California

===State government===
{{Main|Government of California}}
The capital city of California is [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=§ 2 of Article III of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SEC.%202.&article=III |access-date=March 5, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref>
The state is organized into three [[separation of powers|branches of government]]—the [[executive branch]] consisting of the [[Governor of California|governor]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=§ 1 of Article V of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SECTION%201.&article=V |access-date=March 5, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref> and the other independently elected constitutional officers; the [[legislative branch]] consisting of the [[California State Assembly|Assembly]] and [[California State Senate|Senate]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=§ 1 of Article IV of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SEC.%201.&article=IV |access-date=March 5, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref> and the [[judicial branch]] consisting of the [[Supreme Court of California]] and lower courts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=§ 1 of Article VI of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SEC.%201.&article=VI |access-date=March 5, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref> The state also allows [[California ballot proposition|ballot propositions]]: direct participation of the electorate by [[Popular initiative|initiative]], [[referendum]], [[recall election|recall]], and [[ratification]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Article II of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&division=&title=&part=&chapter=&article=II |access-date=March 5, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref> Before the passage of [[California Proposition 14 (2010)|Proposition 14 in 2010]], California allowed each political party to choose whether to have a [[closed primary]] or a primary where only party members and [[independent (politics)|independents]] vote. After June 8, 2010, when Proposition 14 was approved, excepting only the United States president and county central committee offices,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bowen |first=Debra |title=Voter-Nominated Offices Information |url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/statewide-elections/2012-primary/new-open-primary-info.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224014308/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/statewide-elections/2012-primary/new-open-primary-info.pdf |archive-date=December 24, 2013 |access-date=March 16, 2014 |publisher=California Secretary of State}}</ref> all candidates in the primary elections are listed on the ballot with their preferred party affiliation, but they are not the official nominee of that party.<ref name="DB2">{{Cite web |last=Bowen |first=Debra |title=Voter-Nominated Offices Information |url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-nominated-offices.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626162020/http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-nominated-offices.htm |archive-date=June 26, 2014 |access-date=March 16, 2014 |publisher=California Secretary of State}}</ref> At the primary election, the two candidates with the top votes will advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation.<ref name="DB2" /> If at a special primary election, one candidate receives more than 50% of all the votes cast, they are elected to fill the vacancy and no special general election will be held.<ref name="DB2" />

====Executive branch====
{{main|California executive branch|Governor of California|List of California state agencies}}
[[File:Stanford Mansion - Sacramento, California (6007570640) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Leland Stanford Mansion|Stanford Mansion]] is the official reception center for the California government and one of the workplaces of the [[Governor of California]].]]
The [[California executive branch]] consists of the governor and seven other elected constitutional officers: [[Lieutenant Governor of California|lieutenant governor]], [[California Attorney General|attorney general]], [[Secretary of State of California|secretary of state]], [[California State Controller|state controller]], [[California State Treasurer|state treasurer]], [[California Insurance Commissioner|insurance commissioner]], and [[California State Superintendent of Public Instruction|state superintendent of public instruction]]. They serve four-year terms and may be re-elected only once.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Article V of the California Constitution |url=http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&division=&title=&part=&chapter=&article=V |access-date=March 6, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref>

The many [[List of California state agencies|California state agencies]] that are under the governor's cabinet are grouped together to form cabinet-level entities that are referred to by government officials as "superagencies". Those departments that are directly under the other independently elected officers work separately from these superagencies.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Van Vechten |first1=Renée B. |title=California Politics: A Primer |date=2011 |publisher=SAGE |location=Los Angeles |isbn=978-1-4522-0306-5 |page=63 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tatzWQscKmcC&pg=PA63 |access-date=February 25, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Lawrence">{{cite book |last1=Lawrence |first1=David G. |last2=Cummins |first2=Jeffrey |title=California: The Politics of Diversity |date=2019 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location=Lanham |isbn=978-1-5381-2930-2|page=167 |edition=10th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FwmkDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA167}}</ref>

====Legislative branch====
{{main|California Legislature}}
The [[California State Legislature]] consists of a 40-member Senate and 80-member Assembly.<ref name="leg_members_and_term_limits_first_m_dec">{{Cite web|url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SEC.%202.&article=IV|title=California Constitution Article IV § 2|work=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]|access-date=February 23, 2019|archive-date=February 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224062408/https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CONS&sectionNum=SEC.|url-status=live}}</ref> Senators serve four-year terms and Assembly members two. Members of the Assembly are subject to [[term limit]]s of six terms, and members of the Senate are subject to term limits of three terms.

====Judicial branch====
{{main|Judiciary of California}}
[[File:Supremecourtofcaliforniamaincourthouse (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|The [[Supreme Court of California]] is headquartered at the [[Earl Warren Building]] (shown) in San Francisco, but also meets in Sacramento and Los Angeles.]]
California's legal system is explicitly based upon English [[common law]]<ref name="Cal Civil Code 22.2">{{Cite web |title=California Civil Code § 22.2 |url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=22.2. |access-date=March 6, 2019 |website=[[California Office of Legislative Counsel]]}}</ref> but carries many features from Spanish [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]], such as [[community property]]. California's prison population grew from 25,000 in 1980 to over 170,000 in 2007.<ref name="Thompson 2007">{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Don |date=December 8, 2007 |title=Calif. Struggles with sentencing reform |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-12-08-2244622424_x.htm |access-date=January 29, 2010}}</ref> [[Capital punishment in California|Capital punishment]] is a legal form of punishment and the state has the largest "[[Death Row]]" population in the country (though Oklahoma and Texas are far more active in carrying out executions).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Death Row Inmates by State and Size of Death Row by Year {{!}} Death Penalty Information Center |url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-row-inmates-state-and-size-death-row-year |access-date=May 8, 2017 |website=deathpenaltyinfo.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=State Execution Rates {{!}} Death Penalty Information Center |url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-execution-rates |access-date=May 8, 2017 |website=deathpenaltyinfo.org}}</ref> California has performed [[List of people executed in California|13 executions]] since 1976, with the last being in 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inmates Executed 1978 to Present |url=https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/capital-punishment/inmates-executed-1978-to-present/ |access-date=May 7, 2022 |website=Capital Punishment |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[California's judiciary system]] is the largest in the United States with a total of 1,600 judges (the federal system has only about 840). At the apex is the seven-member Supreme Court of California, while the [[California Courts of Appeal]] serve as the primary [[appellate court]]s and the [[California Superior Courts]] serve as the primary [[trial court]]s. [[List of 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.

The administration of the state's court system is controlled by the [[Judicial Council of California|Judicial Council]], composed of the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, 14 judicial officers, four representatives from the [[State Bar of California]], and one member from each house of the state legislature.

In fiscal year 2020–2021, the state judiciary's 2,000 judicial officers and 18,000 judicial branch employees processed approximately 4.4 million cases.<ref name="2022CourtStatisticsReport">{{cite book |last1=Judicial Council of California |title=2022 Court Statistics Report: Statewide Caseload Trends, 2011–12 Through 2020–21 |date=2022 |publisher=Judicial Council of California |location=San Francisco |page=1 |url=https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/2022-Court-Statistics-Report.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704050343/https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/2022-Court-Statistics-Report.pdf |archive-date=July 4, 2022 |url-status=live |access-date=August 19, 2022}}</ref>
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