Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gray Davis with President George W. Bush (2003)

The Governor of California is the highest executive authority in the state government, whose responsibilities include making yearly "State of the State" addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, attending a grand meeting with all the legislators at least once a month, diligently working to ensure that state laws are enforced, and abides by the two Constitutions that enable this country and state to work (the California State Constitution and the Constitution of the United States).

The office of Governor of California was created in 1850, after California became a formal state in the American union. Previously, there had been American military governors of the Californian territory, as well as a President of the short-lived California Republic.

The current governor is Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, who was elected on October 7, 2003 to complete recalled Democratic Governor Gray Davis's term, which lasts until January 8, 2007. The next gubernatorial election is scheduled for June 6, 2006 to determine which candidates shall be on the November 7, 2006 ballot for the term lasting from January 8, 2007 to January 4, 2011.

See also: List of Governors of California

Gubernatorial powers

The governor has the power to veto legislation, override certain legislation, can veto particular items from appropriations bills while leaving others intact (see line-item veto). Law-enforcement powers include the ability to grant pardons and commute sentences. The governor is not a commander of any militia it is not ethical or politically correct for the governor to do so. Yet the governor must respect the rights of the People (as stated in the 2nd Amendment) that allow the public domain to have militia's organized properly within the state as per the Constitution of the United States. (The state, county and local law enforcement officials are not militia.)

Gubernatorial elections

Leland Stanford
8th Governor
(1861-1863)

Governors are elected by the majority vote of those voters voting within the state during an election for the office, and serve terms of four years when they prevail, with a limit of two terms. The California Constitution provides that all the powers of the governor fall to the lieutenant governor whenever the governor is not in the State of California, with the lieutenant governor often signing or vetoing legislation, or making political appointments, whenever the governor leaves the state. Governors take office on the first Monday after the January 1 after their election.

Gubernatorial recall

If a governor is challenged, by any group of citizens within a state, prior to the next scheduled gubernatorial election, the state can hold a recall election to remove a governor, provided enough signatures are collected and all are verified by the election recorder's office, also each signator must be a valid registered voter. Any governor in California can be replaced (which includes the current standing governor) with an impeachment process of the state legislators regardless of any election held such as a recall.

Main article: 2003 California recall

In the 2003 California recall, Governor Davis was recalled, in the first ever invocation of the gubernatorial recall process. Davis was challenged by hundreds of other candidates on the ballot; Schwarznegger emerged as the primary Republican candidate and prevailed in the balloting. Interestingly, none of the seven Republican candidates from the 2002 gubernatorial election, Bill Simon, Bill Jones, Richard Riordan, Edie Bukewihge, and three others, ran in the recall election.

Gubernatorial facts

Age and longevity

• Between the births of John Bigler in 1807 and Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1947, future California Governors have been born in every decade except the 1880s.
• Between the deaths of John McDougal in 1866 and Ronald Reagan in 2004, Governors have died in every decade except two: the 1910s and the 1980s.
• Peter Burnett had the longest post-governorship, 44 years. He left office in 1851 and died in 1895.
• Excluding Governors who died in office, Robert Waterman had the shortest post-governorship. He died on April 12, 1881, a mere 3 months and 4 days after the expiration of his term.
• Sworn in at the age of 31, J. Neely Johnson was the youngest Governor.
• Sworn in at the age of 69, Frank Merriam was the oldest Governor.
• Earl Warren was the only Governor to serve more than 8 years in office (1943–1953)
• Milton Latham served the shortest term in office of 5 days (January 9–January 14, 1860)
• Two Governors were born in foreign countries:
  • John G. Downey in Ireland
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger in Austria
• Two Governors have died in office:
  • Washington Bartlett in 1887
  • James Rolph in 1934
• Ronald Reagan had the longest life-span of any governor, 93 years.
• John McDougal had the shortest life-span of any governor, 48 years.

Transition events

• Five Governors have resigned:
  • Peter Burnett in 1851 "as a result of certain personal prejudices" in favor of slavery [1]
  • Milton Latham in 1860 to become a United States Senator
  • Newton Booth in 1875 to become a United States Senator
  • Hiram Johnson in 1917 to become a United States Senator
  • Earl Warren in 1953 to become Chief Justice of the United States
• One Governor has been recalled:
  • Gray Davis in 2003
• Seven Governors took office without being elected to the Governor's seat, having been elected as Lieutenant Governor and then ascending from that position:
  • Four of them did not run to succeed themselves, and were never elected Governor:
    • John McDougall in 1851
    • John G. Downey in 1860
    • Romualdo Pacheco in 1875
    • Robert Waterman in 1887
  • The other three later ran for Governor, and were elected to succeed themselves as Governor:
    • William Stephens in 1917
    • Frank Merriam in 1934
    • Goodwin Knight in 1953

External links

• Official site of Governor's office
• List of candidates and Parties that ran in the Election of the Governor of California
• Election and Voter Information