Deck 5: The Executive Branch

Question 1

Elected state executive officials are subject to which term limits?

A)one 4-year term
B)two 4-year terms,but they can run for the same office after a 6-year break
C)two 4-year terms,and they can never run for the same office again
D)none;they are not subject to term limits

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The Board of Equalization consists of ______ members who are responsible for standardizing the tax systems in the state,as well as collecting excise taxes.

A)3
B)5
C)10
D)20

Answer 2

B

Question 3

To whom are the constitutional executives accountable?

A)the people of California
B)the governor
C)the attorney general
D)no one

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which constitutional executive officer is responsible for managing the state's debt by selling and repaying bonds to investors,attempting to secure acceptable credit ratings,and maintaining the state's financial assets?

A)treasurer
B)controller
C)Member of the Board of Equalization
D)secretary of state

Question 5

The attorney general is also known as ______.

A)the state's chief law enforcement officer
B)head of the judicial branch
C)secretary of justice
D)the lieutenant governor

Question 6

Which executive office was gutted in 2017 by having most of its tax collection duties and 90% of its staff reassigned to new Department of Tax and Fee Administration?

A)the controller and treasurer
B)the treasurer
C)the State Board of Equalization
D)the controller only

Question 7

What is fair to say about California's plural executive?

A)Cooperation among the executive officers is regular,and coordination among them is smooth.
B)State executives have big incentives to set aside their ideological differences.
C)Splintering authority among many offices provides checks against the concentration of power,but obscures accountability.
D)Despite their differences,a plural executive produces coherent,consistent policymaking and planning.

Question 8

Who is responsible for appointing members to more than 300 boards and commissions that share regulatory authority with the governor?

A)the governor
B)the secretary of state
C)the voters
D)the Assembly

Question 9

Which state executive(s)equalize property taxes and collect excise taxes on alcohol?

A)the controller and treasurer
B)all 12 executive officers
C)the State Board of Equalization
D)the controller only

Question 10

All state executives have the duty to ______.

A)write laws
B)run elections and campaigns
C)carry out laws and policies
D)any of these

Question 11

Which organization within the executive branch is responsible for proposing and shaping the annual budget?

A)Legislative Counsel
B)Treasurer's Office
C)Controller's Office
D)Department of Finance

Question 12

Which state constitutional officer's job is officially nonpartisan?

A)all of them are nonpartisan
B)attorney general
C)insurance commissioner
D)superintendent of public instruction

Question 13

After the 2016 elections,all but ______ of the constitutional executive officers were Democrats.

A)zero
B)two
C)six
D)eight

Question 14

The state constitutional officer who oversees all aspects of federal and state elections is the ______.

A)state clerk
B)county elections clerk
C)secretary of state
D)attorney general

Question 15

California has a ______ executive,in which power is ______.

A)plural;split among several Constitutional officers
B)unitary;concentrated in the governor alone
C)singular;split between the governor and the department heads he appoints
D)none of these

Question 16

The state constitutional officer who acts as the state's investment banker and bond manager is the ______.

A)secretary of state
B)controller
C)member of the Board of Equalization
D)treasurer

Question 17

What does the insurance commissioner's job entail?

A)collecting and disclosing all insurance company campaign donations to state politicians
B)reviewing and preapproving rates for car and homeowner insurance
C)disbursing checks to all state employees who sell goods and services to the state
D)sitting on the Tax Franchise Board and setting tax rates for insurance companies

Question 18

Approximately how many public employees comprise the state bureaucracy?

A)120,000
B)210,000
C)550,000
D)1.1 million

Question 19

The state constitutional officer tasked with paying the state's bills and monitoring the state's financial condition is called the ______.

A)controller
B)member of the Board of Equalization
C)secretary of state
D)treasurer

Question 20

The length of an executive office's term is ______.

A)1 year
B)2 years
C)4 years
D)6 years

Question 21

Which constitutional executive officer is responsible for implementing rules relating to lobbying,including the reporting and disclosure of related financial activities?

A)attorney general
B)lieutenant governor
C)the secretary of state
D)the speaker of the assembly

Question 22

Who has the power to appoint judges?

A)the governor
B)the governor,attorney general,and chief justice of the state Supreme Court
C)no one in the executive branch
D)the legislative leaders: Assembly speaker and senate president pro tem

Question 23

How many times per year do the 12 elected executive officers meet together to strategize and coordinate policy?

A)once a week
B)once a month
C)twice a year
D)never

Question 24

Unlike the U.S.president,California's governor has the power of the line-item veto.

Question 25

Which of these constitutional officers is responsible for certifying the state election results?

A)superintendent of Public Education
B)governor
C)attorney general
D)none of these

Question 26

If a sitting U.S.Senator dies or leaves office,which constitutional executive officer has the power to name a temporary replacement?

A)the secretary of state
B)the governor
C)the attorney general
D)a majority vote of all elected executive officers

Question 27

Who has the ability to call a state of emergency after a natural disaster has struck?

A)governor
B)attorney general
C)treasurer
D)any of these

Question 28

The governor resembles the U.S.President in that she/he appoints every other state executive (such as attorney general and secretary of state),as well as department heads to help carry laws into effect.

Question 29

The office that analyzes the budget for the legislature is the ______,whereas the organization that prepares the budget for the governor is the ______.

A)the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO);the Controller's Office
B)the State Treasurer's Office;the Controller's Office
C)the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO);the Department of Finance
D)the Senate Office of Research;the Department of Finance

Question 30

Which entities are primarily responsible for establishing,clarifying,and changing the rules that regulate the activities of people and businesses in the state?

A)the department secretaries
B)the governor's executive office
C)the other 11 elected state officials
D)state boards and commissions

Question 31

The most important information-gathering body that works directly for the governor is ______.

A)Department of Finance
B)Legislative Analyst
C)Senate Office of Research
D)Department of Education

Question 32

Who assumes virtually all the powers of the governor when the sitting governor leaves the state's borders?

A)attorney general
B)lieutenant governor
C)the secretary of state
D)the speaker of the assembly

Question 33

Under term limits,an individual may only run for one type of statewide office in his or her lifetime.

Question 34

Which state executive official is considered to be "first among equals?"

A)treasurer
B)attorney general
C)governor
D)secretary of state

Question 35

The governor plays a significant role in the legislative process by ______.

A)monitoring bills as they move through the legislative process
B)calling special sessions of the legislature to address pressing issues
C)setting policy priorities through the budget
D)any of these

Question 36

Which officials form the governor's cabinet?

A)secretaries of the superagencies and other large departments
B)only members of independent agencies
C)the other 11 elected state officials
D)all members of the state's commissions and boards

Question 37

What is true of the seven "superagencies" in the state bureaucracy?

A)They are independent,so they do not answer to the governor.
B)They are designed to help all the constitutional officers execute the law,and so their secretaries answer to all of the state executives.
C)They help organize the state's administrative boards and agencies,and the governor appoints the secretaries who head them.
D)Their administrators can be recalled from office by the voters.

Question 38

Like the U.S.president,the governor may issue executive orders.

Question 39

About how many bills did Governor Brown sign into law in 2016?

A)50
B)200
C)900
D)2,000

Question 40

Under term limits,executive officers in California may only be elected to two 4-year terms.

Question 41

All state elected executives earn the same salary: $146,854.

Question 42

Governor Jerry Brown is the only state executive who has "stood up" to the Trump Administration and refused to conform to federal policies;the others have complied willingly.

Question 43

All the constitutional officers meet as a governing board a minimum of four times per year to coordinate the implementation of state policy.

Question 44

Only the secretary of state may call a special election.

Question 45

All elected state officials serve 4-year terms (4 years at a time),unless they are elected through a special election.

Question 46

The state's chief law enforcement officer is the lieutenant governor.

Question 47

The lieutenant governor takes temporary control of the governorship whenever the governor leaves the state on official or unofficial business.

Question 48

Next to the governor,the executive officer with the most power is the attorney general.

Question 49

Of the nine governors elected since World War II,more of them have been Republicans than Democrats.

Question 50

Like legislators,the governor employs personal staff who analyze and research bills.

Question 51

Attorney General Xavier Becerra was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown when former AG Kamala Harris was elected to the U.S.Senate.

Question 52

The governor and his or her aides (staff)monitor bills at all stages of the legislative process.

Question 53

Civil service laws protect almost 99% of the state's employees,who are hired on the basis of merit rather than nepotism (family ties)or patronage (reward for one's party loyalty).

Question 54

A new Department of Tax and Fee Administration has assumed almost all of the tasks that the Board of Equalization performed prior to 2017.

Question 55

A governor has the power to reduce the penalties associated with a crime,so that a formerly convicted person might regain certain rights,such as gun ownership.

Question 56

The attorney general's office is considered a stepping stone to the governor's office,as many former attorneys general have become candidates for governor.

Question 57

The governor earns a higher salary than all other executive branch officials.

Question 58

Under term limits,it is common for assembly members and state senators to run for statewide office,such as secretary of state or treasurer.

Question 59

The state's chief law enforcement officer is the attorney general,who is charged with supervising all sheriffs,policy chiefs,and state agencies to enforce the law adequately and uniformly.

Question 60

Few if any of the constitutional executive officers have either served as state legislators or in more than one constitutional office.

Question 61

Explain what is meant by "plural executive."

Question 62

What are the governor's budgeting responsibilities?

Question 63

Explain what the superintendent of public instruction does.

Question 64

Name a superagency and list at least four agencies within it.

Question 65

Describe the governor's duties and responsibilities as "chief executive."

Question 66

Next to the governor,which executive officer possesses the most power?

Question 67

The three constitutional executive offices dedicated to managing the state's money and finances are ______,______,and ______.

Question 68

Because there are nine separately elected executives,California has a "______" executive,meaning that power is split among several Constitutional officers.

Question 69

What are the responsibilities of the attorney general?

Question 70

What are the consequences of term limits on California's executive branch?

Question 71

What responsibilities belong to the secretary of state's office?

Question 72

Why are several agencies called "superagencies"?

Question 73

What are the responsibilities of the lieutenant governor?

Question 74

What are the governor's duties with respect to legislating?

Question 75

What are the political consequences of a plural executive?

Question 76

Describe the governor's responsibilities.

Question 77

Name the nine elected,constitutional executive offices in California.

Question 78

The expert staff of the ______ construct the state's budget,providing information and advice to the governor about the state's ever-changing financial and demographic status.

Question 79

Describe the governor's responsibilities as "chief of security."

Question 80

What are the formal and informal sources of the governor's power?