California Government and U.S. Foreign Policy Fundamentals

California’s Plural Executive: Roles and Responsibilities

The Concept of the Plural Executive: Unlike the federal government where the President holds the bulk of executive authority, California utilizes a plural executive system where several key positions are elected independently by the voters.
Governor: * Serves as the chief executive of the state. * Examples of current political rhetoric (e.g., Tom Steyer) involve candidates promising to stand up to billionaires by taxing themselves and the wealthy to fund state programs. * Governors are vital but are not the sole power in the plural executive structure.
Lieutenant Governor: * Acts as the successor to the Governor. If the Governor dies, retires, or leaves office, the Lieutenant Governor becomes the Governor. * Acting Governor Status: Whenever the Governor leaves the state of California (e.g., Gavin Newsom visiting Washington D.C. for advocacy or traveling to China for trade missions), the Lieutenant Governor becomes the "Acting Governor." * As Acting Governor, the individual (currently Eleni Kounalakis) possesses all the powers and responsibilities of the Governor.
Secretary of State: * Serves as the chief elections official for the State of California. * Responsible for maintaining election results, facilitating information about candidates in all 58 counties, and coordinating separate ballots for those counties. * Chartering Laws: They are responsible for putting new laws into the official code books once passed, maintaining the organization of California's legal structure (largely done online today).
Attorney General: * The top law enforcement officer in the state. * Heads the Department of Justice. * Provides legal counsel to state government officials and assists county district attorneys (prosecutors). * Coordinates with local, federal (FBI), and international law enforcement. * Example of International Coordination: If a fugitive from England escapes to California, the FBI and English police work with the California Attorney General to apprehend and detain that person until they are extradited back to their home country.
Controller: * The state's Chief Financial Officer (CFO). * Responsible for all state disbursements (money going out to government agencies). * Reports on the state's financial condition. * Anecdote: A student once incorrectly referred to this position as the "Enforcer" on an exam.
Treasurer: * The state's asset manager, banker, and financier. * Oversees big assets like highways, bridges, and power plants. * Responsible for state investments and borrowing (e.g., determining how much debt must be incurred to maintain infrastructure like high-speed rail, buildings, and environmental projects).
Insurance Commissioner: * A relatively new position added to the plural executive in $1990$ . (In contrast, positions like Governor and Lieutenant Governor date back to $1850$ ). * Oversees the multi-billion dollar insurance industry (covering homes, cars, life, and government/campus buildings). * Balancing Act: The commissioner must ensure the industry is healthy and profitable enough to provide coverage, but not so profitable that consumers are overcharged. * Campus Context: Students and employees are insured; visitors are generally discouraged because lack of insurance coverage creates liability if someone is injured (e.g., by a falling ceiling tile).
Superintendent of Public Instruction: * The only non-partisan office in the plural executive. All other seven positions run under party labels (Democrat/Republican). * Heads the California Department of Education. * Administers $K-12$ programs, curriculum standards, and statewide testing/accountability assessments. * Discussion on High School Graduation: In the past, California used standardized exit exams (like the CAHSEE) to ensure seniors met math and literacy standards, though this has largely been discontinued/abandoned because it prevented too many people from graduating.

Political Terminology and Legislative Dynamics

Partisan: Party-oriented. Examples include individuals solely focused on the interests of their own party (e.g., Donald Trump as a partisan Republican or Hakeem Jeffries as a partisan Democrat).
Bipartisan: Legislation or actions supported by both major parties. * Historical Compromise Examples: Democrats might agree to spend less than they ideally want on social programs, while Republicans might agree to small tax increases to prevent the national debt from spiraling further. * National Debt: The U.S. debt is cited as approximately $38$ to $39$ trillion dollars.
Non-partisan: Positions or elections that do not involve representing a specific political party. In California, the Superintendent of Public Instruction is the prime executive example.

The California State Legislature

California State Assembly (Lower House): * Contains $80$ members. * Members serve two-year terms. * The entire assembly is up for election every two years.
California State Senate (Upper House): * Contains $40$ members. * Members serve four-year terms. * Staggered Elections: Elections are staggered so only half of the senate ( $20$ members) is up for election every two years (e.g., elections in $2024$ , $2028$ , $2030$ , $2032$ ).
Term Limits: * California had no term limits from $1850$ to $1990$ . * One assembly member served for $58$ years; it was joked he would have to be "blasted out" with a shotgun without limits. * Pros: Breaks up corrupt networks, introduces "fresh blood" and new ideas, and keeps the legislature in touch with modern society. * Cons: Removes knowledgeable, skilled experts. Legislators need years to become experts in complex fields like nuclear power, the armed forces, or foreign policy. The speaker notes that term limits can be viewed as anti-democratic by preventing voters from re-electing effective representatives.

The Lawmaking Process in California

Normal Legislative Process: * Requires a majority vote in both the State Assembly and State Senate. * The bill is sent to the Governor to sign into law or veto (from the Latin for "I deny"). * Veto Override: The legislature can override a gubernatorial veto with a $\frac{2}{3}$ vote in both houses.
The Initiative Process: * Allows citizens to place proposed laws directly on the ballot via signature gathering. * Changing State Law: Requires signatures equal to $5\%$ of the total number of people who voted in the last gubernatorial election. (e.g., if $10,000,000$ people voted, $500,000$ signatures are needed). * Changing the State Constitution: Requires signatures equal to $8\%$ of the last gubernatorial vote (e.g., $800,000$ signatures). This was used to create the Insurance Commissioner and establish term limits. * Signature Gathering Risks: Signature gatherers are paid per name, which can lead to fraud. Signing a fake name (like "Donald Duck" or "Popeye") or signing multiple times under nicknames is a felony and can lead to prison.

Introduction to United States Foreign Policy

Defining Foreign Policy: The government's formal relations with other countries and the outside world. * Domestic Policy: Internal issues (taxes, civil rights, marriage equality, healthcare). * Global Context: The U.S. makes up only about $4-10\%$ ( $4-5\%$ ) of the global population ( $340$ million out of $8$ billion). * Population Statistics: India (number 1) and China (number 2) each have approximately $1.4$ billion people. Combined with the U.S., about $3$ in $8$ people worldwide live in these three countries.
American Public Interest: * Americans are historically less interested in foreign policy than domestic policy. * Reasoning: Geography and History. The U.S. is protected by two large oceans. Unlike European countries like Germany (which has $11$ borders), the U.S. has not had to worry about immediate neighbor threats. * Poll Data (May 16, 2024): Among Californians, the economy ( $42\%$ ) and housing ( $21\%$ ) are top concerns. Foreign policy polled near $0\%$ (approximately $0.2\%$ ).
Presidential vs. Congressional Powers: * Presidents lead foreign policy and act as the representative to the world. * Only Congress can formally declare war (last done in World War II). * AUMF (Authorization to Use Military Force): Congress often authorizes military action (e.g., Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq) without a formal declaration of war. * The Nuclear Age: Because nuclear missiles can hit in minutes, power has shifted to the President. There is no time for Congress to assemble and debate if an attack is imminent. * Troop Presence: The U.S. has military personnel in about $75\%$ of the world’s countries.

Questions & Discussion

Q: What about SpongeBob's power level?
A: The speaker argues that Popeye is more powerful because he has "punched his animator," showing control over his environment, whereas SpongeBob just saved Bikini Bottom from brainwashing. This was used as a metaphor for control and power.
Q: Is foreign policy the only thing on the final exam?
A: No, but it is a major subject. Concepts of ideology and political parties discussed earlier in the semester can be used to help answer foreign policy questions (e.g., how different ideologies view our role in the world).
Q: Can the President launch missiles without Congress?
A: Yes, in emergency situations or to defend American troops/allies against sudden attacks (like 09/11), the President has delegated authority to act immediately without waiting for a Congressional vote.