Comparing the President and the Governor
//www.capimpactca.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/408/2018/01/In-Practice-Micheli-Comparing-President-and-Governor.mp3Today’s post features another podcast that leads up to Governor Brown’s final State of the State Address tomorrow. In today’s podcast we’ll be comparing the US President and California’s Governor, and their respective roles in the legislative process.
We already touched on some of the similarities and differences in my post on Monday, which covered the Governor’s line-item veto authority, a power that the President does not have. Another point of comparison was on the pocket veto and the pocket signature.
Let’s touch on some similarities. In relatively broad terms, both the Governor and the President are extensively involved in the legislative process because they can propose – as well as sign and veto – legislation, they can propose and sign budgets, and they make appointments to executive branch agencies and departments.
They also both make major policy addresses to their respective legislative bodies. As I mentioned earlier, Governor Brown will be delivering his final State of the State address to the California legislature tomorrow morning. The President will be giving his State of the Union address to Congress next week.
Another difference between the President and the Governor is the California Governor’s ability to call the Legislature into extraordinary session. This power allows the Governor to call the California legislature into a session to address specific issues, such as a natural disaster, a budget crisis, or some other high profile policy issue. The US President does not have this power.
The President and Governor are both actively engaged in proposing and reviewing the federal and state government budgets. The Governor largely participates in the California Legislature’s review and adoption of the budget through the Department of Finance (DOF). Similarly, the President engages in this process with Congress through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). While the two agencies have similar duties, DOF doesn’t achieve the same level of power that is vested by federal law in the OMB.
Please listen to the rest of the podcast for more comparisons between the President and the Governor, and their respective roles in the legislative process.
For each of the three branches of government, describe one similarityand one difference between the US federal government and theCalifornia State government.
How California’s Government Differs from the Federal Government Each state has its own government that govern the people living in that particular state. The State’s government makes ballot initiatives etc. to help the maintain a democracy in the state. The Federal government, on the other hand, makes laws, treaties etc. to help the nation as a whole. However, the State’s government differs a little when compared to the Federal government. The Federal government takes into account the whole nation—United States in this case—when governing. The State government only takes into account itself—California in this case. Looking at the three branches of the Federal government—the executive, judicial and legislative, one can see the differences starting …show more content…
Compared to California’s legislative branch, the Federal Government’s legislative branch, herein referred to as Congress, has the authority to revise and annul public laws. Similar to California’s legislation, the Congress also has two chambers with a total of 635 members. The Senate, consisting of 100 members, proposes, and votes on policies that would affect the United States as a whole. An example of such policy would be the domestic and foreign policy. This is different from the State Legislation’s concern as the State cares about bills and laws in their own state. Furthermore, Senators provide counsel on treaties with other nations and keep the other two branches of the Federal Government in check. The other part of the Congress—the House of Representatives consists of 435 people, each divided based on the State’s population. The House of Representatives, with the help of the Senate, passes federal laws. However, the House does have some special powers. For instance, the House has the power to initiate revenue bills and impeach members, whom they believe were in violation of law. These powers are different from that of the State as the State’s legislation does not have the power to initiate revenue bills and impeach members. When comparing the state legislation to the Congress, clearly it is seen that Congress has far more power. The State’s legislation …show more content…
It includes the Governor and his staff, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and State Controller, just to name a few. Each official controls part of the work for the state. However, the Governor is the overbearing entity here. The Governor is similar to the President in a way that both have executive power. However, the Governor’s power is not to the same extent as that of the President. The Governor can appoint new staff, can act as a commander-in-chief of the state’s militia and serves as the channel for communication between the State and the Federal government. The Governor’s greatest influence on appointment is that of the judicial branch. The Governor can appoint anyone he deems fit to hold Judicial office. Additionally, the Governor has authority to give the State-of-the-State Address, which similar to the State-of-the-Union address given by the President, budget powers—an annual budget to the the Legislature, veto powers, and emergency powers. In emergencies, the Governor can call a State Emergency and act as the Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard. All in all, the Governor holds unrivaled power in the State’s executive
The Governor is elected by the people to a four-year term and if elected can serve a second four-year term. Only citizens of the United States that are residents of California and over the age of 18 can be elected as Governor of California.
The Governor is elected by the people to a four-year term and if elected can serve a second four-year term. Only citizens of the United States that are residents of California and over the age of 18 can be elected as Governor of California. The Governor is the Commander and Chief of the militia of the state and is the sole official of communication between the state and the federal government and other states of the United States.
Under the leadership of the Governor, the executive branch is responsible for administering and enforcing the laws of California. In practice the executive branch works closely with the legislative branch in shaping proposed legislation.
There are many state departments included in the executive branch. Officials who are publicly elected, appointed by the Governor, or hired into the state’s civil service system, direct these executive departments.
The legislative branch of government is composed of the State Assembly, the State Senate, and several other departments. Together they are the principle law-making powers in the state. The Legislature will propose, analyze, and debate over 6,000 bills in a single two-year session.
The State Assembly is made up of 80 members and are elected to two-year terms while the State Senate is made up of 40 members and are elected to four-year terms with one-half reelected every two years. Assembly and Senate districts are apportioned on the basis of population.
Prior to their election, Legislative candidates must be over the age of eighteen, United States citizens, a resident of California for at least three years, and live in the district which they represent for one year.
California’s court system is made up of the Supreme, appellate, and superior courts. The California court system serves as a check against legislative and executive powers by making sure those branches do not create laws that are in conflict with the state constitution. The judiciary is responsible for seeing that laws are justly and equitably applied in all matters brought before the courts. The Supreme Court is headquartered in San Francisco, however it holds sessions regularly in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
As the final interpreter of the laws of the State of California, its decisions may only be reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court where it is determined that the California law conflicts with the U.S. Constitution.
The Supreme Court is composed of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. When a vacancy arises on the Supreme Court, justices are initially appointed by the Governor. Thereafter the justices appear on the ballot at the statewide elections and are elected to 12-year terms. All appointees to the California Supreme Court must be a member of the California State Bar or served as a judge of a court of record of the State of California for ten years immediately preceding his or her appointment or election.