Deck 9: Local Government

Question 1

In terms of land area, what is the largest county in California?

A) Los Angeles
B) San Francisco
C) Kern
D) San Bernardino

Answer 1

D

Question 2

California has passed home rule laws that allow county and city governments to

A) suspend unpopular state laws.
B) select their own form of government.
C) nullify California Supreme Court decisions without voter approval.
D) amend the state constitution directly.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

At the local government level the use of referenda

A) is considered illegal.
B) is quite common.
C) is quite rare.
D) requires the governor's approval.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In California, school districts are governed by

A) county supervisors.
B) locally elected school boards.
C) Congress and the Department of Education.
D) the governor of California and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Question 5

What did Dillon's Rule establish?

A) the basic legal framework for relations between state and local governments
B) the basic legal framework for relations between the executive and legislative branches
C) the basic legal framework for relations between the judicial and legislative branches
D) the basic legal framework for relations between the executive and judicial branches

Question 6

Regional governments address problems dealing with

A) police and fire protection.
B) air pollution and population growth.
C) limitations on county taxing authority.
D) the expediting of criminal cases.

Question 7

Recall elections at the local government level in California are:

A) on the rise.
B) quite easy to organize.
C) usually overturned by the courts.
D) rare.

Question 8

Two types of county government in California are

A) metropolitan and rural.
B) nontaxable and taxable.
C) industrial and agricultural.
D) general-law and charter.

Question 9

In 2017 California allowed which group to pre-register to vote?

A) convicted felons
B) out of state voters
C) 16 and 17 year olds.
D) those over the age of 70.

Question 10

In all counties except San Francisco, legislative and executive authority is vested in

A) local mayors.
B) an elected five-member board of supervisors.
C) the superior court.
D) the state board of equalization.

Question 11

The Brown Act of 1953 did which of the following?

A) restricted the amount of property taxes homeowners pay to the state
B) required open meetings and transparency in the conduct of public business
C) created local agency formation commissions
D) prohibited offshore drilling within 10 miles of the state coastline

Question 12

Most of California's largest cities have which form of city government?

A) commission government
B) council-manager system
C) mayor-council system
D) appointed mayor system

Question 13

In general, over the last few decades, voter turnout in California local government elections has been

A) decreasing.
B) increasing.
C) fluctuating.
D) constant.

Question 14

The only county in California that does not have a five-member board of supervisors is

A) Los Angeles.
B) San Francisco.
C) San Bernardino.
D) Inyo.

Question 15

Laws passed by county governments in California are called

A) ordinances.
B) statutes.
C) executive fiats.
D) county strictures.

Question 16

Commissions that play a critical role in resolving conflicts among local governments and that exist in each county are called

A) local agency formation commissions.
B) real estate tax commissions.
C) recall commissions.
D) special district commissions.

Question 17

In California, all local elections are

A) partisan.
B) nonpartisan.
C) primaries.
D) likely to result in a recount.

Question 18

The most important and controversial decision that a county board of supervisors can make deals with

A) judicial elections.
B) the implementation of recall policy.
C) land-use policy.
D) the number of county employees needed.

Question 19

Two types of incorporated cities are

A) general-law cities and non-Dillon's Rule cities.
B) home rule cities and Dillon's Rule cities.
C) general-law cities and charter cities.
D) charter cities and home rule cities.

Question 20

The process of municipal incorporations, by which a city is created, is usually initiated by

A) a citizen petition or a county board resolution.
B) the mayor and the city council.
C) the state legislature and Franchise Tax Board.
D) the governor and the state legislature.

Question 21

Explain how Dillon's Rule affects local governments in California and how it is applied.

Question 22

What are the major functions and responsibilities of city government in California?

Question 23

Describe the two types of county government and how they differ in both power and structure.

Question 24

Which California city did NOT declare bankruptcy?

A) Vallejo
B) Stockton
C) San Bernardino
D) Irvine

Question 25

What do regulatory and advisory regional governments do? Provide specific examples of each type of regional government.

Question 26

In order to deal with problems that affect large geographic areas in California, such as air pollution and waste management,

A) regional governments have been formed.
B) special districts have been given authority to deal with such problems.
C) a council-mayor system has been implemented.
D) secession movements have developed in a number of cities.

Question 27

One disadvantage of special districts is that

A) they lack the ability to tailor the level and quality of service to citizen demands.
B) people who do not use their services have to pay for them.
C) they cannot respond well to citizen demands because of the large geographic areas they cover.
D) jurisdictions overlap, resulting in a duplication of services provided by cities and counties.

Question 28

In California, surplus funds generated by the state government allowed the governor and legislature to

A) reduce funding for local governments.
B) give money back to cities and other local governments.
C) return money to the federal government.
D) provide extensive tax credits to major corporations.

Question 29

How does the process of municipal incorporation work in California? What are the important reasons to seek incorporation?

Question 30

In recent years, community colleges in California have come under fire for

A) spending too much money.
B) failing to implement computer technology courses.
C) over-generous pensions for administrators.
D) poor graduation rates.