Ready Reference Files

California Vital Statistics & Facts

Information compiled by the Office of the Chief Clerk, Assembly of the State of California, except for population and voter registration statistics.

General Information

• State Capital: Sacramento
• Date California Admitted as a State: September 9, 1850
• State Motto: "Eureka" (Greek:"I have found it!")
• Population: 36,000,000*
• Number of Registered Voters: 16,557,273**
• Population Density: 225.1 people/sq. mi.***

Land Area

• Includes 2,674 sq. mi. of inland water: 158,648 sq. mi.
• Coastal Water Area (Pacific water): 222 sq. mi.

Highest Elevation

• Feet above sea-level: Mount Whitney 14,496 ft.

Lowest Elevation

• Feet below sea-level: Death Valley 282 ft.

Total Number of Counties

• 58

Governmental/Political Information

• State Executive Officers
  • Number of Statewide Elective Officers: 12
    1. Governor
    2. Lt. Governor
    3. Secretary of State
    4. Attorney General
    5. Treasurer
    6. Controller
    7. Superintendent of Public Instruction
    8. Board of Equalization (4 positions)
    9. Insurance Commissioner
  • Term Limits for Statewide Officers: 2 four-year terms
• State Judiciary
  • Number of Justices on State Supreme Court: 7
• State Legislature
  • Number of Assembly Members: 80
  • Number of State Senators: 40
  • Length of Assembly Term: 2 years
  • Length of Senate Term: 4 years
  • Term Limits - Assembly Members: 3 two-year terms
  • Term Limits - Senate Members: 2 four-year terms
• Legislative Voting Requirements
  • Vote Required to Pass Statutes: Assembly 41
  • Vote Required to Pass Statutes: Senate 21
  • Vote Requirements to Pass Appropriations, Budget,
    Constitutional Amendments, and Urgency Bills:
    • Assembly 54
    • Senate 27
  • Veto Override Vote Requirement: Two-thirds in each House
    • Assembly 54
    • Senate 27
  • Ratification of Amendments to the U.S. Constitution:
    • Majority Vote of each House (By Joint Resolution)
• Miscellaneous Legislative Information
  • Impeachment Power:
    Assembly indicts, drafts "articles of impeachment", and elects "managers" to prosecute; Senate tries and votes on impeachment.
  • Legislative Publications
    • Daily Journal
    • Daily File
    • Weekly History
• Non-Member Officers of the Legislature
  • Chief Clerk of the Assembly
  • Secretary of the Senate
  • Sergeant-at-Arms (in each House)
  • Chaplain (in each House)
• Motto of the State Assembly:
  • Legislatorum Est Justas Leges Condere
    (Latin: "It is the duty of Legislators to make just laws.")
• Motto of the State Senate:
  
  • Senatoris Est Civitatis Libertatem Tueri
    (Latin: "It is the duty of a Senator to guard the liberty of the Commonwealth.")

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Sources:

• Office of the Chief Clerk, California State Assembly
• Demographic Research Unit, California Dept. of Finance (for population statistics)
• Office of the California Secretary of State(for voter registration statistics)
• Rand California(for population density)

* As of January 1, 2004
** As of October 18, 2004
*** As of 2002

Verified by: ES 10/10/06

Disclaimer:
While the Library has verified the information presented in these files in what it considers to be reliable and authoritative sources, it cannot take responsibility for nor guarantee the accuracy of the information presented.