Which is more powerful: the governor and the executive branch organizations she/he oversees, or the legislature?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Varies. Students should draw on the information provided in Chapters 4 and 5 to answer this question. While there is no "correct" answer, students should weigh the relative formal and informal responsibilities of each, as well as their relative political strengths. Some structural conditions tend to favor the governor, such as the fact that she/he answers to no one and is not required to consult with others in making decisions. Also, the relative stability of the state bureaucracy (particularly in information clearinghouses such as the Department of Finance) tends to favor the governor, as term-limited legislators find that overseeing the executive branch agencies and departments depends on information that is sometimes difficult or slow to obtain (instructors should note that this is a point made in Chapter 4); thus, agencies are often free to carry out the laws as the governor intends or interprets them. The line-item veto and veto power tend to help the governor influence the shape of legislation also, and veto overrides occur very rarely. On the other hand, the legislature must create laws, and the governor depends on them to get his agenda passed (unless he can get items passed through the initiative process; Jerry Brown did so when he proposed Prop 30 and voters approved it, a tax increase primarily benefiting education). Term limits affect both branches. The governor is the most visible politician and attracts the most media attention, but that power does not automatically translate into actual political power, or the power to force the legislature to do his or her bidding. The legislature's power lies in its representative function, its ability to propose many different solutions to a vast number of problems and issues. The governor would not be able to "implement his (or her) vision" without the legislature to make laws that could bring that vision to life. A governor can also be recalled, whereas it would be unlikely that every member (or enough legislators to shift the balance of power) of the legislature would be recalled. A governor's power also sometimes depends on his ability to lead his or her party in the legislature; if a governor is of the opposite party than the Assembly or Senate, it is typically more difficult to achieve his agenda. Legislative partisans tend to support a fellow partisan in the governor's seat.