Deck 8: Executive Politics

Question 1

A system where employees are hired using merit is

A)the bureaucracy.
B)the civil service.
C)unionization.
D)patronage.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The first governor to serve more than four years was

A)Milton Latham.
B)Hiram Johnson.
C)Frederick Low.
D)Earl Warren.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The internal budget process is dominated by the

A)chief of staff.
B)the governor.
C)legislative analyst.
D)Department of Finance.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

From a governor's view, the least threatening of elected officials is the

A)attorney general.
B)insurance commissioner.
C)secretary of state.
D)lieutenant governor.

Question 5

The governor's power to commute a sentence for a crime means

A)reducing the sentence.
B)releasing a prisoner from the sentence.
C)postponing the sentence.
D)extending the sentence.

Question 6

The governor considered aloof and philosophical was

A)Pete Wilson.
B)Ronald Reagan.
C)Earl Warren.
D)Jerry Brown.

Question 7

Diluted power, independent offices, and multiple avenues for group influence together give California's executive branch its own form of

A)pluralism.
B)elitism.
C)democracy.
D)hyperpluralism.

Question 8

A traditional precursor to the governor's office has been the

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

Question 9

Once the budget is passed, the governor has power of

A)the legislative programs.
B)the item veto.
C)the non-spending bill.
D)the reorganization bill.

Question 10

The chief fiscal officer of the state is the

A)treasurer.
B)auditor.
C)controller.
D)governor.

Question 11

A general veto allows the governor to reject an entire

A)legislative program.
B)non-spending bill.
C)budget bill.
D)reorganization bill.

Question 12

A governor's personal staff is headed by a

A)chief of staff.
B)chief assistant.
C)foreperson.
D)chief operating officer.

Question 13

Separately elected state officials with cabinet-sounding titles are called the

A)disorganized cabinet.
B)span of control problem.
C)plural executive
D)democratic executive.

Question 14

Governor Pat Brown reorganized numerous departments into

A)still more departments.
B)superagencies.
C)a "kitchen" cabinet.
D)a cabinet.

Question 15

Jerry Brown was re-elected as governor in 2010 as a

A)big spender on road projects.
B)fiscal conservative.
C)public works fan.
D)none of the above.

Question 16

The agency responsible for collecting sales tax revenue is the

A)Board of Equalization.
B)state treasurer.
C)state controller.
D)Franchise Tax Board.

Question 17

Which of the following is TRUE concerning California governors?

A)They can utilize the item veto.
B)They have brief "honeymoon" periods.
C)They exercise "supreme executive power".
D)All of the above.

Question 18

The responsibility requiring the governor's constant attention is the

A)state budget.
B)veto power.
C)power to pardon.
D)state of the state address.

Question 19

In budget politics, the "Big Five" refers to the governor and

A)Assembly Speaker and his/her appointees.
B)Senate Pro Tempore and his/her appointees.
C)two caucus leaders from each house.
D)top officials in the Department of Finance.

Question 20

The only elected executive who is officially non-partisan is the

A)superintendent of public instruction.
B)controller.
C)secretary of state.
D)insurance commissioner.

Question 21

The secretary of state is basically a clerk of records and _____ .

Question 22

The first governor in recent times to appoint numerous ethnic minorities and women was _____ .

Question 23

Paying the state's bills and monitoring state accounts are the primary tasks of the state _____ .

Question 24

By January 11, the governor must submit a _____ .

Question 25

The legislative leaders who share major responsibility for the budget are called the _____ .

Question 26

The lieutenant governor can preside over _____ .

Question 27

The governor can reject an entire non-spending bill by using _____.

Question 28

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger campaigned to "blow up the boxes," that is ______ .

Question 29

At the apex of California's political system is the _____ .

Question 30

To postpone a criminal sentence, a governor may issue _____ .

Question 31

When a budget is not passed on time, creditors are paid in _____ .

Question 32

The governor can reduce or reject any part of an appropriations bill by using _____ .

Question 33

The key department in the state budget process is _____ .

Question 34

Constitutionally, the governor must ensure that the law is _____ .

Question 35

The governor's ability to call out the National Guard illustrates the role of _____ .

Question 36

About 75 percent of the state budget is devoted to what political scientists call _____ .

Question 37

California's superintendent of public instruction shares policy power with an appointed _____ .

Question 38

The attorney general argues all legal appeals on behalf of _____ .

Question 39

Proposition 103 authorized the election of the state insurance _____ .

Question 40

Monitoring, licensing, and regulating are functions of the state _____ .

Question 41

What inherent conflicts exist between the governor and the legislature?

Question 42

How does diversity affect the governor and bureaucracy?

Question 43

What factors influence leadership in the executive branch?