List of governors of California Facts for Kids

The governor of California is like the chief executive officer of the state. They are in charge of making sure California's laws are followed and that the state runs smoothly. The governor also gives an important speech each year called the "State of the State address" to the California State Legislature. They also propose the state's budget.

The governor is also the leader of California's military forces, known as the California National Guard. The person holding this important job right now is Gavin Newsom. He has been governor since 2019.

California has had 39 different people serve as governor, some serving more than one time. Many of these governors became famous across the country. For example, Leland Stanford started Stanford University in 1891. Earl Warren later became the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was so popular that he ran for governor almost without anyone opposing him!

Two governors, Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, were well-known actors before they became governors. Ronald Reagan even became president of the United States! Gray Davis, the 37th governor, was one of only two governors in American history to be removed from office by voters in a special election.

The shortest time anyone served as governor was just five days! That was Milton Latham, who then left to become a U.S. Senator. The longest-serving governor is Jerry Brown. He served two terms from 1975 to 1983 and then two more terms from 2011 to 2019. He is the only governor to serve terms that were not back-to-back. His father, Pat Brown, was also a governor from 1959 to 1967.

How California's Governors Are Chosen
- Term Limits and Lieutenant Governors
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How California's Governors Are Chosen

California became a state on September 9, 1850, after the Mexican-American War. Unlike many other states, it didn't become a territory first. The first California Constitution in 1849 said governors would be elected every two years. There wasn't a specific start date for their term.

Later, in 1862, a change was made to the constitution. This change made the governor's term four years long. The 1879 constitution then set the term to begin on the first Monday after January 1, following an election.

Term Limits and Lieutenant Governors

In 1990, a new rule called Proposition 140 was passed. This rule changed the constitution to limit governors to serving only two terms. Before this rule, only one governor, Earl Warren, served more than two terms.

Jerry Brown was elected for a third term in 2010 and a fourth in 2014. This was allowed because his first two terms were before the term limit rule was put in place.

The 1849 constitution also created the job of lieutenant governor. If the governor's office becomes empty, the lieutenant governor steps in and becomes governor. The governor and lieutenant governor are not elected together on the same ballot.