California
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:[32][33]
- 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
California's vast terrain is connected by an extensive system of 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.
| 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
| 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.[34]
- See also: List of California Governors, U.S. Congressional Delegations from California, and List of California ballot propositions
California state law
California's legal system is explicitly based on English common law[35] (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)."[36]
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.[37] 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 is 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:
See also
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References
- ^ a b Government Code Section 420-429.8. Official California Legislative Information. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
- ^ a b c Elevations and Distances in the United States. U.S Geological Survey (29 April 2005). Retrieved on November 3, 2006.
- ^ Lavender, David (1987). California: Land of New Beginnings. Univ. of Nebraska Press, 27. ISBN 0803279248.
- ^ Person-Lynn, 2004.
- ^ Alice Friedemann. Lessons for California and the U.S. from movie "How Cuba survived Peak Oil". Culture Change. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ Oliver Berkovich (April 2005). "California Photos". California in Photographs vol. 51 (no. 4): p. 18-77.
- ^ David Elstein (May 2004). "Restoring California's Native Grasses". Agricultural Research magazine vol. 52 (no. 5): p. 17.
- ^ The first successful mission in Baja California had been established at Loreto, Baja California Sur in 1697.
- ^ William B. Ide Adobe SHP
- ^ Gilliam, Albert (1846). Travels Over the Table Lands and Cordilleras of Mexico: During the Years. Philadelphia: John Moore.
- ^ Wilson, Dotson; Ebbert, Brian S. (2006). California's Legislature, 2006 edition, Sacramento: California State Assembly. OCLC 70700867.
- ^ Population Estimates as of July 1, 2007 by U.S. Census Bureau
- ^ Population Division (22 Dec 2006). "Table 4: Cumulative Estimates of the Components of Population Change for the United States, Regions and States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (NST-EST2006-04)" (.XLS). . U.S. Census Bureau Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ Citimayors website - Largest cities
- ^ Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division (2006). "World Population Prospects, Table A.2" (.PDF). 2006 revision. p. 37-42. United Nations Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ Geography Division (10 Nov 2005). Population and Population Centers by State: 2000. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ US Census Bureau
- ^ The Best Story of Our Lives
- ^ Teresa Watanabe. "California is leading nation in diversity", Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2007. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ Modern Language Association Data Center Results of the State of California. Modern Language Association. Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ Population Bureau. "Tab 5. Detailed List of Languages Spoken at Home for the Population 5 Years and Over by State: 2000" (.PDF). . U.S. Census Bureau Retrieved on 2007-06-30.
- ^ Native tribes, groups, language families and dialects of California in 1770 (map after Kroeber)(accessed 2006-12-30); Map of California showing areas of indigenous languages (accessed 2006-12-30)
- ^ Hull, Dana. "English already is "official" in California", San Jose Mercury News, 2006-05-20.
- ^ If I Did That Over There, They'd Cut My Hands Off
- ^ Ed. Melton, J. Gordon (2003). "Eastern Family Part II: Buddhism, Shintoism, Japanese New Religions", Encyclopedia of American Religions, Seventh Edition, Detroit: Gale, p201-211. OCLC 51255717.
- ^ California's budget deficit grows to $16 billion, North County Times
- ^ State Personal Income 2006, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce.
- ^ Report from Central Valley Business Times
- ^ The UCLA Anderson Forecast
- ^ California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates - Cities, Counties and Tax Rates - Board of Equalization
- ^ California, State Energy Profile. Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
- ^ State Nuclear Industry - California
- ^ Nuclear Energy in California
- ^ Electoral Trends Warm Sunbelt, Freeze Frostbelt, Crystal Ball, U.Va
- ^ California Civil Code Section 22.2.
- ^ California Government Code Sections 34500-34504
- ^ League of California Cities: Types of (California) Cities
Further reading
- Chartkoff, Joseph L.; Chartkoff, Kerry Kona (1984). The archaeology of California. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0804711577.
- Fagan, Brian (2003). Before California: An archaeologist looks at our earliest inhabitants. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 0742527948.
- Moratto, Michael J.; Fredrickson, David A. (1984). California archaeology. Orlando: Academic Press. ISBN 012506182X.
External links
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Images and media |
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News stories |
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Learning resources |
- Government
- State of California Official Web site
- 2007 California Vehicle Code
- California State Databases - Annotated list of searchable databases produced by California state agencies and compiled by the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.
- Tourism & recreation
- visitcalifornia.com California's Official Vacation Guide
- visitcalifornia.jp California Travel & Tourism Commission Japan Office
- California travel guide from Wikitravel
- Other
- U.S. Census Bureau
- Native Tribes, Groups, Language Families and Dialects of California
- Counting California
- California Historical Society cultural sites index
- Economic Research Service, USDA - California State
- List of official California State Symbols from the California State Library
- USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of California
- California Crime Rates 1960 - 2006
- California Law Enforcement Agency Uniform Crime Reports 1980 to 2005
- The Bear Flag Museum
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