Lieutenant Governor of California
| Lieutenant Governor of California | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
.jpg) | |
| Government of California | |
| Style | Madam Lieutenant Governor (Informal) The Honorable (Formal) Madam President (When presiding over California Senate) |
| Member of | Constitutional California State Senate Statutory California Community Colleges Board of Governors California State Lands Commission California State University Board of Trustees University of California Board of Regents |
| Residence | None official |
| Seat | Sacramento, California California State Capitol |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of California |
| Inaugural holder | John McDougal 1849 |
| Succession | First (gubernatorial line of succession) |
| Salary | $130,490 |
| Website | Official website  |
The lieutenant governor of California is the second highest executive officer of the government of the U.S. state of California. The lieutenant governor is elected to serve a four-year term and can serve a maximum of two terms. In addition to largely ministerial roles, serving as acting governor in the absence of the governor of California and as President of the California State Senate, the lieutenant governor either sits on (or appoints representatives to) many of California's regulatory commissions and executive agencies.
California is one of seventeen states where the governor and lieutenant governor do not run as running mates on the same ticket: in California the governor and lieutenant governor are elected separately, although both are up for election in the same year every four years. As a result, California has frequently had a governor and a lieutenant governor of different parties.
California has had 41 lieutenant governors and five acting lieutenant governors since achieving statehood in 1850. The current lieutenant governor is Eleni Kounalakis, a Democrat who was sworn into office on January 7, 2019.[1] She is the first woman elected to the office in California history.
Responsibilities
[edit]The Office of Lieutenant Governor has its powers and duties laid out in the Constitution of California In Article V, Section 9 & 10
- Acting Governor when the Governor cannot perform its duties or is out of state
- Becomes Governor when the Office of Governor becomes open
- Member of the State Land Commission
- Member of the University of California Board of Regents
- Member of the California State University Board of Trustees
- Often plays a role in economic & trade missions (depend on the delegation of the Governor)
- President of the California State Senate
- Presides over the State Senate
- Cast a tie-breaking vote Incase of a tie
- Promote the Governor’s agenda
Criticism of the office
[edit]Some academics and scholars such as Roger E. Noll and Bruce Cain in Constitutional Reform in California have criticized constitutional offices like the lieutenant governor because of their low visibility among the electorate that can make it difficult for the electorate to hold constitutional officers like the lieutenant governor responsible for their actions.[2] Although the lieutenant governor of California's powers and responsibilities are clearly lesser than those of the governor, the ability to make appointments to, and decisions on, the boards of executive agencies does allow the lieutenant governor to make policy decisions that, due to their separate election, might well conflict with the agenda of the governor. Thus, it is argued, California might benefit if the governor and the lieutenant governor ran on the same ticket. The lieutenant governor would then be more likely to help the governor – who is subject to a greater degree of voter scrutiny – to implement his or her policies, but that is unlikely.[3]
In 2003, although Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante and Governor Gray Davis were both Democrats, they reportedly had an icy relationship and had not spoken in months before the 2003 California recall election approached. Bustamante's decision to run in the recall election was controversial, as many supporters of Governor Davis had urged prominent Democrats not to run, in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the event.[4][5]
Despite being the second highest-ranking office in California, the lieutenant governor has no real responsibility or power to represent the governor on issues such as trade negotiations or a legislative agenda (i.e. in contrast to its powerful counterpart in Texas), so the job has been jokingly defined by political insiders as "get up, read the paper, see if the governor is dead, if not, go back to sleep."[6] Despite its prestige, it has not historically been a strong springboard to higher political office; Gray Davis and current Governor Gavin Newsom are the only Democrats in state history and the only state politicians in the last eight decades to be elected governor after holding the post. Furthermore, the lieutenant governor's office budget has suffered considerable cutbacks in recent times; the proposed annual budget for July 2011 will be slightly over $1 million and include three staffers, while from 1995 to 1999 the office had an $1.3 million annual budget with a staff of 17. By contrast the attorney general of California oversees 5,300 employees, including 1,110 state attorneys, and its 2010 budget was over $700 million.[7]
See also
[edit]- List of lieutenant governors of California
- List of current United States lieutenant governors
- Impeachment in California
References
[edit]- ^ Coté, John (December 31, 2010). "Lt. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom to be sworn in by Jan. 10". SFGate.com. Hearst Newspapers. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
- ^ "The Race for Lieutenant Governor: Democrat Gray Davis and Republican Cathie Wright vie to serve a heartbeat away". Calvoter.org. Archived from the original on May 10, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
- ^ Ingrid Reed (January 31, 2005). "This State Needs a Lieutenant Governor". Eagleton Institute of Politics. Archived from the original on June 28, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
- ^ http://digilib.library.ucla.edu/campaign/web/2003_999_052/index.htm [dead link]
- ^ "Special Election - Candidate Statement". Archived from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
- ^ Jennifer Chaussee. "Gavin Newsom's new position as statewide official" (February 3, 2011). Capitol Weekly.
- ^ Marinucci, Carla (January 22, 2011). "Gavin Newsom faces political challenges in new job". The San Francisco Chronicle.
| California statewide elected officials | |
|---|---|