Cal Poly Pols 111 Chapters 1 - 10 (Spring 2022) Final Study Guide

Chapter 1: California Government: Promise and Practice

// Title Card

When was the initiative process added to the California Constitution?

1911

Which of the following statements about immigration in California are accurate?

Correct:
- Most immigrants in California come from either Latin America or Asia.
- A higher percentage of Californians were born in a different country than the national average.

Incorrect:
- The majority of immigrants living in California come from Mexico.
- The number of immigrants living in California has remained relatively stable since 1970.

A majority of Californians over the age of five speak English at home.

True

California's total number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives has - since 1960. California has - number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, compared to other states.

increased, the most

If a state chooses to limit its cooperation with the federal government on the issue of deporting individuals for violating immigration laws, what is the state called?

a sanctuary state

Match each proposed reform with the side of the political spectrum most likely to support it.

Conservative:
- lowering California's tax rates
- changing the legislature from full-time to part-time

Liberal:
- instituting public financing of election campaigns
- lowering the required supermajority to raise taxes

Latinos make up a much smaller share of the overall population of the United States than they do of the state of California's population.

True

If your representative has served five terms in the state Assembly, how many terms would he or she be eligible to serve in the state Senate under the rules enacted by Proposition 28?

0

Which of the following statements about income inequality in the state of California are accurate?

Correct:
- Local, state, and federal safety net programs have significantly reduced income inequality in the state of California.
- The incomes of low earners in California have declined substantially over the last four decades.

Incorrect:
- The incomes of top earners in California have remained relatively flat over the last four decades.
- On average, incomes of people living in the Bay Area are about the same as those of people living in the Central Valley.

Which of the following is true about income in California?

The median family income in CA is thousands of dollars higher than for the nation as a whole.

Which of the following statements are supported by the graphic?
"How is the California Population Changing?"

Correct:
- Population in inland regions is predicted to grow more than on the coasts.
- The percentage of the population identifying as White is forecast to decline.

Incorrect:
- The overall growth rate of the population in California is forecast to be 10 percent.
- Northern California is expected to grow at a higher rate than Southern California.

Which of the following are features of California's top-two primary system?

Correct:
- It is possible to have a general election in which the two candidates presented to voters are from the same political party.

Incorrect:
- The two major political parties hold separate primaries to select their candidates for the general election.
- The top-two primary system has been used in California since the ratification of the state's constitution in 1879.
- Third-party candidates are legally prohibited from running in the general election.

Which of the following are problems or downsides to California's top-two primary system?

Correct:
- Third parties rarely finish among the top two candidates in the primary election and thus have no access to the general election ballot.

Incorrect:
- Voters are allowed to vote in the November election only if they voted in the June primary election.
- Parties frequently replace the candidate who won the June primary with a new candidate for the November general election.
- It is possible that the candidate with the fewest votes in the November general election will be elected to serve in the state legislature because votes from the June primary are included in the overall vote total that determines the election's outcome.

Which of the following are attributes of California's legislative process for passing state budgets and controlling taxes?

Correct:
- The state's constitution allows budgets to be passed with a simple majority vote in both the Assembly and the Senate.
- Taxes can only be cut with a two-thirds vote in the Assembly and the Senate.

Incorrect:
- Taxes can be raised with a simple majority vote in the Assembly and the Senate.
- The rules governing the passage of the state's budget have remained the same since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978.

The power to apportion the districts of the Assembly and the state Senate is known as -. In California, this power currently rests with -.

redistricting, a citizen's commission

Approximately what percentage of jobs in the state of California will require a college degree by 2030?

40%

Which of the following are true about California's population of undocumented immigrants?

Correct:
- There are now more than 2 million undocumented immigrants living in the state.
- California has more undocumented immigrants than any other state.

Incorrect:
- Undocumented immigrants account for more than half of the state's overall population.
- Half of all undocumented immigrants in the United States live in California.

Which of the following is a feature of current state law regarding immigration enforcement?

Private employers are prohibited from giving federal immigration workers access to the nonpublic areas of their business unless the federal workers have a warrant.

While a relatively large proportion of Californians have a college degree compared to the nation as a whole, the state also has a relatively small proportion of people with a high school diploma.

True

Approximately what percentage of Californians were born in California?

50

How has the income of median California families changed in the past 40 years?

It grew by less than 10%, while the income of median US families grew by more than 20%

Chapter 2: The Constitution and the Progressive Legacy

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For centuries, people have been drawn to California because of -, which captures the idea of a better life, surrounded by an ideal climate and natural beauty.

the California Dream

Most initiatives that qualify for the ballot are approved by voters.

False

Match each kind of direct democracy with its correct example.

An interest group gathers signatures to put a new policy proposal on the ballot that would increase the amount of money going to the K-12 system. (initiative)

A group of citizens gather enough signatures to put a recently passed law directly to the voters before it goes into effect. (popular referendum)

Enough signatures have been gathered that voters will get to decide at the next election whether a sitting governor should remain in office. (recall)

Two-thirds of the state Senate and state Assembly agree to put a constitutional amendment to the voters. (legislative referendum)

Which features of the 1849 Constitution are still in place in California's government today?

Still in place:
- three branches with separation of powers
- bicameral legislature with a Senate and an Assembly

Not in place anymore:
- right to vote is limited to White males 21 or older
- judiciary system has four levels

As part of the - reforms, - obtained the right to vote in California in 1911.

Progressive, women

Which of the following were reforms successfully implemented by the Progressive movement of the early 1900s?

Correct:
- creating of a civil service in which government employees are selected on the basis of merit
- instituting primary elections to select party candidates for the general election in November

Incorrect:
- establishing a bicameral legislature
- beginning a system of public financing for all state legislative campaigns

Which of the following were features of the 1849 California Constitution?

Correct:
- The government was divided into three branches: executive, judicial, and legislative.
- All laws and other provisions were to be published in both English and Spanish.

Incorrect:
- Members of the judiciary were appointed by the governor and required approval by the state Senate before taking office.
- White and Native American males over the age of 25 were given the right to vote.

All local public officials in the state of California are elected in partisan races (i.e., with a partisan label affixed to a candidate's name on the ballot).

False

The "Declaration of Rights" refers to which of the following?

the bill of rights found in the state of California's constitution

In 1849, California was admitted to the Union as a slave state.

False

Which organization contributed the most money to initiative ballot committees in California between 2000 and 2018?

CA Teacher's Association

A legislative referendum must be approved by a two-thirds vote of both houses of the legislature before it appears on the ballot.

True

Article XIX of the 1879 Constitution banned private and public employment of Chinese workers in the state of California.

True

Study the following maps of state Senate districts in 1961, 2001, and 2016, and then determine which statements are accurate.

Correct:
- State Senate districts have, on average, grown to include larger and larger numbers of people over time.
- State Senate districts in 2001 were drawn to ensure that each district included roughly the same number of residents.

Incorrect:
- State Senate districts in 1961 were drawn to ensure that each district included roughly the same number of residents.
- The lines demarcating state Senate districts have remained fixed since 1911.

Under current state law, initiatives can appear on primary, general, and special-election ballots

False

Place these eras or moments in time in order from earliest to most recent.

1. CA granted statehood
2. CA replaced OG state constitution with a new one
3. The Progressives dominate CA politics
4. Numerous amendments are added to the CA constitution, causing it to exceed 100,000 words at one point in time.

Which of the following were goals of the Progressives?

Correct:
- reducing corporate influence in politics
- democratizing the political process
- eliminating political corruption

Incorrect:
- expanding the vote to include disenfranchised minorities

Same-sex marriage became legal in the state of California after which event?

the Supreme Court's decision in Hollingsworth v. Perry

Place the following direct democratic procedures in order, from most commonly resulting in elections to least commonly resulting in elections, since 1912.

1. initiative
2. referendum
3. recall of state legislator
4. recall of a governor

Chapter 3: Interest Groups and the Media in California

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Suppose you wanted to add language to California's constitution that guaranteed public financing of all statewide election campaigns. There are multiple paths a potential amendment can take in California, but all of the paths have one identical required step. Which of the following would be required before this amendment could be made to the constitution?

A majority of voters in a statewide election would have to vote in favor of an amendment.

What are some of the unique features of California's political process?

Correct:
- very high usage of the initiative to pass legislation and amendments
- nearly universal use of nonpartisan elections at the local level

Incorrect:
- a powerful executive branch where most of the authority rests with the governor
- a unicameral, nonpartisan legislature

The 1849 Constitution had which of the following problematic features?

Correct:
- There were so few limitations on spending that the state went into budget deficit.
- There were no limits on the governor's power to pardon people for state crimes.

Incorrect:
- It included too many different limitations on spending.
- It included so many different forms of taxation that no one wished to reside in the state.

The U.S. Constitution is far more difficult to amend than California's constitution, requiring a - majority vote in the House and Senate followed by ratification by - of the states.

two-thirds, three-fourths

For statewide officials, the number of signatures to institute a recall must be equal to - of the last vote for the office. For other (non-statewide) officials, such as members of the legislature, the number of signatures must be equal to - of the last vote for the office.

12%, 20%

What term is often used to refer to interest groups, given their standing and influence in the legislative process?

the third house

Prior to 2014, the state Senate had never suspended any of its members for any reason.

True

Which of the following policy reforms are designed to limit the power of interest groups?

Correct:
- creating a system of clean-money elections
- prohibiting government officials from participating in decisions in which they have a vested interest

Incorrect:
- eliminating restrictions on campaign contributions
- further reducing the number of years state legislators can serve in office

Which of the following statements about lobbying the executive branch in the state of California are accurate?

Correct:
- California's seven statewide elected administration offices make it difficult for interest groups to coordinate lobbying activities.
- The size and technical expertise of California's executive branch forces lobbyists to develop expertise and relationships with numerous different agencies.

Incorrect:
- Regulations from the Progressive era of the state's politics (the early 1900s) make it illegal for groups representing business interests to lobby executive branch agencies.
- Interest groups find it more difficult to lobby members of the executive branch because state campaign finance laws prohibit contributions to executive branch candidates.

California's prison guards are currently the highest-paid prison guards in the United States.

True

Taxpayer protection groups have coined the phrase "the spending lobby" to describe a subset of California's interest groups. Which of the following would be an example of "the spending lobby" at work?

Correct:
- The city of Long Beach lobbies the state government to provide construction grants for the Port of Long Beach.
- The California State University system lobbies the state government for more spending on higher education.

Incorrect:
- Apple lobbies the state government to reduce regulations on the technology industry.
- The California Chamber of Commerce lobbies the state government to reduce the corporate tax rate.

Study the table on lobbying expenditures in California, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.
"Growth in Lobbying Expenditures"

Correct:
- Lobbying expenditures more than doubled between the earliest session on the table and the most recent.

Incorrect:
- The single largest increase in lobbying expenditures happened between the 2005-2006 and the 2007-2008 legislative sessions.
- Lobbying expenditures did not start increasing until the 2003-2004 legislative session.
- Lobbying expenditures have increased in every legislative session between the earliest and most recent sessions on the table.

Ballot measures backed by citizen groups in California succeed at a much lower rate than those that are sponsored by narrow economic interests.

False

Which of the following statements about state regulation of lobbyists and interest groups are accurate?

Correct:
- There are strict limits on the costs of gifts that can be given by a lobbyist to a state-elected or legislative official.
- Lobbyists are prevented from contributing to officials they are registered to lobby.

Incorrect:
- There are no limits on the gifts that can be given by average citizens who are not registered lobbyists.
- Lobbying statements, which disclose campaign and lobbying expenditures, are filed with the state legislature.

Review the chart about ballot initiative contributions in the 2020 election, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate. "Funds Raised for Selected Ballot Measures, 2020"

Correct:
- none

Incorrect:
- More money was spent on the proposition to split the roll than any other ballot initiative in the figure.
- There are always groups spending money on both sides of ballot initiatives.
- More money was spent in opposition to classifying app-based drivers as independent contractors than any other initiative in the figure.
- Proponents spent more than opponents in each of these ballot initiatives.

Which of the following statements are consistent with pluralist theory?

Correct:
- Government acts as an umpire or referee that oversees the competition between interests.
- The political system is best understood as a marketplace in which a multitude of interests compete.

Incorrect:
- Government works best when political power is evenly divided between a federal government and state governments.
- Although many groups are active in the political process, elites representing only a narrow range of groups determine the basic direction of public policy on most issues.

If the California Teachers Association rallies its members to cast their ballots for a specific gubernatorial candidate, this is an example of what?

get-out-the-vote operations

Which statements about Proposition 54 (the California Legislature Transparency Act) are accurate?

Correct:
- It was the first crowdsourced ballot initiative in the nation.
- It required that all bills be in print and posted online before being passed out of the legislature.
- It required that the legislature make a video recording of every official public legislative meeting available to the public.

Incorrect:
- It reduced the amount of money political parties could contribute to candidates and ballot initiative campaigns.

Review the chart about independent expenditures and direct contributions, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct:
- Direct contributions to state campaigns and ballot measures vastly outnumbered independent expenditures.
- Direct contributions to state campaigns and ballot measures declined significantly between 2010 and 2014.

Incorrect:
- The total amount of independent expenditures and direct contributions was larger in 2016 than in any other year since 2008.
- Independent expenditures in the state were nearly nonexistent before the Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Citizens United.

Suppose you had $10,000 that you wanted to contribute to candidates running for office in California. Which of the following would be allowed under campaign finance law in the state?

You could contribute 10,000 to your preferred candidate for governor.

In order to give them a voice on issues affecting their industry, a(n) -might join a(n) -

business, trade association

Review the chart about interest group contributions in the 2020 election, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct:
- The major realty and education interest group contributors raised more money for Democratic candidates than for Republican candidates.
- The top interest group contributors in 2020 gave far more money to ballot initiatives than to candidates running for the state legislature.

Incorrect:
- The biggest contributor for ballot initiatives spent more than the next three biggest contributors combined.
- While most top groups give more to ballot initiatives, a few spent more on donating directly to candidates.

Which of the following factors have encouraged the proliferation of interest groups in California?

Correct:
- the institution of term limits for statewide legislative offices
- the weakness of California's two major political parties

Incorrect:
- the declining size of the state's government
- the federal government's ban on lobbying in Congress

Chapter 4: Parties and Elections in California

// Title Card

Third-party candidates tend to win more than major-party candidates in winner-take-all electoral systems.

False

What term describes an area's political partisanship, tolerance, and voting tendencies?

political culture

Which of the following statements about the blanket primary system are accurate?

Correct:
- Proponents of the blanket primary argue that it will produce more moderate candidates and more competitive races.
- California instituted its current blanket primary system with the passage of Proposition 14 in 2010.

Incorrect:
- The blanket primary system has produced a Democratic and Republican candidate for every general election since it was implemented in 2012.
- California currently uses a blanket primary system only for state legislative primary elections and not for any other races.

Since 1996, California has had two Democratic U.S. senators, and the Democratic Party has controlled the state legislature.

True

If you are not currently registered to vote in the state of California, which of the following things can you do to register before the next election?

Correct:
- obtain, fill out, and mail in a voter registration form from any U.S. post office or library
- visit a branch of the California Department of Motor Vehicles
- fill out a registration form through the secretary of state's website

Incorrect:
- place a phone call to the voter registration hotline maintained by the California Department of Voter Affairs

The Progressive movement viewed political parties as corrupt organizations operating in concert with big corporations to control and manipulate the political system for their own benefit.

True

Suppose a U.S. House of Representatives district in Southern California contains 64 percent registered Democrats and 30 percent registered Republicans. Which of the following statements accurately describes a primary election in this district that features eight Democratic candidates and two Republican candidates?

The primary election could produce general election with two Republican candidates on the ballot.

Which of the following are reasons that election campaigns in California are typically so expensive?

Correct:
- The state has many expensive political consultants that seem essential to electoral success.
- The state's immense size means that candidates must spend enormous amounts of money buying the broadcast time to air ads across the state.

Incorrect:
- The state has strong political parties that increase the money available to candidates.
- The state's system of publicly financed campaigns with no spending limits increases the amount candidates are willing to spend on winning elections.

Which statement about nonpartisan elections in the state of California is accurate?

Most local elections in the state are nonpartisan.

Study the graph of presidential voting patterns in California, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate. Please make sure to note that the number in parentheses is the percent of all California voters who are Latino, whereas the height of the line is indicating the percent of that Latino vote that went to Democrats.

Correct:
- The percentage of voters in California who are Latino has increased in every presidential election between 1980 and 2020.
- Latinos have been significantly more likely to vote for Democratic presidential candidates than have voters in the state overall in every election since 1980.
- A majority of Latinos have voted for the Democratic Party's candidate in every presidential election since 1980.

Incorrect:
- The overall share of votes going to Democratic Party candidates in the state has increased in every presidential election since 1984.

What effect did the Supreme Court's ruling on Proposition 198 (in California Democratic Party v. Jones) have on California's primary system?

It struck down the blanket primary system created by Prop 198

Suppose you wanted to start your own political party in the state of California. Which of the following things could you do in order to qualify your party for the ballot?

Correct:
- register one-third of the total number of voters 154 days before a primary election or 123 days before a presidential general election
- draft a petition to have your new party included on the ballot and gather signatures equal to or greater than 10 percent of the number of people who voted in the last gubernatorial election

Incorrect:
- raise at least $1,000 in contributions for your party during a calendar year from at least 29 of the 58 counties in the state
- receive an official endorsement of your party from at least two members of the state Assembly, two members of the state Senate, and one elected official from the executive branch during the a calendar year

Which of the following statements about third parties in California are accurate?

Correct:
- Third parties can act as spoilers that alter the outcomes of elections.
- Third parties can help spur political action on issues neglected by the major parties.
- Third parties can increase turnout in elections.

Incorrect:
- Third parties can receive public financing for their candidates' state legislative election campaigns only if they have received more than 15 percent of the vote in the previous election.

Which statement about Proposition 34 (2000) is accurate?

Prop 34 was approved by a strong majority of voters.

Study the graph on who voted in 2020, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct:
- Women were slightly more likely to vote than men.
- A larger percentage of Latinos are ineligible to vote than any other racial or ethnic group in the state.

Incorrect:
- African Americans are less than 10 percent of the overall population but more than 10 percent of actual voters.
- Asian Americans made up a larger share of actual voters than they did of eligible voters.

Study the chart on regional political cultures in California, and then determine which of the following statements are accurate.

Correct:
- A smaller percentage of San Francisco residents voted for Proposition 8 (which outlawed same-sex marriage) than supported Proposition 187 (which made undocumented immigrants ineligible for social services).
- None of the propositions on this chart received more than 80 percent support in San Francisco.

Incorrect:
- A higher percentage of Californians living in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Kern voted for Joe Biden in 2020 than voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
- Proposition 62 received a majority of support from residents living in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Kern.

Which of the following statements about California's use of vote by mail are accurate?

Correct:
- More than 50 percent of all of the votes cast in the state in 2020 were mail-in ballots.

Incorrect:
- Before 1978, there was no vote-by-mail option available to citizens of the state.
- California is the only state that currently allows voting by mail without an approved excuse.
- California law currently requires that a person wishing to vote by mail make a separate ballot request three months before each election they would like to vote in.

Under state law, when are you required to reregister to vote?

Correct:
- when you change addresses

Incorrect:
- every year
- before every presidential election
- whenever you reach an age ending in 0 (i.e. 20, 30, 40, etc.)

Click on the name of the age group that votes at a disproportionately higher rate.

Older Adults

Chapter 5: The California Legislature

// Title Card

Issue networks are composed of which of the following?

members of legislative committees, senior members of executive branch agencies, and interest groups working on a particular issue area

Since 2008, a series of initiatives have been passed that appear to have strengthened the legislative process and reduced gridlock. Match each of these propositions with its main feature.

reduced the term limits in the legislature from 14 to 12 years (Proposition 28)

took redistricting of the state legislature away from the legislature and put it in the hands of the newly created Citizens' Redistricting Commission (Proposition 11)

reduced the requirement for passing a budget from two-thirds to a simple majority in the legislature (Proposition 25)

Which of the following statements about the legislative process in California are accurate?

Correct:
- Committees in the Assembly and Senate cannot act on a bill until it has been in print for 30 days.
- If the governor vetoes a bill, a two-thirds vote in each house is required to override the veto.

Incorrect:
- Any member of the legislature and any statewide elected official can introduce a bill to the Assembly or Senate.
- All bills require a supermajority in both houses to pass (54 in the Assembly and 27 in the Senate).

Each member of the legislature has only four staff members, and the personnel budget for legislative workers cannot, by law, exceed $10 million a year.

False

California Senate districts have approximately - constituents, and California Assembly districts have approximately - constituents.

990,000, 495,000

Since the beginning of California's "top-two" primary system in 2010, the vast majority of legislative races in California feature candidates from the same party.

False

Which of the following statements are correct, based on the figure?
"California Demographics: The Public versus the Legislature, 2019"

Correct:
- Latinos are the most underrepresented ethnic group in the California legislature.
- The California legislature has more gender balance than state legislatures as a whole.

Incorrect:
- LGBTQ individuals are underrepresented in the California legislature.
- A majority of California legislators are under 40.

Which of the following statements about redistricting in California are accurate?

Correct:
- Redistricting is done every 10 years.
- The Citizens Redistricting Commission is given the responsibility of drawing new districts.

Incorrect:
- Redistricting frequently leads to state Assembly districts that vary dramatically in terms of population.
- The final district maps must be approved by a majority of both houses and be signed by the governor before going into effect.

Which of the following statements about the end of legislative sessions in California are accurate?

Correct:
- Legislators will often use "gut and amend" tactics to pass numerous laws at the end of legislative sessions.
- Junior members of the legislature often have very little idea of what they are voting on at the end of legislative sessions.

Incorrect:
- Average voters exert considerable influence over lawmakers during the end of legislative sessions.
- There is very little activity at the end of legislative sessions as a result of the rules that direct democracy has imposed on the Assembly and Senate.

Which of the following are powers of the speaker of the Assembly?

Correct:
- the power to assign and remove representatives from all Assembly committees
- the power to appoint who will serve as the majority floor leader
- the power to assign parking spaces and offices for members of the legislature

Incorrect:
- the power to redraw Assembly district lines after reapportionment

California has a bicameral legislature consisting of the - member Senate and the - Assembly.

40, 80

Which of the following factors have led to the declining levels of civility in the state legislature?

Correct:
- the existence of legislative term limits
- the increasing political polarization in the nation overall

Incorrect:
- the state's move to a unified executive branch rather than a plural executive branch
- the state's top-two primary system

If you were elected to the state Assembly in 2020, which of the following could you do after serving your first term?

Correct:
- serve two terms in the Senate
- serve one additional term in the Assembly and two terms in the Senate

Incorrect:
- serve three additional terms in the Assembly and two terms in the Senate
- serve seven additional terms in the Assembly