California's Political System

The book, California Politics and Government: A practical Approach, helps students understand the government and politics. It describes the principles used in the state government and the relevance of these to the nowadays students and the future ones. The book has clear examples and explanations that help the students understand the California politics. It includes budgetary politics and policies, California law and court cases, government regulations, policymaking and elections in terms of political parties and interest groups. It addresses the economic, educational, immigration and social issues and theireffecton the politics. Students are able to familiarize with the public policy coverage; hence, make a connection between the effects and practical applications of legislation and the government.

During the 1980s, the California legislature had built a reputation as one of the most professional legislatures in the country and for good reason. For one, the legislature enjoyed relatively low turnover rates between 1979 and 1989, with the assembly ranked in the 16th country and the senate ranked 3rd (Petracca, pg.11). But, following implementation of Proposition 140, instability was very pronounced in the in the first years particularly in the assembly. For the first 8 years after the implementation of term limits, speakers of the assembly were generally inexperienced and ineffective, lasting only for budgets and an election. It was not until the appointment of John A. Perez in 2009, that the assembly began to stabilize Another aspect of instability and ineffectualness of the assembly has been its committees. Due inexperience of assemblymen, the process of identifying flawed legislation through gatekeeping has not been used as effectively as it has in the past. Prior to term limits, the percentage of failed bills stood at around 36.3%. After term limits, it was 23.3%. So, without experienced assemblymen, bad policy is more likely to go through

California is known for being a very liberal “blue” state. California is almost guaranteed to vote democratically in a presidential election and much of the country considers themselves democratic. The areas that are more conservative in California are also very adamant in their beliefs. The two major political parties in California are extremely polarized and have extremely high partisanship. The parties themselves however are extremely weak. The idea that parties can have high levels of partisanship but be weak is extremely confusing. It has much to do with the way California’s politics have been established and the level of direct democracy in the state.

What is interesting to note is the rating given to ‘Power of the Legislature to Change Governor’s Budget’ which was 1 on a 1 - 5 scale in a study conducted by Dr.Thad Beyle. This shows the CA governor as wielding a certain amount of influence in the legislature’s passing of his proposed budget, Of course, the constitution mandates that the budget be balanced and, if not, then the previous year’s budget remain effective. This already puts limitations and expectations in the budget’s formulation.

In contrast, hyperpluralism is a theory that explains politics in a more relatable way. No one governs instead power is “thinly scattered”. Lawrence states how “the exercise of political power has become a highly competitive tug-of-war between institutions, policymakers, political parties, numerous interest groups, and voters” (14). There are ample amounts of evidence in California politics. There are several components that contribute to this evidence such as individualism in political life, growing diversity of group interests, and a change in the “nature of majoritarian

There has been four major law change that affect the way that california is the way today.The first of the four changes is term limits, they change this rule so that there would be no more career politician , but that not the case. In the old rule term limits rules you were allowed to be in the senate for 6 terms and in the assembly for 3 term. Now the term limits you get 12 terms not matter where you are. This new system bring in a lot of advantage, and little disadvantage but there is always false in every system. The advantage to is that it helps to bring in new idea and people that can see thing different. But there also a disadvantage to this by bring in new blood ,we are taking about the season professional that know what they are

In 2009, Roberts and Trounstein argued that California was "ungovernable" and “our state government did not have the capacity to make timely decision to solve the problems facing our state”. However, California is not ungovernable anymore. In past few years, California has many changes, which affect on the state legislature as well as change the ways Californians vote. People can name some changes as “Open” or “Jungle” Primary (Prop. 14), Citizen’s Redistricting Commission (Prop.11), Majority budget (Prop. 25), and enacted the “top-two” open primary. The Governor and the Legislature, in turn, gave up authority to solve problems that are better solved at a regional or community scale. Nowadays, California is one of the model of state government.

The future of California is pretty good, for the state is projected to see growth in almost every sector of the economy as well as the population, but there are many concerns that must be addressed first in order to see California’s growth come to fruition. International trade and business is one of California’s largest industries and it’s expected to continue increasing, for many emerging economies are also located off of the Pacific Ocean. Growth in the economy is good, but requires resources that California has a limited supply of. The main resource California always needs is water, since most of the state’s population resides in the southern regions, which are arid and receive minimal precipitation annually. The state is planning on improving efficiency and the aqueduct system to increase the water supply while decrease the environmental effects California’s aqueduct’s have on regions like the San Joaquin River Delta. For many years California has been considered a very liberal and left state, which is due to the fact that the state has the toughest environmental legislation in the country. With such strong legislation ensuring the protection of the environment California has become a model state in the fight against climate change, and must remain vigilant for there are numerous species endemic to the state that are found nowhere else on the planet. Though there are numerous other factors’ affecting California’s future these are some of the most interesting areas to

This is a proposal to reform California's taxes. Instead of taxing Californians' businesses, which can just simply relocate to another state, California should tax mainly what can never leave its borders--its real estate. In addition, California should stop state income and sales taxes.

This week’s topic of California becoming such a diverse powerhouse in the U.S and also how California being such a diverse state plays an important role in the U.S. government”. California is a hybrid democracy which means there are two types of democracies within California’s government. Representative means that we elect of political officials that best represents our interests. This also happens on a federal level which is why we have various elections throughout the years that allows us to vote for who we want in Congress, also on who we want to be our president. Direct Democracy gives power to the people in California allowing us to have a voice in how we want to see our state government run California (The Basics, 3:33). These two democracies

Governor Brown brilliantly formed and packaged AB 109 in a way that gained support from state legislators and constituents. His strategic plan was to strengthen the state’s political agenda by gaining support from for realignment from the public. Brown 's strategy paid off, according to recent research shows that voters in California are overwhelmingly in favor of reducing prison spending and support shifting resources to community supervision rather than incarceration. State and national polling also shows that voters feel reductions in recidivism are the primary purpose of the department of corrections, even if

One of the most troubling pieces of information I have learned about the judicial system in California is how the legislature has almost unlimited control over the court budget. A system in which one branch of government controls another’s

Direct Democracy in California started in the early part of the 20th century. Many citizens of the state of California were unhappy with their state's government. They believed that the government was representing special interest more than they were the will of the people. Railroad owners, such as those of the Southern Pacific Railroad had elected and public officials in their pockets. The officials were making laws that benefited railroads instead of making laws that benefited the citizens of California. In 1911, Californians changed the constitution so that they could make laws directly. This is how Californians created Initiatives and Referendums (Miller, P. 132-133).

Short Essay – Policy-making in the Federal System. The U.S. government’s expansive role in public policy is caught in a swirl of conflicting cross-currents. On the one hand, popular expectations about government’s responsibility to solve problems often exceed the capacity of state and local authorities to respond effectively. On the other hand, policies developed at the national level may not sufficiently reflect the great diversity of interests across the U.S. to be effective at the local level. Moreover, the search for effective policy is further complicated by theoretical debates about the constitutional framework of federalism, e.g., what limits on national power can be derived from the 10th Amendment?

What are the major problems California has faced since 2000? How have the governors and legislature dealt with these problems? What does the future hold for California? Chapter 40-41