California Civics: How Your State Government Works

by bam

A practical, non-partisan guide to how the state of California governs itself, and how you take part where you live. You'll learn California's 1879 constitution (one of the longest and most-amended in the nation) and its powerful tools of DIRECT DEMOCRACY: the initiative, referendum, and recall added in the 1911 Progressive era; the three state branches, including a plural executive of separately-elected constitutional officers (the Lieutenant Governor is elected independently, not on a ticket with the Governor); the 120-seat Legislature (an 80-member Assembly and a 40-member Senate); and the courts (a 7-justice Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal, and Superior Courts in all 58 counties), whose appellate justices are appointed and then confirmed by voters in retention elections. You'll learn how a bill becomes a California law (including the Governor's line-item veto and the two-thirds override) and California's local government (58 counties, charter vs. general-law cities, thousands of special districts, and NO townships). Finally you'll learn California's distinctive elections rules (automatic and same-day registration, a ballot mailed to every active voter, the top-two primary, and the citizen initiative) before a lesson on how to get involved. Cited to California's own official sources (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, sos.ca.gov, courts.ca.gov). Because state facts vary and change, the course flags time-sensitive items (like turnout-dependent initiative signature thresholds and judicial retention timing) and points you to California's own sources to confirm the current rule.