A major difference between the plural executive system utilized in the state government of California and the unitary executive found in the US national government is that
a. all 12 members of the California executive branch must agree on a bill before it can become a law while, nationally, only the President needs to approve a bill before it can become a law.
b. California’s Governor and Lieutenant Governor are separately elected and can represent different political parties, while the President and Vice-President of the United States are elected together, as a ticket.
c. California’s Governor must set policy priorities in conjunction with the other members of the Plural Executive, while the President sets policy priorities on his/her own.
d. All of the statements listed above are true
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is b. California’s Governor and Lieutenant Governor are separately elected and can represent different political parties, while the President and Vice-President of the United States are elected together, as a ticket.
Explanation:
The major difference between the plural executive system in California and the unitary executive in the U.S. national government lies in the way leadership is structured and how power is distributed.
In California’s plural executive system, the executive power is divided among several independently elected officials. These include the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and other officers. This system contrasts with the unitary executive at the national level, where the President holds substantial centralized executive power and can make decisions with fewer checks from other executive branch officials.
A key distinction is that California’s Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected separately, which means they can belong to different political parties. This situation can create a scenario where the Governor and Lieutenant Governor may have conflicting policy priorities or disagree on key issues. On the other hand, in the United States, the President and Vice President run on a joint ticket, which generally ensures that they share the same political party and have a unified policy agenda.
In contrast, option a is incorrect because the legislative process at both the state and federal levels requires the approval of a majority of elected officials, not a singular executive’s decision. Option c is also incorrect because although the Governor must work with other officials in California’s plural executive system, both the Governor and President have significant autonomy in setting policy priorities, but the President in the unitary executive system has greater influence overall. Therefore, b is the most accurate statement about the structural differences between the two systems.