Deck 7: Other Governments

Question 1

An unincorporated area is land governed by a:

A)county board of supervisors
B)town or city council
C)special district only
D)regional government only

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Most cities in California, about 70 percent, have a five-person city council that hires a professional _______ to oversee the city's budget and manage municipal operations.

A)supervisor
B)mayor
C)city manager
D)alderman

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A city that forms its own constitution and grants local government supreme authority over municipal affairs is considered a:

A)charter city that operates under the principle of home rule
B)general law city
C)special district
D)constitutional law city

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Of 482 incorporated cities in California, about _______ of them operate under general law.

A)10 percent
B)25 percent
C)50 percent
D)75 percent

Question 5

"Municipality" refers to a:

A)county
B)region
C)city
D)any government below the state level

Question 6

If about 70 percent of the money K-12 schools receive comes from the state's general fund budget, from where does the rest come?

A)almost solely from the federal government, through the Department of Education
B)mostly the federal government, property taxes, and local school bonds
C)exclusive contracts with private companies and vendors
D)mostly private donations to school foundations

Question 7

What is the largest county (by population)in California?

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

Question 8

Suppose you live in an unincorporated area of the state.Who would be your local government representative?

A)The city council and mayor
B)The nearest city manager
C)LAFCO
D)A county supervisor on the Board of Supervisors

Question 9

The largest single source of city revenues is:

A)fines and forfeitures
B)bonds
C)property taxes
D)charges for services

Question 10

All city and county governments must provide advance notice of all meetings, hold meetings open to all visitors, and publicly disclose the proceedings of all meetings - as required by which state law?

A)the Ralph M.Brown Act
B)the General Law Act
C)the Fair Political Practices Act
D)Proposition 13

Question 11

California is divided into:

A)twelve very large counties, equal in geographic size and population
B)twenty counties, all of which are approximately equal in population
C)thirty-two counties whose boundaries were redrawn in 1974 to account for shifting populations
D)fifty-eight counties, most of which were created in 1879

Question 12

The two types of cities in California are ________ and ________.

A)charter; general law
B)county; townships
C)unincorporated; incorporated
D)dependent; independent

Question 13

What are the two largest categories of county expenditures?

A)public ways and facilities
B)recreation and cultural services
C)public assistance and public protection
D)education and health

Question 14

Generally speaking, what is the largest category of city expenditures?

A)public safety
B)transportation
C)public utilities
D)general government expenses

Question 15

What political body governs a county?

A)county council appointed by the governor
B)board of supervisors
C)professional county managers with different area specialties
D)a council-manager system

Question 16

The average city employee in California earns about ________ annually.

A)$15,000
B)$30,000
C)$60,000
D)$120,000

Question 17

The largest source of county revenue is:

A)sales taxes
B)licenses, fines, and permitting fees
C)rents and leases
D)the state

Question 18

________ fees are charges passed to homeowners by builders who are responsible for funding new infrastructure such as sewers, street lighting, and school construction.

A)Mello-Roos
B)Charter
C)Redevelopment
D)Brown Act

Question 19

How do counties usually pay for the public services that they provide?

A)the state fully funds all required operations
B)sales taxes and fees charged to users of services
C)income taxes
D)cities

Question 20

Other than the state, which provides almost a third of county revenues, the largest single source of county revenues is:

A)charges for services
B)federal grants
C)property taxes
D)licenses and permits

Question 21

A regional governmental organization that provides a forum for local city and county leaders to plan for future, common needs such as transportation, housing, and water is called a:

A)special district
B)council of government (COG)
C)federal agency
D)LAFCO

Question 22

Native American tribes are considered sovereign entities; in California, most govern themselves through:

A)smaller versions of state governments, with elected legislatures, governors, and courts
B)councils that retain executive, legislative, and judicial powers
C)compacts negotiated with the state government
D)written constitutions that are archived with California's secretary of state

Question 23

How many federally-recognized Native American tribes are there in California?

A)10
B)50
C)110
D)1000

Question 24

How are most special districts funded?

A)by the state
B)through special assessments (fees levied)on property owners
C)income taxes
D)sales taxes levied by counties

Question 25

Congress wrote what law (in 1988)that restricts the scope of tribal gaming and defers regulatory authority over tribal gaming to the states?

A)the Brown Act
B)the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA)
C)the Indian Civil Rights Act
D)Proposition 5

Question 26

The (Ralph M.)Brown Act ensures that public meetings will be

A)either held open or kept closed at the discretion of the city council
B)open to the public, but there is no requirement that the time and place be advertised
C)open to anyone, with advance notice of the meetings, and disclosure of the proceedings
D)cancelled if at least ten members of the public do not show up

Question 27

To help plan and set policy with respect to many aspects of city life, from recreation to identifying transportation needs, council members often rely on appointed ________ to assist them with making policy recommendations.

A)local agency formation commissions
B)receivers
C)boards and commissions
D)business leaders

Question 28

Which of these categories of expenditures is among the most expensive for both counties and cities?

A)parks and recreation
B)education
C)road maintenance and transportation
D)public protection

Question 29

AB 32 has gained much attention for being the world's first law establishing:

A)state-run sustainable salmon fisheries
B)immigrant rights
C)regulations on and a cap-and-trade system to curb greenhouse gas emissions
D)a tax on fatty foods

Question 30

How do local governments typically finance large construction projects, such as retrofitting hospitals to be safe in earthquakes, fixing aging community facilities, or expanding schools?

A)by getting jumbo loans from a bank
B)by selling bonds that must be paid back with interest
C)by raising taxes to pay for each project
D)by contracting with developers and then charging fees to users of the facilities

Question 31

A city that does not provide its own services but instead enters into an agreement with a neighboring city, private firms, or county to provide essential services is known as

A)an independent municipality
B)a contract city
C)an unincorporated city
D)a furlough town

Question 32

Which of these is not a special district?

A)vector control
B)local agency formation commission
C)redevelopment agencies
D)water districts

Question 33

About_______ special districts exist in California, and _______ of them operate independently of counties or cities, with their own elected boards of governors.

A)500; half
B)1,000; half
C)4,700; two-thirds
D)5,000; none

Question 34

Another word for a law passed by a city council is

A)initiative
B)administrative mandate
C)proviso
D)ordinance

Question 35

Proposition 98 guarantees a minimum funding level for state education; every year, approximately _______ of the state budget is spent on K-14 education.

A)5 percent
B)10 percent
C)25 percent
D)40 percent

Question 36

If a group of people living in an unincorporated area want to form a city, to which government entity must they appeal?

A)the state legislature
B)the secretary of state
C)a local agency formation commission (LAFCO)
D)the county board of supervisors

Question 37

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)is an example of a:

A)school district
B)special district
C)council of government (COG)
D)Local Agency Formation Commission

Question 38

School districts are governed by:

A)city councils
B)county boards of supervisors
C)five-member boards of education
D)the state Superintendent of Public Instruction

Question 39

What is true about regional planning for issues that affect millions of people living in large areas that encompass many cities and several counties?

A)There's really no way to plan for any large-scale infrastructure projects, so it doesn't happen.
B)The governor is in charge of coordinating regional planning because he heads the administrative branch, in which the relevant state planning agencies operate.
C)Councils of Governments (COGs such as SANBAG), bring together local elected officials to plan for transportation, housing, water availability, and other types of large-scale, long-term projects.
D)All planning for regions, or large areas covering the state, must be dealt with by the legislature.

Question 40

Which piece of legislation makes California the first government to establish a combination of regulations and market mechanisms to curb greenhouse gas emissions?

A)AB 32
B)the Brown Act
C)Proposition 98
D)the 2010 Budget Act

Question 41

Counties rely heavily on property taxes to fund their operations.

Question 42

Unlike the state legislature, city councils have legislative and executive powers, with the authority to create, pass, and implement local laws.

Question 43

Counties are subdivisions of the state that exist to fulfill state government programs and mandates.

Question 44

School board members are elected in highly partisan elections, and tend to be hotly contested between Democrats and Republicans.

Question 45

Charter school are public schools that operate independently of a school district, and are free to all students.

Question 46

Nationwide and in California, donations by tribes to political campaigns have favored Democrats.

Question 47

On average, about one-third of county expenses are devoted to public protection-related services.

Question 48

No state can collect taxes from tribal nations.

Question 49

Gaming compacts that are negotiated between Native American tribes and the governor are typically subject to statewide voter referenda, and they sometimes are rejected by voters.

Question 50

Charter schools are private schools that operate on public property.

Question 51

State lottery funds contribute a large portion of most school districts' annual budget.

Question 52

Legally, Native American tribes must pay in full for the costs on local governments that their gaming enterprises may impose, such as wear and tear on roads, added police protection and traffic controls, air pollution, or waste disposal.

Question 53

Elected officials on only some city councils and county boards of supervisors face term limits, because there is no state law regarding term limits for local officials.

Question 54

Tribal gaming has almost eliminated poverty among Native Americans in California.

Question 55

The idea that the states and the federal government share authority for governing citizens is:

A)separation of powers
B)joint powers authority
C)federalism
D)collaborative government

Question 56

More than half of the state's slot machines are in tribal-run casinos located in three Southern California counties (San Diego, San Bernardino, and Riverside).

Question 57

The state lottery provides a tiny fraction (about 1.5%)of public schools' funding.

Question 58

Cities provide essential public services that may overlap or supplement the services that counties provide.

Question 59

If a city has a strong mayor form of government, then there is no need to hire a city manager.