Governor of California

The Governor of California is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in California. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two terms. The office of governor was first established in 1849, replacing the succession of military governors that had overseen the territory since its annexation the previous year.

Prior to the November 2016 general election, California was one of seven Democratic state government trifectas. A state government trifecta is a term used to describe "single party government," when one political party holds the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house in a state's government.

Altogether, the 2016 election saw the Democratic Party lose one trifecta while the Republican Party picked up a net gain of two trifectas. The 2017 state legislative sessions began with six Democratic trifectas, 25 Republican trifectas, and 19 states under divided government.^[1] Read more about trifectas here.

See also: California State Legislature, California State Assembly, California State Senate

Current officeholder

The 39th and current Governor of California is Jerry Brown (D). He was first elected in November 2010. He took office on January 1, 2011, and won re-election in 2014.

Brown previously served as the 34th Governor of California, from 1975 to 1983. Because Brown was elected to both of his terms as the 34th governor before a term limits law was passed in 1990, he was eligible to run again in 2010.

Before becoming governor for the first time, Brown served one term as California Secretary of State, and then served one term as state attorney general from 2006 to 2010, before his re-entry into the governorship. Before returning to statewide office, he was mayor of Oakland, CA from 1998 to 2006. Brown also made three unsuccessful runs for President of the United States in 1976, 1980 and 1992, and served as chair of the California Democratic Party from 1989 to 1991. He also founded the Oakland School for the Arts and the Oakland Military Institute and worked as an attorney for the firm of Tuttle and Taylor.^[2]

Authority

The Constitution of California establishes the office of governor in Article V, the Executive.

California Constitution, Article 5, Section 1

The supreme executive power of this State is vested in the Governor.

Qualifications

State Executives
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010

The governor may not hold any other public offices, engage in any lobbying or accept any honorariums. Additionally, he or she must be a registered voter in California, a resident of the state for at least five years on election day and an American citizen for at least five years.

California Constitution, Article 5, Section 2

[...] The Governor shall be an elector who has been a citizen of the United States and a resident of this State for 5 years immediately preceding the Governor's election. The Governor may not hold other public office.

Elections

California elects governors in federal midterm election years, e.g. 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030 and 2034. The gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first Monday in the new year following the election.

California Constitution, Article 5, Section 2

The Governor shall be elected every fourth year at the same time and places as members of the Assembly and hold office from the Monday after January 1 following the election until a successor qualifies.

As in several other states, governors may be subject to recall elections. To initiate a recall, citizens must submit petitions signed by California voters equal in number to 12 percent of the last vote for the office of governor. Additionally, petitioners must collect signatures from each of five counties equal in number to 1 percent of the last vote for governor in the county. The last California gubernatorial recall saw Gray Davis removed from office in favor of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

2014

See also: California gubernatorial election, 2014

Governor of California, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jerry Brown Incumbent	60%	4,388,368
	Republican	Neel Kashkari	40%	2,929,213
Total Votes				7,317,581
Election results via California Secretary of State

Term limits

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

California governors are restricted to two terms in office during their lifetime.

California Constitution, Article V, Section 2

No Governor may serve more than 2 terms.

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of California governors from 1992 to 2013.

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Article 5, Section 10 of the state constitution requires the Lieutenant Governor of California to assume the office of governor if the incumbent is unable to discharge the office. The legislature sets the rest of the order of precedence for filling vacancies in the office of governor. Disputes over the line of succession are under the sole jurisdiction of the California Supreme Court.

Duties

The governor has the power to veto bills from the California State Legislature. The legislature can override a veto by a two-thirds majority vote in both the state assembly and the state senate. The governor can veto particular items from an appropriations bill while leaving others intact.

Law-enforcement powers include the ability to grant pardons and commute sentences, excepting cases of impeachment, as well as serving as the commander-in-chief of the state militia. In addition to calling the National Guard into active duty, the governor can call the California State Military Reserve to active duty to support guardsmen.

The governor also has full membership and voting powers to the Regents of the University of California, the governing board of the University of California system, along with other elected officials, and a majority of members on the Regents of the University of California are appointed by the governor.

Each year, the governor must make a "State of the State" address to the legislature. He may also order reports and information from other state officers.

Unless otherwise provided by law, the governor fills vacancies in all state offices. Specifically, vacancies in the offices of state school superintendent, the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state controller, state treasurer, attorney general and on the State Board of Equalization are filled by a gubernatorial nominee with state senate confirmation.

Divisions

State budget

Role in state budget

See also: California state budget and finances

The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:^[4][5]

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies beginning in April.
2. Agencies submit their budget requests to the governor in September.
3. Agency hearings are held from September through November.
4. Public hearings are held from March through June.
5. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature in January.
6. The legislature adopts a budget in June. A two-thirds majority is required to pass a budget. The fiscal year begins July 1.

California is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.^[5]

The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget to the legislature. In turn, the legislature is legally required to adopt a balanced budget.^[5]

Governor's office budget

The budget for the California Governor's Office in the 2012-2013 Fiscal Year was $12,660,000.^[6]

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers

The salaries of California's elected executives are determined by the California Citizens Compensation Commission, a seven-member board appointed by the governor to six-year terms. The commission was established after voters passed Proposition 112, an amendment to the California Constitution, in 1990. Commissioners meet prior to June 30 of each year to determine salary recommendations with changes effective the following December. From 2001 to 2013, the commission voted to increase salaries or benefits five times and decreased or made no changes to salaries eight times.^[7]

2016

In 2016, the governor's salary was increased to $182,791, according to the Council of State Governments.^[8]

2015

In 2015, the governor's salary was increased to $177,467, according to the Council of State Governments.^[9]

2014

In 2014, the governor received a salary of $173,987, according to the Council of State Governments.^[10]

2013

In 2013, the governor received a salary of $173,987, according to the Council of State Governments.^[11]

2010

In 2010, the governor received a salary of $173,987, according to the Council of State Governments.^[12]

Historical officeholders

There have been 38 Governors of California since 1849. Of the 38 officeholders, 18 were Republican, 12 were Democrat, two were Independent Democrat, one was Union and one was American Know-Nothing.^[13][14]

#	Name	Term
1	Peter H. Burnett (D)	December 20, 1849-January 9, 1851
2	John McDougal (D)	January 9, 1851-January 8, 1852
3	John Bigler (D)	January 8, 1852-January 9, 1856
4	John N. Johnson (Know-Nothing)	January 9, 1856-January 8, 1858
5	John B. Weller (D)	January 8, 1858-January 9, 1860
6	Milton S. Latham (D)	January 9, 1860-January 14, 1860
7	John G. Downey (D)	January 14, 1860-January 10, 1862
8	Leland Stanford (R)	January 10, 1862-December 10, 1863
9	Frederick F. Low (Union)	December 10, 1863-December 5, 1867
10	Henry H. Haight	December 5, 1867-December 8, 1871
11	Newton Booth (R)	December 8, 1871-February 27, 1875
12	Romualdo Pacheo (R)	February 27, 1875-December 9, 1875
13	William Irwin (D)	December 9, 1875-January 8, 1880
14	George C. Perkins (R)	January 10, 1880-January 10, 1883
15	George Stoneman (D)	January 10, 1883-January 8, 1887
16	Washington Bartlett (D)	January 8, 1887-September 12, 1887
17	Robert W. Waterman (R)	September 12, 1887-January 8, 1891
18	Henry H. Markham (R)	January 8, 1891-January 11, 1895
19	James H. Budd (D)	January 11, 1895-January 4, 1899
20	Henry T. Gage (R)	January 4, 1899-January 7, 1903
21	George C. Pardee (R)	January 7, 1903-January 9, 1907
22	James N. Gillett (R)	January 9, 1907-January 3, 1911
23	Hiram Johnson (Republican, Progressive)	January 3, 1911-March 15, 1917
24	William D. Stephens (R)	March 15, 1917-January 8, 1923
25	Friend William Richardson (R)	January 8, 1923-January 4, 1927
26	Clement C. Young (R)	January 4, 1927-January 8, 1931
27	James Rolph (R)	January 8, 1931-June 2, 1934
28	Frank F. Merriam (R)	June 2, 1934-January 2, 1939
29	Culbert L. Olson (D)	January 2, 1939-January 4, 1943
30	Earl Warren (R)	January 4, 1943-October 5, 1953
31	Goodwin J. Knight (R)	October 5, 1953-January 5, 1959
32	Pat Brown (D)	January 5, 1959-January 2, 1967
33	Ronald Reagan (R)	January 2, 1967-January 6, 1975
34	Jerry Brown (D)	January 5, 1975-January 4, 1983
35	George Deukmejian (R)	January 3, 1983-January 7, 1991
36	Pete Wilson (R)	January 7, 1991-January 4, 1999
37	Gray Davis (D)	January 4, 1999-November 17, 2003
38	Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)	November 17, 2003-January 3, 2011
39	Jerry Brown (D)	January 3, 2011-present

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, California

From 1992-2013, there were Democratic governors in office for eight years while there were Republican governors in office for 14 years. During the final three years of the study, California was under Democratic trifectas.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of California, the California State Senate and the California House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

SQLI and partisanship

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the California state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. California has never had a Republican trifecta, but did have Democratic trifectas between the years 1999 and 2003 and again after 2010 to the present. California fell steadily in the SQLI ranking until finally reaching the bottom-10 in 2010. The state reached its highest ranking (28th) in 1998 and 1999, first under divided government and then under a Democratic trifecta. The state’s lowest ranking (48th) occurred recently in 2012 under a Democratic trifecta. Except for the years 1995 and 1996, the California legislature has been consistently under Democratic control.

• SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 37.00
• SQLI average with Republican trifecta: N/A
• SQLI average with divided government: 35.21

Recent news

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Contact information

Physical address:
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-558-3160

See also

California	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis
California State Executive Offices California State Legislature California Courts	2014 • 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 California elections: 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018	Party control of state government State of the state addresses State Executives Compensation

External links

• Official site of Governor's office
• Official California Secretary of State Election and Voter Information site

Footnotes

v • e Governors Current Governors Robert Bentley (AL) • Bill Walker (AK) • Doug Ducey (AZ) • Asa Hutchinson (AR) • Jerry Brown (CA) • John Hickenlooper (CO) • Dan Malloy (CT) • John Carney Jr. (DE) • Rick Scott (FL) • Nathan Deal (GA) • David Ige (HI) • Butch Otter (ID) • Bruce Rauner (IL) • Mike Pence (IN) • Terry E. Branstad (IA) • Sam Brownback (KS) • Matt Bevin (KY) • John Bel Edwards (LA) • Paul LePage (ME) • Larry Hogan (MD) • Charles D. Baker (MA) • Rick Snyder (MI) • Mark Dayton (MN) • Eric Greitens (MO) • Phil Bryant (MS) • Steve Bullock (MT) • Pete Ricketts (NE) • Brian Sandoval (NV) • Chris Sununu (NH) • Chris Christie (NJ) • Susana Martinez (NM) • Andrew Cuomo (NY) • Roy Cooper (NC) • Doug Burgum (ND) • John Kasich (OH) • Mary Fallin (OK) • Kate Brown (OR) • Tom Wolf (PA) • Gina Raimondo (RI) • Henry McMaster (SC) • Dennis Daugaard (SD) • Bill Haslam (TN) • Greg Abbott (TX) • Gary R. Herbert (UT) • Phillip Scott (VT) • Terry McAuliffe (VA) • Jay Inslee (WA) • Jim Justice (WV) • Scott Walker (WI) • Matt Mead (WY) Elections 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 Features States with gubernatorial term limits • Election of lieutenant governors • How gubernatorial vacancies are filled • States with gubernatorial recall provisions • Gubernatorial impeachment procedures • Comparison of gubernatorial salaries • Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries • Residences of the American governors

v • e State executive offices Offices Governor • Lt. Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Schools • Insurance Commissioner • Controller • Agriculture Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commissioner States Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming Elections 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 Features Chart of state executive officers • Compensation • Gubernatorial power comparison • How gubernatorial vacancies are filled • Irregular office changes • State executive officials serving in home states • State government trifectas • State of the state addresses • Term limits

Curated by the Ballotpedia State Desk: Jackie Beran • Ryan Byrne • Jessica Dravecky • Cindy Kehler • Tyler King Project Director: Josh Altic • Project Director: Charles Aull Desk Editor: Joel Williams Contact the desk

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