California Politics
California Guide
California Politics
| California Politics | Other High Offices Held |
| Presidential Elections Results | Living Former Governors |
| List of Governors of California | California State Senators |
California Politics
California’s politics has been mired in controversy for over three decades. There are innumerable cases that have demanded state wide attention and have been successful in receiving it.
Political Issues
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Passing the term limit restriction, [which allows a person to serve an elected office for a particular number of terms], for the legislature and constitutional officers of the state of California, this issue was debated over in the Supreme Court of California.
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Ouster of Rose Bird, the Chief Justice and two associate judges, Joseph Grodin and Cruz Reynoso due to a demand to test the ratification process of the highest court of the state – The Supreme Court.
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The People’s Initiative to Limit Property Taxation, also known as Proposition 13, was revolted against, which fixed real estate tax rates at 1% after revaluing all the properties according to their 1975 sale prices.
Californians in the Congress
- Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker of the House and hails from the 8th District.
- George Miller serves as the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor.
- Dianne Feinstein heads the Select Committee on Intelligence as the Chairwoman.
- Senator Barbara Boxer is the head of the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Political Parties
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The Democratic Party and the Republican Party of California are two important parties that are represented in the Congress and State Legislature.
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Four other parties are eligible for an official ballot status, namely: The American Independent Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party, and Peace and Freedom Party.
Percentage of Voters
There are 17, 304, 091 registered voters in California as of 2008. Out of these, 44% are Democrats, 31.3% are Republicans, 4.4% voters affiliated themselves with other political parties and 19.9% were registered as ‘Decline to State’ voters.
Presidential Elections Results
| Year | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 36.91% 5,011,781 | 60.94% 8,274,473 |
| 2004 | 44.36% 5,509,826 | 54.40% 6,745,485 |
| 2000 | 41.65% 4,567,429 | 53.45% 5,861,203 |
| 1996 | 38.21% 3,828,380 | 51.10% 5,119,835 |
| 1992 | 32.61% 3,630,574 | 46.01% 5,121,325 |
| 1988 | 51.13% 5,054,917 | 47.56% 4,702,233 |
| 1984 | 57.51% 5,467,009 | 41.27% 3,922,519 |
| 1980 | 52.69% 4,524,858 | 35.91% 3,083,661 |
| 1976 | 49.35% 3,882,244 | 47.57% 3,742,284 |
| 1972 | 55.01% 4,602,096 | 41.54% 3,475,847 |
| 1968 | 47.82% 3,467,664 | 44.74% 3,244,318 |
| 1964 | 40.79% 2,879,108 | 59.11% 4,171,877 |
| 1960 | 50.10% 3,259,722 | 49.55% 3,224,099 |
List of Governors of California
| S.No, | Governor | Term Start | Term End | Party | Lt. Governor | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Hardeman Burnett | December 20, 1849 | January 9, 1851 | Democratic | John McDougall | ½ |
| 2 | John McDougall | January 9, 1851 | January 8, 1852 | Democratic | David C. Broderick | ½ |
| 3 | John Bigler | January 8, 1852 | January 9, 1856 | Democratic | Samuel Purdy | 2 |
| 4 | J. Neely Johnson | January 9, 1856 | January 8, 1858 | American | Robert M. Anderson | 1 |
| 5 | John B. Weller | January 8, 1858 | January 9, 1860 | Democratic | John Walkup | 1 |
| 6 | Milton Latham | January 9, 1860 | January 14, 1860 | Lecompton Democratic | John G. Downey | ½ |
| 7 | John G. Downey | January 14, 1860 | January 10, 1862 | Lecompton Democratic | Isaac N. Quinn | ½ |
| Pablo de la Guerra | ||||||
| 8 | Leland Stanford | January 10, 1862 | December 10, 1863 | Republican | John F. Chellis | 1 |
| 9 | Frederick Low | December 10, 1863 | December 5, 1867 | Unionist Republican | Tim N. Machin | 1 |
| 10 | Henry Huntly Haight | December 5, 1867 | December 8, 1871 | Democratic | William Holden | 1 |
| 11 | Newton Booth | December 8, 1871 | February 27, 1875 | Republican | Romualdo Pacheco | ½ |
| 12 | Romualdo Pacheco | February 27, 1875 | December 9, 1875 | Republican | William Irwin | ½ |
| 13 | William Irwin | December 9, 1875 | January 8, 1880 | Democratic | James A. Johnson | 1 |
| 14 | George Clement Perkins | January 8, 1880 | January 10, 1883 | Republican | John Mansfield | 1 |
| 15 | George Stoneman | January 10, 1883 | January 8, 1887 | Democratic | John Daggett | 1 |
| 16 | Washington Bartlett | January 8, 1887 | September 12, 1887 | Democratic | Robert Waterman | ½ |
| 17 | Robert Waterman | September 12, 1887 | January 8, 1891 | Republican | Stephen M. White | ½ |
| 18 | Henry Markham | January 8, 1891 | January 11, 1895 | Republican | John B. Reddick | 1 |
| 19 | James Budd | January 11, 1895 | January 4, 1899 | Democratic | Spencer G. Millard | 1 |
| William T. Jeter | ||||||
| 20 | Henry Gage | January 4, 1899 | January 6, 1903 | Republican | Jacob H. Neff | 1 |
| 21 | George Pardee | January 6, 1903 | January 9, 1907 | Republican | Alden Anderson | 1 |
| 22 | James Gillett | January 9, 1907 | January 3, 1911 | Republican | Warren R. Porter | 1 |
| 23 | Hiram Johnson | January 3, 1911 | March 15, 1917 | Republican | A. J. Wallace | 1½ |
| Progressive | John M. Eshleman | |||||
| William Stephens | ||||||
| 24 | William Stephens | March 15, 1917 | January 9, 1923 | Republican | vacant | |
| Clement C. Young | 1½ | |||||
| 25 | Friend Richardson | January 9, 1923 | January 4, 1927 | Republican | Clement C. Young | 1 |
| 26 | Clement C. Young | January 4, 1927 | January 6, 1931 | Republican | Buron Fitts | 1 |
| H. L. Carnahan | ||||||
| 27 | James Rolph Jr. | January 6, 1931 | June 2, 1934 | Republican | Frank Merriam | ½ |
| 28 | Frank Merriam | June 2, 1934 | January 2, 1939 | Republican | vacant | |
| George J. Hatfield | 1½ | |||||
| 29 | Culbert Olson | January 2, 1939 | January 4, 1943 | Democratic | Ellis E. Patterson | 1 |
| 30 | Earl Warren | January 4, 1943 | October 5, 1953 | Republican | Frederick F. Houser | 2½ |
| Goodwin Jess Knight | ||||||
| 31 | Goodwin Jess Knight | October 5, 1953 | January 5, 1959 | Republican | Harold J. Powers | 1½ |
| 32 | Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown, Sr. | January 5, 1959 | January 3, 1967 | Democratic | Glenn M. Anderson | 2 |
| 33 | Ronald Reagan | January 3, 1967 | January 6, 1975 | Republican | Robert Finch | 2 |
| Edwin Reinecke | ||||||
| John L. Harmer | ||||||
| 34 | Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. | January 6, 1975 | January 3, 1983 | Democratic | Mervyn M. Dymally | 2 |
| Michael Curb | ||||||
| 35 | George Deukmejian | January 3, 1983 | January 7, 1991 | Republican | Leo T. McCarthy | 2 |
| 36 | Pete Wilson | January 7, 1991 | January 4, 1999 | Republican | Leo T. McCarthy | 2 |
| Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis | ||||||
| 37 | Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis | January 4, 1999 | November 17, 2003 | Democratic | Cruz Bustamante | 1½ |
| 38 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | November 17, 2003 | incumbent | Republican | Cruz Bustamante | 1½ |
| John Garamendi | ||||||
| Abel Maldonado | ||||||
Other High Offices Held
| Governor | Gubernatorial Term | U.S. House | U.S. Senate | Other Offices Held |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Bigler | 1852–1856 | — | — | U.S. Minister to Chile |
| .John B. Weller | 1858–1860 | — | S | U.S. Representative from Ohio, U.S. Minister to Mexico |
| Milton Latham | 1860 | H | S* | |
| Leland Stanford | 1862–1863 | — | S | |
| Frederick Low | 1863–1867 | H | — | U.S. Minister to the Great Qing Empire |
| Newton Booth | 1871–1875 | — | S* | |
| Romualdo Pacheco | 1875 | H | — | U.S. Minister to Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua |
| George Clement Perkins | 1880–1883 | — | S | |
| Henry Markham | 1891–1895 | H | — | |
| James Budd | 1895–1899 | H | — | |
| Henry Gage | 1899–1903 | — | — | U.S. Minister to Portugal |
| James Gillett | 1907–1911 | H† | — | |
| Hiram Johnson | 1911–1917 | — | S* | |
| William Stephens | 1917–1923 | H | — | |
| Earl Warren | 1943–1953 | — | — | Chief Justice of the United States* |
| Ronald Reagan | 1967–1975 | — | — | President of the United States |
| Pete Wilson | 1991–1999 | — | S |
Living Former Governors
| Governor | Gubernatorial Term | Date of Birth |
|---|---|---|
| Jerry Brown | 1975–1983 | April 7, 1938 (1938-04-07) (age 72) |
| George Deukmejian | 1983–1991 | June 6, 1928 (1928-06-06) (age 82) |
| Pete Wilson | 1991–1999 | August 23, 1933 (1933-08-23) (age 76) |
| Gray Davis | 1999–2003 | December 26, 1942 (1942-12-26) (age 67) |
California State Senators
| Aanestad, Sam Alquist, Elaine Ashburn, Roy Calderon, Ron Cedillo, Gilbert Cogdill, Dave Corbett, Ellen Correa, Lou Cox, Dave |
Denham, Jeff DeSaulnier, Mark Ducheny, Denise Moreno Dutton, Robert D. Emmerson, Bill Florez, Dean Hancock, Loni Harman, Tom Hollingsworth, Dennis Huff, Bob Kehoe, Christine |
Leno, Mark Liu, Carol Lowenthal, Alan S. Negrete McLeod, Gloria Oropeza, Jenny Padilla, Alex Pavley, Fran Price, Curren Romero, Gloria Runner, George |
Simitian, Joe Steinberg, Darrell Strickland, Tony Walters, Mimi Wiggins, Patricia Wolk, Lois Wright, Roderick Wyland, Mark Yee, Leland Vacant, SD15 |
List of United States Senators from California
Class 1
| # | Senator | Party | Took office | Left office | Other offices | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John C. Frémont | Democratic | September 10, 1850 | March 4, 1851 | First Republican nominee for President (1856) Governor of Arizona Territory (1878–1881) |
1 |
| 2 | John B. Weller | Democratic | January 30, 1852 | March 4, 1857 | Governor of California (1858–1860) Minister to Mexico (1860–1861) |
2 |
| 3 | David C. Broderick | Democratic | March 4, 1857 | September 16, 1859 | 3 | |
| Vacant | September 16, 1859 | November 3, 1859 | ||||
| 4 | Henry P. Haun | Democratic | November 3, 1859 | March 4, 1860 | ||
| 5 | Milton Latham | Democratic | March 5, 1860 | March 4, 1863 | Governor of California (1859–1860) |
|
| 6 | John Conness | Republican | March 4, 1863 | March 4, 1869 | 4 | |
| 7 | Eugene Casserly | Democratic | March 4, 1869 | November 29, 1873 | 5 | |
| Vacant | November 29, 1873 | December 24, 1873 | ||||
| 8 | John S. Hager | Democratic | December 24, 1873 | March 4, 1875 | ||
| 9 | Newton Booth | Anti-Monopoly | March 4, 1875 | March 4, 1881 | Governor of California (1871–1874) |
6 |
| 10 | John Franklin Miller | Republican | March 4, 1881 | March 8, 1886 | 7 | |
| Vacant | March 8, 1886 | March 23, 1886 | ||||
| 11 | George Hearst | Democratic | March 23, 1886 | August 4, 1886 | ||
| 12 | Abram P. Williams | Republican | August 4, 1886 | March 4, 1887 | ||
| 13 | George Hearst | Democratic | March 4, 1887 | February 28, 1891 | 8 | |
| Vacant | February 28, 1891 | March 19, 1891 | ||||
| 14 | Charles N. Felton | Republican | March 19, 1891 | March 4, 1893 | ||
| 15 | Stephen M. White | Democratic | March 4, 1893 | March 4, 1899 | 9 | |
| Vacant | March 4, 1899 | February 7, 1900 | 10 | |||
| 16 | Thomas R. Bard | Republican | February 7, 1900 | March 4, 1905 | ||
| 17 | Frank P. Flint | Republican | March 4, 1905 | March 4, 1911 | 11 | |
| 18 | John D. Works | Republican | March 4, 1911 | March 4, 1917 | 12 | |
| 19 | Hiram Johnson | Republican | March 16, 1917 | August 6, 1945 | Governor of California (1911–1917) |
13 |
| 14 | ||||||
| 15 | ||||||
| 16 | ||||||
| 17 | ||||||
| Vacant | August 6, 1945 | August 26, 1945 | ||||
| 20 | William F. Knowland | Republican | August 26, 1945 | January 3, 1959 | Senate Republican Leader (1953–1959) |
|
| 18 | ||||||
| 19 | ||||||
| 21 | Clair Engle | Democratic | January 3, 1959 | July 30, 1964 | 20 | |
| Vacant | July 30, 1964 | August 4, 1964 | ||||
| 22 | Pierre Salinger | Democratic | August 4, 1964 | December 31, 1964 | White House Press Secretary (1961–1964) |
|
| 23 | George Murphy | Republican | January 1, 1965 | January 2, 1971 | ||
| 21 | ||||||
| 24 | John V. Tunney | Democratic | January 2, 1971 | January 2, 1977 | ||
| 22 | ||||||
| 25 | S. I. Hayakawa | Republican | January 2, 1977 | January 3, 1983 | ||
| 23 | ||||||
| 26 | Pete Wilson | Republican | January 3, 1983 | January 7, 1991 | Mayor of San Diego (1971–1983) Governor of California (1991–1999) |
24 |
| 26 | ||||||
| 27 | John F. Seymour | Republican | January 7, 1991 | November 10, 1992 | ||
| 28 | Dianne Feinstein | Democratic | November 10, 1992 | Incumbent | Mayor of San Francisco (1978–1988) |
|
| 25 | ||||||
| 26 | ||||||
| 27 | ||||||
Class 3
| # | Senator | Party | Took office | Left office | Other offices | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William M. Gwin | Democratic | September 10, 1850 | March 4, 1855 | 1 | |
| Vacant | March 4, 1855 | January 13, 1857 | 2 | |||
| William M. Gwin | January 13, 1857 | March 4, 1861 | ||||
| 2 | James A. McDougall | Democratic | March 4, 1861 | March 4, 1867 | Illinois Attorney General (1842–1846) California Attorney General (1850–1851) |
3 |
| 3 | Cornelius Cole | Republican | March 4, 1867 | March 4, 1873 | 4 | |
| 4 | Aaron A. Sargent | Republican | March 4, 1873 | March 4, 1879 | Minister to Germany (1882–1884) |
5 |
| 5 | James T. Farley | Democratic | March 4, 1879 | March 4, 1885 | California Assembly Speaker (1856) California Senate President pro tem (1871–1872) |
6 |
| 6 | Leland Stanford | Republican | March 4, 1885 | June 21, 1893 | Governor of California (1861–1863) |
7 |
| 8 | ||||||
| Vacant | June 21, 1893 | July 26, 1893 | ||||
| 7 | George Clement Perkins | Republican | July 26, 1893 | March 4, 1915 | Governor of California (1879–1883) |
|
| 9 | ||||||
| 10 | ||||||
| 11 | ||||||
| 8 | James D. Phelan | Democratic | March 4, 1915 | March 4, 1921 | Mayor of San Francisco (1897–1902) |
12 |
| 9 | Samuel M. Shortridge | Republican | March 4, 1921 | March 4, 1933 | 13 | |
| 14 | ||||||
| 10 | William Gibbs McAdoo | Democratic | March 4, 1933 | November 8, 1938 | Treasury Secretary (1913–1918) |
15 |
| 11 | Thomas M. Storke | Democratic | November 9, 1938 | January 3, 1939 | ||
| 12 | Sheridan Downey | Democratic | January 3, 1939 | November 30, 1950 | 16 | |
| 17 | ||||||
| 13 | Richard Nixon | Republican | December 1, 1950 | January 1, 1953 | Vice President of the United States (1953–1961) President of the United States (1969–1974) |
|
| 18 | ||||||
| 14 | Thomas Kuchel | Republican | January 2, 1953 | January 3, 1969 | Senate Minority Whip (1959–1969) California Controller (1946–1953) |
|
| 19 | ||||||
| 20 | ||||||
| 15 | Alan Cranston | Democratic | January 3, 1969 | January 3, 1993 | Senate Democratic Whip (1977–1991) California Controller (1959–1967) |
21 |
| 22 | ||||||
| 23 | ||||||
| 24 | ||||||
| 16 | Barbara Boxer | Democratic | January 3, 1993 | Incumbent | 25 | |
| 26 | ||||||
| 27 | ||||||
