The
government of California is the governmental structure of the state of
California as established by the
California Constitution. It is composed of three
branches: the executive, consisting of the
Governor of California and the other constitutionally elected and appointed officers and offices; the legislative, consisting of the
California State Legislature, which includes the
Assembly and the
Senate; and the judicial, consisting of the
Supreme Court of California and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of counties, cities, special districts, and school districts, as well as government entities and offices that operate independently on a constitutional, statutory, or common law basis. The state also allows
direct participation of the electorate by
initiative,
referendum,
recall and
ratification.