Transcript Poli 103A, California Politics Bargaining with Governors

Poli 103A, California Politics
Bargaining with Governors
- Reminder: Midterm is in
two weeks, May 3
- Books are now on
reserve
Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown,
Governor 1975-1983
Bargaining with Governors

Formal Powers of Governors

Informal Powers of Governors

The Legislature vs. the Governor
• Budget Bargaining
• Everyday Oversight
The Formal Powers a Governor
Does Have

Propose a budget
• Gov’s budget due in early January
• Constitutional deadline June 15
The Formal Powers a Governor
Does Have

Thousands of Appointments

But California has a plural executive,
which means that the executive
branch is split into many (8) elected
offices. The Lt. Governor, Treasurer,
Controller, etc. do not serve the Gov.
• Cabinet members, agency officials
• Judges, board members
The Formal Powers a Governor
Does Have


Executive Orders – car tax
Veto powers
• The governor can veto any bill passed by
the legislature, and it takes a 2/3 vote to
override the veto.
• The governor can pocket veto a bill by
failing to act on it.
• The governor can line item veto some
portion of a bill, striking a clause or,
more often, a dollar figure.
The Formal Powers a Governor
Does Not Have




Propose legislation. The governor
cannot author a bill.
Put an initiative on the ballot. Can’t
do it.
Enact a budget without reaching an
agreement with the Legislature. Nope.
Increase funding through a line item
veto. Not happening.
Informal Powers of Governors

The Power of Initiation. (Alan
Rosenthal, Governors and
Legislatures: Contending Powers)
• Inaugural address and State of the State
allow governors to argue for change.
• Executive orders can get part of a
proposal done.
• Governors can call special sessions for
particular purposes
Informal Powers of Governors

The Power of Provision.
• “Any legislator who says he needs
nothing from the Governor’s office is
either lying or stupid.”
• Appointments are legislators’ patronage
as well as governors’.
• Roads and other state projects.
• Social events.
Informal Powers of Governors

The Power of
Publicity
• Governors are
almost always
more popular than
the Legislature
• This gets them on
TV, etc.
• Ever-elusive
“political capital”
The Legislature vs. the Governor:
Budget Bargaining

After the governor proposes a budget,
the Legislature does whatever it wants.
• Senate and Assembly both hold
subcommittee hearings, Budget
Committee hearings, and pass bills.
• Then the real bargaining begins.
• The budget needs to pass with a 2/3
majority, giving minority party a voice.
The Legislature vs. the Governor:
Budget Bargaining

“The Big Five” often negotiate the real
budget deal:
• The Governor: Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Assembly Speaker: Fabian Nunez
• Assembly Minority Leader: Kevin McCarthy
• Senate President Pro Tempore: John Burton
• Senate Minority Leader: Jim Brulte
The Legislature vs. the Governor:
Budget Bargaining
Declines in the Changes Made to the Governor’s Budget.
% Change in Governor's Budget
25.0%
20.0%
Before Term
Limits
19.5%
15.0%
10.0%
After Term
Limits
14.4%
8.4%
6.8%
5.0%
0.0%
Democratic Democratic
Governor,
Governor,
1980-81
2000-01
Republican
Governor,
1987-88
Republican
Governor,
1997-98
“% Changes” represents the ratio of the total line-by-line changes made by the Legislature to the total final
appropriation levels in health care, higher education, and business services.
The Legislature vs. the Governor:
Everyday Oversight

Types of Oversight Activity:
• Oversight hearings in the interim
between sessions.
• Audits performed by the Joint Legislative
Audit Committee and the Bureau of
State Audits.
• Senate approval of appointments.
• Informal communication between
legislative and executive staff.
The Legislature vs. the Governor:
Everyday Oversight
Frequency and Scope of Supplemental Budget Requests.
300
250
200
150
100
50
19
85
-8
6
19
87
-8
8
19
89
-0
0
19
91
-9
2
19
93
-9
4
19
95
-9
6
19
97
-9
8
19
99
-0
0
20
01
-0
2
0
Data for this figure collected by Ann Bordetsky from Legislative Analyst’s Office records.
Number of
Supplemental
Budget Report
Requests
Number of
Agencies
Covered
Discussion Questions



John Jacobs contrasts four
governors’ styles. Can these styles
help to explain their power?
Is oversight really more important
than making laws?
What are the lessons that you draw
from the Quackenbush investigation?