Lieutenant Governor of California
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lieutenant Governor of California is a statewide constitutional officer elected separately from the Governor who serves as the "vice-executive" of California. The Lieutenant Governor of California is elected to serve a four year term and can serve a maximum of two terms. In addition to basically ceremonial roles, serving as Acting Governor in the absence of the Governor, 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 has had 41 Lieutenant Governors and five Acting Lieutenant Governors since achieving statehood in 1850.
The office of the Lieutenant Governor is currently vacant; it was last occupied by John Garamendi, who was elected to the United States House of Representatives on November 3, 2009. On November 23, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger nominated State Senator Abel Maldonado (R-San Luis Obispo) to the position; the nomination must be confirmed by the California State Senate and the California State Assembly to become effective.[1]
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[edit] Responsibilities
The Lieutenant Governor sits on the UC Board of Regents, CSU Board of Trustees, Ocean Protection Council, the California Emergency Council, and the State Lands Commission. The Lieutenant Governor of California chairs the Commission for Economic Development which is responsible for fostering economic growth in California by developing and implementing strategies for attracting new business to the state, increasing state exports, creating new jobs, and stimulating industries statewide.
Many California projects created through gubernatorial executive orders, or through the initiative process, include a role for the Lieutenant Governor. For example, the Lieutenant Governor serves on the Agriculture-Water Transition Task Force (created by Governor Gray Davis), and five of the twenty-nine members of the oversight committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor.
[edit] Criticism of the office
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 [2].
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Office of the Lieutenant Governor of California (Site currently placard due to vacancy)
