Everything about California United States totally explained
California is a
state on the
West Coast of the
United States, along the
Pacific Ocean. It is the
most populous U.S. state. Its four largest cities are
Los Angeles,
San Diego,
San Jose, and
San Francisco. It is known for its varied climate and geography as well as its
diverse population.
The area known as
Alta California was colonized by the
Spanish Empire beginning in the late 18
th century. It and the rest of
Mexico became an independent republic in 1821. In 1846 California broke away from Mexico, and after the
Mexican-American War, Mexico ceded California to the United States. It was admitted to the Union on
September 9,
1850.
It is the third-largest U.S. state by land area. Its geography ranges from the Pacific coast to the
Sierra Nevada mountains in the east, to
desert areas in the southeast and the
forests of the northwest. The center of the state is dominated by the
Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world.
The
California Gold Rush began in 1848, dramatically changing California with a large influx of people and an economic boom. The early 20th century was marked by Los Angeles becoming the center of the entertainment industry, in addition to the growth of a large tourism sector in the state. Along with California's prosperous
agricultural industry, other industries include aerospace, petroleum, and computer and information technology. California ranks among the ten
largest economies in the world, and were it a separate country, it would be 34th among the most
populous countries, just behind
Poland, as well as the world's sixth-largest economy.
Etymology
The word
California originally referred to the entire region composed of the current U.S. state of California, plus all or parts of
Nevada,
Utah,
Arizona, and
Wyoming, and the Mexican peninsula now known as
Baja California.
The name
California is most commonly believed to have derived from a storied paradise peopled by
black Amazons and ruled by
Queen Califia. The myth of Califia is recorded in a 1510 work
The Exploits of Esplandian, written as a sequel to
Amadís de Gaula by Spanish adventure writer
García Ordóñez Rodríguez de Montalvo. The kingdom of Queen Califia, according to Montalvo, was said to be a remote land inhabited by
griffins and other strange beasts and rich in
gold.
Geography and environment
Pacific Ocean,
Oregon,
Nevada,
Arizona, and the
Mexican state of
Baja California. With an area of 160,000 mi² (411,000 km²) it's the third
largest state in the United States in size, after Alaska and Texas. If it were a country, California would be the 59th
largest in the world, between
Iraq and
Paraguay.
In the middle of the state lies the
California Central Valley, bounded by the
coastal mountain ranges in the west, the
Sierra Nevada to the east, the
Cascade Range in the north and the
Tehachapi Mountains in the south. The Central Valley is California's agricultural heartland and grows approximately one-third of the nation's food. Divided in two by the
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the northern portion, the
Sacramento Valley serves as the watershed of the
Sacramento River, while the southern portion, the
San Joaquin Valley is the watershed for the
San Joaquin River; both areas derive their names from the rivers that transit them. With dredging, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin Rivers have remained sufficiently deep that several inland cities are
seaports. The
Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta serves as a critical water supply hub for the state. Water is routed through an extensive network of canals and pumps out of the delta, that traverse nearly the length of the state, including the Central Valley Project, and the State Water Project. Water from the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta provides drinking water for nearly 23 million people, almost two-thirds of the state's population, and provides water to farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The
Channel Islands are located off the
southern coast.
The Sierra Nevada (
Spanish for "snowy range") include the highest peak in the contiguous forty-eight states,
Mount Whitney, at 14,505 ft (4,421 m). The range embraces
Yosemite Valley, famous for its glacially carved domes, and
Sequoia National Park, home to the
giant sequoia trees, the largest living organisms on Earth, and the deep freshwater lake,
Lake Tahoe, the largest lake in the state by volume.
The state is home to
Mount Whitney, the highest point in the
contiguous United States, as well as the second lowest and hottest place in the Western Hemisphere,
Death Valley.
To the east of the Sierra Nevada are
Owens Valley and
Mono Lake, an essential
migratory bird habitat. In the western part of the state is
Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake by area entirely in California. Though Lake Tahoe is larger, it's divided by the California/Nevada border. The Sierra Nevada falls to Arctic temperatures in winter and has several dozen small glaciers, including
Palisade Glacier, the southernmost glacier in the United States.
About 35% of the state's total surface area is covered by forests, and California's diversity of pine species is unmatched by any other state. California contains more forestland than any other state except Alaska. Many of the trees in the
California White Mountains are the oldest in the world; one
Bristlecone pine has an age of 4,700 years.
In the south is a large inland salt lake, the
Salton Sea. Deserts in California make up about 25% of the total surface area. The south-central desert is called the
Mojave; to the northeast of the Mojave lies
Death Valley, which contains the lowest, hottest point in
North America,
Badwater Flat. The distance from the lowest point of Death Valley to the peak of Mount Whitney is less than 200 miles (322 km). Indeed, almost all of southeastern California is arid, hot desert, with routine extreme high temperatures during the summer.
Along the California coast are several major metropolitan areas, including
Greater Los Angeles, the
San Francisco Bay Area, and
San Diego.
California is famous for s due to a number of faults, in particular the
San Andreas Fault. It is vulnerable to
tsunamis,
floods,
droughts,
Santa Ana winds, s, and
landslides on steep terrain, and has several .
Climate
California climate varies from
Mediterranean to
subarctic. Much of the state has a
Mediterranean climate, with cool, rainy winters and dry summers. The cool
California Current offshore often creates summer
fog near the coast. Further inland, one encounters colder winters and hotter summers.
Northern parts of the state average higher annual rainfall than the south. California's mountain ranges influence the climate as well: some of the rainiest parts of the state are west-facing mountain slopes. Northwestern California has a
temperate climate, and the Central Valley has a Mediterranean climate but with greater temperature extremes than the coast. The high mountains, including the
Sierra Nevada, have a
mountain climate with
snow in winter and mild to moderate heat in summer.
The east side of California's mountains has a drier
rain shadow. The low deserts east of the southern California mountains experience hot summers and nearly frostless mild winters; the higher elevation deserts of
eastern California see hot summers and cold winters. In
Death Valley, the highest temperature in the
Western Hemisphere, 134 °F (56.6 °C), was recorded
July 10,
1913.
Ecology
Ecologically, California is one of the richest and most diverse parts of the world and includes some of the most endangered ecological communities. California is part of the
Nearctic ecozone and spans a number of
terrestrial ecoregions.
California's large number of
endemic species includes
relict species which have died out elsewhere, such as the Catalina Ironwood (
Lyonothamnus floribundus). Many other endemics originated through differentiation or
adaptive radiation, whereby multiple species develop from a common ancestor to take advantage of diverse ecological conditions such as the California lilac (
Ceanothus). Many California endemics have become endangered, as
urbanization,
logging,
overgrazing, and the introduction of
exotic species have encroached on their habitat.
California boasts several superlatives in its collection of flora; the
largest trees, the
tallest trees, and the
oldest trees. California's native grasses are
perennial plants. After European contact, these were generally replaced by
invasive species of European annual grasses; and, in modern times, California's hills turn a characteristic golden brown in summer.
Rivers
Arguably, the two most prominent rivers within California are the
Sacramento River and the
San Joaquin River, which drain the Central Valley and flow to the
Pacific Ocean through
San Francisco Bay. Two other important rivers are the
Klamath River, in the north, and the
Colorado River, on the southeast border.
Protected areas
History
Settled by successive waves of arrivals during the last 10,000 years, California was one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in pre-Columbian
North America; the area was inhabited by more than
70 distinct groups of
Native Americans. Large, settled populations lived on the coast and hunted sea mammals, fished for salmon, and gathered shellfish, while groups in the interior hunted terrestrial game and gathered nuts, acorns, and berries. California groups also were diverse in their political organization with bands, tribes, villages, and on the resource-rich coasts, large chiefdoms, such as the
Chumash,
Pomo and
Salinan. Trade, intermarriage, and military alliances fostered many social and economic relationships among the diverse groups.
The first European to explore the coast as far north as the
Russian River was the Portuguese
João Rodrigues Cabrilho, in 1542, sailing for the
Spanish Empire. Some 37 years later, the
English explorer
Francis Drake also explored and claimed an undefined portion of the California coast in 1579. Spanish traders made unintended visits with the
Manila Galleons on their return trips from the
Philippines beginning in 1565.
Sebastián Vizcaíno explored and mapped the coast of California in 1602 for
New Spain.
Spanish
missionaries began setting up twenty-one
California Missions along the coast of what became known as
Alta California (Upper California), together with small towns and
presidios. The first
mission in Alta California was established at
San Diego in 1769. In 1821, the
Mexican War of Independence gave
Mexico (including California), independence from Spain; for the next twenty-five years,
Alta California remained a remote northern province of the nation of Mexico. Cattle ranches, or
ranchos, emerged as the dominant institutions of Mexican California. After Mexican independence from Spain, the
chain of missions became the property of the Mexican government and were
secularized by 1832. The ranchos developed under ownership by
Californios (Spanish-speaking Californians) who had received land grants and traded cowhides and tallow with
Boston merchants.
Beginning in the 1820s, trappers and settlers from the United States and Canada began to arrive in Northern California, harbingers of the great changes that would later sweep the Mexican territory. These new arrivals used the
Siskiyou Trail,
California Trail,
Oregon Trail, and
Old Spanish Trail to cross the rugged mountains and harsh deserts surrounding California. In this period,
Imperial Russia explored the California coast and established a trading post at
Fort Ross.
In 1846, settlers rebelled against Mexican rule during the
Bear Flag Revolt. Afterwards, rebels raised the
Bear Flag (featuring a bear, a star, a red stripe, and the words "California Republic") at Sonoma.
The Republic's first and only president was
William B. Ide, who played a pivotal role during the
Bear Flag Revolt. His term lasted twenty-five days and concluded when California was occupied by U.S. forces during the
Mexican-American War.
The California Republic was short lived. The same year marked the outbreak of the
Mexican-American War (1846-1848). When Commodore
John D. Sloat of the
United States Navy sailed into
Monterey Bay and began the military occupation of California by the
United States. Northern California capitulated in less than a month to the U.S. forces.
Following a series of defensive battles in
Southern California, including The
Siege of Los Angeles, the
Battle of Dominguez Rancho, the
Battle of San Pascual, the
Battle of Rio San Gabriel, and the
Battle of La Mesa, the
Treaty of Cahuenga was signed by the
Californios on
January 13,
1847, securing American control in California.
Following the
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the war, the region was divided between Mexico and the United States; the western territory of Alta California, was to become the U.S. state of California, and Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Utah became U.S. Territories, while the lower region of California,
Baja California, remained in the possession of
Mexico.
In 1848, the non-native population of California has been estimated to be no more than 15,000. But after gold was discovered, the population burgeoned with U.S. citizens, Europeans, and other immigrants during the great
California Gold Rush. On
September 9,
1850, as part of the
Compromise of 1850, California was admitted to the
United States as a
free state (one in which slavery was prohibited).
The seat of government for California under Mexican rule was located at
Monterey from 1777 until 1835, when Mexican authorities abandoned California, leaving their missions and military forts behind. In 1849, the Constitutional Convention was first held there. Among the duties was the task of determining the location for the new State capital. The first legislative sessions were held in
San Jose (1850-1851). Subsequent locations included
Vallejo (1852-1853), and nearby
Benicia (1853-1854), although these locations eventually proved to be inadequate as well. The capital has been located in
Sacramento since 1854.
Travel between California and the central and eastern parts of the United States was time-consuming and dangerous. A more direct connection came in 1869 with the completion of the
First Transcontinental Railroad through
Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains. After this rail link was established, hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens came west, where new Californians were discovering that land in the state, if irrigated during the dry summer months, was extremely well-suited to fruit cultivation and agriculture in general. Vast expanses of wheat and other cereal crops, vegetable crops, cotton, and nut and fruit trees were grown (including oranges in Southern California), and the foundation was laid for the state's prodigious agricultural production in the Central Valley and elsewhere.
During the early 20th century, migration to California accelerated with the completion of major transcontinental highways like the
Lincoln Highway and
Route 66. In the period from 1900 to 1965, the population grew from fewer than one million to become the most populous state in the Union. From 1965 to the present, the population changed radically and became one of the most diverse in the world. The state is regarded as a world center of technology and engineering businesses, of the entertainment and music industries, and as the U.S. center of agricultural production.
Demographics
Population
By 2007, California's population is estimated to have reached 37,700,000, making it the most populated state, and is the 13th fastest-growing state. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 1,909,368 people (that is 3,375,297 births minus 1,465,929 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 774,198 people into the state.
Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 1,724,790 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 950,592.
California is the second most populous state of the
Americas, exceeded only by
São Paulo State,
Brazil. More than 12 percent of U.S. citizens live in California and its population is greater than that of all but 34 countries of the world.
California has eight of the top 50 US cities in terms of population.
Los Angeles is the nation's second-largest city with a population of 3,849,378 people, followed by
San Diego (8th),
San Jose (10th),
San Francisco (14th),
Long Beach (34th),
Fresno (36th),
Sacramento (37th) and
Oakland (44th).
Los Angeles County has held the title of most populous county for decades, and is more populous than 42 US states.
The
center of population of California is at the town of
Buttonwillow in
Kern County.
Racial and ancestral makeup
According to the 2006 ACS Estimates, California's population is:
California has the largest population of
White Americans in the U.S., an estimated 21,810,156 residents. The fifth largest population of
African Americans in the U.S., an estimated 2,260,648 residents. California's Asian population is estimated at 4.5 million, approximately one-third of the nation's 14.9 million Asian Americans. California's Native American population of 376,093 is the most of any state.
According to estimates from 2006, California has the largest
minority population in the United States, making up 57% of the state population. Non-Hispanic whites slipped from 80% of the state's population in 1970 to 43% in 2006. While the population of minorities accounts for 100.7 million of 300 million U.S. residents, 21% of the national total live in California.
Languages
As of 2000, 60.52% of California residents age five and older spoke
English as a
first language at home, while 25.80% spoke
Spanish. In addition to English and Spanish, 2.44% spoke
Chinese (which included
Cantonese [0.48%] and
Mandarin [0.29%]), 1.99% spoke
Filipino (most are native speakers of Ilokano, Cebuano, Tagalog, Pangasinan and Kapampangan), 1.29% spoke
Vietnamese, and 0.94% spoke
Korean as their
mother tongue. In total, 39.47% of the population spoke languages other than English. Over 200 languages are known to be spoken and read in California.
Including, California is viewed as one of the most linguistically diverse areas in the world (the indigenous languages were derived from 64 root languages in 6 language families). About half of the indigenous languages are no longer spoken, and all of California's living indigenous languages are
endangered, although there are now some efforts toward
language revitalization.
The
official language of California has been
English since the passage of
Proposition 63 in 1986. However, many state, city, and local government agencies still continue to print official public documents in numerous languages.
Religion
The state has the most
Roman Catholics of any state and a large Protestant population, a large
American Jewish community, and an
American Muslim population.
With a
Jewish population estimated at more than 550,000, Los Angeles is the second-largest Jewish community in North America.
California also has the largest Muslim community population in the United States, an estimated 3.4% of the population, mostly residing in Southern California. According to figures, approximately 100,000 Muslims reside in
San Diego.
As the twentieth century came to a close, forty percent of all Buddhists in America resided in Southern California. The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area has become unique in the Buddhist world as the only place where representative organizations of every major school of Buddhism can be found in a single urban center." The
City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Northern California and
Hsi Lai Temple in Southern California are two of the largest Buddhist temples in the Western Hemisphere. It also has a growing Hindu population.
California also has more
Temples of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints than any state except
Utah.
Economy
As of 2006, the
gross state product (GSP) is about $1.727
trillion, the largest in the United States. California is responsible for 13% of the United States
gross domestic product (GDP).
As of 2006, California's GDP is larger than all but eight countries in the world (and all but eleven countries by
Purchasing Power Parity). California is facing a $16 billion
budget deficit for the 2008-09 budget year.
California is also the home of several significant economic regions, such as
Hollywood (entertainment), the
California Central Valley (
agriculture), the
Silicon Valley and
Tech Coast (
computers and
high tech), and
wine producing regions, such as the
Napa Valley,
Sonoma Valley and Southern California's
Santa Barbara and
Paso Robles areas.
The predominant industry, more than twice as large as the next, is
agriculture, (including
fruit,
vegetables,
dairy, and
wine). This is followed by
aerospace;
entertainment, primarily
television by dollar volume, although many
movies are still made in California;
music production and
recording studios; light manufacturing, including
computer hardware and
software; and the
mining of
borax.
Oil drilling has played a significant role in the development of the state.
Per capita personal income was $38,956 as of 2006, ranking 11
th in the nation. Per capita income varies widely by geographic region and profession. The Central Valley is the most impoverished, with
migrant farm workers making less than
minimum wage. Recently, the
San Joaquin Valley was characterized as one of the most economically depressed regions in the U.S., on par with the region of
Appalachia.
Many coastal cities include some of the wealthiest per-capita areas in the U.S. The high-technology sectors in Northern California, specifically
Silicon Valley, in
Santa Clara and
San Mateo counties, are currently emerging from economic downturn caused by the
dot.com bust, which caused the loss of over 250,000 jobs in Northern California alone. As of spring 2005, economic growth has resumed in California at 4.3%.
California levies a 9.3% maximum variable rate
income tax, with 6
tax brackets. It collects about $40 billion per year in income taxes. California's combined state, county and local sales tax rate is from 7.25 to 8.75%. The rate varies throughout the state at the local level. In all, it collects about $28 billion in sales taxes per year. All
real property is taxable annually, the tax based on the property's fair market value at the time of purchase. This tax doesn't increase based on a rise in real property values (see
Proposition 13). California collects $33 billion in property taxes per year.
Energy
Resources and consumption
California’s crude oil and
natural gas deposits are located in six geological basins in the
Central Valley and along the coast. California has more than one dozen of the United State’s largest
oil fields, including the
Midway-Sunset Oil Field, the second largest oil field in the contiguous United States. California’s
hydroelectric power potential ranks second in the United States (behind
Washington State), and substantial
geothermal and
wind power resources are found along the coastal mountain ranges and the eastern border with
Nevada. High
solar power potential is found in southeastern California’s
deserts.
California is the most populous state in the nation, but its total energy demand is second to the state of
Texas. Although California is a leader in some energy-intensive industries, the state has one of the lowest per capita
energy consumption rates in the
country. This is in spite of the fact that more
motor vehicles are registered in California than any other state, and worker
commute times are among the longest in the country.
Petroleum
California’s
crude oil output accounts for more than one-tenth of total U.S. production. Drilling operations are concentrated primarily in
Kern County and the
Los Angeles basin. Although there's also substantial offshore oil and gas production, there's a permanent moratorium on new offshore oil and gas leasing in California waters and a deferral of leasing in Federal waters.
California ranks third in the United States in petroleum
refining capacity and accounts for more than one-tenth of total U.S. capacity. In addition to oil from California, California’s refineries process crude oil from
Alaska and foreign suppliers. The refineries are configured to produce cleaner
fuels, including reformulated motor
gasoline and low-sulfur
diesel, to meet strict Federal and State
environmental regulations.
Most California motorists are required to use a special motor gasoline blend called California Clean Burning Gasoline (CA CBG). By 2004, California completed a transition from methyl tertiary butyl-ether (MTBE) to ethanol as a gasoline oxygenate additive, making California the largest ethanol fuel market in the United States. There are four ethanol production plants in central and southern California, but most of California’s ethanol supply is transported from other states or abroad.
Natural gas
California
natural gas production typically is less than 2 percent of total annual U.S. production and satisfies less than one-fifth of state demand. California receives most of its natural gas by
pipeline from production regions in the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest, and western Canada.
Electricity
Natural gas-fired
power plants typically account for more than one-half of State electricity generation. California is one of the largest
hydroelectric power producers in the United States, and with adequate rainfall, hydroelectric power typically accounts for close to one-fifth of State electricity generation. Due to strict emission laws, only a few small coal-fired power plants operate in California.
The
Mojave Desert is one of the best sites in the United States for solar power plants. Solar
insolation is very high and significant population centers are located in the area. Two prototype systems known as
"Solar One" and "Solar Two" produced 10 MW each when they were in operation.
California’s two
nuclear power plants account for almost one-fifth of total generation, these are:
Diablo Canyon Power Plant: 2 reactors. Operated and owned by Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station : 2 reactors. Operated by Southern California Edison with various owners (SCE; San Diego Gas and Electric; City of Anaheim and the City of Riverside).
California leads the United States in electricity generation from nonhydroelectric renewable energy sources, such as wind, geothermal, solar energy, fuel wood, and municipal solid waste/landfill gas resources. A facility known as “The Geysers,” located in the Mayacamas Mountains north of San Francisco, is the largest group of geothermal power plants in the world, with more than 750 megawatts of installed capacity.
Due to high electricity demand, California imports more electricity than any other state, primarily hydroelectric power from states in the Pacific Northwest (via Path 15 and Path 66) and coal- and natural gas-fired production from the desert Southwest via Path 46.
Transportation
freeways, expressways, and highways. California is known for its car culture, giving California's cities a reputation for severe traffic congestion. Construction and maintenance of state roads and statewide transportation planning are primarily the responsibility of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).
One of the state's more visible landmarks, the Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937. With its orange paint and panoramic views of the bay, this highway bridge is a popular tourist attraction and also accommodates pedestrians and bicyclists. It is simultaneously designated as U.S. Route 101 which is part of the El Camino Real (Spanish for Royal Road or King's Highway), and State Route 1 which is also known as the Pacific Coast Highway. Another of the seven bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area is the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, completed in 1936. This bridge transports approximately 280,000 vehicles per day on two-decks, with its two sections meeting at Yerba Buena Island.
Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport are major hubs for trans-Pacific and transcontinental traffic. There are about a dozen important commercial airports and many more general aviation airports throughout the state.
California also has several important seaports. The giant seaport complex formed by the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach in Southern California is the largest in the country and responsible for handling about a fourth of all container cargo traffic in the United States. The Port of Oakland, fourth largest in the nation, handles trade from the Pacific Rim and delivers most of the ocean containers passing through Northern California to the entire USA.
Intercity rail travel is provided by Amtrak. Los Angeles and San Francisco both have subway networks, in addition to light rail. Metrolink commuter rail and Metro Rail part of METRO serves much of Southern California, and BART and Caltrain commuter rail connect Bay Area suburbs to San Francisco. San Jose and Sacramento have light rail, and San Diego has Trolley light rail and Coaster commuter rail services. Nearly all counties operate bus lines, and many cities operate their own bus lines as well. Intercity bus travel is provided by Greyhound and Amtrak bus services.
The rapidly growing population of the state is straining all of its transportation networks. A regularly recurring issue in California politics is whether the state should continue to aggressively expand its freeway network or concentrate on improving mass transit networks in urban areas.
The California High Speed Rail Authority was created in 1996 by the state to implement an extensive 700 mile (1127 km) rail system. Construction is pending approval of the voters during the November 2008 general election, in which a $9 billion state bond would have to be approved.
Government & politics
State government
California is governed as a republic, with three branches of government: the executive branch consisting of the Governor of California and the other independently elected constitutional officers; the legislative branch consisting of the Assembly and Senate; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of California and lower courts. The state also allows direct participation of the electorate by initiative, referendum, recall, and ratification. California follows a closed primary system. The state's capital is Sacramento.
Governor elections results>
| Year |
Republican |
Democratic |
| 2006 |
55.88% 4,850,157 |
38.91% 3,376,732 |
| 2002 |
42.41% 3,169,801 |
47.28% 3,533,490 |
| 1998 |
38.38% 3,216,749 |
57.97% 4,858,817 |
| 1994 |
55.18% 4,781,766 |
40.62% 3,519,799 |
| 1990 |
49.25% 3,791,904 |
45.78% 3,525,197 |
| 1986 |
61.25% 4,505,601 |
37.58% 2,781,714 |
The Governor of California and the other state constitutional officers serve four-year terms and may be re-elected only once. The California State Legislature consists of a 40 member Senate and 80 member Assembly. Senators serve four year terms and Assembly members two. Members of the Assembly are subject to term limits of three terms, and members of the Senate are subject to term limits of two terms.
For the 2007 — 2008 session, there are 48 Democrats and 32 Republicans in the Assembly. In the Senate, there are 25 Democrats and 15 Republicans. The current governor is Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was elected to a term that lasts through January 2011.
California's judiciary is the largest in the United States (with a total of 1,600 judges, while the federal system has only about 840). It is supervised by the seven Justices of the Supreme Court of California. Justices of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal are appointed by the Governor, but are subject to retention by the electorate every 12 years.
Federal politics
Presidential elections results>
| Year |
Republican |
Democratic |
| 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 |
California has an idiosyncratic political culture. It was the second state to legalize abortion and the second state to legalize marriage for gay couples. It was also the first state where voters decided that only marriage between a man and a woman would be recognized (legalized domestic partnerships were not approved by voters, but were made law by the state legislature).
Since 1990, California has generally elected Democratic candidates; however, the state has had little hesitance in electing Republican Governors, though many of its Republican Governors, such as the current Governor Schwarzenegger, tend to be considered "Moderate Republicans" and tend to be more liberal than the party itself.
Democratic strength is centered in coastal regions of Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area. The Democrats also hold a majority in Sacramento. The Republican strength is greatest in the San Joaquin Valley, which includes the growing cities of Stockton and Modesto. Orange County remains mostly Republican.
Overall, the trend in California politics has been towards the Democratic Party and away from the Republican Party. The trend is most obvious in presidential elections. Additionally, the Democrats have easily won every U.S. Senate race since 1992 and have maintained consistent majorities in both houses of the state legislature. In the U.S. House, the Democrats hold a 34-19 edge for the 110th United States Congress. The U.S senators are Dianne Feinstein (D), a native of San Francisco, and Barbara Boxer (D). The districts in California are assigned to voters in such a way that they were dominated by one or the other party with few districts that could be considered competitive. According to political analysts, California should soon gain three more seats, for a total of 58 electoral votes - the most electoral votes in the nation.
California state law
California's legal system is explicitly based on English common law (as is the case with all other states except Louisiana) but carries a few features from Spanish civil law, such as community property. Capital punishment is a legal form of punishment and the state has the largest "Death Row" population in the country (though Texas is far more active in carrying out executions). California's "Death Row" is currently located in San Quentin State Prison situated north of San Francisco in Marin County. Currently capital punishment is on hold in the courts in California.
Cities, towns and counties
» For lists of cities, towns, and counties in California, see List of cities in California (by population), List of cities in California, List of urbanized areas in California (by population), List of counties in California, and California locations by per capita income.
The state is divided into 58 counties.
California has 478 incorporated cities and towns, of which 456 are cities and 22 are towns. Under California law, the terms "city" and "town" are explicitly interchangeable; the name of an incorporated municipality in the state can either be "City of (Name)" or "Town of (Name)."
The majority of these cities and towns are within one of five metropolitan areas. Sixty-eight percent of California's population lives in its three largest metropolitan areas, Greater Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Riverside-San Bernardino Area, known as the Inland Empire. Although smaller, the other two large population centers are the San Diego and the Sacramento metro areas. California is home to the largest county in the contiguous United States by area, San Bernardino County.
The state recognizes two kinds of cities--charter and general law. General law cities owe their existence to state law and consequentially governed by it; charter cities are governed by their own city charters. Cities incorporated in the 19th century tend to be charter cities. All of the state's ten most populous cities are charter cities.
Education
California offers a unique three-tier system of public postsecondary education:
The preeminent research university system in the state is the University of California (UC) which employs more Nobel Prize laureates than any other institution in the world, and is considered one of the world's finest public university systems. There are ten general UC campuses, and a number of specialized campuses in the UC system.
The California State University (CSU) system has over 400,000 students, making it the largest university system in the United States. It is intended to accept the top one-third (1/3) of high school students. The CSU schools are primarily intended for undergraduate education.
The California Community Colleges system provides lower division courses. It is composed of 109 colleges, serving a student population of over 2.9 million.
California is also home to such notable private universities and colleges as Stanford University, the University of Southern California (USC), the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Occidental College, and the Claremont Colleges. California has hundreds of other private colleges and universities, including many religious and special-purpose institutions.
Public secondary education consists of high schools that teach elective courses in trades, languages, and liberal arts with tracks for gifted, college-bound and industrial arts students. California's public educational system is supported by a unique constitutional amendment that requires 40% of state revenues to be spent on education.
Sports
California hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley Ski Resort, the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, as well as the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
California has nineteen major professional sports league franchises, far more than any other state. The San Francisco Bay Area has seven major league teams spread in three cities, San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. While the Greater Los Angeles Area is home to ten major league franchises, it's also the largest metropolitan area not to have a team from the National Football League. San Diego has two major league teams, and Sacramento also has two.
Home to some of most prominent universities in the United States, California has long had many respected collegiate sports programs. In particular, the athletic programs of UC Berkeley, USC, UCLA, Stanford and Fresno State are often nationally ranked in the various collegiate sports. California is also home to the oldest college bowl game, the annual Rose Bowl, and the Holiday Bowl, among others.
Below is a list of major sports teams in California:
Further Information
Get more info on 'California United States'.
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