The
governor of California
is the
head of the state
and
government
of the
U.S. state
of
California
and the
commander-in-chief
of the state's military forces. The governor is also the head of the
executive branch
of the state government and is the chairman of the gubernatorial cabinet.
Gavin Newsom
is the 40th and current governor of California, in office since January 2019.
The governor has the power to enforce state laws and the duty to either approve or veto bills passed by the
California Legislature
or the
California Senate
to assemble the legislature and
grant pardons
, except in cases of
impeachment
.
Section 5 of the state's constitution states for a person to serve as governor must:
- be at least eighteen years old.
- be a permanent resident in
California
and the
United States
for at least five years.
Election process and gubernatorial terms
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The governor is elected by the people through the popular election to a four-year term, along with the lieutenant gubernatorial candidate or the incumbent
lieutenant governor of California
as their running mate. The gubernatorial candidate or incumbent governor must have the majority of the popular vote in order to win the election.
Under Section 5 of the state's constitution forbids anyone from being elected governor more than twice.
The
governor-elect
is the candidate who has won the state's gubernatorial election and is awaiting inauguration to become the governor.
The
governor-elect
, or incumbent governor immediately began their four-year team on inauguration day every four years in the month of January, along with the incumbent lieutenant governor and lieutenant governor-elect.
Gubernatorial line of succession
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If the governor dies, reigns, or is impeached, the
lieutenant governor
ranks first in the succession will assume the gubernatorial office and duties.
The
California Governor's Mansion
is the
official residence
of the governor of California. It has been the official residence of every governor since 1903.
List of governors of California
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For the period before statehood, see
list of governors of California before 1850
.
1.
Peter Burnett
2.
John McDougal
3.
John Bigler
4.
J. Neely Johnson
5.
John Weller
6.
Milton Latham
7.
John Downey
8.
Leland Stanford
9.
Frederick Low
10.
Henry Haight
11.
Newton Booth
12.
Romualdo Pacheco
13.
William Irwin
14.
George Perkins
15.
George Stoneman
16.
Washington Bartlett
17.
Robert Waterman
18.
Henry Harrison Markham
19.
James Budd
20.
Henry Gage
21.
George Pardee
22.
James Gillett
23.
Hiram Johnson
24.
William Stephens
25.
Friend Richardson
26.
C. C. Young
27.
James Rolph
28.
Frank Merriam
29.
Culbert Olson
30.
Earl Warren
31.
Goodwin Knight
32.
Pat Brown
33.
Ronald Reagan
34.
Jerry Brown
35.
George Deukmejian
36.
Pete Wilson
37.
Gray Davis
38.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
39.
Jerry Brown
40.
Gavin Newsom
List of living former governors of California
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