The Green Papers: California State and Local Government

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Governor:1
Senators: 2 (Electoral Classes 1 and 3)
2020 Census: 39,576,757 (11.93% of 331,797,979
- 2024, 2028 Electors: 54 (10.04% of 538)
- 2022-2030 Representatives: 52 (11.95% of 435)
2010 Census: 37,341,989 (12.05% of 309,785,186)
- 2012, 2016, 2020 Electors: 55 (10.22% of 538)
- 2012-2020 Representatives: 53 (12.18% of 435)
Capital: Sacramento

Current California Statewide Office Holders

Official Name/Status All States

The STATE of California
Status: STATE of the Union
created out of the Mexican Cession of 1848 and never organized as a U.S. Territory: in 1849, a bill to make California such a Territory failed of passage in Congress
Admitted to the Union as a State: 9 September 1850 by an Act of Congress (9 Stat. 452)
The 31st state.

Traditional Sections and Regions All States

Section: WEST
Region: Pacific
Survey: Public Domain

Constitutions All States Links to State Constitutions

Enabling Act: 13 February 1850 [Congress twice failed to pass Enabling Acts for California: in 1849 and 1850; the functional equivalent of an Enabling Act was President Zachary Taylor submitting the State's new Constitution to Congress via Special Message on this date]
- 1st (1850-1879) [Adopted: 13 October 1849 Convention convened, 1 September 1849, Ratified: 13 November 1849 ratified by vote of 12,061 to 811; effective upon Admission, 9 September 1850]
- 2nd (1880-) [Adopted: 3 March 1879 Convention convened, 28 September 1878, Ratified: 7 May 1879 effective, 1 January 1880]

Executive Branch All States

Chief Executive
- GOVERNOR
Successor to a Vacancy
- Lieutenant Governor (1850--) [under State's 1st and 2nd Constitutions: elected separately from GOVERNOR; originally, next in line of succession: President (pro Tempore) of the State Senate, then (after State Constitutional Amendment of 1898) Speaker of the State Assembly... subsequently, the Legislature was authorized to determine a line of succession beyond the Lieutenant Governor by statute]

Major Executive Officers Elected Statewide All States
- Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
- Lieutenant Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022
- Secretary of State: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022
- Controller: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022
- Treasurer: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022
- Attorney General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022
- Insurance Commissioner: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022
- Superintendent of Public Instruction: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2018, 2022

Legislative Branch All States

Legislature
- LEGISLATURE (1850--)

Upper House
- Senate (1850--)
Lower House
- Assembly (1850--)

Judicial Branch All States

Court of Last Resort
- Supreme Court (1850--) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: State]
Intermediate Appellate Court
- [District] Courts of Appeal (1905--) Constitutional Court [IN: district FOR: State]

General Trial Jurisdiction
- District Court (1849-1879) Constitutional Court [IN: district FOR: county]
- Superior Court (1879--) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county. Beginning in 1998, Municipal Courts began transferring their functions to the Superior Courts of their respective counties: this process was completed throughout the State by July 2000; thus, from mid-2000 on, the Superior Courts have exercised what was formerly the province of courts of limited jurisdiction in addition to the general trial jurisdiction it has always had since replacing the old District Court]

Limited Jurisdiction
- Court of Sessions (1849-1862) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county. Court of Sessions was held by County Court judge and two justices of the peace]
- Justices of the Peace (1849-1928) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county or municipality(-1862-)township or municipality]
- Municipal Court (1849-1862) Statutory Court [IN and FOR: municipality]
- County Court (1862-1879) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county]
- Recorder's Court (1862-1879) Statutory Court [IN and FOR: municipality]
- Justice Court (1928-1995) Constitutional Court [IN: township, later:"justice" district FOR: township, later: "justice" district. In 1995, any remaining Justice Courts were changed into Municipal Courts and their former justice districts, thereby, became municipal court districts of their respective counties]
- Municipal Court (1928-2000) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: municipality, later: "municipal court" district. Each county in California was divided into municipal court districts once the Justice Courts were defunct, with the former justice court districts having become municipal court districts. Beginning in June 1998, upon a majority vote of the Superior Court judges and the municipal court judges in any county, the municipal courts (and their judges) of that county were allowed to become subsumed within the Superior Court of that county: by July 2000, all Municipal Courts in California had transferred their functions to the Superior Court in and for their respective counties.]
Special Jurisdiction
- County Court (1849-1862) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county]
- Probate Court (1862-1879) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county]

Local Government All States

PRIMARY CIVIL DIVISION All States
- County [Type: Strong, Executive and Legislative: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS]
  - MINOR CIVIL DIVISION
    - township [Type: None, Executive and Legislative: no associated governmental structure. Functioned historically as the jurisdiction of California's justices of the peace until the development of the Municipal Court system throughout the mid-20th Century eventually replaced these township Justice Courts with a districted system of Justice Courts which ultimately was to be subsumed into the Municipal Court system as the primary court of limited jurisdiction in California. The original text of the [2nd] California Constitution of 1879- in Article XI, section 4- contained a clause which stated that the Legislature by general laws shall provide for township organization, under which any county may organize whenever a majority of the qualified electors of such county, voting at a general election, shall so determine: however, this provision was repealed by an Amendment to the Constitution of California adopted by majority vote of the State's electors on Tuesday 27 June 1933; thus, for a little over half a century, the State of California allowed a given county to turn its non-governmental (principally judicial) townships into active governmental subdivisions of the county by local option but, since 1933, this option has no longer been available. Nevertheless, many of the more recent subdivisions of the county in California for purposes of both county and State government were often originally delimited with at least some reference to the township boundaries in that county; therefore, the township- though having become dormant- remains the traditional Minor Civil Division in the State of California]

Incorporated Municipalities All States
- City [Separated from MCD: ---, Population requirement(s): none, Form(s) of government: Mayor/Council]
- Town [Separated from MCD: ---, Population requirement(s): none, Form(s) of government: Mayor/Council]
- Town [Separated from MCD: ---, Population requirement(s): 1,999 -, Form(s) of government: Board of Trustees]

Localities All States
- California Civil Divisions and Municipalities

Key Statewide / Federal Officials All States

California Officials

Statutory Election Information All States

General Election All States
- (1851-1861) biennially, on Tuesday next after 1st Monday in November of odd-numbered years
  [per CA Constitution [1849]]
  NOTE: The very first State election in CALIFORNIA was held on Tuesday 13 November 1849 and was also used as the ratification referendum re: the State's 1st Constitution.
- (1863-1877) biennially, on 1st Wednesday in September of odd-numbered years
  [per Amendment to CA Constitution [1849], adopted 1862]
  NOTE:The election of 1879 was an annual election held on this date solely to bring the schedule of State elections into conformity with the even-numbered biennial elections required under the Constitution of 1879.
- (1880--) biennially, on Tuesday next after 1st Monday in November of even-numbered years
  [CA Elections Code 1000e, 1200 (in conformity with CA Constitution [1879]: Article 4, Section 2(b))]
Presidential Primary All States
- (--2004) at the same time as the State Primary [1st Tuesday in March in even-numbered years (CA Elections Code 1000c, 1201a)] in Presidential Election years
  [CA Elections Code 1000c, 1202]
- (2005-2007) The first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in Presidential Election years [CA Elections Code 1000c, 1202].
- (2007-2011) The first Tuesday in February of each year evenly divisible by the number four. [CA Elections Code 1000 (e)].
  The presidential primary shall be held on the first Tuesday in February in any year evenly divisible by the number four, and shall not be consolidated with the statewide direct primary held in that year. [CA Elections Code 1201]
- (2012-2018) The presidential primary shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in any year that is evenly divisible by the number four, and shall be consolidated with the statewide direct primary held in that year. [CA Elections Code Section 1202]
- (2019--) The presidential primary shall be consolidated with the statewide direct primary in any year that is evenly divisible by four, and the consolidated primary shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March. [CA Elections Code Section 1202(a)]
State Primary All States
- (--2004) 1st Tuesday in March of even-numbered years
  [CA Elections Code 1000c, 1201a]
- (2005-2018) The first Tuesday after the first Monday in June in even-numbered years. [CA Elections Code 1000c, 1201a]
  Special Elections:
  The Governor shall call ... special elections .. within 14 calendar days of the occurrence of the vacancy [CA Elections Code 10700]
  A special election to fill a vacancy in the office of Representative in Congress, State Senator, or Member of Assembly shall be conducted on a Tuesday at least 112 days, but not more than 126 days, following the issuance of an election proclamation by the Governor ... [CA Elections Code 10703 (a)]
  A special primary ... shall be held ... on the eighth Tuesday or, if the eighth Tuesday is the day of or the day following a state holiday, the ninth Tuesday preceding the day of the special general election .... [CA Elections Code 10704 (a)] [or when] A statewide or local election ... is scheduled for the ninth Tuesday preceding the day of the special general election. [CA Elections Code 10704 (b)(2)]
- (2019-2020) The statewide direct primary shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of each even-numbered year [CA Elections Code 1201.(a)].
  Special Elections:
  The Governor shall call ... special elections .. within 14 calendar days of the occurrence of the vacancy [CA Elections Code 10700]
  A special election to fill a vacancy in the office of Representative in Congress, State Senator, or Member of Assembly shall be conducted on a Tuesday at least 112 days, but not more than 126 days, following the issuance of an election proclamation by the Governor ... [CA Elections Code 10703 (a)]
  A special primary ... shall be held ... on the eighth Tuesday or, if the eighth Tuesday is the day of or the day following a state holiday, the ninth Tuesday preceding the day of the special general election .... [CA Elections Code 10704 (a)] [or when] A statewide or local election ... is scheduled for the ninth Tuesday preceding the day of the special general election. [CA Elections Code 10704 (b)(2)]
- (2020--) The statewide direct primary shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June of each even-numbered year that is not evenly divisible by four and on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March in each even-numbered year that is evenly divisible by four. [CA Elections Code 1201.(a)].
  Special Elections:
  The Governor shall call ... special elections .. within 14 calendar days of the occurrence of the vacancy [CA Elections Code 10700]
  A special election to fill a vacancy in the office of Representative in Congress, State Senator, or Member of Assembly shall be conducted on a Tuesday at least 112 days, but not more than 126 days, following the issuance of an election proclamation by the Governor ... [CA Elections Code 10703 (a)]
  A special primary ... shall be held ... on the eighth Tuesday or, if the eighth Tuesday is the day of or the day following a state holiday, the ninth Tuesday preceding the day of the special general election .... [CA Elections Code 10704 (a)] [or when] A statewide or local election ... is scheduled for the ninth Tuesday preceding the day of the special general election. [CA Elections Code 10704 (b)(2)]
Polling times All States
- Polls open: 7 AM local time
  Polls close: 8 PM local time
  [CA Elections Code 14212]

Links Links to other web sites

Constitution
- http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/const.html
Election Authority. All States
- California Secretary of State
- California Secretary of State - Elections
Legislature. All States
Democratic
Republican
- California Republican Party
- California State Senate Republican Caucus
Third Party
- California Peace and Freedom Party
- California ProLife Council. California Affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee
- Green Party of California
- Libertarian Party of California
- Libertarian Party of California
- Reform Party of California
- The Humane Party
- The Unity Party of California
Media & others

State and Local Government Outline

Modified .