US Government and California politics

reynolds v sims

1964 supreme court decision ordering redistricting of the upper houes of all state legislatures by population instead of land area

serrano v priest

1972 california supreme court case that struck down the property tax as the main source of education funding

Prop 8

1982 initiative that extended prison terms and increased prison population/expenditures

prop 98

1988 initiative awarding public education a fixed percentage of the state budget

prop 187

1994 initiative reducing government benefits for illegal immigrats, parts declared unconstitutional in 1995

3 strikes

1994 law requiring sentences of 25 years to life for anyone convicted of 3 felonies

direct democracy

recall, referendum: repeal laws, initiative

prop 227

1998 initiative limiting bilingual education to no more then one year

prop 58

2004 prop that set broad spending limits on state government and required the state to set aside 3% of revenues for a rainy day fund

courts of appeal

3 justice panels that hear appeals from lower courts

prop 184

3 strikes

senate rules committee

5 member committee consisting of the senate president pro tem and 2 other members from each party in the senate, assigns chairs and committee aptmts functions as the gatekeeper pf most state legislation

board of supervisors

5 member governing body of counties usually elected by district to 4 year terms

Board of equalization

5 member state board that oversees the collection of sales, gasoline, and liquor taxes; members are elected by district; part of the executive branch

parcel tax

Parcel taxes can be used for any type of spending--construction costs, employee salaries, and other projects or spending needs.

prop 140

Term limits. 1990 initiative limiting assembly members to 3 2 year terms and senators and statewide elected officials to 2 4 yr terms, cut legislatures budget

Proposition 1A

a 2004 ballot measure designed to prevent the state from taking revenues from local governments in times of fiscal crisis

charter

a document defining the powers and institutions of a california city or county

logrolling

a five and take process in which legislators trade support for each other's bills

exurb

a region or settlement that lies outside a city and usually beyond its suburbs and that often is inhabited chiefly by well-to-do families • Marin county: very white and rich

pluralism

a social organization in which diversity of racial or religious or ethnic or cultural groups is tolerated

executive order

ability of the governor to make rules that have the effect of laws; may be overturned by legislature

immigration act of 1965

abolished national origins quotas, dramatically increased immigration (especially from Asia and Latin America)

reapportionment/redistricting

adjustment of legislative district boundaries by the state legislature to keep all districts equal in population; done every ten years after the national census

prop 209

affirmative action: eliminated in 1996

legislative analyst

assistant to legislature, studies annual budget and proposed programs

state auditor

assistant to the legislature who analyzes ongoing programs

legislative counsel

assists the legislature in preparing bills and assessing their impact on existing legislation

hourglass economy

california economy with few middle class

constitution of 1849

california's first constitution, copied from other states, 2 house legislature, supreme court, governor, lieutenant governor, controller, attorney general and superintendant of public instruction, bill of rights, only white males could vote

supreme court

california's highest judicial body;hears appeals from lower courts

constitution of 1879

california's second constitution retained the basic structure of the first but added institutions to regulate railroads and public utilities to ensure fair tax assessments. Chinese were denied the right to vote, own land or work for the gov

attorney general

california's top law enforcement officer and legal counsel; the second most powerful member of the executive branch

independent expenditures

campaign spending by interest groups and political action committees on behalf of candidates

mayor

ceremonial leader, usually trades among council members, sometimes elected

judicial council

chaired by chief of justice of the state supreme court, 21 judges and attorneys, makes rules for court procedures, collects data on courts, gives seminars

lieutenant governor

chief exec when governor is absent from the state, succeeds the governor, casts a tiebreaking vote in the senate, independently elected

district attorney

chief prosecuting officer elected in each county; represents the people in cases against the accused

fiscalization of land use

cities and counties, when makingland use decisions, opt for the alternative that produces the most revenue

general-law city or county

city or county whose powers and structure of government are derived from state law

commission on judicial appointments

commission to review the governor's nominees for appellate and supreme courts; consists of attorney general, chief justice of the state supreme court, and senior presiding judge of the courts of appeal

conference committee

committee of senate and assembly members that meets to reconcile different versions of the same bill

local agency formation commission (LAFCO)

county agency set up to oversee the creation/expansion of cities

collegiality

deferential behavior among justices as a way of building consensus on issues before the court

workingmen's party

denis kearney's anti railroad, anti chinese org, instrumental in rewriting the constitution in 1879

federalism

distribution of power, resources and responsibilities among the national, state and local governments

superintendent of public instruction

elected state executive of public eduction

secretary of state

elected state executive who keeps records and supervises election

insurance commissioner

elected state executive who regulates the insurance industry; created by a 1988 initiative

runoff election

election in which the top 2 candidates in a nonpartisan primary for trial court judge or local office face each other

closed primary

election of party nominees in which only registered party members may participate

cross filing

election system that allowed candidates to win the nomination of more than one political party; eliminated in 1959

primary elections

elections to choose party nominees, june

Fiar political practice commission (FPPC)

established by the political reform act of 1974, independent regulatory commission monitors candidates' campaign finance reports and lobbyists.

council-manager system

form of government in which an elected council appoints a professional manager to administer daily operations, used by most california cities

city council

governing body of a city; members are elected at large or by district to 4 yr terms

single issue groups

groups with narrow policy objectives, no compromise

item veto

gubernatorial power to delete or reduce the budget within a bill without rejecting the entire bill or budget; needs 2/3 of both houses to override

general veto

gubernatorial power to reject an entire bill or budget; overruled only by 2/3 vote of both houses

controller

independently elected state executive who oversees taxing and spending

contract lobbyist

individual or company that represents the intersts of clients before the legislature and other policy making entities

Political reform act of 1974

initiative requiring officials to disclose conflicts of interest, campaign contributions, spending, lobbyists register with FPPC

litigation

interest group tactic of challenging a law or policy in the courts to have it overruled, modified or delayed

income tax

largest form of state revenue, adopted in 1935

speaker of the assembly

legislative leader of the assembly; selected by majority party

president pro tem

legislative leader of the state senate, chairs the rules committee, selected by majority party

plea bargaining

reaching an agreement between the prosecution and the accused; former get s aconviction, latter agrees to a reduced charge and lesser penalty

term limits

limits on the number of terms that officeholders may serve; 2 4yr terms for senate, 3 2yr for assembly

at large elections

local elections in which all candidates are elected by the community as a whole rather than by districts

redevelopment agencies

local government agencies operating within and controlled by cities to provide infrastructure and subsidies for new commercial and industrial developments in areas designated as blighted

special districts

local government agencies providing a single service such as fire protection

charge for services

local government fees for services such as sewage treatment, trash, building permits, rec facilities, major source of income for cities and counties since the passage of prop 13 in 1978

superior courts

lwer courts in which criminal/civil cases are first tried

political action committees (PACs)

mechanisms by which interest groups direct campaign contributions to preferred candidates

progressives

members of an antimachine reform movement to reshape political institutions between 1907 and 1920s

congressional delegation

members of the house of reps and senate representing a particular state

third parties

minor political parties that capture small percentages of the vote but viewed an important protest vehicles

direct mail

modern campaign technique by which candidates communicate selected messages to selected voters by mail

district/general elections

one for only district, other for statewide, in nov

bicameral legislature

organization of the state legislature into two houses, the 40 member senate elected for 4 year terms and the 80 member assembly elected for 2 yr terms

grants in aid

payments from the national government to states to assist in fulfilling public policy objectives

preprimary endorsement

political parties' designation of preferred candidates in party primary elections; strengthening the role of party orgs in selecting candidates, banned until 1990

central committees

political party organizations at county and state levels; weakly linked to one another

incorporation

process by which residents of an urbanized area form a city

gut and amend

process of removing the original provisions from a bill and inserting new unrelated content

nonpartisan elections

progressive reform that removed party labels from ballots for local/judicial offices

Balkanization

refers to the situation of Central Europe at the end of the 19th century and is used to characterize the fragmentation of a country or an empire into autonomous geographic and political entities, formed to the detriment of the pre-existing political territory.

councils of government (COGS)

regional planning organizations

contracting for services

smaller cities contract with counties or other cities to provide services they cannot efficiently provide themselves

commission on judicial performance

state board empowered to investigate charges of judicial misconduct or incompetence

director of finance

state officer responsible for the prep of the budget; appointed by the governor

civil service

system for hiring and retaining public employees on the basis of their qualifications or merit, replaced the political machine's patronage or spoils system, encompasses 98% of state workers

bank and corporation tax

tax on the profits of lending institutions and businesses; the third most important source of state revenue

user taxes

taxes on select commodities or services used by those who benefit directly from them; gasoline or cigarette

Big Five

the governor, assembly speaker, assembly minority leader, senate president pro tem, and senate minority leader, who gather together informally to thrash out decisions on the annual budget and other major policy issues

city manager

top administrative officer in most california cities, appointed by the city council

county executive

top administrative officer in most california counties; appointed by the board of supervisors

instant runoff voting

voters rank candidates by order of preference. If no candidate wins a majority, the candidates with the fewest votes is eliminated and those votes are assigned to the voters' second choice until one candidate attains a majority

property tax

was the primary source of revenues for local govs until prop 13

ghost voting

when legislators cast electronic votes in place of assembly members who are not at their posts; this practice is against the law