The Constitutional Offices
Governor (1849-Present)
The Governor is the highest elected office in California, the head of the executive branch of the state government, and the Commander of the National Guard and State Military Reserve. The Governor has the power to approve or veto legislation, appoint state judges, and fill vacancies in statewide elected offices. The Governor also has the power to grant pardons, reprieves, and to commute judicial punishments.
The most Republican of the statewide offices, only three Democrats have held the office since 1950; Pat Brown, Jerry Brown, and Gray Davis. Of California's Governors, only one, Earl Warren, was ever elected more than twice.Lieutenant Governor (1849-Present)
The two most important functions of the Lieutenant Governor is to serve as the President of the State Senate and to assume the powers of the Governor if the Governor leaves the state, dies, resigns, or is impeached. Although the office is regarded as being a stepping-stone to the Governor's office, only two of the twelve Lieutenant Governors since 1950 have become Governor. One final note of interest is that like the Governor's office, only Leo McCarthy has ever been elected Lieutenant Governor more than two times.- Secretary of State (1849-Present)
The Secretary of State is responsible for the administration of elections in California, as well as the California State Archives. A large part of the Secretary of State's office is chartering corporations. and notary public. The longest that any statewide state office has been held by a single political party was the office of Secretary of State, by the Republicans, for 50 years (from 1890 to 1940). Without the two-year term of Paul Peek (1940-1942), the Republicans would have held the office for a total of 80 years. Unlike the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, four Secretaries of State have been elected at least three times C.F. Curry (three times), March K. Fong Eu (five times), Frank M. Jordan (seven times), and Frank C. Jordan (eight times). - Controller (1849-Present)
Named "Comptroller" until 1862, the office of the Controller is responsible for spending the state's money. The Controller has the authority to investigate and audit all money spent by the state, and is a member of the State Board of Equalization. Currently, the Controller's office has been held by a Democrat since the 1974 General Election (34 years). Only one office has been held by Democrats for a longer period, the US Senate seat currently held by Barbara Boxer, which has been Democratic since 1968 (40 years). Ray L. Riley was elected Controller four times, while Edward P. Colgan won the office five times. - Treasurer (1849-Present)
The Treasurer is the "state’s banker". The office, responsible for investing unused state money and paying "state funds when spent by the Controller" has a relatively restricted authority. The first woman to hold statewide office was Ivy Baker Priest, who was elected Treasurer in 1966. The office was held the longest by Charles G. Johnson, who was elected Treasurer eight times. - Attorney General (1849-Present)
The Attorney General is the "chief law officer of the State" and leads the California Department of Justice. The Attorney General is responsible for ensuring that the laws of the state are "uniformly and adequately enforced" and also represents the people of California in civil and criminal matters. The longest serving Attorney General was U. S. Webb, who was elected to the office nine times. - Insurance Commissioner (1988-Present)
The Insurance Commissioner is both the lowest partisan office in California as well as the newest. First created in 1868, the office first became an elected position in 1988. The Commissioner answers public questions and complaints regarding the insurance industry. Licenses, regulates, and examines insurance companies. Only John Garamendi, elected in 1990 and 2002, has served two full terms as Insurance Commissioner. - Superintendent of Public Instruction (1851-Present)
Currently, the only non-partisan statewide office. Created as a partisan office in 1851, the office first became nonpartisan in the election of 1914. The Superintendent is "in charge of the California Department of Education, the chief spokesperson for public schools, and provides education policy and direction to local school districts." - State Board of Equalization (1879-Present)
First created in 1870, the Board of Equalization first consisted of the State Controller and two members appointed by the Governor. When the California Constitution was rewritten in 1879, the number of seats on the board increased to four; one for each congressional district in the state. Additionally, the Controller acts as the chair of the Board of Equalization. Although not actually a statewide office, the SBOE is much less like the state legislature. tax administration and fee collection. BOE is the only publicly elected tax commission in the United States.
[District 1] [District 2] [District 3] [District 4]
Former Elected Offices
- Clerk of the Supreme Court (1850-1911)
The Clerk of the Supreme Court was established as a partisan elected office on February 14, 1850, and the first election was held late in the same year. The office became an appointed position after voters approved Proposition 20 in 1911. In 1966, Proposition 1A (which also created a full-time Legislature) gave the Supreme Court the ability to appoint and remove the Clerk. "The clerk oversees the administration and management of the court, including supervising and directing the clerk’s office and the calendar coordination office; recruiting counsel in capital appeals and other cases; preparing the court’s calendar; docketing the court’s cases; maintaining the court’s public records; and advising litigants, counsel, and the public of the status of matters before the court." The office exists today, and (as of 3/08) the current Clerk/Administrator of the Supreme Court is Frederick K. Ohlrich.
Surveyor General (1850-1926)
The office was created in 1850, with the Surveyor General also acting as the Register of the State Lands Office. The Surveyor General was responsible for licensing surveyors, regulating mines, and surveying the Mexican land grants. The office was dissolved in 1925, with the state powers of the Surveyor General and the Bureau of State Lands were incorporated into the CA Department of Finance under the Office of the Governor, and the records being transferred to a Supervisor of Surveys under the US Department of Interior. In 1939, the powers were moved to the State Lands Commission, whose three members are the Lieutenant Governor, Controller, and Director of Finance.
- State Printer (1855-1910)
The office of State Printer was created by the state legislature on January 8, 1850. The office was abolished in 1852, but brought back in 1854. The office was originally to be elected by the legislature, but became a statewide elected office in 1855. The office was changed to an appointed office and renamed "Superintendent of State Printing" in 1872, although it regained status as a statewide elected office in 1891. Finally, the office became an appointed position after the election of 1910. The state continues to operate a Office of State Publishing within the Department of General Services. Currently the "OSP prints the Governor's budget, all Legislative bills, more than twelve million (12,000,000) ballot pamphlets, a total of fourteen million (14,000,000) tax forms, approximately five million (5,000,000) DMV handbooks, as well as thousands of other projects for state agencies" including the printing of all bills for the Legislature. - Railroad Commission (1879-1910)
The Constitution of 1879 created a three-district Railroad Commission to regulate the price of railroad transportation. Following the Public Utilities Act of 1911, the Commission was changed to a five-member body appointed by the Governor, which had supervision over a wide range of public utilities. The body was renamed the California Public Utilities Commission in 1946. The Public Utilities Commission, still a five-member board today,
California's Railroad Commissioners [District 1] [District 2] [District 3]
External Link: Public Utilities Commissioners since 1911
State Legislature
State Senate (1849-Present)
In California's bicameral state legislature, as in Congress, the Senate is the higher house. The first State Senate (as called for in the Constitution of 1849) was a sixteen-member body elected to a two-year term, with half of the Senators elected at each election. When the State Senate first met in San Jose in 1849, the body had 16 members. By 1852, when the legislature first met in Vallejo, the number of members had grown to 28. In 1854, the number grew to 34, and 35 in 1858. In 1862, the number had reached 40, where it has remained since.
Fun Facts (as of 3/5/08)
Total Senators Since 1849: 1,101
Newest Senators: The Class of 2006 (Twelve new senators were elected to office at the same time and share the title)
Senior Senator: Don Perata is the current "Dean of the Senate", having been first elected in a 1998 Special Election.- State Assembly (1849-Present)
The State Assembly is the lower house of the state legislature. During it's first session in 1849, the annually-elected State Assembly had 36 members. The number of members grew to 63 in 1852, and finally to 80 in 1854. The Speaker of the Assembly, elected by members of the majority party, is often described as the second most powerful person in state politics (after the Governor). The two longest serving Speakers of the Assembly were Willie Brown (1980-1995) and Jesse Unruh (1961-1969).
Since 1849, a total of 3,629 people have served in the State Assembly; the newest member is Warren Furutani, who won a Special Election in February 2008.
Fun Facts (as of 3/5/08)
Total Assemblymembers Since 1849: 3,629*
Newest Assemblymember: Warren Furutani (elected February 5, 2008)
Senior Assemblymembers: Mervyn M. Dymally who has served nine years in the Assembly, ten years in the State Senate.
* NOTE: Counting Assemblymembers can be difficult. During the inauguration of Assemblymember Furutani, Speaker Nunez announced that Furutani was the 3668th since 1849. Chelsea Minor (from the office of Roger Niello) assisted in the tabulation, counting Assemblymembers in the 2000 Blue Book and comparing that list with records of those elected in 2000 and after. The result of the calculations was the number found above.
Federal
- President
The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch of the United States government, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and the Head of State. Please note; election results on JoinCalifornia.com reflect only California vote totals. For example, although Al Gore won the 2000 Presidential election in California, he failed to secure enough electoral votes to be elected President.
- United States Senate
US Senator (Class 1)
US Senator (Class 3)
Elected by the State Legislature from 1849 until 1914, when a the 17th Amendment changed the office to a direct election by California voters.
Fun Facts (as of 3/5/08)
Total US Senators from California Since 1849: 44
Newest US Senators: A tie. Both Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, were elected in November 1992
Senior Senator: Dianne Feinstein is recognized as the senior Senator because she took office first.
Statistics: In addition to the two current Senators, there are currently three living former U.S. Senators from California; Pete Wilson, John Tunney, and John Seymour. Boxer is the youngest, followed by Seymour, Tunney, Wilson, and Feinstein.
- House of Representatives
With 53 Members of the House of Representatives, California has not only the largest current Congressional Delegation, but also the largest in the history of the United States. In California's first elections, the members were selected "At Large", with each of the three representing the entire state.
Since 1849, a total of 340 people have served as US Representatives from California; the most-recently elected
Fun Facts (as of 4/8/08)
Total US Representatives from California Since 1849: 341
Newest Member of Congress: Jackie Speier is California's newest US Representative, having won a Special Election in April 2007.
Senior Member of Congress: Fortney H. Stark has served California as a Congressman since 1973.
Statistics: There are currently 116 living current or former Members of Congress from California. Devin Nunes is our youngest current Congressman, followed by Linda Sanchez, Kevin McCarthy, and Laura Richardson. Lionel Van Deerlin is our oldest former Congressman, followed by Don Edwards, Charles S. Gubser, and Bill Royer.