theory (The influence that interest groups have over policy making in California varies widely on the issue in question and the stakes presented, with elite groups dominating at some points and losing at others.)

What was the so-called devolution revolution?

A movement led by federal and state authorities during the 1970s to delegate more responsibility to local governments

Suppose your aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer, and her health insurance company dropped her policy rather than pay the large costs associated with her treatment. What would this action be called?

A rescission (Rescissions were a major problem with California's health insurance marketplace prior to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Affordable Care Act prohibited health insurance companies from rescinding policies after policyholders file insurance claims.)

If the state passed a law that guaranteed universal health care with substantial government subsidies and potentially no out-of-pocket expenses for all Californians, what type of system would this law create?

A single payer health care system

Review the following charts about public opinion, and then select the statement that best summarizes how Californians feel about the initiative process in their state. (picture in phone)

A strong majority of Californians view the initiative process as a good thing but believe that it is in need of some change

Match the appropriate type of regional government with each state agency.

Advisory regional government -Association of Bay Area Governments -Southern California Association of Governments Regulatory regional government -South Coat Air Quality Management District -California Coastal Commission

Which of the following statements about the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) impact on health insurance in California is most accurate?

Although many Californias still do not have health insurance, the ACA has significantly decreased the number of people in the state of California that do not have it.

Which of the following is the most common form of county government in California?

An elected five-member board of supervisors (In all counties except San Francisco, an elected five-member board of supervisors controls the governing process.)

How are vacancies in most of the plural executive offices filled?

Appointments by the governor (Gubernatorial appointments to fill these positions are subject to the approval within 90 days of both houses of the legislature.)

Which governor said that California represents "an empire of hope and aspiration" in his 2004 State of the State speech?

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Which of the following is the best description of councils of government (COGs)?

COGs are assemblies of delegates representing a region's counties and cities who meet to discuss common problems (COGs mainly perform research, planning, and advisory functions and have little or no power or authority to impose their decisions on local jurisdictions.)

Which of the following organizations contributed the most money to initiative ballot committees in California between 2000 and 2018?

California Teachers Association contributed $159,281,213)

Governor Jerry Brown's plan to build two 35-mile-long tunnels to carry water under and around the Delta and to rebuild the Delta levees is called which of the following?

California WaterFix (Proponents argue that the plan would restore wetlands and provide a more reliable source for the 25 million Californians who use the Delta's water. Opponents, however, are concerned about the cost of the tunnels, the possible ecological damage, and the project's financing.)

If you purchased stock in a company such as Apple this year and sold it for a profit next year, the income you made in this transaction would be referred to as what?

Capital gains

Which of the following court decisions allows corporations and unions nearly complete freedom to spend money during elections as long as they do not coordinate their expenditures with candidates?

Citizens United v. FEC (The U.S. Supreme Court's decision allows corporations and unions the freedom to spend practically unlimited amounts of money during elections through "independent expenditures.")

Policies that would provide public funding to candidates who demonstrate a base of public support and who agree to forgo any other private donations are referred to as which of the following?

Clean-money election laws

Suppose you felt that you were treated unfairly by a state building inspector while attempting to get a permit to remodel your house. If your representative in the state Assembly were to investigate this complaint on your behalf, what would this be an example of?

Constituency service

While __________ are advocates for hire and often represent multiple clients on a variety of issues at the same time, ______________ are full-time employees of a trade, professional, or labor association and represent that group's interests only.

Contract lobbyists, In-house lobbyists

Study the map of party registration in the state of California, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct - There are very few counties in the state where the parties have roughly the same number of registered voters -The Democratic Party typically registers more voters than the Republican Party in coastal counties Incorrect -Los Angeles County is the most Democratic county in the state. Orange County is the most Republican county in the state.

Study the chart on regional political cultures in California, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -A smaller percentage of San Francisco residents voted for Proposition 8 (which outlawed same-sex marriage) than supported Proposition 187 (which made undocumented immigrants ineligible for social services -A majority of San Diego residents voted in favor of Proposition 6 (which would have repealed gas tax increases enacted by the legislature in 2017), while a majority of San Francisco and Los Angeles residents voted against it Incorrect -A higher percentage of Californians living in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego voted for Barack Obama in 2012 than voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 -Proposition 13, which limited property taxes, received majority support in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

Which of the following were features of Proposition 30 (2012)? Correct or Incorrect -A temporary increase in the state sales tax -A temporary increase in corporate revenue tax rates -A temporary increase in tax rates for the state's high income earners -A temporary increase in residential property tax rates

Correct -A temporary increase in the state sales tax -A temporary increase in tax rates for the state's high income earners Incorrect -A temporary increase in corporate revenue tax rates -A temporary increase in residential property tax rates

Study the graph on who voted in 2018, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -A larger percentage of Latinos are ineligible to vote than any other racial or ethnic group in the state. -Women were slightly more likely to vote than men. Incorrect -Asian Americans made up a larger share of actual voters than they did of eligible voters. -African Americans are less than 10 percent of the overall population but more than 10 percent of actual voters.

Suppose you wanted to add language to California's constitution that guaranteed public financing of all statewide election campaigns. Which of the following would be required before this amendment could be made to the constitution? Correct or incorrect -A majority of voters in a statewide election would have to vote in favor of the amendment -Two-thirds of both the state Assembly and state Senate would have to vote in favor of the amendment -The governor would have to endorse the amendment -A constitutional convention would have to be convened and vote in favor of the amendment

Correct -A majority of voters in a statewide election would have to vote in favor of the amendment Incorrect -Two-thirds of both the state Assembly and state Senate would have to vote in favor of the amendment -A constitutional convention would have to be convened and vote in favor of the amendment -The governor would have to endorse the amendment

If you strongly supported three different ballot initiatives in the 2020 election, what would current campaign finance law allow you to do?

Donate as much money as you wanted to all three of them (There are currently no limits on the amount you can give to a ballot initiative campaign or on the number of campaigns you can give to.)

Which of the following statements about the process of municipal incorporation in California are accurate?

Correct -A petition for municipal incorporation must be submitted to the county's LAFCo. -The county's LAFCo engages in an extensive review of all incorporation plans. Incorrect -The process of municipal incorporation is not finalized until the state legislature and governor approve the incorporation plan. -Residents of the affected area are allowed to testify at any government hearing regarding the incorporation but are not allowed to directly vote on the incorporation plan.

In addition to the board of supervisors, identify the other elected or appointed county officers required by general law.

Correct -A sheriff -An assessor -A district attorney Incorrect -A superintendent of public instruction

Which of the following are examples of crowdsourcing?

Correct -A state assembly member sets up a wikipedia-like website where individuals can draft and edit legislation -A relatively unknown candidate for city council uses a self-made website to raise campaign money from hundred of small donors Incorrect -A local church group reminds people to vote on Election Day by engaging in door-to-door canvassing -A political party makes a $1 million contribution to an initiative campaign aimed at reducing the state's prison population

Which of the following statements about the budget process in the state of California are accurate?

Correct -A supermajority of two-thirds is required to raise new revenues. -The California Constitution gives the power of preparing the budget to the governor, not the legislature. Incorrect -A supermajority of two-thirds is required to approve a budget. -The governor has the power to add line items to the budget after it has been passed by the legislature.

Which of the following are examples of the fiscalization of land use?

Correct -A town decides to allow the building of a Best Buy and a Costco because they will generate large sales-tax revenues. A town denies a permit to a new housing development because property taxes generate less revenue than sales taxes. Incorrect -A town approves the building of a new school because the existing schools are getting too full. -A town refuses to build a new casino because it is worried about the type of customers it might attract.

Study the figure of the racial and ethnic composition of California's legislature, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -African Americans are overrepresented in the Assembly relative to their population in the state -The Assembly is more representative in terms of race and ethnicity of the state's population than the Senate is. Incorrect -There are more Asian Americans than Latinos serving in the state legislature -Whites are overrepresented relative to their population in the Assembly but not in the Senate

Identify which steps appellate court candidates must take before becoming judges.

Correct -All appellate court candidates are initially nominated by the governor. -All appellate court candidates are approved by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. -All appellate court candidates are reviewed by the State Bar of California's Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation Incorrect -All appellate court candidates are confirmed by a majority vote of the state Senate.

Which of the following were features of the 1849 California Constitution? correct or incorrect -All laws and other provisions were to be published into both English and SPanish -Members of the judiciary were appointed by the governor and required approval by the state Senate before taking office -African Americans were prohibited from testifying against whites in court -White and Native American males over the age of 25 were given the right to vote

Correct -All laws and other provisions were to be published in both English and Spanish -African Americans were prohibited from testifying against whites in court Incorrect -Members of the judiciary were appointed by the governor and required approval by the state Senate before taking office -White and Native American males over the age of 25 were given the right to vote.

The 1996 California Constitutional Revision Commission made which of the following suggestions about reforming the state's government? Correct or incorrect -Shortening the term limits for state legislators -Requiring that the governor and lieutenant governor run for election as a team -Breaking apart the state's current tax administration agencies -Allowing the governor to appoint all of the members of the executive branch that are currently elected separately

Correct -Allowing the governor to appoint all of the members of the executive branch that are currently elected separately -requiring that the governor and lieutenant governor run for election as a team Incorrect -Breaking apart the state's current tax administration agencies -Shortening the term limits for state legislators

Which of the following statements about California's presidential primary election are accurate?

Correct -California changed the date of its primaries to March for the 2000 and 2004 presidential primaries -Prior to 2000, California was one of the last states in the country to vote for the parties' presidential nominees. -Other states have shifted the dates of their presidential primaries in response to California's changing primary dates. Incorrect -California's presidential primary election has always taken place at the same time as the primaries for statewide offices.

Choose all of the following reasons that explain why California's revenues are more volatile from year to year than in many other states.

Correct -California collects much of its revenue from sales and income taxes, which are subject to fluctuations in the economy. -Proposition 13 limits how much of California's revenue comes from property taxes, a typically steady source of revenue. Incorrect -Lottery funds tend to go up when the economy is doing well and down when the economy is doing poorly. -California receives much of its revenue from corporate taxes, which are not as heavily influenced by the economy.

Which of the following are reasons why the number of uninsured has been relatively high in California compared to other states?

Correct -California has a relatively low percentage of people who work in large firms. -California has a relatively large percentage of immigrants Incorrect -California's health insurance program for people in poverty, Medi-Cal, was shut down by the passage of the Affordable Care Act. -California citizens are not allowed to enroll in the federal government's Medicare program

Which of the following statements about the blanket primary system are accurate?

Correct -California instituted its current blanket primary system with the passage of Proposition 14 in 2010 -Proponents of the blanket primary argue that it will produce more moderate candidates and more competitive races. Incorrect -The blanket primary system has produced a Democratic and Republican candidate for every general election since it was implemented in 2012. -California currently uses a blanket primary system only for state legislative primary elections and not for any other races.

Study the chart on where states get their revenue, and determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -California receives a higher share of its revenue from personal income taxes than Nevada, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming Incorrect -California receives a higher share of its revenue from the general sales tax than any other state. -California receives a lower share of its revenue from property taxes than any other state. -California receives a lower share of its revenue from corporate net income taxes than any other state.

Which of the following statements about the legislative process in California are accurate?

Correct -Committees in the Assembly and Senate cannot act on a bill until it has been in print for 30 days. -If the governor vetoes a bill, a two-thirds vote in each house is required to override the veto. Incorrect -Any member of the legislature and any statewide elected official can introduce a bill to the Assembly or Senate. -All bills require a supermajority in both houses to pass (54 in the Assembly and 27 in the Senate).

Which of the following were reforms successfully implemented by the Progressive movement of the early 1900s? correct or incorrect -Creating of a civil service in which government employees are selected on the basis of merit -Beginning a system of public financing for all state legislative campaigns -establishing a bicameral legislature -instituting primary elections to select party candidates for the general election in November

Correct -Creating of a civil service in which government employees are selected on the basis of merit -Instituting primary elections to select party candidates for the general election in November Incorrect -Beginning a system of public financing for all state legislative campaigns -establishing a bicameral legislature

Which of the following have been methods used by the state of California in recent years to help close the budget gap?

Correct -Cuts in education, health, and socail services -Incremental fee increases -Issuing bonds to borrow money Incorrect -Raising property taxes to 3 percent

Review the chart about independent expenditures and direct contributions, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -Direct contributions to state campaigns and ballot measure declined significantly between 2010 and 2014 -Direct contributions to state campaigns and ballot measure vastly outnumbered independent expenditures between 2008 and 2016 Incorrect -The total amount of independent expenditures and direct contributions was larger in 2016 than in any other year since 2008 -Independent expenditures in the state were nearly nonexistent before the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United

Study the chart on California budget expenditures, and determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -Education accounts for the largest proportion of state expenditures. -The majority of state expenditures are devoted to the health and education of Californians. Incorrect -More than half of state budget expenditures are related to education. -More funds in California are spent on prisons than on colleges

If you were committed to making California's government more republican and less majoritarian, which of the following changes would you be likely to support? Correct or incorrect? -Ending the ability of voters to recall statewide elected officials -Eliminating the use of ballot initiatives and requiring that all laws be enacted by a majority vote of the legislature -Requiring that all new laws passed by the legislature be approved by a majority vote of the public -Allowing the governor and legislature to amend the state constitution without receiving approval form voters.

Correct -Eliminating the use of ballot initiatives and requiring that all laws be enacted by a majority vote of the legislature -Allowing the governor and legislature to amend the state constitution without receiving approval from voters. Incorrect -Ending the ability of voters to recall statewide elected officials -Requiring that all new laws passed by the legislature be approved by a majority vote of the public.

If you are not currently registered to vote in the state of California, which of the following things can you do to register before the next election?

Correct -Fill out a registration form through the secretary of state's website -Visit a branch of the California Department of Motor Vehicles -Obtain, fill out, and mail in a voter registration form from any U.S. post office or library Incorrect -Place a phone call to the voter registration hotline maintained by the California Department of Voter Affairs

Which of the following agencies are cabinet-level "superagencies" within the state of California's executive branch?

Correct -Health and Human Services -Labor and Workforce Development -Environmental Protection Incorrect -Caltrans

The high rate of incumbency re-election can be explained by which of the following factors?

Correct -Incumbents have relatively high levels of visibility and name recognition -Incumbents provide service to their constituents during their time in office Incumbents raise more money due to their string ties to the fund-raising pipeline Incorrect -Proposition 28 reduced competition for incumbents by dramatically increasing the number of signatures required for a challenger to place his or her name on the ballot

Which of the following are features of California's top-two primary system? Correct or incorrect -The two major political parties hold separate primaries to select their candidates for the general election -It is possible to have a general election in which the two candidates presented to voters are from the same political party. -The top-two primary system has been used in California since the ratification of the state's constitution in 1879. -Third-party candidates are legally prohibited from running in the general election

Correct -It is possible to have a general election in which the two candidates presented to voters are from the same political party Incorrect -The two major political parties hold separate primaries to select their candidates for the general election. -The top-two primary system has been used in California since the ratification of the state's constitution in 1879 -Third-party candidates are legally prohibited from running in the general election

Which statements about Proposition 54 (the California Legislature Transparency Act) are accurate?

Correct -It required that all bills be in print and posted online before passed out of the legislature -It was the first crowdsourced ballot initiative in the nation -It required that the legislature make a video recording of every official public legislative meeting avablie to the public Incorrect -It reduced the amount of money political parties could contribute to candidates and ballot initiative campaigns

Study the chart on gubernatorial appointments to the judiciary in California since 1975, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -Jerry Brown appointed a larger percentage of African American, Latino, and Asian American judges and justices between 2011 and 2018 than he did between 1975 and 1982. -No governor has ever allocated more than 10 percent of his appointments to the judiciary to Asian Americans Incorrect -Republican governors have always appointed fewer female judges and justices during their administrations than Democratic governors have. -During each administration since 1975, African Americans have received a larger percentage of appointments to the judiciary than in the preceding administration.

Which of the following statements about California's immigration-related laws are accurate?

Correct -Landlords are prohibited from reporting a tenant's immigration status. Incorrect -Colleges and universities that offer Cal Grants are required to provide on-demand access to their campuses for federal immigration officials -The police are required to detain all crime victims and crime witnesses if they have violated federal immigration law -State law enforcement agencies are strictly prohibited from ever detaining immigrants for federal immigration enforcement

Study the table on lobbying expenditures in California, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate. Picture in phone

Correct -Lobbying expenditures more than doubled between the 1993-1994 session and the 2005-2006 session Incorrect -Lobbying expenditures have increased in every legislative session between 1993 and 3016 -The single largest increase in lobbying expenditures happened between the 2005-2006 and the 2007-2008 legislative sessions -Lobbying expenditures did not start increasing until the 1999-2000 legislative session

Which of the following statements about income inequality in the state of California are accurate? Correct or incorrect? -Local, state and federal safety net programs have significantly reduced income inequality in the state of California. -The incomes of low earners in California have declined substantially over the last four decades. -On average, incomes of people living in the Bay Area are four times higher than those of people living in the central valley -The incomes of top earners in California have remained relatively flat over the last four decades.

Correct -Local, state and federal safety net programs have significantly reduced income inequality in the state of California -The incomes of low earners in California have declined substantially over the last four decades Incorrect -On average, incomes of people living in the Bay Area are four times higher than those of people living in the Central Valley -The incomes of top earners in California have remained relatively flat over the last four decades.

Which of the following statements about immigration in California are accurate? Correct ot incorrect? -The majority of immigrants living in California come from Mexico. -The number of immigrants living in California has remained relatively stable since 1970. -There are more than 2 million immigrants from China, Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines currently living in California. -More than 25 percent of Californians were born in a different country.

Correct -More than 25 percent of Californians were born in a different country. -There are more than 2 million immigrants from China, Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines currently living in California. Incorrect -The majority of immigrants living in California come from Mexico. -The number of immigrants living in California has remained relatively stable since 1970.

Which of the following statements about California's use of vote by mail are accurate?

Correct -More than 40 percent of all of the votes cast in the state in 2016 were mail ballots. Incorrect -California is the only state that currently allows voting by mail without an approved excuse. -Before 1978, there was no vote by mail option available to citizens of the state. -California law currently requires that a person wishing to vote by mail make a separate ballot request three months before each election they would like to vote in.

Analyze the chart based on the California Household Travel Survey, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -More than two-thirds of trips in California in both the 2000 and 2010-2012 surveys were made as a driver or passenger in a private vehicle. -The percentage of trips made by walking in California more than doubled between the 2000 and 2010-2012 surveys. Incorrect -A larger percentage of trips in California in both the 2000 and 2010-2012 surveys were made by bicycle than by public transportation. The percentage of trips made by driving a private vehicle increased between the 2000 and 2010-2012 surveys.

Which of the following statements about council-manager forms of government are accurate?

Correct -Nearly all small- and medium-sized California cities use a council-manager plan. -Under a council-manager form of government, voters elect a city council to engage in all legislating. Incorrect -Under a council-manager form of government, voters elect a city manager to run the administration. -Under a council-manager form of government, cities do not have mayors.

Which of the following are problems with California's "top-two" primary system? Correct or incorrect -No "write-in" votes are allowed on the November ballot -Parties frequently replace the candidate who won the June primary with a new candidate for the November general election -Voters are allowed to to vote in the November election only if they voted in the June primary election -It is possible that the candidate with the fewest votes in the November general election will be elected to serve in the state legislature because votes from the June primary are included in the overall vote total that determines the election's outcome.

Correct -No "write-in" votes are allowed on the november ballot Incorrect -Voters are allowed to vote in the November election only if they voted in the June primary election -It is possible that the candidate with the fewest votes in the November general election will be elected to serve in the state legislature because votes from the June primary are included in the overall vote total that determines the election's outcome. -Parties frequently replace the candidate who won the June Primary with a new candidate for the November general election

Which of the following contributed to California's transportation infrastructure problems in recent years?

Correct -Proposition 13 has made it difficult to raise the tax revenues needed to repair or build infrastructure. -Hybrid automobiles have become increasingly popular Incorrect -The state's recent governors have been strongly opposed to new spending on state infrastructure. -Only one agency, Caltrans, controls all of the state's infrastructure funds

Which of the following statements about redistricting in California are accurate?

Correct -Redistricting is done every 10 years -The Citizens Redistricting Commission is given the responsibility of drawing new districts Incorrect -Redistricting frequently leads to state Assembly districts that vary dramatically in terms of population -The final district maps must be approved by a majority of both houses and be signed by the governor before going into effect

Which of the following are ways in which California's judges can be removed from the bench?

Correct -Regulatory commission investigation -Recall election -Impeachment Incorrect -Gubernatorial decree

Which of the following are reasons Proposition 140 was successful with voters in 1990?

Correct -Republicans believed instituting term limits could help them win a majority in the state legislature -Across the nation, voters had grown tired of incumbents winning re-election at such high rates Incorrect -Assembly speaker Pete Wilson, who hekd the position for a decade, was immensely unpopular with conservative voters -The Democratic Party, with its control of the legislature and the governorship, passed a record breaking number of controversial laws in the late 1980s.

Which of the following items may pass the state legislature?

Correct -Resolutions -bills -constitutional amendments Incorrect -Recalls for statewide officials

Which of the following statements about noncitizen voting in California are accurate?

Correct -San Francisco allows noncitizen parents of children enrolled in public schools the right to vote in the city's school board elections. -Noncitizens are not currently allowed to vote in statewide general elections in California. Incorrect -Noncitizens were granted the right to vote in all county elections by the California Voting Rights Act of 2001. -Noncitizens are allowed to vote in state legislative primary elections but not in general elections.

If you were elected to the state Assembly in 2020, which of the following could you do after serving your first term?

Correct -Serve two terms in the Senate -Serve one additional term in the Assembly and two terms in the Senate Incorrect -Serve additional terms in the Assembly -Serve three additional terms in the Assembly and two terms in the Senate

Study the following maps of state Senate districts in 1961, 2001, and 2016, and then determine which statements are accurate. Picture in phone correct or incorrect -State Senate districts in 2001 were drawn to ensure that each district included roughly the same number of residents -The lines demarcating state Senate districts have remained fixed since 1911 -State Senate districts in 1961 were drawn to ensure that each district included roughly the same number of residents -State Senate districts have, on average, grown to include larger and larger numbers of people over time

Correct -State senate districts in 2001 were drawn to ensure that each district included roughly the same number of residents -State Senate districts have, on average, grown to include larger and larger numbers of people over time Incorrect -State Senate districts in 1961 were drawn to ensure that each district included roughly the same number of residents -The lines demarcating state Senate districts have remained fixed since 1911

Taxpayer protection groups have coined the phrase "the spending lobby" to describe a subset of California's interest groups. Which of the following would be an example of "the spending lobby" at work?

Correct -The California State University system lobbies that state government for more spending on higher education -The city of Long Beach lobbies the state government to provide construction grants for the Port of Long Beach Incorrect -The Kaiser Foundation Health Plan lobbies the state government to reduce regulations on the health insurance industry -The California Chamber of Commerce lobbies the state government to reduce the corporate tax rate

Which of the following statements about the California electorate (that is, the group of people who show up to vote on Election Day) are accurate? Correct or incorrect? -The California electorate is more educated than the overall population -The California electorate is older than the overall population -The California electorate is more ethnically diverse than the overall population -The California electorate is more liberal than the overall population

Correct -The California electorate is more educated than the overall population -The California electorate is older than the overall population Incorrect -The California electorate is more liberal than the overall population -The California electorate is more ethnically diverse than the overall population

Who among the following are members of the Commission on Judicial Appointments?

Correct -The attorney general -A presiding judge from the courts of appeal -The chief justice of the supreme court Incorrect -The governor

Identify which of the following are responsibilities of the attorney general of California.

Correct -The attorney general has oversight responsibilities for local district attorneys and county sheriffs. -The attorney general defends the state in lawsuits. Incorrect -The attorney general is in charge of licensing lawyers to practice law and investigating complaints of professional misconduct against lawyers. -The attorney general makes appointments to fill vacancies at the superior court level.

Which of the following are constitutional requirements for California's budget?

Correct -The budget passed by the legislature must be balanced -The governor must submit a unified budget to the legislature within the first 10 days of the calendar year. Incorrect -The legislature must pass the budget by March 15 of each year. -Appropriations from the general fund must be passed in each house by a two-thirds majority vote of the membership.

Identify where all members of the California state legislature have offices.

Correct -The district they represent -Sacramento Incorrect -Washington, D.C -Los Angeles

Which of the following are powers of the speaker of the Assembly?

Correct -the power to assign and remove representatives from all Assembly committees -the power to assign parking spaces and offices for members of the legislature -the power to appoint who will serve as the majority floor leader Incorrect -the power to redraw Assembly district lines after reapportionment

Which of the following are important limits on the governor's power in the state of California?

Correct -The executive branch includes several independently elected officials who may be from the opposing party of the governor. -There are many state-level organizations that cannot be directly controlled by the governor. Incorrect -The governor must run for re-election every two years and can only serve three terms in office. -The state's constitution allows the governor to reduce monetary appropriations in bills passed by the legislature, but he or she cannot veto bills in their entirety.

Which of the following factors have led to the declining levels of civility in the state legislature?

Correct -The existence of legislative term limits -The increasing political polarization in the nation overall Incorrect -The states top-two primary system -The state's move to a unified executive branch rather than a plural executive branch

The story of Jurupa Valley illustrates which of the following facts about municipal incorporation in California?

Correct -The heavy burden of legal obligations and fiduciary responsibilities that come with incorporation can often be difficult for new municipalities to handle. -Local governments are highly dependent on state revenue and often cannot survive a diversion of revenue from Sacramento. Incorrect -Petitions for dissolution are extremely common among new cities in California. -Once a city files for dissolution, it can never become a city again, and a new incorporation plan with new city boundaries must be submitted.

The 1879 Constitution included which of the following rules about the railroad industry? Correct or incorrect -The industry would be free to increase or decrease its rates for any reason as long as a report was filed with the Transportation Department -A 25 percent sales tax would be added to the price of all railroad tickets -State officials would be barred from riding for free on all railroad lines -The industry would be regulated by a special commission focused on railroads

Correct -The industry would be regulated by a special commission focused on railroads -State officials would be barred from riding for free on all railroad lines Incorrect -A 25 percent sales tax would be added to the price of all railroad tickets -The industry would be free to increase or decrease its rates for any reason as long as a report was filed with the Transportation Department

Which of the following factors have encouraged the proliferation of interest groups in California?

Correct -The institution of term limits statewide legislative offices -The weakness of California's two major political parties Incorrect -The federal governments ban on lobbying in Congress -The declining size of the state's government

Which of the following statements about the lieutenant governor are accurate?

Correct -The lieutenant governor acts as governor if the elected governor leaves the state. -The lieutenant governor can cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate. Incorrect -The lieutenant governor is constitutionally prohibited from serving on any state boards or commissions while in office. -The lieutenant governor is elected by running on the same ticket as the governor.

Which of the following statements about the line-item veto are accurate?

Correct -The line-item veto permits the governor to reduce or delete any appropriation in a spending bill -For the first time in over three decades, the line-item veto was not used by the governor in 2016. Incorrect -Both the president of the United States and the governor of the state of California have the power of the line-item veto. -The line-item veto permits the governor to increase any appropriation in a spending bill.

Study the chart on justices and judges in California, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -The majority of judges and justices in the state of California identify as heterosexual. -The percentage of women on the Supreme Court is larger than the percentage of women serving in the courts of appeal. Incorrect -The percentage of white justices on the Supreme Court is higher than the percentage of white judges serving in the trial courts.

Which of the following statements about strong mayor-council systems are accurate?

Correct -The mayor serves as the city's overall chief executive and has the power to appoint the heads of the city government's departments. -The mayor has veto power over city council legislation. Incorrect -The city council, not the city's voters, selects the mayor. -The city council is in charge of all budgeting decisions, including proposing and passing the city's budget.

Study the graph of presidential voting patterns in California, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -The percentage of voters in California who are Latino has increased in every presidential election between 1980 and 2016. -A majority of Latinos have voted for the Democratic Party's candidate in every presidential election since 1980. -Latinos have been significantly more likely to vote for Democratic presidential candidates than have voters in the state overall in every election since 1980. Incorrect -The overall share of votes going to Democratic Party candidates in the state has increased in every presidential election since 1984.

Which of the following statements are consistent with pluralist theory?

Correct -The political system is best understood as a marketplace in which multitude of interest compete. -Government acts as an umpire or referee that oversees the competition between interests Incorrect -Government works best when political power is evenly divided between a federal government and state governments -Although many groups are active in the political process, elites representing only a narrow range of groups determine the basic direction of public policy on most issues.

Study the graph on party registration by education, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -The propensity to register as an independent with no party preference is highest among the least educated (that is, those with a high school degree or less) -A plurality of voters in every educational group are registered with the Democratic Party. Incorrect -Third parties register less than 2 percent of voters in all educational groups. -The most educated Californians (that is, those with a college or postgraduate degree) are the most likely to be registered with the Republican Party.

Identify which of the following reduced California's budgetary gridlock after 2010.

Correct -the increase in tax revenue brought about by the passage of Proposition 30 -the lowered requirements for passing a budget through the legislature imposed by Proposition 25 Incorrect -the reduction in the size of the Democratic Party's legislative majority after the 2012 elections -the increase in tax revenue brought about by repealing Proposition 13

Which of the following were factors contributing to the decline of the Progressive Party after 1912? Correct or incorrect -The party did not support a number of reforms endorsed by labor -The party's succeeded in winning the White House with Theodore Roosevelt as their candidate in 1912, -The party was unified in its support for World War 1. -The public grew tired of the large number of political reforms enacted by Progressives

Correct -The public grew tired of the large number of political reforms by the Progressives. -The party did not support a number of reforms endorsed by labor Incorrect -The party was unified in its support for World War 1 -The party's succeeded in winning the White House with Theodore Roosevelt as their candidate in 1912

Which of the following are problems that have been identified with the California tax system?

Correct -The sales tax focuses on goods instead of services. -Ballot measures have imposed rigid spending demands. -The overall tax system is regressive. -The income tax relies too heavily on capital gains taxation.

Which of the following statements about lobbying the executive branch in the state of California are accurate?

Correct -The size and technical expertse of California's executive branch forces lobbyists to develop expertise and relationships with numerous different agencies -California's seven statewide elected administration offices make it difficult for interest groups to coordinate lobbying activities Incorrect -Interest groups find it more difficult to lobby members of the executive branch because state campaign finance laws prohibit contributions to executive branch candidates -Regulations from progressive era of the state's politics (the early 1900s) make it illegal for groups representing business interests to lobby executive branch agencies

Identify reasons that political parties are relatively weak in the state of California.

Correct -The state uses a "top-two" open primary system -There are strict term limits for state legislators Incorrect -California law limits the number of members a political party can have in each county and in the state overall -Redistricting is controlled by the state legislature rather than by an independent commission

Which of the following are reasons that election campaigns in California are typically so expensive?

Correct -The state's immense size means that candidates must spend enormous amounts of money buying the broadcast time to air ads across the state -The state has many expensive political consultants that seem essential to electoral success. Incorrect -The state has strong political parties that increase the money available to candidates. -The state's system of publicly financed campaigns with no spending limits increases the amount candidates are willing to spend on winning elections.

Study the graph on population and housing growth in California since 2011, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct -The state's population has grown at a higher rate than its construction of housing units in every year since 2011. -More housing was built in 2017 than in any other year since 2011. Incorrect -The recent housing crisis is primarily the result of a sudden and unprecedented increase in the state's population since 2014. -The largest disparity between the growth rate of the population and the growth rate of housing occurred in 2016.

Which of the following statements about state regulation of lobbyists and interest groups are accurate?

Correct -There are strict limits on the cost of gifts that can be given by a lobbyist to a state-elected or legislative official -Lobbyists are prevented from contributing to officials they are registered to lobby Incorrect -Lobbying statements, which disclose campaign and lobbying expenditures, are filed with the state legislature. -There are no limits on the gifts that can be given by average citizens whoa re not registered lobbyists.

Which of the following are reasons why developers have not built more housing in California in recent years?

Correct -There is a shortage of affordable land to build on -There is a shortage of construction labor Incorrect -Proposition 13 explicitly limits the number of houses that developers are allowed to build in each city every year to 1 percent of the total number of houses already existing in the city. -The federal government has issued an injunction against California that prevents additional housing construction in order to limit the state's population growth.

Review the chart about ballot initiative contributions in the 2016 election, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate. picture in phone

Correct -There was less money spent on the initiative to legalize marijuana than on any of the other ballot initiatives in the figure -More money was spent in favor of the locking in Medi-Cal funding than in support of any other ballot initiative in the figure Incorrect -More money was spent in the opposition to increasing taxes on cigarettes than in opposition to any other ballot initiative in the figure -Opponents of Proposition 55 raised more money than opponents of any of the other ballot initiatives in the figure

The 1849 Constitution had which of the following problematic features? Correct or incorrect -It included so many different limitations on spending that the government could not adequately address any of the state's problems -There were no limits on legislative salaries -There were no limits on the governor's power to pardon people for state crimes -It included so many different forms of taxation that corporations and individuals were leaving the state out of economic necessity

Correct -There were no limits on legislative salaries -There were no limits on the governor's power to pardon people for state crimes Incorrect -It included so many different limitations on spending that the government could not adequatelty address any of the state's problems -It included so many different forms of taxation that corporations and individuals were leaving the state out of economic necessity

Which of the following are reasons independent expenditure committees have come under scrutiny in recent years?

Correct -They sometimes make it difficult to identify the source of contributions received by candidates and initiative campaigns -They allow for great sums of money from outside the state to influence the state's politics and elections Incorrect -They only spend money in support of conservative causes and candidates -They only spend money in support of liberal causes and candidates

Which of the following statements about third parties in California are accurate?

Correct -Third parties can act as spoilers that alter the outcome of election -Third parties can increase turnout in elections -Third parties can help spur political action on issues neglected by the major parties Incorrect -Third parties can receive public financing for their candidates' state legislative election campaigns only if they have received more than 15 percent of the vote in the previous election.

Which of the following are reasons that California has a relatively high caseload when compared with other state court caseloads?

Correct -Victims' rights legislation has elevated some misdemeanors to felonies. -California has modified its laws to allow juveniles to be tried as adults in some criminal cases. Incorrect -California's three strikes law was repealed in 1994. -The California Constitution requires that all felony convictions at the superior court level are automatically appealed to the state supreme court.

Under state law, when are you required to reregister to vote?

Correct -When you change addresses Incorrect -Before every presidential election -every year -when you get married or get a divorce

Study the map showing the demographics of California's counties, and then determine which following statements are accurate.

Correct -Whites compose a larger percentage of the population in Northern California counties than in Southern California counties. -Most counties in the state have populations where fewer than 45 percent of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher. Incorrect -All of the counties with a median income of over $70,000 are in the San Francisco Bay area. -Counties where whites compose the largest percentage of the population tend to have the highest levels of income.

Which of the following are examples of civil cases that might be heard in the California superior courts?

Correct -a case involving a patient suing their doctor for medical malpractice -a case involving a landlord attempting to evict a tenant for failure to pay rent on time Incorrect -a case involving an individual that fails to pay their state income taxes -a case involving an individual accused of stealing a car

Proposition 13 (1978) included which of the following provisions? Correct or incorrect -A requirement that all tax increases receive two-thirds support in the legislature -A floor on the amount of money of money allocated to k-12 education each year in the state budget -A reduction of residential property tax rates -An increase in the state sales rate from 7.5 to 7.75 percent

Correct -a reduction of resedential property tax rates -a requirement that all tax increases recieve two-thirds support in the legislature incorrect -An increase in the states sales tax rate from 7.5 to 7.75 percent -A floor on the amount of money allocated to K-12 education each year in the state budget

Identify which of the following types of cases the California Supreme Court is required to hear.

Correct -any case involving a death-penalty sentence -any case involving disciplinary issues with judges or attorneys Incorrect -any case involving a civil rights claim under the U.S. Constitution -any case involving a civil dispute of more than $1 million

Suppose you wanted to start your own political party in the state of California. Which of the following things could you do in order to qualify your party for the ballot before the 2020 election?

Correct -draft a petition to have your new party included on the ballot and gather 1,271,255 signatures in support of the petition -register approximately 6.5 million voters for your new party by October 1, 2019 Incorrect -raise at least $1,000 in contributions for your party during the 2020 calendar year from at least 29 of the 58 counties in the state -receive an official endorsement of your party from at least two members of the state Assembly, two members of the state Senate, and one elected official from the executive branch during the 2020 calendar year

Proposition 13 (1978) did which of the following things?

Correct -increased the size of the majorities required for voters to raise taxes -prohibited the passage of new property taxes -limited how much property taxes could increase each year Incorrect -established three new income tax brackets for people who make more than $305,100 per year

Which of the following would be examples of the California Supreme Court exercising its power of judicial review?

Correct -invalidating a law passed by the legislature to raise property tax rates in the state -eliminating a Department of Motor Vehicles hiring policy that disadvantages elderly applicants Incorrect -voting to recommend a gubernatorial appointment to the state courts of appeal -writing the official ballot summary for a proposed amendment to the state constitution's process for drawing legislative districts

Imagine that you have been elected to serve in the California State Assembly. Which of the following policies could you pursue to balance the state budget given the state's constitution and the limitations voters have placed on budgetary matters through the initiative process?

Correct -reduce state spending on higher education by raising tuition at all University of California and California State University campuses Incorrect -increase state revenue by imposing a new set of standardized fees for all government services provided to residential and commercial properties -take a two-year loan from money raised by local governments to temporarily cover the costs of state expenditures -redirect revenue from Proposition 111's gas tax and trucking fees away from transportation projects and towards education and health and human services spending

Imagine that you were governor of the state of California. Which of the following things could you do through your use of the line-item veto?

Correct -reduce the amount allocated to state prison spending from 10 percent of the budget to 5 percent of the budget -eliminate a state government commission that had previously been created and funded by the state legislature Incorrect -increase the amount allocated to the California State University system for the next year from $6.8 billion to $10.1 billion -lower the tax rate on incomes less than $8,000 from 1 percent to .25 percent

Which of the following could the governor do with a budget bill passed by the legislature that allocated $6 billion in funding for the California State University system and $8 billion in funding for the University of California system?

Correct -reduce the amount of funding for the University of California system to $6 billion -reduce the amount of funding for the California State University system to $0 -veto the bill in its entirety Incorrect -increase the amount of funding for the California State University system to $8 billion

Identify in which of the following ways Senate Bill 1253 changed the state's initiative process.

Correct -required that the legislature hold a hearing on any initiative that collects a minimum number of signatures -provided a public review period for all ballot initiatives Incorrect -increased the number of signatures required to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot -reduced the number of signatures required to place a normal statute on the ballot

Suppose the city you live in had too many mosquitoes but the city government refused to devote public funds to resolve the problem. If you wanted to create a special district focused on mosquito abatement, which of the following would you be required to do?

Correct -win the support of at least a majority of voters in an election -submit an application describing the special district to your county's local agency formation commission (LAFCo) Incorrect -receive approval for your application from your LAFCo, your city's mayor, and your board of supervisors -undergo a fiscal impact examination from the state Department of Finance

Which of the following were factors driving the support of the 2003 recall of Governor Gray Davis? Correct or incorrect? -Charges that Davis misled voters about the severity of the state's budget crisis during his 2002 re-election campaign -Davis's support for the implementation of the anti-immigrant Proposition 187 -Davis's support for Proposition 8's ban on same-sex marriage -Claims that Davis was partially responsible for the state's electricity crisis

Correct -Charges that Davis misled voters about the severity of the state's budget crisis during his 2002 re-election campaign -Claims that Davis was partially responsible for the state's electricity crisis Incorrect -Davis's support for Proposition 8's band on same sex marriage -Davis's support for the implementation of the anti-immigrant Proposition 187

Study the following chart on the number of initiatives in California, and then determine which statements are most accurate. Picture in phone

Correct -THe number of initiatives qualifying for the ballot more than doubled between the 1970s and 1980s -During the 1950s, fewer initiatives were approved by voters than in any other decade Incorrect -More ballot initiatives were approved by voters between 2000 and 2009 than in any other decade -Prior to the 1940s, the vast majority of initiatives that qualified for the ballot were approved by voters.

What is the state of California's health insurance exchange called?

Covered California

The _______ collects individual budget proposals from state agencies, while the ________ works out any differences between Assembly and Senate budget bills.

Department of Finance, Budget Conference Committee

Political scientists talk about two poles of representation style: the _______ who tries to find out what constituents want and then act according to their wishes, and the _______ who believes that he or she has been chosen to act based on his or her own best judgment.

Delegate, Trustee

Which statement best characterizes the water rights issued by California's water agencies during the last 100 years?

During the last 100 years, California water agencies have issued water rights for far more water than nature, on average produces (California's freshwater runoff in an average year is about 70 million acre-feet, but since 1914, the state has handed out water rights totaling 370 million acre-feet per year.)

Nearly all of the state's airport, harbor and port, transit, water, waste, and hospital districts function as which type of district?

Enterprise districts (Enterprise districts are run like businesses and charge user fees for services. In fiscal year 2015-16, the state's enterprise districts generated a total of $21.98 billion in user fees.)

Nearly two-thirds of California's roads and bridges are poor or structurally deficient.

False (Although a large number of roads and bridges are poor or structurally deficient, it is far less than two-thirds. A 2011 report, for example, found 37 percent of California's roads to be "poor." A 2013 study of the structural quality of California's bridges found that 11.1 percent of California's bridges are structurally deficient.)

In December 2014, Congress ordered the Department of Justice to spend nearly 10 percent of its yearly budget on enforcing federal marijuana laws against medical marijuana providers in the state of California.

False (Although courts have ruled that states have no right to special protections from federal law, the federal government need not prioritize the enforcement of marijuana laws. In December 2014, for example, Congress actually prohibited the Department of Justice from spending any funds to interfere with California's medical marijuana laws.)

If the governor of California declares a state of emergency in response to a wildfire, what does he or she issue?

Executive order (Executive orders are directives issued by the governor to manage the operations of state government. Executive orders are permitted by the constitution or under laws passed by the legislature. They are most significant in times of an emergency.)

Put the stages of the budget process in order from earliest to latest.

Executive proposal, legislative adoption, gubernatorial action, implementation

All counties in the state of California have roughly the same population.

False

Approximately 75 percent of Californians over the age of five speak English at home.

False

Every state in the country makes use of the initiative process to pass laws

False

Hiram Johnson, a leader of the state's Progressive movement, was elected to serve as governor of the state in 1916

False

Registering to vote increases a person's chances of being selected for jury duty and significantly enhances the scrutiny a person receives on their income taxes.

False

Under current campaign finance law, political action committees (PACs) in the state of California are allowed to contribute more money to gubernatorial, state Assembly, and state Senate candidates than individuals are.

False

Unlike the federal Constitution, the state of California's constitution contains no protections for freedom of the press.

False

No state senator has been successfully recalled from office in California since 1994.

False (State senator Josh Newman was successfully recalled in 2018 over his support for an increase in the gas tax. The recall temporarily eliminated the two-thirds Democratic majority in the Senate.)

Because of the relatively large size of the state legislature, California's districts are among the smallest in the country.

False -(The Assembly has only 80 seats, and the Senate has only 40 seats. This relatively small number of seats, coupled with the state's large population, makes California's districts some of the largest in the country.)

The number of undocumented people living in California has been growing rapidly over the last ten years and is currently at approximately 800,000.

False (About 2.5 million people are undocumented in California, a figure that has remained constant for over a decade.)

All potential judges in California must have at least 10 years of experience practicing law in the state of California or service as a judge of a court of record.

False (All potential judges in California must have at least 10 years of experience practicing law in the state of California or service as a judge of a court of record.)

Any person with a law degree can serve as a judge or justice in the state of California.

False (All potential judges in California must have at least 10 years of experience practicing law in the state of California or service as a judge of a court of record.)

Under current state law, initiatives can appear on primary, general, and special-election ballots.

False (Although initiatives appeared on the primary, general, and special-election ballots between 1960 and 2012, the law was changed in 2012 to require that ballot initiatives appear only on the general election ballot in November.)

Approximately 20 percent of the initiatives that have qualified for the ballot have been approved by California voters since 1912.

False (Although initiatives fail more often than they succeed, the overall passage rate is actually 36 percent (142 of the 397 initiatives placed on the ballot since 1912 were approved by the voters).

There is no limit to the number of bills a member of the Assembly or the Senate can introduce during a legislative session.

False (An individual state senator may introduce no more than 40 bills in a two-year session, whereas Assembly members can introduce no more than 50 bills.)

California currently has only three officially qualified political parties: the Democratic Party, the Republican Party and the American Independent Party

False (California has six qualified parties: the American Independent Party, the Democratic Party, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, the Peace and Freedom Party, and the Republican Party.)

Much like the federal government, the state of California is allowed to pass a budget in which expenditures going out are greater than revenues coming in.

False (California is required by law to pass a balanced budget every year. This can be particularly tricky in years of recession.)

In 1849, California was admitted to the Union as a slave state.

False (California was admitted in 1850 as a free state.)

The overwhelming majority of California's felony criminal cases are not resolved within 12 months and many continue for two or three years.

False (Despite its incredible workload, California's criminal courts typically resolve cases involving felonies within 12 months (85 percent were resolved in 2015-16).)

California receives more federal funds from the government in Washington, D.C. than it pays in federal taxes.

False (Despite receiving many billions in federal funds, California does not get back more from the federal government than it pays in taxes. Federal funds, in general, redistribute money from wealthier states such as California to poorer ones.)

Nearly every local newspaper and television station has a correspondent in Sacramento to cover state politics.

False (Despite the fact that reporters and news staff have to be located in Sacramento to adequately cover state politics, there are actually very few media correspondents in Sacramento.)

The state has approximately 400 nonschool special districts.

False (Excluding the school districts, the state had 4,884 special districts in 2017.)

Since 1967, governors in the state of California have vetoed approximately half of the bills passed by the legislature.

False (Governors have vetoed only about 13 percent of legislative bills since 1967. Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed about 26 percent of the bills that came to him, while Governor Brown vetoed 12.9 percent of the bills sent to him from 2011 to 2015.)

California's constitution currently prohibits political parties from endorsing judges who run in nonpartisan elections.

False (In 1986, voters passed an amendment to the state constitution to prohibit political parties from endorsing judges who run in nonpartisan elections. The California Supreme Court, however, struck down the amendment as unconstitutional because it violated Californians' rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association.)

The governor has used the line-item veto when signing the budget every year since 1977.

False (In 2016, for the first time in over 40 years, the governor did not use the line-item veto when signing the budget.)

Since the beginning of California's "top-two" primary system in 2010, the vast majority of legislative races in California feature candidates from the same party.

False (In many general election contests, the top two candidates belong to the same party, but these races usually only account for two dozen out of the 150 legislative races every election cycle.)

Jerry Brown served a total of 12 years as a governor of California

False (Jerry Brown actually served 16 years as governor. He was governor from 1975 to 1983 and from 2011 to 2019.)

Unlike other state governors, such as Ronald Reagan, former California governor Jerry Brown never ran for president.

False (Jerry Brown was a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for president in 1976, 1980, and 1992.)

Initiatives have become so popular in California because they are the only laws that cannot be challenged in the courts once they are enacted.

False (Like any other law, initiatives are subject to judicial interpretation and review. In fact, the common opinion among the electorate in California is that the initiative as an alternative policy-making tool has become an exercise in futility due to the frequency of legal interventions. Most voters believe that once an initiative passes at the ballot box, it inevitably ends up in court.)

If California adopted laws to allow for so-called "clean-money elections," it would be the first state in the country to do so.

False (Maine and Arizona have recently adopted laws that allow for clean-money elections.)

Progressives in the state of California were strongly committed to combating racism and reducing anti-immigrant sentiment.

False (Many Progressives were racists, believing Blacks and immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe to be genetically inferior to immigrants from Western Europe. Additionally, Progressives enacted a number of laws discriminating against Japanese Americans)

An initiative passed by a majority of voters has never been struck down by the California State Supreme Court.

False (Many initiatives passed by state voters have been struck down by the California State Supreme Court. For example, Proposition 14 (1964), which nullified the Rumford Fair Housing Act, and Proposition 22 (2000), which outlawed same-sex marriage, were both overturned by the state's supreme court)

Most states in the Country currently use a blanket primary system

False (Most states use either an open (approximately 20 states) or a closed (approximately 25 states) primary system. Only Alaska, Louisiana, Washington, and California use a blanket primary system.)

All local public officials in the state of California are elected in partisan races (i.e., with a partisan label affixed to a candidate's name on the ballot).

False (Of the more than 19,000 elected officials in California, fewer than 300 are now elected in partisan races.)

Every state except New York, Illinois, and California demands strict obedience to Dillon's rule.

False (Only a few states, including Alabama, Idaho, and Nebraska, demand strict obedience to Dillon's Rule and require local governments to seek their permission in order to act. Dillon's Rule is very liberally construed in California. The state's constitutional and legal framework confers broad formal powers on local governance.)

If you make $65,000 a year in the state of California, you pay the same income tax rate (13.3 percent) as someone who makes over $1 million a year.

False (Proposition 30 established three new brackets for taxpayers who make more than $305,100 per year: at 11.3, 12.3, and 13.3 percent of income. The 13.3 percent income tax rate applies only to incomes exceeding $1 million.)

Ballot measures backed by citizen groups in California succeed at a much lower rate than those that are sponsored by narrow economic interests

False (Research by political scientist Elisabeth Gerber has actually shown that citizen groups are more successful in their use of the initiative process than narrow economic interests.)

Approximately two-thirds of California's students in 2018 met or exceeded the Common Core standards for English language arts/literacy and mathematics.

False (Results of the 2018 statewide standardized testing of students across all grades found that 49.83 percent met or exceeded the English language arts/literacy standard. Eleven percent fewer (38.65 percent) met or exceeded the standard for mathematics.)

No state senator has been successfully recalled from office in California since 1994.

False (State senator Josh Newman was successfully recalled in 2018 over his support for an increase in the gas tax. The recall temporarily eliminated the two-thirds Democratic majority in the Senate.)

Taxes on Indian gambling revenues are an important source of revenue for the state of California.

False (Taxes on Indian gambling revenues are so small (less than one-tenth of one percent of state revenue) that they are not even reported in the state budget.)

The California Constitution requires that the attorney general follow the governor's orders in determining which issues will receive the most attention and resources.

False (The attorney general's office is able to set its own agenda, which may run counter to the governor's agenda, and there is no constitutional obligation for the attorney general to cooperate in any way with the governor.)

The proposed high-speed rail system to connect San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles has run over budget but is likely to be completed by its originally planned date in 2024.

False (The high-speed rail system was originally projected to cost $68 billion. However, in March 2018 the state revealed that the projected cost would now be at least $77.3 billion and might even exceed $98 billion by its completion. Moreover, it is expected not to be fully operational until 2033.)

The state legislature has successfully overridden a governor's veto at least once in every legislative session since 1977.

False (The state legislature has successfully overridden the governor's veto only seven times since 1946 (and four of those were against Jerry Brown in the 1970s)

Each member of the legislature has only four staff members, and the personnel budget for legislative workers cannot, by law, exceed $10 million a year. Click or tap "True" or "False" to answer the question.

False (There are over 2,000 legislative aides, and the personnel budget for legislative workers in 2015 was $216 million. While minority members have only 4 or 5 staff members, it is not unusual for majority legislators to have 13 or 14 staff members.)

As of 2018, contributions to or expenditures by judicial candidates in California are completely unregulated by state law.

False (Under state law, any contributions to or expenditures of $100 or more by judicial candidates must be itemized.)

Similar to justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, justices of the California Supreme Court hold office for life once their appointments are confirmed.

False (Unlike the lifetime appointments of U.S. Supreme Court justices, California Supreme Court justices are appointed for 12 years. As with all state appellate court judges, justices face noncompetitive retention elections at the end of their terms. If a justice does not receive a majority of affirmative votes, he or she is removed from office.)

California's approach to services for its citizens today can be summarized by the statement, "If you're eligible, we'll serve you."

False (While this has traditionally been a guiding ethos for the government of California, budget strains in the past decade have led to caps being implemented for several programs, including Medi-Cal and other health-related initiatives.)

Since 1999, there have been many new cities incorporated in California, and there are now over 1,000 cities in the state.

False (Only 9 cities have incorporated since 1999, raising the total number of cities to 482 in 2018.)

The vast majority of cases heard in California's superior courts are civil cases.

False -Almost 80 percent of the 6.2 million cases heard in California's superior courts between 2015 and 2016 were criminal in nature. The remaining 20 percent were civil cases.

Match each crime with the appropriate classification under California state law.

Felony -Stealing a laptop computer Infraction -Possession of a half ounce of Marijuana -Failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign -Fishing without a license

What did Proposition 50, a referendum passed by voters in 2016, achieve?

Gave the legislature the power to prohibit suspended legislators from receiving pay and benefits during their suspension perion (Because the state constitution does not allow the legislature to strip a lawmaker of pay, the three senators suspended in 2014 (Rod Wright, Leland Yee, and Ron Calderon) still received salaries. Proposition 50 changed this.)

The __________ fund includes all state revenues that are not federal funds, special funds, or bond funds.

General

Match the following types of funding with their correct descriptions.

General funds -The largest fund Federal funds -Money comes that from Washington, D.C. Special funds -Targeted for specific programs Bond funds -Come from money that is paid back over several years

A California county that is governed under the broad legal framework spelled out in the state's constitution is referred to as a(n) _______ county, while a California county whose voters have adopted their own legal framework is referred to as a(n) _______ county.

General-law, Charter

Which term refers to drawing district lines in a manner that favors one party over another?

Gerrymandering (Gerrymandering is usually done by packing most of the opponent's voters into a few districts and spreading the remainder thinly over the remaining districts.)

The California secretary of state classifies interest groups into 19 categories and tracks the amount spent on lobbying in each category. Place the following categories of interest groups in order from the largest amount spent on lobbying to the smallest amount spent on lobbying in 2015-16.

Government, oil and gas, agriculture, political organizations

Much like the U.S. president's job, the governor's job is divided analytically into two roles: head of government and head of state. Label each of the gubernatorial activities as the governor's responsibility as either head of government or head of state.-

Head of state -Attending a memorial service for a police officer who was killed in the line of duty -Lighting the Christmas tree displayed in front of the state capitol Head of government -Signing a bill passed by the legislature that increases gasoline taxes -Meeting with state legislators to persuade them to increase spending on the California high-speed rail project

The 2014 case Sacramento Nonprofit Collective v. Holder is an example of which of the following?

How recent decisions by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals have rejected the claim that states have special protection from federal law when it comes to medicinal marijuana use (In 2014, the court ruled that states are entitled to no special protections from federal law enforcement when it comes to medicinal marijuana. As a result, federal law may be enforced against medicinal marijuana distributors even when they are operating legally under state law.)

Which of the following is the best definition of citizen lobbyists?

Individuals who have an interest in an issue and want to make their view known to public officials

The governor of California has a series of formal powers granted under the state constitution as well as informal powers. Classify each of the following powers as belonging to the governor's formal or informal powers.

Informal powers -Raising money for political campaigns Formal -Granting clemency, including pardons and reprieves -Serving as commander in chief of the National Guard -Making recommendations to the legislature during a State of the State address

Place the following direct democratic procedures in order based on how commonly they have resulted in elections since 1912, from most commonly resulting in elections to least commonly resulting in elections.

Initiative, referendum, recall of a state legislator, recall of a governor

What was the effect of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 decision in Gonzales v. Raich?

It allowed the national government to preempt California's medical marijuana laws (The Supreme Court ruled that the Commerce Power gives Congress the authority to regulate and to punish the manufacture and cultivation of marijuana despite California law allowing for compassionate use.)

Between 1980 and 2014, how did the income of median California families change?

It grew by less than 10 percent, while the income of median U.S. families grew by more than 20 percent.

What effect did the Supreme Court's ruling on Proposition 198 (in California Democratic Party v. Jones) have on California's primary system?

It struck down the blanket primary system created by Proposition 198

Which California governor was often parodied as "Governor Moonbeam" because he promoted the establishment of a space academy and the purchase of a communications satellite for the state?

Jerry Brown (Jerry Brown earned the nickname "Governor Moonbeam" during his first stint as California governor (between 1975 and 1983).

What is the role of the judge in cases that are settled through a plea bargain?

Judges determine if the plea bargain is appropriate and if the defendant entered into the plea bargain knowingly (If the judge decides that the terms of the plea bargain are inappropriate, that the defendant's ability to comprehend the terms of the plea was compromised, or that the plea was not entered into voluntarily, then a new plea may have to be negotiated or the case may actually go to trial.)

Federal judges are selected through presidential appointments in order to promote _______ while states like California have chosen to select some of their judges through elections in order to promote ________.

Judicial independence, Judicial accountability

Identify which of the following roles local agency formation commissions (LAFCos) have in California.

LAFCos help resolve conflicts among local governments that compete with one another for power and resources within their county jurisdictions

This government agency provides a nonpartisan and independent review of the entire state budget each year, including alternative ways to accomplish the same goals and objectives.

Legislative Analyst's Office (The reviews of the Legislative Analyst's Office are so nonpartisan that former legislative analyst Elizabeth Hill was called the "Budget Nun" because of her "incorruptible" fiscal reports.)

What is the concept behind the phrase "You vote for my bill, and I will vote for yours?"

Logrolling (Formally, logrolling is the practice of legislators exchanging votes on proposed pieces of legislation)

What is California's version of the federal Medicaid plan called?

Medi-cal (Medi-Cal is California's version of the federal Medicaid plan for the poor. Medi-Cal is open to single adults and couples without children who qualify on the basis of poverty.)

Match each health insurance program with its main features.

Medicaid -Paid for by both the federal government and the states -Primarily designed to serve people in poverty Medicare -Paid for with federal funds -Primarily designed to serve senior citizen

Issue networks are composed of which of the following?

Member of legislature committees, senior members of executive branch agencies , and interest groups working on a particular issue area (The bulk of policy details are worked out in these networks. The lobbyists and bureaucrats involved in issue networks are particularly influential with lawmakers because they tend to be specialists who spend their entire careers in a single subject area.)

Which of the following statements about nonpartisan elections in the state of California are accurate?

Most local elections in the state are nonpartisan. (Most elections at the city and county levels are nonpartisan, including races for city councils, county board of supervisors, school boards, and judges.)

Study the chart comparing gubernatorial powers across state governments, and then identify whether or not each gubernatorial power in question is used in a majority of states.

Most states give the governor this power -Line-item veto for appropriations bills -Full or shared budget-making authority Mosts states DO NOT give the governor this power -Line-item veto for nonappropriations bills -unlimited terms in office

Suppose there was a project to build 500 low-cost housing units in your neighborhood. If you organized protests to stop this project from going into effect because you believe it would increase traffic, drive down housing prices, and create parking shortages in your neighborhood, what might you might be accused of?

NIMBYism (NIMBY is an acronym for "Not In My Back Yard." NIMBYism is a viewpoint that leads people to oppose the building of new housing projects in their neighborhoods. In the state of California, this viewpoint is a common problem that makes building new homes, especially low-cost homes, difficult.)

Why did Gavin Newsom rise to national prominence in 2004?

Newsom ordered the San Franscisco city-county to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples (Just a month into his term as mayor of San Francisco, Newsom attracted national attention when he directed the city-county clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, in violation of state law. While those marriages were later annulled by the California Supreme Court, the move cemented his popularity in the city.)

Which of the following was a position of the Workingmen's Party in California during the 1870s?

Opposition to the presence of chinese workers in California

What are independent expenditure committees, also known as Super PACs?

Organizations that can spend unlimited amounts for or against candidates and ballot measure but cannot give directly to or coordinate campaign activities with candidates

When the state Assembly holds hearings to investigate construction flaws in the new Bay Bridge or to evaluate the progress of the high-speed rail project, what is it engaging in?

Oversight (Legislative oversight involves ensuring that the law is carried out by the bureaucracy as the legislature intended and looking out for potential problems in the implementation of policy.)

Under current law in California, which of the following statements about owners of zero-emission vehicles is true?

Owners are required to pay a special vehicle fee of $165 per year (Despite some significant hurdles to enacting such a law, the state legislature actually voted to increase revenue for infrastructure projects in 2017 by imposing a $165 fee on all zero-emission vehicles.

Which of the following terms best describes what a government "produces"?

Public policy -The term public policy refers to the actions government takes in various policy areas, such as health, welfare, education, and water.

Which of the following was a provision of Proposition 25 (2010)?

Penalizes legislators if they fail to pass a budget by the state's constitutional deadline. (If legislators miss the June 15 deadline for passing a budget, they lose their salaries for every day that the budget is late.)

Arrange the sources of revenue in the state of California from largest to smallest.

Personal income tax, sales tax, corporation tax, motor vehicle fees

If passed, what would Proposition 77 (2005) have accomplished?

Placed a panel of three retired judges in control of redrawing the state's legislative districts after each census (Despite the backing of then governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the measure lost by a margin of approximately 19 percent.)

Suppose California passed a law that bans the sale of soda in high schools. If the United States Congress responded by passing a federal law that prohibited the banning of soda sales in schools, what would this federal law be an example of?

Preemption (Preemption is the rule of law that if the federal government, through Congress, has enacted legislation on a subject matter, it shall be controlling over state and local laws.)

Match each time period with the appropriate statement about California's primary system.

Primary system after the passage of Proposition 14 (2010) -Voters are allowed to vote on candidates from any party -Candidates run in a single contest against members of their own party and members of other political parties Primary system before the passage of Proposition 14 (2010) -Voters are allowed to vote on candidates for only one party -Candidates run in separate contests against members of their own party

A _______ is a general law that applies to all special districts of a given type while a ______ is passed by the legislature to adapt a special district's structure, financing, and authority to unique local circumstances.

Principal act, Special act

The personal income tax in the state of California is best characterized as a _______, while the sales tax is best characterized as a _______

Progressive tax, Regressive tax

According to governmental lobbyists, which ballot measure is most responsible for the increased amount of lobbying that local governments engage in at the state level?

Proposition 13 (Proposition 13 limited property tax revenues to local government and, by doing so, created competition among local governments for state funding.)

Which of the following statements about Proposition 34 (2000) is accurate?

Proposition 34 was approved by a strong majority of voters (Proposition 34 passed with close to 60 percent of the popular vote.)

Match each ballot initiative to its main purpose.

Proposition 49 (2002) -Mandated state spending on after-school programs Proposition 218 (!996) -Required voter approval on local tax increases Proposition 99 (!988) -Increased taxes on cigarettes Proposition 71 (2004) -Raised money to fund stem-cell research

Since 2008 a series of initiatives have been passed that appear to have strengthened the legislative process and reduced gridlock. Match each of these propositions with its main feature.

Proposition 55 -Extended Proposition 30's income tax increases for 12 years Proposition 28 -Reduced the term limits in the legislature from 14 to 12 years Proposition 20 -Extended the jurisdiction of the Citizens' Redistricting Commission to congressional districts Proposition 11 -Took redistricting o the state legislature away from the legislature and put it in the hands of the newly created Citizens' Redistricting Commission

Match each statement about the state of California's campaign finance law with the appropriate ballot initiative Proposition 208 (1996) Proposition 9 (1974)

Proposition 9 (1974) -Created Fair Political Practices Commission -Created the Political Reform Division within the office of the secretary of state Proposition 208 (1996) -Allowed candidates to accept spending limits in return for increased contribution limits -Limited contributions to candidates from individuals, political parties, corporations, unions, and PACs

Which of the following is the best explanation why Governors Ronald Reagan and Jerry Brown received more media attention than governors George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson, and Gray Davis?

Reagan and Brown were nationally known political figures and presidential contenders while governors Deukmejian, Wilson, and Davis were not

Which statement best describes retention elections for appellate court judges in California?

Retention elections are held at set intervals, and voters are simply asked whether the judge should remain on the appellate bench (Appellate court judges serve 12-year terms. At the end of their terms, a retention election is held. If a judge does not receive a majority of affirmative votes, he or she is removed, and the governor appoints a new judge.)

Label the following examples as either an expenditure or a source of revenue.

Revenue -Lottery sales -Sales tax Expenditure -Repairs for highways -Funding for prisons

If your water rights in California stem from the fact that you own a home next to a small lake rather than from a permit given to you by the state's Division of Water Rights, what are your water rights called?

Riparian water rights (Riparian rights are water rights that people have because they own property. There are restrictions on exercising these rights, such as "natural flow" of the water source and requirements that the water source be adjacent to the smallest piece of the property. California and Oklahoma are the only western states to recognize riparian rights.)

When you register to vote in California, which official is responsible for processing your registration form?

Secretary of state (The secretary of state is the chief elections officer, responsible for maintaining a database of registered voters and for overseeing all federal and state elections in the state.)

Which of the following companies held a monopoly over California's shipping industry and exerted tremendous political influence during the early 1900s?

Southern Pacific Railroad (Southern Pacific Railroad's monopoly on the shipping industry provided it with undue influence economically and politically. During the early 1900s, it ruled the state to a degree previously unparalleled in the nation.)

What does the California Supreme Court's ruling in Troester v. Starbucks (2018) illustrate? Click or tap a choice to answer the question.

State courts can offer more protections to workers than those required by the federal government or the United States Supreme Court (The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employers were not required to pay employees for working a few minutes off the clock. States could, however, decide to compel employers to pay for this work if they chose. In Troester v. Starbucks, the California Supreme Court ruled that employees regularly performing work off the clock were to be compensated.)

suppose you spent the day in Los Angeles running a number of errands, including having your car washed, getting a haircut, buying a new pair of shoes, and purchasing a new television. Which one of these purchases would be subject to the state sales tax?

Subject to the state sales tax -Buying a new pair of shoes -Purchasing a new television Not subject to state sales tax -Having your car washed -Getting a hair cut

Place in order, from lowest to highest, the different levels of the California judiciary system.

Supperior courts, Courts of appeal, Supreme court

The elimination of the California Postsecondary Education Commission in 2011 is an example of which power?

The governor can use a line-item veto to effectively kill a state program (The California Postsecondary Education Commission's entire general fund allocation for 2011-12 was eliminated by Governor Brown in a line-item veto upon signing the state budget in 2011.)

Which of the following statements about the Brown Act is accurate?

The Brown Act was designed to prevent secret meetings and backroom dealings of local government officials conducting public business

What does the attorney general of California oversee?

The Department of Justice (The attorney general oversees the state's Department of Justice, which employs more than 4,500 people and is responsible for ensuring that the laws are enforced.)

Which of the following statements about the U.S. Constitution and local governments is most accurate?

The U.S. Constitution says nothing about local governments and assigns authority only to the national and state governments (While the powers of both the national government and state governments are discussed in detail, local governments are never mentioned anywhere in the U.S. Constitution.)

Gay and lesbian couples in California were allowed to be legally married only after which event occurred?

The United States Supreme Court ruled in Hollingsworth v . Perry. (At issue in this case was whether Proposition 8 violated the United States Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment. The Supreme Court did not decide on this constitutional question because it determined that Hollingsworth lacked standing to sue. This ruling gave same-sex couples the right to marry in California.)

The "Declaration of Rights" refers to which of the following?

The bill of rights found in the state of Californias's constitution

Which of the following statements best characterizes the project to rebuild the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland?

The bridge was finished years behind schedule and cost more than twice the original estimated price

Which of the following is the best description of Dillon's rule?

The constitutional doctrine that gives state governments ultimate authority over local governments (In 1868, Iowa judge John F. Dillon ruled that "municipal corporations" such as counties and cities were mere "creatures of the state" and could exercise only those powers delegated to them by the state.)

How did the California Supreme Court rule with regard to the levee failure that flooded the town of Linda in 1986?

The court held that the state government was financially liable for the damage because it had not repaired the broken stretch of levee

Who elects the speaker of the Assembly?

The entire membership of the Assembly (Although all members of the Assembly cast a vote, in most cases, the outcome of the speaker election is determined in advance by the majority party caucus

Which of the following statements about the legislative powers and responsibilities of the governor is accurate?

The governor is required by the state's constitution to deliver a State of the State address to the legislature at the start of every legislative session (The state's constitution requires the governor to present a State of the State address to the legislature at the beginning of a legislative session. This speech may be short or long, general or specific. Unlike the president's State of the Union address, it is normally not covered in detail by the media.)

What would happen if a California trial court judge ran for re-election but no one choose to run against him or her?

The incumbent judge would be automatically re-elected without an election (Unlike in many other states, if an incumbent in California is up for retention at the trial level and has no challengers, he or she may simply be declared re-elected without an election actually being held.)

What is the only position within the state's plural executive created through the initiative process?

The insurance commissioner (The insurance commissioner's office was made elective by Proposition 103 in 1988.)

What does jurisdiction refer to?

The kind of law handled by a particular court (For example, there are criminal courts that deal with violations of state and local laws, and there are civil courts that hear cases involving disputes between individuals or classes of individuals.)

Which of the following statements best describes the number of interest groups in California since 1990?

The number of interest groups has grown dramatically over the last two and a half decades. (In 1990 lobbyists represented approximately 1,300 interest groups; in 2000 the number nearly doubled to 2,552; by 2016 it had swelled to 3,663.)

The average cost of winning a state Senate seat in California is over 150 times greater than the average cost of winning a state Senate seat in North Dakota.

True (California is the costliest state in which to win a state Senate seat ($938,522). The least expensive seat is North Dakota at $5,713

Suppose a U.S. House of Representatives district in Southern California contains 64 percent registered Democrats and 30 percent registered Republicans. Which of the following statements accurately describes a primary election in this district that features eight Democratic candidates and two Republican candidates?

The primary election could produce a November general election with two Republican candidates on the ballot (Although the district is heavily Democratic, the large number of Democratic candidates could lead to a primary election in which the top two vote-getters are Republicans. If Democratic and Republican voters equally split their votes among their party's candidates, for example, every Democratic candidate would receive 8 percent of the vote while the two Republican candidates would each receive 15 percent of the vote.)

If Standard & Poor's chose to lower California's credit rating from AAA to AA, then

The state would likely raise interest rates on the bonds it sells to raise money. (The lower the credit rating given to states, the higher the interest rate that states must pay to induce investors to purchase bonds.)

Some observers of the 2018 gubernatorial campaign accused Gavin Newsom of running advertisements before the June primary election that encouraged turnout in favor of Republican candidate John Cox.

The state's Democratic voting tendencies and its top vote-getter system create incentives for Democratic frontrunners to bolster Republican candidates in the June primary

Why is it difficult to split an existing county to make a new county in California?

The state's constitution requires affirmative majority votes in both the entire county affected and the territory of the proposed county (The majority requirement among both populations was added to the constitution through an amendment in 1894. Very few counties have been split since.)

What term is often used to refer to interest groups, given their standing and influence in the legislative process?

The third house

What is a primary reason for the dysfunction and lack of accountability that characterizes the state of California's legislature?

The two-thirds vote requirement for raising state taxes (This provision is even more restrictive than the filibuster in the U.S. Senate. The rule allows that California fiscal policy can be held hostage by a one-third minority in the legislature.)

In 2017-18, there were nine standing or permanent committees in the California state Assembly and five in the California state Senate.

There are far more standing and permanent committees in the legislature. In 2017-18, there were 32 standing or permanent committees in the Assembly and 22 in the Senate. (False)

What role do ratings agencies such as Moody's, Fitch Ratings, and Standard & Poor's play in the California budgeting process?

They release information to the public on how likely California is to repay its bonds. (The ratings provided by these agencies determine how costly it is for a state to borrow money from the public in the form of bonds.)

The controller and treasurer of California both have important roles related to the state's financial resources. Label each of the following duties as the responsibility of either the controller or the treasurer.

Tresurer -Manages the sale of state bonds Controller -Serves as a chairperson of the Board of Equalization -Audits government agencies that spend state funds -Administers the payroll system for state government employees

A legislative referendum must be approved by a two-thirds vote of both houses of the legislature before it appears on the ballot.

True

According to one study, at least 30 percent of residents in every metropolitan area within California can not afford local rent.

True

Over the last 30 years, state spending on higher education has declined while state spending on corrections has increased.

True

The state must build approximately 14,000 houses each year to meet the demand created by its growing population.

True

Although agriculture currently uses 80 percent of the state's water, farm production and food processing account for less than 5 percent of the overall California economy.

True (Farm production and food processing currently account for only 2 percent of the state's overall economy, down from 5 percent in 1960.)

Until 2014, California was the only western state in the United States without some level of state regulation of groundwater.

True (In 2014, the state government enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The SGMA includes not only guidelines and regulations for the management of groundwater, but also regulatory language for areas that may not have groundwater basin managers.)

Prior to 2016, the legislature did not have the authority to suspend a member's pay and privileges.

True (Proposition 50, passed in 2016, allows a house of the legislature to suspend a member's pay and privileges with a two-thirds vote. The legislature previously had no such power.)

The universal health care system proposed under SB 562 (the Healthy California Act) was projected to cost the state approximately $400 billion per year.

True (The health care system created by SB 562 would have cost the state far more each year ($400 billion) than it currently spends on all other areas of the state budget combined (approximately $170 billion a year). Proponents of SB 562 argued that half of the cost would be offset by funds from existing plans at the federal, state, and local levels.)

California's prison guards are currently the highest-paid prison guards in the United States.

True (The high salaries paid to California's prison guards are a big reason that spending on the state's prison system has rocketed from less than 4.3 percent of the budget in 1986 to more than 11 percent today.)

More than three-quarters of the cases filed in California's civil courts are resolved through negotiation between the parties and their attorneys.

True (For example, in 2015-16, almost 80 percent of unlimited jurisdiction civil cases were resolved without trial, while 92 percent of limited jurisdiction civil cases were disposed of before trial.)

Prior to 2014, the state Senate had never suspended any of its members for any reason.

True (For the first time in its 164-year history, the Senate suspended three of its members in 2014 for their participation in a variety of different criminal activities (Rod Wright, Leland Yee, and Ron Calderon)

The last successful initiative in California organized completely by volunteers was passed in 1984.

True (Given California's size, initiatives cannot now be exercised on a statewide level without a great deal of money, organization, and professional help.)

An easy way to register to vote in California is to go to the DMV and renew your driver's license.

True (In 2018, the state rolled out an automatic voter registration policy that automatically registers eligible citizens when they go to the DMV for their driver's license.)

In the 2016 general election, there were more "early voters" who cast their ballots before Election Day than voters who showed up to vote in person on Election Day.

True (In California, vote-by-mail ballots can be used to cast an early vote before Election Day. Additionally, some counties have permitted early voting, in which voters can go to various publicized locations (such as shopping malls, registrars' offices, and civic centers) to cast their votes as early as 29 days before an election. In the November 2016 general election, nearly 60 percent of all voters were early voters)

The overwhelming majority of contributions to state legislative campaigns in 2016 came from interest groups and political parties, not from individual donors.

True (In fact, 91 percent of contributions came from non-individual sources such as interest groups and political parties.)

All of the state's most populous counties are now charter counties.

True (Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange counties, for example, are all charter counties. There is even one small county of 64,000 residents, Tehama County, that has enacted its own charter.)

The vast majority of California cities conduct at-large city council elections rather than district-based city council elections.

True (More than 90 percent of California cities conduct at-large council elections. By contrast, only 5 percent of cities use the district election method.)

Term limits have made it more difficult for the governor to exert influence over state legislators.

True (Term limits mean that state legislators do not have a long-term commitment to the governing process. Because their next jobs may be as lobbyists, they can be more interested in pleasing potential employers (special interests) than in cooperating with the governor.)

If you receive medical coverage through Medi-Cal (the name of California's Medicaid program), your health care expenses are partially paid for by the federal government.

True (The 2018-19 budget included $106 billion in federal funds, almost three-fourths of which was intended for use in the health and human services category. Most of this was for Medi-Cal.)

Elections for all county offices are nonpartisan.

True (The Progressive Era reformers enacted nonpartisan elections as a means to insulate the important business of local government from what they saw as the distracting and corrupting influence of partisan politics.)

Following the Supreme Court's 2005 ruling in Gonzales v. Raich, local governments began relying on the U.S. attorney's office to shut down marijuana dispensaries in their cities.

True (The U.S. attorney has the authority under Gonzales v. Raich to order dispensaries to close under the threat of property forfeiture or seizure. As a result, one tactic commonly used by local governments since 2005 has been to close down unwanted dispensaries by calling the U.S. attorney's office.)

Article XIX of the 1879 Constitution banned private and public employment of Chinese workers in the state of California.

True (The laws enacting this provision were swiftly struck down in federal courts, which ruled they violated the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection, infringed on rights due to Chinese immigrants under treaty, and trampled upon corporate rights. Voters formally repealed Article XIX in 1952.)

The superintendent of public instruction is elected on a nonpartisan basis in the state of California.

True (Unlike the other elected statewide officers in California's plural executive system, the superintendent of public instruction is selected through a nonpartisan election.)

There are four states in the country that have fewer residents than any one of California's 53 congressional districts. Click or tap "True" or "False" to answer the question.

True (Vermont, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Alaska all have fewer residents than a California congressional district.)

the 2010 governor's race between Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown was the most expensive governor's race in U.S. history.

True (While candidates spent nearly $200 million overall, $160 million was spent by Meg Whitman alone.)

Which of the following positions did Jerry Brown not hold prior to being elected governor in 2010?

United States senator (Brown ran for the U.S. Senate in 1982 but lost to Republican Pete Wilson.)

Infrastructure ambivalence refers to which of the following?

While Californians often demand modern infrastructure, they do not want to pay the high environmental and fiscal costs required to produce it

Which of the following is the primary reason the Republican Party has lost support in the state of California over the last three decades?

White and older voters, an important part of the Republican Party coalition, are a declining percentage of the state's population. (Nonwhites now account for a majority of the state's population and tend to prefer the Democratic Party rather than the Republican Party.)

Which term best describes California's electoral system

Winner-take-all (California has a winner-take-all system of voting in which the candidate receiving the highest number of votes wins the election.)

Suppose you had $8,000 that you wanted to contribute to candidates running for office in California. Which of the following would be allowed under campaign finance law in the state?

You could contribute $8000 to your preferred candidate for governor (Under current law, individuals are allowed to give up to $29,200 to candidates running in state gubernatorial elections.)

Suppose you had three outstanding speeding tickets on your record and received another ticket for texting while driving. If you appeared in court over this matter and the prosecutor decided to charge you with a misdemeanor as a result of your previous citations, what would this be an example of?

an infraction "wobbler" (An infraction wobbler is a crime that can be punished as either an infraction or a misdemeanor based on the prosecutor's judgment. While a traffic violation is usually an infraction, a prosecutor could use his or her discretion to raise it to a misdemeanor if you had a number of other outstanding traffic violations or a record of other criminal activity at the time you received your ticket.)

If you show up to vote on election day and receive a ballot in which the names of candidates are grouped under the titles of the offices to be filled, what type of ballot do you have?

an office block ballot

According to the following chart comparing gubernatorial powers across state governments, California is the only state in the country that provides the governor with full budget-making powers and the ability to exercise the line-item veto on appropriations bills while not allowing the governor to serve unlimited terms in office.

false (There are many states that impose term limits on governors, provide governors with full budget-making powers, and give governors the ability to exercise the line-item veto on appropriations bills. In fact, 24 states have governors with this same collection of powers and constraints.)

The_____ is employed when voters are displeased with a law passed by the legislature, and the______ occurs whenever the legislature proposes a constitutional amendment.

popular referendum, legislative referendum

Same-sex marriage became legal in the state of California after which event?

the Supreme Court's decision in Hollingsworth v. Perry (Same-sex marriage became legal in California after the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling that Proposition 8's supporters could not appeal a federal court's decision to strike down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional.)