Chapter 2 POLS Final

What is California's bill of rights called?

"declaration of rights"

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

Compromise of 1850

(1) California admitted as free state, (2) territorial status and popular sovereignty of Utah and New Mexico, (3) resolution of Texas-New Mexico boundaries, (4) Texas received $10 million to help their debt with Mexico (5) slave trade abolished in District Columbia and (6) new fugitive slave law;

If your representative has served five terms in the state Assembly, how many terms would he or she be eligible to serve in the state Senate under the rules enacted by Proposition 28?

0, Proposition 28 allows legislators to serve a maximum of 12 total years in the legislature. This means that a representative with five terms of service in the Assembly (10 years) could not serve a term in the Senate (4 years).

When was the initiative process added to the California Constitution?

1911

California's total number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives has changed from ____ in 1960 to ____ in 2010.

38, 53

In 2015, the state Department of Finance estimated California's population to be how many million people? Round up to the nearest million.

40 million

Approximately what percentage of jobs in the state of California will require a college degree by 2030?

40 percent

If California were a separate country, its economy would be ranked what number in the world?

5

Approximately what percentage of Californians were born in California?

50%

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

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Approximately how many undocumented immigrants have been granted legal California state driver's licenses since 2015?

Beginning in 2015, California residents who could not establish a legal presence in the United States were allowed to apply for a state driver's license. As of March 31, 2018, 1,001,000 such licenses have been issued.

Prior to 2010, which three states required a supermajority to pass their state budgets?

California, Rhode Island, and Arkansas

Liberals and conservatives have always been evenly distributed across the state's various regions, and there are currently no significant geographic differences in California's politics.

False

The majority of immigrants living in California come from Mexico.

False

The number of immigrants living in California has remained relatively stable since 1970.

False

Unlike legislators, statewide elected officials (such as the governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general) can serve as many terms in office as they like.

False, All statewide elected officials are only allowed to serve two terms (eight years in office).

Fewer than 10 percent of Californians fall below the federal government's poverty line.

False, In 2016, 14.3 percent of Californians fell below the federal government's official poverty line. The official poverty line does not account for California's costs, however. Taking these costs into account, one study found that 19.4 percent of Californians were impoverished in 2016.

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

False, Only 61 percent of those over age five speak English at home in California, as compared to 82 percent in the country as a whole.

Californians have voted on more initiatives in the state's history than the residents of any other state.

False, Oregon has had voting on a slightly larger number of initiatives (384) than California (378).

On average, incomes of people living in the Bay Area are four times higher than those of people living in the Central Valley.

False, only 2 times higher

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

False, only 27 states do

Half of all undocumented immigrants in the United States live in California.

False, only 30%

Undocumented immigrants account for more than 10 percent of the state's overall population.

False, only 6.3%

The incomes of top earners in California have remained relatively flat over the last four decades.

False, they have increased

Who was the Lincoln-Roosevelt League candidate for governor in 1910?

Hiram Johnson; he won the election

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

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

Which of the following are problems with California's "top-two" primary system?

No "write-in" votes are allowed on the November ballot.

While a relatively large proportion of Californians have a college degree compared to the nation as a whole, the state also has a relatively small proportion of people with a high school diploma.

True, A greater proportion of Californians completed a bachelor's degree than in the United States in general. Fewer, however, have graduated from high school (83 percent from 2015 to 2016 versus 84 percent for the United States as a whole from 2015 to 2016).

Latinos make up a much smaller share of the overall population of the United States than they do of the state of California's population.

True, While only about 17 percent of the population of the United States is Latino, Latinos make up about 39 percent of California's population.

Which of the following are NOT problems with California's "top-two" primary system?

Voters are allowed to vote in the November election only if they voted in the June primary election. Parties frequently replace the candidate who won the June primary with a new candidate for the November general 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.

If a state chooses to limit its cooperation with the federal government on the issue of deporting individuals for violating immigration laws, what is the state called?

a sanctuary state

Proposition 30 (2012)

a temporary increase in tax rates for the state's high income earners, a temporary increase in the state sales tax

Proposition 33 (2012)

altering the rules governing the auto insurance industry

What were the goals of the Progressives?

attack corporate political influence, eliminate political corruption, and democratize the political process

Can California amend initiatives?

cannot unless it is stated in the initiative

lowering California's tax rates and changing the legislature from full-time to part-time - conservative or liberal?

conservative

Southern Pacific Railroad

corrupt corporate giants who monopolized everything; they had political and economical influence and had unparalleled power; and they bribed public officials and handpicked candidates for the two major political parties

Proposition 11 (2008)

creating a citizen's commission in charge of redistricting

Non-Partisan Committee of One Hundred

formed to get rid of the Southern Pacific Railroad

Was California admitted as a free or slave state?

free state

1849 Constitution

had checks and balances on each of the three gov. branches and separation of powers, executive power was divided among state officials (governors, attorney general, etc.), an extensive bill of rights, legislature consisted of two houses (the Senate and the Assembly)

What tactics were created to stop the influence of interest groups in state government?

having the governor and lieutenant governor run as a team, having other members of the executive branch appointed by the governor, merging the tax administration agencies, and lengthening term limits for legislators

When did the battle against the Southern Pacific Railroad start?

in 1906

When can ballot propositions (initiatives) be proposed?

in 2012, they are required to be on the general election ballot in November

What is used most out of the three methods of direct democracy?

initiative

Can California's bill of rights be changed?

it can be expanded or rewritten as times change; it reflects political changes and conflicts that have occurred over time

What was the flaw in Progressive thinking?

it was the belief that all citizens were active and informed citizens that were willing to participate in politics (they believed that citizens would be happy to support the democratic process and do whatever to participate in elections)

When the Progressive Party lost the bid to capture the White House in 1912 with Theodore Roosevelt for president and Hiram Johnson for vice president, what happened?

it weakened the party by decreasing the enthusiasm of the progressive supports; it also meant that the party had no patronage with which to reward its followers between elections

Lowering the required supermajority to raise taxes and instituting public financing of election campaigns - conservative or liberal?

liberal

Proposition 25 (2010)

lowering the number of votes in the legislature required to pass a state budget

What happened in 1871 in Los Angeles?

mass lynching of 18 Chinese men and Anglo-Americans had looted the Chinese section of town

What is an initiative?

means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a government to choose to either enact a law or hold a public vote

Why did anti-Chinese sentiment grow?

more Chinese workers were coming over and taking the jobs of the non-immigrants, so Americans were mad

What was the effect of having a full-time legislature?

more legislation was passed, more politicians made a career in the field, the budget grew, and the decision making and power went to Sacremento

What were some Progressive reforms that happened?

nonpartisanship (no party label is on the ballots near the candidates' names), primary elections (each party nominee has to obtain more votes than any other nominee to run as a candidate in November), the office block ballot (the ballot we vote on today with a block for each office and the candidates listed for that office), direct democracy (the initiative, referendum, and recall), and civil service

League of Lincoln-Roosevelt Republican Clubs

organized by Rowell and Dickinson, a group of lawyers, newspaper publishers, and other political reformers met in Los Angeles to end the control of California politics by the Southern Pacific Railroad; they linked themselves to the national Progressive movement

Proposition 140 (1990)

placing term limits on the legislature

Recall

procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office

What did the reform movement do to those who were bribed officials?

put them on trial, but most weren't convicted; it was an important stop in breaking the power of the Southern Pacific Railroad and its political allies

Referendum

referendum allows voters to approve or reject constitutional amendments or statues proposed or passed by the legislature; there are two types of referendum: legislative and popular

The U.S. Constitution

requires two-thirds majority vote in the House and Senate followed by ratification by three-fourths of that states

What are some disadvantages of initiatives?

that is blurs the complexity of issues and reduces them to cliches, and some are poorly drafted and difficult for judges and legislators

What echoed the Progressive Era reforms?

the change implemented by the voters to change the primary election system to a "top two" primary election in which the top two candidates from the list of all candidates, no matter the party, proceed to the November race

How can we account for the increase in initiatives over the past four decades?

the complexity of modern society and the increased willingness of the government to regulate decisions previously left to citizens

What other reforms happened in 1911?

the direct primary (gave citizens power to select the candidates of the political parties for national and state offices), women gained the right to vote in California, women limited to an 8 hour work day and workmen's comp. was set up, weekly pay, and require employers to inform strikebreakers that they were being hired to replace employees on strike

How did the California Progressive Party end?

the progressives offered Theodore Roosevelt the nomination since the Republican Party wouldn't nominate him, but he declined; after that, the party disbanded and Hiram Johnson told his supporters to join the Democrat or Republican PartyWh

What other problems contributed to the decline of the Progressive party?

the public grew tired of reform, there was a major falling out among the leadership in California, the Progressives opposed World War 1 (when many Americans supported it), and the party failed to support reforms that labor so badly wanted

What are some unique features of the state's political process?

the size of the state increases the cost of campaigns, the competing interest groups, the divided executive branch, and universal use of nonpartisan

What are differences between the 1849 Constitution and today?

they allowed only age 21 and older white males to vote, denied citizenship to Chinese Americans, African-Americans, and Native Americans; judiciary was made up of 4 levels and all laws were published in English and Spanish

What did the Lincoln-Roosevelt League do?

they participated in the statewide legislative elections of 1908 and managed to elect a small group of reformers to the legislature; two years later it was a full party

What did the voters pass in 1911?

they passed the initiative, the referendum, and the recall (these three are widely known as direct democracy)

Citizens Redistricting Commission

this commission drew new districts that followed nonpartisan rules, like creating geographically compact districts that kept existing cities and communities intact

popular referendum

this happens when voters aren't happy with a law that was passed by legislature; it requires 5% of the voters to sign on the petition and that takes 90 days and electorate decides whether or not it becomes a law

Workingmen's Party

this party supported restrictions on corporations and railroads and strongly opposed the presence of Chinese workers in California and they also opposed the centralization of power for the government and the legislation

legislative referendum

when the legislature proposes a constitutional amendment or revision; must be approved by two-thirds of the vote of both houses to be on the ballot

How can reforms be done now?

with money, organization, and professional help

Why was the 1849 Constitution problematic?

within five years, California was in deficit; there wasn't limits on spending, legislative salaries, or the governor's pardon power

Which of the following are NOT features of California's top-two primary system?

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.

A republican government is one in which we elect representatives to make decisions for us. Majoritarian governments enable voters to directly decide government policies such as initiatives, referenda, and recalls.

True

It is possible to have a general election in which the two candidates presented to voters are from the same political party.

True

Local, state and federal safety net programs have significantly reduced income inequality in the state of California.

True

More than 25 percent of Californians were born in a different country.

True

The incomes of low earners in California have declined substantially over the last four decades.

True

There are more than 2 million immigrants from China, Vietnam, Korea, and the Philippines currently living in California.

True

There are now more than 2 million undocumented immigrants living in the state, and California has more undocumented immigrants than any other state.

True

What was the goal of the Progressive movement?

The goal of the Progressive Movement was to end corruption in business and in government and make the gov. more responsive to social, economic, and political concerns of the people