Governor of California
The Governor of California is the highest executive authority in the state government, whose responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced.
The office of Governor of California was created in 1849, before California became a formal state in the American union. Previously, there had been six American military governors and numerous Mexican governors when California was part of the United Mexican States.
The current governor is Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, who was elected on October 7, 2003 to complete recalled Democratic Governor Gray Davis's term, which lasts until January 8, 2007. A gubernatorial primary election was held on June 6, 2006 to determine which candidates shall appear on the November 7, 2006 general election ballot for the term lasting from January 8, 2007 to January 4, 2011.
Gubernatorial powers
The governor has the power to veto legislation, overrideable by a two-thirds majority in both houses of the legislature, and can veto particular items from an appropriations bill while leaving others intact (see line-item veto).
Law-enforcement powers include the ability to grant pardons and commute sentences, as well as serving as the commander-in-chief of the state militia. In addition to calling the National Guard into active duty, the governor can call the California State Military Reserve to active duty to support the Guard.
The governor also has full membership and voting powers to the Regents of the University of California, the governing board of the University of California system, along with other elected officials, and a majority of members on the Regents of the University of California are appointed by the governor.
Gubernatorial elections and term of office
Governors are elected by popular ballot and serve terms of four years, with a maximum of two terms. Governors take office on the first Monday after the January 1 after their election.
Gubernatorial removal
There are two methods available to remove a governor before the expiration of the gubernatorial term of office.
Impeachment and removal by the legislature
The governor can be impeached for "misconduct in office" by the State Assembly and removed by a two-thirds vote of the State Senate.
Recall by the voters
Petitions signed by California voters equal in number to 12% of the last vote for the office of governor (with signatures from each of 5 counties equal in number to 1% of the last vote for governor in the county) can launch a gubernatorial recall election. The voters can then vote on whether or not to recall the incumbent governor, and on the same ballot, they can vote a potential replacement. If a majority of the voters in the election vote to recall the governor, then the person who gains a plurality of the votes in the replacement race will become governor.
Main article: 2003 California recall
The 2003 California recall began with a petition drive that successfully forced sitting Democratic Governor Davis into a special recall election. It marked the first time in California's history that a governor faced a recall election. He was subsequently voted out of office, becoming just the second governor in U.S. history to be recalled. He was replaced by Republican Schwarzenegger.
Relationship with Lieutenant Governor of California
The Lieutenant Governor of California is elected at the same election, but not jointly as the running mate of the gubernatorial candidate. California has had a governor and a lieutenant governor of different parties 23 of the past 28 years (as of 2006), as has been the case since 2003 with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (Republican) and Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante (Democrat), from 1991-1999 with Governor Peter B. Wilson (Republican) and Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis (Democrat), from 1983-1991 with Governor George Deukmejian (Republican) and Lieutenant Governor Leo T. McCarthy (Democrat), and from 1979-1983 with Governor Jerry Brown (Democrat) and Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb (Republican). This occasionally becomes significant, as the California Constitution provides that all the powers of the governor fall to the lieutenant governor whenever the governor is not in the State of California, with the lieutenant governor often signing or vetoing legislation, or making political appointments, whenever the governor leaves the state. (The lieutenant governor is also the president of the California State Senate.) In practice, there is a gentlemen's agreement for the Lieutenant Governor not to perform more than perfunctory duties while the Governor is away from the state. This agreement was violated when Mike Curb was in office, as he signed several executive orders at odds with the Brown administration when Brown was out of the state. Court rulings have upheld the lieutenant governor's right to perform the duties of governor while out of the state.
Gubernatorial facts
Age and longevity
23rd Governor
(1911-1917)
- Between the births of John Bigler in 1807 and Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1947, future California Governors have been born in every decade except the 1880s.
- Between the deaths of John McDougall in 1866 and Ronald Reagan in 2004, Governors have died in every decade except two: the 1910s and the 1980s.
- Peter Burnett had the longest post-governorship, 44 years. He left office in 1851 and died in 1895.
- Excluding Governors who died in office, Robert Waterman had the shortest post-governorship. He died on April 12, 1881, a mere 3 months and 4 days after the expiration of his term.
- Sworn in at the age of 31, J. Neely Johnson was the youngest Governor.
- Sworn in at the age of 69, Frank Merriam was the oldest Governor.
- Earl Warren was the only Governor to serve more than 8 years in office (1943–1953)
- Milton Latham served the shortest term in office of 5 days (January 9–January 14, 1860)
- Two Governors were born in foreign countries:
- Two Governors have died in office:
- Ronald Reagan had the longest life-span of any governor, 93 years.
- John McDougall had the shortest life-span of any governor, 48 years.
- Both governors who died in office, Washington Bartlett in 1887 and James Rolph in 1934, were Mayor of San Francisco before becoming governor.
Transition events
33rd Governor
(1967-1975)
- Five Governors have resigned:
- Peter Burnett in 1851 "as a result of certain personal prejudices" in favor of slavery [1]
- Milton Latham in 1860 to become a United States Senator
- Newton Booth in 1875 to become a United States Senator
- Hiram Johnson in 1917 to become a United States Senator
- Earl Warren in 1953 to become Chief Justice of the United States
- One Governor has been recalled:
- Gray Davis in 2003
- Seven Governors took office without being elected to the Governor's seat, having been elected as Lieutenant Governor and then ascending from that position:
- Four of them did not run to succeed themselves, and were never elected Governor:
- John McDougall in 1851
- John G. Downey in 1860
- Romualdo Pacheco in 1875
- Robert Waterman in 1887
- The other three later ran for Governor, and were elected to succeed themselves as Governor:
- William Stephens in 1917
- Frank Merriam in 1934
- Goodwin Knight in 1953
- Four of them did not run to succeed themselves, and were never elected Governor:
Presidential Campaigns
- One Governor of California was elected president of the United States:
- These actively sought the nomination of their party, but were unsuccessful:
- Jerry Brown (Democrat, 1976, 1992)
- Hiram Johnson (Republican, 1920, 1924))
- Pete Wilson (Republican, 1996)
- These governors was nominated for Vice President, but their ticket lost the election:
- Hiram Johnson (Ran with Theodore Roosevelt,Progressive, 1912)
- Earl Warren (Ran with Thomas Dewey, Republican, 1948)
See also
- List of pre-statehood governors of California
- List of Governors of California
- List of California Governors by time in office
External links
- Official site of Governor's office
- Election and Voter Information
- 2006 Gubernatorial Campaigns
- Election Results for Candidates for Governor (1920-Present)
- List of candidates and Parties that ran in the 2006 Election of the Governor of California
