Deck 5: The Executive Branch

Question 1

Elected state executive officials are subject to which term limits?

A)one four-year term
B)two four-year terms, but they can run for the same office after a six-year break
C)two four-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

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 eleven elected state officials
D)state boards and commissions

Answer 2

D

Question 3

All state executives have the duty to

A)write laws
B)run elections and campaigns
C)carry out laws and policies
D)all of the above

Answer 3

C

Question 4

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 5

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 6

What does the insurance commissioner's job entail?

A)collecting and disclosing all insurance company campaign donations to state politicians
B)reviewing and pre-approving 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 7

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 8

How many times per year do the twelve 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 9

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 10

The length of an executive office's term is:

A)one year
B)two years
C)four years
D)six years

Question 11

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 12

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 13

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 14

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 15

Approximately how many public employees comprise the state bureaucracy?

A)120,000
B)230,000
C)500,000
D)1 million

Question 16

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 17

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 policy making and planning.

Question 18

Which state executive(s)oversee the standardization of tax systems in the state, and also collect sales, use, and excise taxes?

A)the controller and treasurer
B)all 12 of them
C)the state board of equalization
D)the controller only

Question 19

Edmund "Jerry" G.Brown, Jr., has served in what statewide elected office(s)?

A)only governor (twice)
B)treasurer and twice as governor
C)secretary of state, attorney general, and twice as governor
D)state senator and twice as governor

Question 20

The Board of Equalization consists of _______ members who are responsible for standardizing the tax systems in the state, as well as collecting sales and use fees, and excise taxes.

A)three
B)five
C)ten
D)twenty

Question 21

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

Question 22

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

Question 23

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 24

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

Question 25

Unless the term limits law is changed again, Jerry Brown will be the only person in state history to have served four terms as governor.

Question 26

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

Question 27

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

Question 28

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

Question 29

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

Question 30

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

Question 31

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

Question 32

All state elected executives earn the same salary: $133,100.

Question 33

Only the secretary of state may call a special election.

Question 34

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

Question 35

The governor resembles the U.S.President in that s/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 36

Civil service laws protect almost 99 percent 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 37

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

Question 38

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 39

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