I' I 1 Chapter 9 Governors and the Executive Branch Ethan Rarick The history of modem American politics cannot be written without discussing Cali~omia governors. One former governor (Ronald Reagan) went on to serve as president ofthe United States, of course, but in addition to that three others ran for president (Earl Warren, Jerry Brown, and Pete Wilson), one served as chief justice of the United States (Warren), and another was a global celebrity who could not seek the presidency only because he was a foreign-born immigrant (Arnold Schwarzenegger). The status of the office as a potential presidential launching pad caused at least two other national political figures-U.S. Sen. William Knowland and former Vice President Richard Nixon-to 'run for governor, and although Nixon lost his gubernatorial bid he ofcourse went on to eventually win the presidency. Aside from national elective politics, California's chief executive governs more Americans than anyone save the pre~ident, sits atop a state with the world's ninth largest economy, and often occupies a place on the world stage similar ta the leaders ofmiddle-sized nations. The incumbent as of 2013, Jerry Brown, is no exception to any of these trends. H~ ran for president three times his election to a third term in 2010 garnered national and even international m;dia attention, and were he a younger man, ~e woul~ sur~ly be consr·dere. d one of the frontrunners for the Democratic .preside.ntial nomination in 2016. In short, California governors have been major national 219 220 221 Governors and the Executive Branch Ethan Rarick figures for more than half a century, and will remain so for the f d many states adopted the .so-callhed 0 the other ban , tive branch officials, t us future. · oreseeabJe the Jegisla~re. ;iy separately elected exe~~bility Often the governor ·· In that regard, California chief executives are different than th • ~:;"ballot.'' ~::0~~s:ontrol_and of go~emment. he state · parts e1s~whe~eb: sm· ce no other A~en·can state is a_s large as Californeiarr, ncouonttheer; 0 •r~:~;;,,~c:,:::h 1 state so invana y guarantees nanona1 stature for its governors. But in th dil•ti::i::err at oddswitbu:;~::~mors acquired mo7 ;:~~a~v:,!nded in C lif . b th . ·1 o er re- specin ~ governors are ow suru_ ar to and di_fferent from other gover- foun the 20th century, d th length of gubemato~1a 1 fr m the states \tmia1 In cracy, an e . 1 wer shifted away o . f nofrs. e~r orma power~ a:e roug hy typical ofAmencan governors, and many 1 1 1 budget and bur~;~t the same time, politic~ iio because ofthe vast expa?s1on o o the po icy resu ts are sum ar toot er states as well. And yet the state's unusu­ rnany states.: ational government, espe~ia yf the federal income tax m 1913, al political culture-for example, the highly professionalized nature ofthe state and toward t e n ht about by the creation o less owcrful, many ob­ legislature-can sometimes create gubernatorial dynamics different than those experienced elsewhere. federal powe~ bro:~orld War II. As the states beca~:creasfngly filled with in­ the New Dea; a~elieve that state governments ;e~e962 the New York Times's This chapter seeks to describe California's executive branch, focusing espe­ cially on the governor but also somewhat on the other statewide elected officials servmep~tec;m;ffi:ials, includihng the gtryo;seTe~~i.ngnpolitical journalists, W:-~te tb~t who are components of the executive branch. First, the role of governors in Jcaomes Reston, then one o"ft re thcoeunir heads in problems and up to their xnee. s mt American political history is described. Second, there is a discussion ofthe roles state governments were ove tion governors became less prommen and powers of California governors, especially as compared to other states. idgets ,,3 Perhaps reflecting that percep '1 ted president between 1948 and Third, we examine who typically becomes governor in California. And fourth, l ~:yers in national politics; of the five men e ec - . we explore the outcomes ofgubernatorial proposals-what are governors actual­ P1972 none had served as a governor. rts have seen a revitalization of ' h ever many expe · · · ly able to do-again in comparison to other American chiefexecutives. In more recent years, ow . , h 1 ad them Even national policy in- d fthe governors w o e • · state governments, an o . I ment solutions, frequently granting lt Governors in American History itiatives now often rel~ on _states to /~~n~ exam les are the No Child Left Be­ l them some degree of di~cretlon. Two; Bush whth called on states to develop 'I The office of governor is actually older than the United States. 1 British colonies hind Act signed by President ?eorge . and Affordable Care Act signed by \ testing standards, and the Patient Protection tablish health insurance were typically overseen by powerful governors appointed by the mo_narch and President Barack Obama, which called on state~ to es . often empowered not only with a veto but even with the ability to disband_ the "exchanges" where individuals can buy coverage. , · legislature completely. These colonial governors were widely seen by Arnencan This increased ability to influence policy, combined with a governor s pow- revolutionary leaders as examples ofexecutive power run amok, and as a result, er as a si.ngle chi.ef executi.ve (compared to, say. , the status of a U.S. senator as early governmental structures in the newly independent United States t~nded to merely one among 100), has made gubernatorial service increasingly popu ar create weak executives. Most governors held only a one-year term, m some 1 with elected officials. In one recent survey of current and former govemo~s, po­ cases with a two-term limit creating a maximum tenure ofjust two years. So1e litical scientist Alan Rosenthal found that of the 12 former governors serving as governors were chosen by tile legislature rather than the voters. Only ~o ear Y senators in the th Congress, but one said they preferred their time as governors had any form ofveto power over the legislature. Often the legtslaturh ed, U.S. 111 all governor to serving in the Senate. As one former governor put it, worst ~ay rather than the governor, made key appom. tments to top state Jiobs, or at least aa "~r the ability to confirm or reject the governor's appointments. In shhort, aar\y tahs_governor was better than my best day as a United States senator. ReflectJ.~g general rule, early Arnen.can legi.slatures were c1ear1Y more Powerful t .an"the ere is_~ort o5fperspective, Rosenthal titled his study of governors, "The Best Jo~ Ill American governors. Or as gubernatorial scholar Larry_ Sabat~ has P:1 ~h1 e early j Pohti~s:" Simultaneously, governors have become major players on the nation­ were many checks and few balances in the governorships designed Y 1 al POhtical stage once again. Of the six men elected _president between 1976 and state constitutional conventions.',2 · . ome re- I In the first half of the 19th century, governors gained power 1;. s ct elec­ l 3 --------- spects and lost it in others. The veto became far more commo~ and tre_n rela­ I ---4 Quoted in Sabato, l. tion by the voters became the standard, enhancing gubernatonal power 1 graph~r a~ excellent example of the evolution described in the previous two para­ 1 ·. · • Sabato (19S:3), tinuin ha shift toward greater federal influence beginning with the New Deal and con­ · Two good summaries of the history of gubematonal power are st 1-12, and (2006), l..;..21. statesgt~ rough t~e middle part of the 20th century, followed by a later resurgence ofthe 2 Ferguson l Sabato, 4. I histo~ 0~~o~iding g~eatcr _opportunity for policy innovation by governors-see the ,l s R. encan social pohcy by Ron Haskins, in Sribnick (2008), 76-103. osenthal (2013), s. · · 1 I 222 Governors and the Executive Branch Ethan Rarick 223 Tablet. Governors of California, Since World War II incre,,asm. g gubematorial po. wer, and is generally re- ically be seen as . merican gubernatonal powers. Name wou!d ~the long-term tre~d m A_ al political profile of governors, California Party Date .__ flecuve o of the increasmg nation , ver-increasing population has made Earl Warren R In terms ince the state s e , • · Goodwin J. Knight Jan.1943-0ct 19531 - d the way, of cour~e, s . uence Ironically, Schwarzenegger s im~rugrai11 R Oct. 1953 - Jan. 1959b has le d larger national mfl . ·h. d tenure meant that neither of Pat Brown D •t larger an , ge durmg ts secon . Jan. I 959 - Jan. 1967 I a and Jerry Brown s a a residential contender, but there is every Ronald Reagan R Jerry Brown Jan. 1967 - Jan. 1975 s~:~: two recent governor~ has ~=e:titi~n of such unusual circumst~ncest ~ture D Jan. 1975 -Jan. 1983 George Deukrnejian rteason to. believe othrsatwbillarrinalmgoast aputom'at'ically be considered potential presiden- R Jan. 1983-Jan. 1991 Califom1a govern Pete Wilson R Gray Davis Jan. 1991 - Jan. 1999 rial candidates. D Jan. 1999 - Nov. 2003c Arnold Schwarzenegger R Roles and Powers of the California Governor Je.rry Brown Nov. 2003 - Jan. 2011 D Jan. 2001 - lays many roles, most of which are common · to alldstahte' sf, a Earl Warren was appointed Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court by Any governor p preeminent=-chief executive an c re President Eisenhower.