California State and Local Government

Water Policy

Water is arguably California's most critical policy challenge. The state's geography creates fundamental water imbalances: most precipitation falls in the north, but most people and farmland are in the south and Central Valley.

Water Use Breakdown

• 20% — household and business (urban) use; half of urban use is for landscaping

• 80% — agriculture

• Urban water use has remained CONSTANT despite population growth — a success of conservation programs

State Water Project (SWP)

• State-owned system of dams, reservoirs, and aqueducts; built 1960s-1990s; delivers northern water to southern CA

Central Valley Project (CVP)

Federally-owned system serving Central Valley agriculture

Colorado River Aqueduct

• Delivers Colorado River water to Southern California

Levees

Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta has aging levee system; levee failure could contaminate freshwater supply and cause massive flooding

California passed groundwater regulation (SGMA) in 2014

it was the LAST western state to do so. This is likely to be a test question.

Employer-sponsored insurance

Most common; lower proportion of workers covered in CA than other states due to small firms and non-citizens

Individual marketplace (Covered CA)

Created by ACA (Obamacare); California exchange; 1.4 million enrolled in first 6 months

Medi-Cal

California's Medicaid program for low-income residents; 1.9 million newly enrolled under ACA expansion in first 6 months

Medicare

Federal program for 65+ and disabled; administered federally

TRICARE

Military personnel and families

Uninsured

Still significant in CA; undocumented immigrants largely excluded from coverage programs

Public transit

•  Caltrain, BART, Metrolink, LA Metro, VTA — but most Californians drive alone

High-speed rail

• Voter-approved Prop 1A (2008); connecting LA to San Francisco; construction underway but far over budget and behind schedule

SB 1 (2017)

•  Raised gas tax by 12 cents/gallon and diesel by 20 cents/gallon to fund $52 billion infrastructure program

Levees

• Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta has 1,100+ miles of aging levees protecting islands below sea level

• Major levee failure could contaminate the Delta water supply for 25 million Californians

• The CALFED program attempted to address water/environment conflicts in the Delta

Indian Gaming in California

Indian gaming requires a tribal-state compact negotiated between the governor and individual tribes, ratified by the legislature. The governor's role in negotiating these compacts is a distinctive executive power.

Dillon's Rule

•  Local governments are 'creatures of the state' — they have no inherent powers; they can only exercise powers explicitly granted by the state constitution or legislature

Home Rule

Charter cities and counties have maximum local autonomy in self-governance; can go beyond state minimum standards; need not follow state government code for local matters

Charter city/county

 Has adopted its own governing charter; granted broader powers; more autonomy; examples: LA, San Francisco, San Diego

General law city/county

• Must strictly follow state legislature's local government code; less autonomy

County: Number

58 counties in California — one of the fewest per capita of any state

County: Governing body

Board of Supervisors — 5 elected members who exercise BOTH legislative AND executive powers

County: Powers

Both legislative (pass ordinances) and executive (oversee departments) — a combined function

County: Special case

San Francisco: consolidated city-county government (unique in CA)

County executive

Some counties have a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) or Chief Executive Officer (CEO) appointed by Board

County Functions

• Administer state programs: social services, health, Medi-Cal, courts, jails, elections

• Local law enforcement in unincorporated areas (Sheriff)

• Maintain roads, airports, parks in unincorporated areas

• Property tax collection (county assessor, tax collector)

• Record keeping: birth, death, marriage records; property records

Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo)

• Each county has a LAFCo that reviews and approves proposals to create, expand, consolidate, or dissolve local agencies

• Goal: prevent urban sprawl, eliminate service duplication, ensure efficient local government

City: Number

~482 cities in California

City: Incorporation

City must petition LAFCo; majority voter approval in the area; state must approve

City: Dissolution

Very rare; requires voter approval

City: Revenue

Property tax, sales tax, fees, utility user taxes, transient occupancy (hotel) taxes; redevelopment (largely abolished)

Forms of city gov:

Mayor-Council (Strong Mayor)

Directly elected mayor has executive power; appoints department heads; veto power over council; used in large cities like San Francisco

Forms of city gov:

Mayor-Council (Weak Mayor)

Mayor is merely a presiding officer; council has most power; mayor has limited appointment/veto power

Form of city gov:

Council-Manager

Elected council makes policy; professional City Manager hired by council runs day-to-day operations; most common form in California; a Progressive-era reform

Form of city gov: Commission

Elected commissioners head departments; very rare today

Special districts

• Limited-purpose local governments created to provide specific services

• Most numerous type of local government in California — over 3,400 non-school districts

• Plus: 1,028 K-12 school districts and 72 community college districts

• Examples: water districts, fire protection districts, mosquito abatement districts, transit districts, cemetery districts

How Special Districts Are Created

• Petition by property owners or voters in area

• LAFCo review and approval

• Voter approval (usually required)

Advantages and Disadvantages

Focus on specific service	Too numerous — hard to track accountability
Service areas not limited by city/county boundaries	Overlapping jurisdictions create confusion
Efficient for some specialized services	Many governed by appointed boards — low voter awareness
Allows different service levels in different areas	Can resist consolidation for efficiency

Regulatory Regional Governments

Air Quality Management Districts (AQMDs); Regional Water Quality Control Boards; Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) — have real enforcement authority

Advisory Regional Governments

Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs); COGs (Councils of Governments) — coordinate planning but can't enforce; Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)

Step 1: Fall Agency Requests

executive branch departments submit funding requests to department of finance

Step 2: January- Governor’s Proposal

Governor submits a BALANCED budget by January 10 (or 15 if first year in office) for fiscal year July 1st

Step 3: Spring: Legislative Review

budget committees in both assembly and senate hold hearings, legislation analysis LAO provides independent analysis

Step 4: June 15- Legislative Deadline

Legislature must pass budget by June 15

Step 5: Governors Action

governor signs, vetoes or uses line item veto on budget

Step 6: July 1st Fiscal year begins

budget takes effect

mid year adjustments

mid year budget proposals: common due to revenue volatility

Personal income tax

largest source of revenue, highly progressive, 1-13%, includes capital gains

Sales tax

second largest source of revenue, applies to goods (except unprepared food items) but not most services

Prop 30 temporarily raised

corporate tax

third major source, subject to fluctuations with corporate profits

property tax

severely limited by Prop 13, goes mostly to local governments

Lottery winnings

are taxed

Proposition 13 1978

caps property tax at 1% of assessed value at the time of purchase

limits assessment increases to 2% per year unless property is resold

requires 2/3 majority of local voters to raise local special tax

requires 2/3 majority to raise any state tax

state controls allocation of local property tax

Health and human services

one of the largest budget categories, driven by medical

k-12 education

large budget category due to Prop 98 1988

40% of general fund

higher education

covers uc, CSU and community colleges

corrections

prison system, ongoing realignment to shift prisoners to counties

business, transportation and housing

infrastructure and transport funding

proposition 98 1988

guarantees minimum funding for k-12 and community colleges

minimum 40% of general fund

Proposition 2 2014: Rainy day fund

really good budget year: 3% goes into savings account for emergencies

Superior Courts

One in each of California’s 58 countries.

original jurisdiction

hears both civil and criminal courts
~1600 judges

Courts of Appeal

6 Districts

We are 5th District

review cases from trial courts, all cases except death penalty

typically 3 judge panel

California Supreme Court

7 justices (Chief Justice + 6 associate)

all jurisdiction

death penalty appeals directly go here.

85-100 cases per year

Criminal courts

deal with violations of state and local laws

prosecutions by law and government

civil courts

disputes between individuals or classes

limited jurisdiction courts

traffic, small claims, minor misdemeanors

35,000 or less

judicial selection: trial court

judges elected by voters in non partisan races

governor appoints vacancies

appointed judges run in yes/no retention elections

judicial selection: courts of appeal

appointed by governor, confirmed by commission on judicial appointments

face retention elections

6 year terms

judicial selection: supreme court justices

appointed, confirmed, retention elections

12 year terms

commission on judicial appointments

three members: Chief Justice, attorney general, senior presiding appellate court justice

reviews and confirms governor’s appellate and supreme court appointments

Commission on judicial performances

investigates complaints about judges

can censure, publicly admonish, or recommend removal

differs from impeachment process

retention elections

appellate and supreme court justices face statewide yes/no retention votes every 12 years

most famous retention election

rosebird and two associate justices removed by voters over death penalty opposition

Gonzales v Raich 2005

SCOTUS ruled federal gov can regulate marijuana even personal use

Prop 13 (1978)

Property tax cap at 1% of purchase price; 2% annual increase limit; 2/3 vote to raise state taxes

Prop 140 (1990)

Imposed strict term limits on legislators and statewide officials. (6 years for Assembly, 9 years for Senate) Later amended with Prop 28

Prop 215 (1996)

Compassionate Use Act — legalized medical marijuana in California despite federal prohibition.

Prop 34 (2000)

Campaign finance reform; lobbyist contribution restrictions; current foundation of campaign finance law.

Prop 11 (2008)

Moved redistricting for Assembly and Senate from legislature to Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Prop 1A (2000)

Constitutional amendment allowing tribal gaming in California.

Prop 1A (2008)

Approved $9.95 billion bond for high-speed rail project.

Prop 14 (2010)

Created top-two primary system; all voters participate; top 2 regardless of party advance to November.

Prop 20 (2010)

Extended Citizens Redistricting Commission authority to congressional districts.

Prop 25 (2010)

Changed budget passage from 2/3 to simple majority (50%+1); financial penalties for late budget. BUT: taxes still require 2/3.

Prop 28 (2012)

Modified term limits — legislators can serve up to 12 years but all in ONE house (Assembly or Senate).

Prop 30 (2012)

Temporary income tax increases on high earners; sales tax increase. Prop linked to Governor Brown's fiscal stability plan.

Prop 98 (1988)

Guarantees minimum funding (~40% of general fund) for K-12 and community colleges.

Prop 36 (2012)

Modified Three Strikes law — third strike must be serious or violent felony for 25-to-life sentence.

Prop 47 (2014)

Reduced certain drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors.

Prop 57 (2016)

Increased parole opportunities for non-violent offenders; allowed early parole consideration.

SGMA (2014)

Sustainable Groundwater Management Act — first regulation of groundwater in California.

Prop 36 (2024)

partially rolled back Proposition 47 by allowing felony charges for repeat theft offenders (with two or more prior theft convictions) even if the theft is under $950, while also increasing penalties for certain repeat drug offenses and creating treatment-mandated felony options.

Head of state

Ceremonial, symbolizes unity of state, cuts ribbons, leads disaster response

Head of government

makes policy, tries to get it passed in legislature, oversees public implementation, highly partisan

Appointments

fill thousands of positions, including agency heads, judges (vacancies), board/commission members, gives governor policy influence

Independent Executive Actions

executive actions, proclamations, emergency declarations,(commander in chief of state, national guard) can mobilize during emergencies

Budget Power

Proposes budget each January, no legislature can spend without governor sign off