1.
Betty Yee
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Betty T. Yee is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who has served as California State Controller since 2015. She previously served as a member of the California Board of Equalization from 2004 to 2015 and she won the open seat for Controller in the 2014 election, with 54% of the vote. A native of the Parkside district of San Francisco, Yees parents emigrated from Guangdong Province and she handled the books in her familys neighborhood laundry and dry cleaning business while she grew up. She went on to attend Golden Gate University, from which she earned a degree in Public Administration. Yee worked for the Legislature and was then Governor Gray Daviss Chief Deputy Director for Budget, the governor and legislative leaders made decisions that sometimes didnt agree with our recommendations. She then became the Chief Deputy to Board of Equalization member Carole Migden and she was appointed to fill the seat when Migden vacated it after being elected to the State Senate. Yee was elected in her own right to the California Board of Equalization in 2006 from the 1st Board District and was re-elected in 2010 and she led the successful effort to force Amazon. com to collect sales taxes on online purchases, the so-called Amazon tax. She ran for California State Controller in the 2014 election to succeed term-limited Democrat John Chiang, in the nonpartisan blanket primary, Republican Ashley Swearengin, the Mayor of Fresno, and Yee finished first and second, respectively. Swearengin and Yee competed in the election, which Yee won by 3,810,304 votes to 3,249,668. As State Controller, Yee will sit on the California State Lands Commission and she supports investing in alternative energy and opposes fracking for oil. An advocate of tax reform, she opposes extending Governor Jerry Browns temporary tax increases, instead proposing to lower the sales tax. Yee also serves as Vice President of California Women Lead, a nonprofit, Betty T. Yee, Board Member, State Board of Equalization Betty Yee for Controller 2014
2.
Term of office
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A term of office is the length of time a person serves in a particular elected office. In many jurisdictions there is a limit on how long terms of office may be before the officeholder must be subject to re-election. Some jurisdictions exercise term limits, setting a number of terms an individual may hold in a particular office. Being the origin of the Westminster system, aspects of the United Kingdoms system of government are replicated in other countries. The monarch serves as head of state until his or her death or abdication, in the United Kingdom Members of Parliament in the House of Commons are elected for the duration of the parliament. Following dissolution of the Parliament, an election is held which consists of simultaneous elections for all seats. For most MPs this means that their terms of office are identical to the duration of the Parliament, an MP elected in a by-election mid-way through a Parliament, regardless of how long they have occupied the seat, is not exempt from facing re-election at the next general election. The Septennial Act 1715 provided that a Parliament expired seven years after it had been summoned, prior to the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 parliaments had no minimum duration. Parliaments could be dissolved early by the monarch at the Prime Ministers request, the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 mandated that Parliaments should last their full five years. Early dissolution is possible, but under much more limited circumstances. Hereditary peers and life peers retain membership of the House of Lords for life, Lords Spiritual hold membership of the House of Lords until the end of their time as bishops, though a senior bishop may be made a life peer upon the end of their bishopric. The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are variations on the system of government used at Westminster, the office of the leader of the devolved administrations has no numeric term limit imposed upon it. However, in the case of the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly Government there are fixed terms for which the legislatures can sit and this is imposed at four years. Elections may be held before this time but only if no administration can be formed, offices of local government other regional elected officials follow similar rules to the national offices discussed above, with persons elected to fixed terms of a few years. Federal judges have different terms in office, however, the majority of the federal judiciary, Article III judges, such as those of the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, and federal district courts, serve for life. The terms of office for officials in state governments according to the provisions of state constitutions. The term for state governors is four years in all states but Vermont and New Hampshire, the National Conference of State Legislatures reported in January 2007 that among state legislatures,44 states had terms of office for the lower house of the state legislature at two years. Five had terms of office at four years,37 states had terms of office for the upper house of the state legislature at four years
3.
Constitution of California
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The Constitution of the State of California is the document that establishes and describes the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of the U. S. state of California. Article 3, Section 2 of the current Constitution references the original boundaries as stated in the 1849 Constitution at Article 7. The result of Progressive mistrust of elected officials, the 1879 constitution is the third longest in the world, californias constitution is one of the longest collections of laws in the world, taking up 110 pages. Part of this length is caused by the fact that many voter initiatives take the form of a constitutional amendment, the constitution can be changed by initiatives passed by voters. Initiatives can be proposed by the governor, legislature, or by popular petition, many of the individual rights clauses in the state constitution have been construed as protecting rights even broader than the Bill of Rights in the federal constitution. This caused the California Supreme Court to find Capital Punishment unconstitional on state Constitutional grounds in the 1972 case of People v. Anderson, the constitution has undergone numerous changes since its original drafting. It was rewritten from scratch several times prior to the drafting of the current 1879 constitution, from 1911, the height of the U. S. Progressive Era, to 1986, the California Constitution was amended or revised over 500 times, the constitution gradually became increasingly bloated, leading to abortive efforts towards a third constitutional convention in 1897,1914,1919,1930,1934 and 1947. By 1962 the constitution had grown to 75,000 words and that year, the electorate approved the creation of a California Constitution Revision Commission, which worked on a comprehensive revision of the constitution from 1964 to 1976. The Commission ultimately removed about 40,000 words from the constitution, many of the signatories to the states original 1849 constitution were themselves prominent in their own right, and are therefore listed below. The list is notable for the inclusion of several Californios, the California Constitution is one of the longest in the world. Unlike other state constitutions, the California Constitution strongly protects the corporate existence of cities and counties, the Constitution gives charter cities, in particular, supreme authority over municipal affairs, even allowing such cities local laws to trump state law. By specifically enabling cities to pay counties to perform governmental functions for them, many of the individual rights clauses in the state constitution have been construed as protecting rights broader than the Bill of Rights in the federal constitution. The constitution also confers upon women equality of rights in entering or pursuing a business, profession, vocation and this is the earliest state constitutional equal rights provision on record. Two universities are expressly mentioned in the constitution, the University of California, UC is one of only nine state-run public universities in the United States whose independence from political interference is expressly guaranteed by the state constitution. Since 1900, Stanford has enjoyed the benefit of a constitutional clause shielding Stanford-owned property from taxes as long as it is used for educational purposes. The constitution of California distinguishes between constitutional amendments and revisions, the latter of which is considered to be a change to the entire constitution. A less extensive change in one or more of its provisions, both require passage of a California ballot proposition by voters, but they differ in how they may be proposed. S
4.
U.S. state
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A U. S. state is a constituent political entity of the United States of America. There are 50 states, which are together in a union with each other. Each state holds administrative jurisdiction over a geographic territory. Due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the government, Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons covered by certain types of court orders. States range in population from just under 600,000 to over 39 million, four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names. States are divided into counties or county-equivalents, which may be assigned some local authority but are not sovereign. County or county-equivalent structure varies widely by state, State governments are allocated power by the people through their individual constitutions. All are grounded in principles, and each provides for a government. States possess a number of powers and rights under the United States Constitution, Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation, with the government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a debate over states rights, which concerns the extent and nature of the states powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government. States and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a legislature consisting of the Senate. Each state is represented in the Senate by two senators, and is guaranteed at least one Representative in the House, members of the House are elected from single-member districts. Representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census, the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50, alaska and Hawaii are the most recent states admitted, both in 1959. The Constitution is silent on the question of states have the power to secede from the Union. Shortly after the Civil War, the U. S. Supreme Court, in Texas v. White, as a result, while the governments of the various states share many similar features, they often vary greatly with regard to form and substance
5.
California
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California is the most populous state in the United States and the third most extensive by area. Located on the western coast of the U. S, California is bordered by the other U. S. states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona and shares an international border with the Mexican state of Baja California. Los Angeles is Californias most populous city, and the second largest after New York City. The Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nations second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, California also has the nations most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The Central Valley, an agricultural area, dominates the states center. What is now California was first settled by various Native American tribes before being explored by a number of European expeditions during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish Empire then claimed it as part of Alta California in their New Spain colony. The area became a part of Mexico in 1821 following its war for independence. The western portion of Alta California then was organized as the State of California, the California Gold Rush starting in 1848 led to dramatic social and demographic changes, with large-scale emigration from the east and abroad with an accompanying economic boom. If it were a country, California would be the 6th largest economy in the world, fifty-eight percent of the states economy is centered on finance, government, real estate services, technology, and professional, scientific and technical business services. Although it accounts for only 1.5 percent of the states economy, the story of Calafia is recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián, written as a sequel to Amadis de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Calafia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a land inhabited by griffins and other strange beasts. This conventional wisdom that California was an island, with maps drawn to reflect this belief, shortened forms of the states name include CA, Cal. Calif. and US-CA. Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, various estimates of the native population range from 100,000 to 300,000. The Indigenous peoples of California included more than 70 distinct groups of Native Americans, ranging from large, settled populations living on the coast to groups in the interior. California groups also were diverse in their organization with bands, tribes, villages. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups, the first European effort to explore the coast as far north as the Russian River was a Spanish sailing expedition, led by Portuguese captain Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, in 1542. Some 37 years later English explorer Francis Drake also explored and claimed a portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the Manila galleons on their trips from the Philippines beginning in 1565
6.
California State Treasurer
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The California State Treasurer is responsible for the states investment and finance. The post has more narrow responsibilities and authority than the California State Controller, the administration of the states budgets, financial analyses and planning, money allocation, and economic research is under the California Department of Finance. The state treasurer assumes office by way of election, the term of office is a four-year term but is limited to two terms. Elections for the State Treasurer are held on a concurrent basis with the election of the Governor. The current state treasurer is John Chiang, as the state’s banker, manages the state’s investments. Administers the sale of bonds and notes and is the investment officer for most state funds. Chairs or serves on several commissions, most of which relate to the marketing of bonds, pays out state funds when spent by the Controller and other state agencies. California Department of Finance Official California State Treasurer web site
7.
State Board of Equalization (California)
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The State Board of Equalization is a public agency charged with tax administration and fee collection in the state of California in the United States. The authorities of the Board fall into four areas, sales and use taxes, property taxes, special taxes. The BOE is the publicly elected tax commission in the United States. The current board members are, The terms of all five members, including the State Controller, as of 2008, the agency employed approximately 3,950 people throughout the state. The State Board of Equalization was created in 1879 by ratification of the second California Constitution and its original mandate was to ensure that property tax assessments were uniform and equal across all counties in the state. Of course, assessors were tempted to boost their popularity with county voters by undervaluing voters property, for the purposes of tax administration, the BOE divides the state into four Equalization districts, each with its own elected board member. Following the 2011 redistricting, the new districts have been in effect since January 1,2015, before 2015, most of this area was the second district. Before 2015, most of area was the first district. The fourth Equalization District is made up of the counties, Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, a portion of Los Angeles
8.
CalPERS
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In fiscal year 2012–13, CalPERS paid over $12.7 billion in retirement benefits, and in fiscal year 2013 it is estimated that CalPERS will pay over $7.5 billion in health benefits. As of June 30,2014, CalPERS managed the largest public pension fund in the United States, CalPERS is known for its shareholder activism, stocks placed on its Focus List may perform better than other stocks, which has given rise to the term CalPERS effect. Outside the U. S. CalPERS has been called a global leader in the investment industry. In 1932, the State Employees Retirement System began operation, the California State Employees Association, established in 1931, began a close relationship with SERS that continues to this day. In 1939, the state Legislature passed a bill that allowed local agencies to participate in SERS. Initially, SERS could invest only in bonds, but in 1953 a new law allowed SERS to invest in real estate. SERS then built a 670, 000-square-foot, 16-story building in Sacramento which opened in 1965, part of the building housed SERS employees, and part of the building was leased to other state agencies. The first major new benefit for SERS members, health insurance, because by 1967 SERS was contracting with 585 local public agencies for retirement benefits, its name was changed to the Public Employees Retirement System. With the passage of a proposition and a state law in 1966-1967, PERS was allowed to invest 25% of its portfolio in stocks, in 1984. State Treasurer Jesse M. Unruh was a PERS Board member in the mid-1980s, in 1986, the headquarters building of PERS, now called Lincoln Plaza North, was completed in Sacramento at a cost of $81 million. The building, which has 492,900 square feet, is known for its six-story-high atrium, in 1990, fund value reached $49.8 billion. In July 1991, Governor Pete Wilson addressed the state’s $14.3 billion budget deficit by removing $1.6 billion from the pension fund. Wilson further sought to give the governor’s office control of the PERS’ actuarial projections, Proposition 162, also known as the California Pension Protection Act of 1992, gave the PERS board the sole and exclusive fiduciary responsibility over the assets of PERS. To avoid confusion with public employees retirement systems in other states, by 1996, the CalPERS portfolio was worth $100 billion, and the number of members exceeded 1 million. In 1999, fund value reached $159.1 billion, requiring $159 million in tax dollar contributions. In 1999, the CalPERS board proposed an expansion that would allow public employees to retire at age 55. CalPERS predicted the benefits would require no increase in the State’s contributions by projecting an average return of 8. 25% over the next decade. ”CalPERS chief actuary, objected. The benefits expansion bill, SB400, passed with unanimous backing by California State Assembly Democrats and was signed into law by Governor Gray Davis, the next year the dot-com bubble burst, and CalPERS did not grow, instead losing value in the stock market downturn of 2002
9.
CalSTRS
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The California State Teachers Retirement System provides retirement, disability and survivor benefits for Californias 914,454 prekindergarten through community college educators and their families. CalSTRS was established by law in 1913 and is part of the State of Californias Government Operations Agency, as of January 2017, CalSTRS is the largest teachers retirement fund in the United States. CalSTRS is also currently the eleventh largest public pension fund in the world, as of January 31,2017, CalSTRS managed a portfolio worth $198.7 billion. The funds investments create a stream of income to add to those assets, the CalSTRS investment portfolio includes stocks, bonds, real estate and short-term investments. As of January 31,2017, CalSTRS managed a portfolio worth $198.7 billion at market value, as of June 30,2012, CalSTRS assets were $143.1 billion at market value, giving CalSTRS an unfunded liability of $80.4 billion at market value. The Teachers Retirement Board is responsible for maintaining the Teachers Retirement Fund in order to pay benefits to CalSTRS members, the Teachers Retirement Board sets policies, makes rules for and administers CalSTRS. The Board is also responsible for ensuring benefits are paid by the system in accordance with law, the Board also selected a Chief Investment Officer, Christopher J. Ailman, to direct the investments of the Teachers Retirement Fund in accordance with board policy. Two advisory committees meet regularly to provide forums for active participation in the formation of CalSTRS policies and procedures, the Board has supported a variety of corporate governance initiatives and actions aimed at keeping the fund stable. Like other large pension plans, CalSTRS had previously announced its proxy-vote intentions on selective companies, the addition of online disclosure opens the process to all CalSTRS portfolio companies, allowing other shareholders to know how the pension fund will vote. As of May 2009, CalSTRS holds stock in over 3,800 North American companies, opened in June 2009, the CalSTRS headquarters building in West Sacramento is expected to meet members needs through 2049. The building, a million, 13-story office tower above two levels of public space, is part of the Sacramento Riverfront Master Plan. The headquarters was designed to meet the Gold certification LEED designation set by the U. S. Green Building Council and its construction was done by numerous Local Unions and with the aid of Architectural Glass and Aluminum which served as the Glazing Contractor on the project. A few of the features designed into the building to qualify for LEED Gold certification are, Water, low-flow plumbing, materials, At least 10 percent of construction materials include recycled content. Reduced construction greenhouse gas emissions, At least 20 percent of construction materials come from within 500 miles of the project site. Natural light, At least 90 percent of people in the building have a line of site to a window to reduce lighting needs. In October 2011, the building received USGBCs Platinum certification in Existing Building, California Public Employees Retirement System Official website Teachers Retirement System in the California Code of Regulations CalSTRSs proxy voting profile from ProxyDemocracy. org
10.
California Democratic Party
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The California Democratic Party is the state branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of California. Headquartered in Sacramento, it is chaired by veteran Democratic politician and former United States Representative John L. Burton and it is the majority party in both chambers of the California State Legislature, i. e. the State Assembly and the Senate. In regards to businesses and economics, the California Democratic party takes a stance that protects consumers, small businesses, unions, the platform also makes a point to champion the economic reforms of President Barack Obama. The 2012 platform addresses the issues of family in several sections, the platform promises to protect seniors, children and all types of families with fair economic and social policies. These policies range from continuing Medicare for the elderly and keeping playgrounds safe for children, the platform also highlights the right of a woman to make choices for her own body and claims that healthcare is a natural right of all people. The California democrats further promise to protect the dignity of disabled citizens, the platform is dedicated to advocating for the rights of women through equal pay and affirmative action. The party prioritizes the creation of a sustainable and earth-friendly state, focus is placed on the development of alternative forms of energy and how energy is consumed. In addition, the stresses that green jobs are a solution to economic. Finally, the platform takes stances on open internet use, immigration, the Democrats of California support the right of the people to express their thoughts and ideas through any media, and their right to assemble. The party believes that laws should be fair and that immigrants should not be discriminated against. The party wishes to bring education to the forefront, aiming to turn California into a state for academic achievement. A Detailed description of the California Democratic Partys position on all of the issues can be found in their 2012 Platform document. The California Democratic Party passes multiple resolutions every year as a way of expressing their opinion to lawmakers statewide, while the partys resolutions have no legal force themselves, they are official documents that elected representatives should take into account when making decisions. A few recent resolutions are summarised below,2012 Buy American This resolution, written 18 November 2012, encourages all arms of government to favor American suppliers of goods and services. The above are three of a long list of Resolutions passed by the California Democratic Party in 2012 and in preceding years. The history of the Democratic Party of California is complex and long, the State has traded hands every few cycles since its admission into the union in 1850. At that time, the state was firmly in the hands of the Democratic Party, until the early 1880s after the Republican Party abolished slavery, the Republicans held the state through the power and influence of railroad men. The Democratic Party responded by taking an anti-corporate, anti freedom of attainment position, in 1894, Democrat James Budd was elected to the governorship, and the Democratic Party attempted to make good on their promises to reform the booming railroad industry
11.
Know Nothing
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The Native American Party, renamed the American Party in 1855 and commonly known as the Know Nothing movement, was an American political party that operated nationally in the mid-1850s. The motivators of the Partys rise were,1. )Nativist sentiment caused by the sudden, unprecedented influx of German and Irish immigrants in the late 1840s,2. )A rapid, steep decline in wages caused by the sudden influx of very large numbers of Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine,3. )The threat members perceived that the expansion of slavery into factory labor. In the eyes of supporters of both the Free Soil and Know Nothing movements, the existence of black slavery threatened to reduce free, white workers to wage slaves, and 4. )Fear that land in the western territories would be awarded to wealthy slave plantation owners rather than to white small farmers. It was due to fear that slavery would destroy the economic prospects of working families that the Party enrolled massive numbers of voters in the wake of the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854. The Partys most prominent leaders were U. S, the American Party nominated former President Millard Fillmore in the 1856 presidential election. Anti-Catholicism had been a factor in colonial America but played little role in American politics until the arrival of large numbers of Irish and it then reemerged in nativist attacks on Catholic immigration. It appeared in New York politics as early as 1843, under the banner of the American Republican Party, the movement quickly spread to nearby states, using that name or Native American Party or variants of it. They succeeded in a number of local and Congressional elections, notably in 1844 in Philadelphia, in the early 1850s, numerous secret orders grew up, of which the Order of United Americans and the Order of the Star Spangled Banner came to be the most important. They merged in New York in the early 1850s as an order that quickly spread across the North, reaching non-Catholics. The name Know Nothing originated in the organization of the party. When a member was asked about its activities, he was supposed to reply, outsiders called them Know Nothings, and the name stuck. In 1855, the Know Nothings first entered politics under the American Party label, the immigration of large numbers of Irish and German Catholics to the United States in the period between 1830 and 1860 made religious differences between Catholics and Protestants a political issue. Violence occasionally erupted at the polls, Protestants alleged that Pope Pius IX had put down the failed liberal Revolutions of 1848 and that he was an opponent of liberty, democracy and Republicanism. One Boston minister described Catholicism as the ally of tyranny, the opponent of material prosperity, the foe of thrift, the enemy of the railroad, the caucus, and the school. In 1849, a secret society, the Order of the Star Spangled Banner, was created by Charles B. Allen in New York City. Fear of Catholic immigration led to a dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party, activists formed secret groups, coordinating their votes and throwing their weight behind candidates sympathetic to their cause. When asked about these organizations, members were to reply I know nothing. Immigration during the first five years of the 1850s reached a level five times greater than a decade earlier, most of the new arrivals were poor Catholic peasants or laborers from Ireland and Germany who crowded into the tenements of large cities
12.
Lecompton Democrat
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Since the beginning of the 1850s, issues regarding slavery had effectively split the California Democratic Party. The Democrats effectively split into two camps, with both the Chivalry and Free Soilers nominating their own candidates for the 1853 election, by 1857, the party had split into the Lecompton and Anti-Lecompton factions. The violence between supporting and opposition forces led to the known as Bleeding Kansas. Splits in the Democratic Party, as well as the vacuum created by the collapse of the Whig Party. In particular, state voters voted Know-Nothings into the California State Legislature, during the 1859 general elections, Lecompton Democrats voted for Milton Latham, who had briefly lived in the American South, as their nominee for Governor. Anti-Lecomptons in turn selected John Currey as their nominee, the infant Republican Party, running in its first gubernatorial election, selected businessman Leland Stanford as its nominee. To make matters more complicated, during the campaign, Senator David C, broderick, an Anti-Lecompton Democrat, was killed in a duel by slavery supporter and former state Supreme Court Justice David Terry on September 13
13.
Democratic Party (United States)
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The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The Democrats dominant worldview was once socially conservative and fiscally classical liberalism, while, especially in the rural South, since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition in the 1930s, the Democratic Party has also promoted a social-liberal platform, supporting social justice. Today, the House Democratic caucus is composed mostly of progressives and centrists, the partys philosophy of modern liberalism advocates social and economic equality, along with the welfare state. It seeks to provide government intervention and regulation in the economy, the party has united with smaller left-wing regional parties throughout the country, such as the Farmer–Labor Party in Minnesota and the Nonpartisan League in North Dakota. Well into the 20th century, the party had conservative pro-business, the New Deal Coalition of 1932–1964 attracted strong support from voters of recent European extraction—many of whom were Catholics based in the cities. After Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal of the 1930s, the pro-business wing withered outside the South, after the racial turmoil of the 1960s, most southern whites and many northern Catholics moved into the Republican Party at the presidential level. The once-powerful labor union element became smaller and less supportive after the 1970s, white Evangelicals and Southerners became heavily Republican at the state and local level in the 1990s. However, African Americans became a major Democratic element after 1964, after 2000, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Asian Americans, the LGBT community, single women and professional women moved towards the party as well. The Northeast and the West Coast became Democratic strongholds by 1990 after the Republicans stopped appealing to socially liberal voters there, overall, the Democratic Party has retained a membership lead over its major rival the Republican Party. The most recent was the 44th president Barack Obama, who held the office from 2009 to 2017, in the 115th Congress, following the 2016 elections, Democrats are the opposition party, holding a minority of seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The party also holds a minority of governorships, and state legislatures, though they do control the mayoralty of cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Washington, D. C. The Democratic Party traces its origins to the inspiration of the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and that party also inspired the Whigs and modern Republicans. Organizationally, the modern Democratic Party truly arose in the 1830s, since the nomination of William Jennings Bryan in 1896, the party has generally positioned itself to the left of the Republican Party on economic issues. They have been liberal on civil rights issues since 1948. On foreign policy both parties changed position several times and that party, the Democratic-Republican Party, came to power in the election of 1800. After the War of 1812 the Federalists virtually disappeared and the national political party left was the Democratic-Republicans. The Democratic-Republican party still had its own factions, however. As Norton explains the transformation in 1828, Jacksonians believed the peoples will had finally prevailed, through a lavishly financed coalition of state parties, political leaders, and newspaper editors, a popular movement had elected the president
14.
California Republican Party
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The California Republican Party is the California affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party chairman is Jim Brulte, and is based in Burbank, California, the CRP also has a headquarters in Sacramento. The partys stated goals are to enhance economic prosperity within the state, cut taxes, the CRP is active throughout the entire state of California, and the party prides itself on providing common sense solutions to the most troubling issues. As of 2016 Republicans represent approximately 28% of the registered voters. Crime and justice—The California Republican Party supports the governments protecting the welfare of the people and creating fair, the party advocates victims rights under the position that the victim is just as important as the offender in a crime. They believe overcrowding is an issue that should be solved by the creation of both private and public prisons. The party also supports the use of punishment for heinous crimes. The party call for a cut on unnecessary spending in order to create government infrastructure that will boost the economy, the party also supports Right-to-work laws and opposes closed shop establishments. Education— The California Republican Party believes that all children have the right to a first-class education, the party supports parents and local school boards being the primary regulators of the education system. The party also supports incentives for quality educators and that school admission, the party also believes that unions have too much influence in Californias schools and that has caused the degradation of the curriculum and the marginalization of involvement by parents. Environment—The California Republican Party believes in long-term responsible stewardship of Californias natural resources, the party supports California industry being a world leader in developing and manufacturing safe, renewable and sustainable energy. The party also believes that city governments should be held to the standards of cleaning waste water as are applied to private industry. Equal Opportunity—We oppose quotas, special rights, set asides, or guaranteed equality of results and we support laws prohibiting discrimination in employment and housing based on race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or religion. Family values—We support the two-parent family as the best environment for raising children, the Supreme Courts ruling cannot and must not be used to coerce a church or religious institution into performing marriages that their faith does not recognize. We believe public policy and education should not be exploited to advocate or teach any social or political agenda, healthcare—The California Republican Party opposes government mandated health care plans and single payer plans. The party also opposes any government healthcare plan for California that would involve taxes on doctors or hospitals, coverage for illegal aliens, the party also supports private sector solutions such as small business insurance pools, employment pricing reductions, guaranteed insurability and medical savings accounts. Immigration—The California Republican Party contends that the state of California is rich in the history of immigration, English should be mandatory in the workplace and businesses should be able to require employees to speak the English and all immigrants should be required to learn the language. Illegal aliens should be deported if they engage in criminal activity, the party supports the government offering intensive English language instruction to all who need it, including stipends to help immigrants attend the programs
15.
Constitutional Union Party (United States)
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The Constitutional Union Party was a political party in the United States created in 1860. It was made up of conservative former Whigs who wanted to avoid secession over the slavery issue and these former Whigs teamed up with former Know-Nothings and a few Southern Democrats who were against secession to form the Constitutional Union Party. They hoped that by not taking a firm stand either for or against slavery or its expansion and this party united Southern Whigs and Democrats under the Georgia Platform, which affirmed Georgias acceptance of the Compromise as a final resolution to the issue of slavery. However, the party never expanded outside of the Deep South states of Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama, the 1860 incarnation of the Constitutional Union Party united remnants of both the defunct Whig and Know-Nothing Parties who were unwilling to join either the Democrats or the Republicans. The convention nominated John Bell of Tennessee for President and Edward Everett of Massachusetts for Vice President, in the 1860 election, the Constitutional Unionists received the great majority of their votes from former southern Whigs or Know-Nothings. A few of their votes were cast by former Democrats who were against secession, douglas in the North and John C. California and Everetts home state of Massachusetts were the only states in which the party received more than 5% of the popular vote. The party and its purpose disappeared after 1860 as the states began to secede. Bell and many other Constitutional Unionists later supported the Confederacy during the Civil War, Everett supported the Union and in 1863 gave a speech at Gettysburg before Lincolns famous Gettysburg Address. National Union Party Southern Unionist United States presidential election,1860 Blum, John M. William S. McFeely, Edmund S. Morgan, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr, Kenneth M. Stampp, the National Experience, A History of the United States. Newly Formed Party Party Platform of 1860 OurCampaigns overview of Constitutional Union Convention 1860
16.
Thomas Kuchel
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Thomas Henry Kuchel was a moderate Republican US Senator from California. From 1959 to 1969 he was the minority whip in the Senate, where he was the co-manager on the floor for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Kuchel was born in Anaheim in Orange County, the son of Henry Kuchel, a newspaper editor, Kuchel attended public school as a child. While he was at Anaheim High School, he joined the debate team and he debated a team from Whittier High School, winning his own debate against his opponent and later intraparty rival, Richard Nixon. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1932, Kuchel served in the California State Assembly from 1937 to 1941, in the California State Senate from 1941 to 1945, and as California State Controller from 1946 to 1953. During World War II, Kuchel was a lieutenant commander in the U. S. Naval Reserves, in 1953, Kuchel was appointed to the US Senate by Governor Earl Warren to fill the vacancy created after Republican Senator Richard Nixon was elected Vice President. Kuchel was elected to the remainder of Nixons term in 1954, Kuchel pointedly refused to endorse ticket-mate Nixons candidacy for governor in 1962 in a heated race against incumbent Democrat Edmund G. Pat Brown, Sr. Known as a moderate, Kuchel eventually backed Knowland in his campaign to oust Knight in the Republican primary for governor in 1958, Knight then ran for the United States Senate, but he and Knowland both lost that year. The document said the arrest was for drunkenness while Kuchel had been in the midst of a sex act, during the 1966 California gubernatorial primary, Thomas Kuchel was urged by moderates to run against conservative actor Ronald Reagan. Citing the hostilities of the conservative movement, Kuchel decided not to run. Kuchel returned to practicing law in California until his retirement in 1981 and he died of lung cancer on November 21,1994 in Beverly Hills. Secretary of Defense and former White House Chief of Staff and CIA Director Leon Panetta began in politics as an assistant to Kuchel. Panetta would cite Kuchel as a role model. In August 2010, the Beverly Hills City Council paid tribute to Senator Kuchel on the 100th anniversary of his birth, biographical Directory of the United States Congress
17.
Alan Cranston
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Alan MacGregor Cranston was an American politician and journalist who served as a United States Senator from California, from 1969 to 1993. Cranston was born in Palo Alto, California, the son of Carol and he attended Pomona College for one year, studied abroad for a summer at the National Autonomous University of Mexico before graduating from Stanford University in 1936 with a degree in English. Cranston was born into a family from Northern California with interests in real estate. His first wife, Geneva McMath, was the mother of his sons, Robin, who died young in an accident, and Kim. Cranston was later married to Norma Weintraub, Cranston was a correspondent for the International News Service for two years preceding World War II. In 1939, Hitlers publisher sued him for violation in Connecticut. Before enlisting in the forces in 1944 as a private, he worked as an editor and writer for the magazine Common Ground. The following year he wrote a book, The Killing of the Peace. Cranston, a supporter of government, attended the 1945 conference that led to the Dublin Declaration. Also in the late 1940s, Cranston began his opposition to nuclear weapons. In 1952, Cranston co-founded the California Democratic Council, and served as chairman, since that time, the CDC has served as an unofficial coalition of local Democratic clubs that coordinate electoral activities and activism throughout California. The CDC provided substantial support to Cranston in his bid for State Controller in 1958, a Democrat, Cranston was elected California State Controller in 1958 and re-elected in 1962. The general election itself was marred by mudslinging. Roosevelt that Nazi Germany had perpetrated the Katyń massacre, many of the same allegations were recycled in an article that ran in American Opinion in 1974 entitled Alan Cranston, The Shadow in the Senate. In 1974, Cranston defeated Republican H. L. Bill Richardson, Cranston polled 3,693,160 votes to Richardsons 2,210,267. In 1980, Cranston defeated Republican Paul Gann,4,705,399 to 3,093,426 and his 1980 reelection campaign was notable for a July 31 benefit that would be the last concert The Eagles played at together for 14 years. During the event Cranstons wife thanked Eagles guitarist Don Felder for performing, to which Felder reportedly replied, bandmate Glenn Frey took exception to Felders comment, leading to onstage bickering and the breakup of the band immediately following the concert. The New York Times characterized him as a bald, craggy-looking, Cranston was elected again in 1986 defeating Republican nominee Congressman Ed Zschau
18.
Gray Davis
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Joseph Graham Gray Davis, Jr. is an American politician and attorney who served as the 37th Governor of California from 1999 to 2003. A member of the Democratic Party, only months into his term, in 2003 Davis was recalled and removed from office. Prior to serving as governor, Davis was chief of staff to Governor Jerry Brown, a California State Assemblyman, California State Controller, Davis holds a B. A. in history from Stanford University and a J. D. from Columbia Law School. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his service as a Captain in the Vietnam War, during his time as governor, Davis made education his top priority and California spent eight billion dollars more than was required under Proposition 98 during his first term. Under Davis, California standardized test scores increased for five straight years, Davis signed the nations first state law requiring automakers to limit auto emissions. Davis supported laws to ban assault weapons and he is credited with improving relations between California and Mexico. Voters were also alienated by Daviss record-breaking fundraising efforts and negative campaigning and he was succeeded in office on November 17,2003 by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won the recall replacement race. Davis spent 1,778 days as governor and signed 5,132 bills out of 6,244, vetoing 1,112 bills. Since being recalled, Davis has worked as a lecturer at the UCLA School of Public Affairs, as an attorney at Loeb & Loeb, Davis was born in the Bronx, New York City, the son of Doris Morell and Joseph G. Davis. Davis moved to California with his family as a child in 1954 and he was the first of the familys five children, three boys and two girls. He was raised a Roman Catholic, Davis and his family were one of the millions of Americans to migrate to the southwest and California as part of the post-World War II sun belt migration. His diverse educational experiences at public, private and Catholic schools allowed him an opportunity to all three systems as a lawmaker. Davis graduated from a North Hollywood military academy, the Harvard School for Boys, Davis family was upper middle class and was led by his demanding mother. Davis was nicknamed Gray by his mother and his father, Joseph Graham Davis, Sr. an advertising manager at Time Inc. and an alcoholic, was the son of businessman William Rhodes Davis. His strong academic accomplishments earned him acceptance to Stanford University and he played on the Stanford golf team with a two handicap. After Davis entered Stanford University, his left the family. The deal included a promise to enter the regular Army after completing his education and he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at Stanford, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity, graduating in 1964 with distinction. He then returned to New York City to attend Columbia Law School where he won the Moot Court award, during law school Davis had a romantic encounter with actress Cybill Shepherd
19.
Steve Westly
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Steven Paul Steve Westly is an American venture capitalist and politician. He was the State Controller and Chief Financial Officer of California from 2003 to 2007 and was one of the top candidates in the Democratic primary for Governor of California in the 2006 election. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by California State Treasurer Phil Angelides, during the 2008 Presidential Election, Westly served as California Campaign Co-chair for Obama for America and also as a member of Obama for Americas National Finance Committee. Westly was briefly considered for a position in the Obama administration. Currently, Westly is a Managing Partner at The Westly Group, Westly has been rumored to run for Governor of California in 2018. Westly was born in Arcadia, California, raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Westly received an A. B. in history from Stanford University in 1978, where he served as student body co-president. He received an M. B. A. in Public Management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1983 and he married Anita Yu, an immigrant from Hong Kong, in 1997. They have a daughter, Christina, born in 2000, and his brother, Dean Westly, practices law in the Silicon Valley region of Northern California where he advises high tech companies. A member of the Democratic Party, Westly worked for Congressman Leo Ryan in 1978 as his first job out of college, after working in the Carter Administration, he joined the California Public Utilities Commission as Assistant to the President. In 1983, Westly became the New Business Manager at Sprint Telecommunications, in 1986, he became an investment banker at Valentine and Company in San Francisco. In 1988, Westly became President of Codd & Date, a relational database consulting & services firm. In 1994, he became the Director of Netcom, one of the early internet service providers and in 1995. In 1997, Westly joined eBay as one of its early executives and he began as Vice President and subsequently gained the title of Senior Vice President for Marketing, Business Development, and International. He retired from eBay in 2000 when he and his wife, Anita Yu, established the Steve, in March 2007, Westly joined the board of Tesla Motors, a pioneering northern California manufacturer of electric sports cars. As a board director Westly referred Chahal to Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown to ensure that he received legal counsel, Mr. Brown served briefly as Mr. Chahal’s counsel and then resigned. From The Daily Beast, Westly is a former California State Controller who had made a run for governor in 2006. He was pals with Willie Brown, a mayor of San Francisco. Westly, the Journal reported, emailed Chahal that Brown “believes he can help you. ”Westly told Chahal that Brown was friendly with San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and “may be able to him off. ’” At Westly’s suggestion
20.
John Chiang (California politician)
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John Chiang is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who has served as the California State Treasurer since January 5,2015. He previously served as California State Controller from 2007 to 2015, on May 17,2016, Chiang announced his campaign for Governor of California in the 2018 race. Chiang is the son of immigrants from Taiwan, Chiangs mother, Shen Yin-hsiang, was a Tainan native, who studied abroad in Japan before immigrating to the United States to pursue further studies. Chiangs parents met at the University of Notre Dame, and soon married, Chiang was born in New York City and grew up in Chicago. Chiang attended Carl Sandburg High School where he served as student body vice-president alongside student body president Dave Jones and he graduated with honors with a degree in finance from the University of South Florida and has a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Chiangs decision to pursue law was influenced by his grandfather, Shen Rong. He moved to Los Angeles in 1987 where he got involved with the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley, Chiang began his career as a tax law specialist for the IRS. He worked as an attorney for then-California State Controller Gray Davis and he was appointed to the California Board of Equalization in 1997 after incumbent Brad Sherman resigned after being elected to the U. S. House of Representatives. Chiang was then elected to the office in 1998 and elected to a second term in 2002. He was Chair and represented the Fourth District, primarily serving southern Los Angeles County, Chiang ran for California State Controller in 2006. He won the Democratic primary with 53%, defeating State Senator Joe Dunn, in the general election, he defeated Republican State Assemblyman Tony Strickland by over 870,000 votes. Chiang was inaugurated on January 8,2007, Chiangs actions were praised as having gotten a needed discussion reignited. In June 2007, a U. S. District Judge banned the State Controllers office from seizing unclaimed property because the State was not giving fair notice to the owner and public. By October 2007, the U. S. District Judge found that Chiangs measures satisfie constitutional due process, Chiang claimed that he had both constitutional and statutory authority to continue payments and that Schwarzenegger was trying to make Chiang do something thats improper and illegal. He received support from the Democratic leadership in the state Senate, when Schwarzenegger issued a formal executive order, Chiang sent a formal letter to Schwarzenegger reiterating his position. At a rally of workers in Los Angeles, Chiang called them innocent victims of a political struggle. Chiang ran for a term in 2010. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and faced a rematch with Strickland in the general election, Chiang defeated him again, by over 1.83 million votes
21.
Governor of California
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The position was created in 1849, the year before California became a state. The current governor is Jerry Brown, a Democrat who was inaugurated January 3,2011, in October 2013, Jerry Brown surpassed Earl Warren for the longest cumulative period of time served as governor. Governors are elected by ballot and serve terms of four years. Governors take office on the first Monday after January 1 after their election, 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, recall by the voters Petitions signed by California state voters equal in number to 12% of the last vote for the office of governor can launch a gubernatorial recall election. The voters can vote on whether or not to recall the incumbent governor. If a majority of the voters in the vote to recall the governor. The 2003 California recall began with a drive that successfully forced sitting Democratic Governor Gray Davis into a special recall election. It marked the first time in the history of California that a governor faced a recall election and he was subsequently voted out of office, becoming the second governor in the history of the United States to be recalled after Lynn Frazier of North Dakota in 1921. He was replaced by Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Lieutenant Governor of California is separately elected during the same election, not jointly as the running mate of the gubernatorial candidate. California has had a governor and a lieutenant governor of different parties 26 of the past 31 years, the lieutenant governor is also the President of the California State Senate. In practice, there is an 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 governors right to perform the duties, 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 12,1891, a three months and four days after the expiration of his term. Sworn in at the age of 30, J. Neely Johnson was the youngest governor from 1856 to 1858, sworn in at the age of 72, Jerry Brown became the oldest governor in 2011. Earl Warren was the governor to serve more than two consecutive terms in office
22.
Lieutenant Governor of California
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The Lieutenant Governor of California is a statewide constitutional officer and vice-executive of the State of California. The lieutenant governor is elected to serve a term and can serve a maximum of two terms. California has had a governor and a lieutenant governor of different parties 26 of the past 31 years, California has had 41 lieutenant governors and five acting lieutenant governors since achieving statehood in 1850. The current lieutenant governor is Gavin Newsom, who was sworn into office on January 10,2011, in practice, there is a gentlemens 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 administration of Jerry Brown, when Brown was out of the state. Court rulings have upheld the lieutenant governors right to perform the duties, the lieutenant governor is also the President of the California State Senate. Many California projects created through gubernatorial executive orders, or through the initiative process, thus, it is argued, California might benefit if the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor ran on the same ticket. The Lieutenant Governor would then be likely to help the Governor – who is subject to a greater degree of voter scrutiny – to implement his or her policies. By contrast the Attorney General of California oversees 5,300 employees, including 1,110 state attorneys, List of lieutenant governors of California List of current United States lieutenant governors Official website
23.
Attorney General of California
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The Attorney General of California is the State Attorney General of California. The Department employs over 1,100 attorneys and 3,700 non-attorney employees, the Attorney General is elected to a four-year term, with a maximum of two terms. The election is held at the statewide election as the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Controller, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction. Heads the Department of Justice, which is responsible for providing legal services. Acts as the counsel in state litigation. Oversees law enforcement agencies, including District Attorneys and Sheriffs, previously, the attorney general lacked jurisdiction over matters in the jurisdiction of locally-elected district attorneys and sheriffs. Warren went on to become Attorney General himself in 1938 where he reorganized states law enforcement into districts, for a comprehensive list, see List of Attorneys General of California. Representative George Deukmejian – Governor of California Jerry Brown – California Secretary of State, Governor of California Mayor, Oakland California Kamala Harris – U. S
24.
Secretary of State of California
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The Secretary of State of California is the chief clerk of the U. S. State of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The Secretary of State is elected for four terms, like the states other constitutional officers. The current Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, took office on January 5,2015, the Secretary of State is the Californias Chief Elections Officer, overseeing all federal and state elections in the state and maintaining a database of registered voters. They are also responsible for disclosure of campaign and lobbyist financial information, the Secretary of States office also has a number of responsibilities related to corporations, the largest portion office is the Business Programs Division, which handles corporate filings. The Secretarys office also maintains a number of registries, including the Safe at Home confidential address program, and the Domestic Partners and Advance Health Care Directive. Other roles include safeguarding the California State Archives, and they are a trustee of the California Museum, California government and California politics List of company registers California Secretary of States official website
25.
California Insurance Commissioner
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California Insurance Commissioner is an elected executive office position in California. The officeholder is in charge of the California Department of Insurance, the current Insurance Commissioner is Democrat Dave Jones. Oversees and directs all functions of the Department of Insurance, licenses, regulates, and examines insurance companies. Answers public questions and complaints regarding the insurance industry, enforces the laws of the California Insurance Code and adopts regulations to implement the laws. The mission is to ensure vibrant markets where insurers keep their promises and the health and economic security of individuals, families, as a result of the passage of Proposition 103 in 1988, the elected office of the California Insurance Commissioner was created in 1991. Previously, the position was held by an appointed by the Governor. The Insurance Commissioner oversees the Department of Insurance, Democrat Dave Jones won the November 2,2010 election for California Insurance Commissioner. The Insurance Commissioner does not oversee the majority of Health Plans, HMO Health Plans and PPO Plans offered by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California are overseen by the California Department of Managed Health Care
California statewide elected officials