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59-723: The California State Capitol is the seat of the California state government , located in Sacramento , the state capital of California . The building houses the chambers of the California State Legislature , made up of the Assembly and the Senate , along with the office of the governor of California . The Neoclassical structure, designed by Reuben S. Clark, was completed between 1861 and 1874. Located at

118-517: A California Historical Landmark in 1974, with a re-dedication on January 9, 1982, to commemorate the close of the bicentennial restoration project. The building underwent a major renovation known as the California State Capitol Restoration, from 1975 until 1982, involving an architectural restoration and structural reconstruction for earthquake safety. Although not generally considered earthquake country, Sacramento

177-408: A camel ) arranged in a single or double row along a flat ferrule made of wood or cardboard. In order to transfer the gold leaf, the hairs are first given a very light coating of adhesive by brushing them against a surface such as the back of the user's hand which has been coated with a thin layer of petroleum jelly (a common misconception is that static electricity causes the gold foil to attach to

236-502: A grade C−, tied for last with Alabama. By 2008, when the last report was issued, California had a C, which placed it near the bottom of the states. In discussing the results, the report noted that the personnel system is known to be dysfunctional, and that the Human Resources Modernization Project was underway to address the issue. California is divided into counties which are legal subdivisions of

295-510: A maximum of two times. The governor has the powers and responsibilities to: sign or veto laws passed by the Legislature , including a line item veto ; appoint judges, subject to ratification by the electorate ; propose a state budget ; give the annual State of the State address ; command the state militia ; and grant pardons for any crime, except cases involving impeachment by

354-507: A thin layer of bitumen underneath to help adhesion. The next advances involved two simple processes. The first involves gold leaf, which is gold that is hammered or cut into very thin sheets. Gold leaf is often thinner than standard paper today, and when held to the light is semi-transparent. In ancient times it was typically about ten times thicker than today, and perhaps half that in the Middle Ages . If gilding on canvas or on wood,

413-602: A variety of cases, including habeas corpus proceedings, and has discretionary authority to review all the decisions of the California courts of appeal, as well as mandatory review responsibility for cases where the death penalty has been imposed. The courts of appeal are the intermediate appellate courts . The state is geographically divided into six appellate districts. Notably, all published California appellate decisions are binding on all superior courts, regardless of appellate district. The California superior courts are

472-507: Is 64 m (210 ft) high, and supports a lantern with a smaller dome capped with a gold-leafed orbed finial . The California Senate chamber seats its forty members in a large chamber room decorated in red , which is a reference to the British House of Lords (also the upper house of a bicameral legislature ). The chamber is entered through a second-floor corridor. From the coffered ceiling hangs an electric reproduction of

531-439: Is a type of gilding brush used for transferring sheets of metal leaf to either a surface that has been prepared to accept the leaf or to a gilder's block where the leaf is then cut with a gilder's knife into smaller portions before being transferred to the prepared surface. The hairs on a gilder's tip are usually made of either blue squirrel hair or the hair of a badger (sometimes other hairs are also used, such as that of

590-514: 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 . California's elected executive officers are: All offices are elected separately to concurrent four-year terms, and each officer may be elected to an office

649-660: Is included in the National Register historic district listing. Capitol Park contains numerous monuments and memorials, including the California Firefighters Memorial and El Soldado Monument. Government of California [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The government of California is the governmental structure of the U.S. state of California as established by the California Constitution . California uses

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708-433: Is performed by a solution of gold in aqua regia , applied by dipping a linen rag into the solution, burning it, and rubbing the black and heavy ashes on the silver with the finger or a piece of leather or cork. Wet gilding is effected by means of a dilute solution of gold(III) chloride in aqua regia with twice its quantity of ether . The liquids are agitated and allowed to rest, to allow the ether to separate and float on

767-646: Is published in the California Regulatory Notice Register and the general and permanent rules and regulations are codified in the California Code of Regulations . State government is organized into many departments, of which most have been grouped together into several huge Cabinet-level agencies since the administration of Governor Pat Brown . These agencies are sometimes informally referred to as superagencies , especially by government officials, to distinguish them from

826-451: Is the duty of legislators to establish just laws"). The California State Capitol Museum is a museum housed within the capitol and on the grounds of Capitol Park, run by California State Parks . The Capitol Museum includes the historic offices of the governor and legislature. The capitol's grounds are known as Capitol Park , an area of 10 undivided city blocks running from 10th to 16th and from L to N Streets. The entire Capitol Park area

885-775: Is the state legislature. It is a bicameral body consisting of the California State Assembly , the lower house with 80 members, and the California State Senate , the upper house with 40 members. Members of the Assembly serve two-year terms; members of the Senate serve four-year terms, with half of the seats up for election on alternate (two year) election cycles. The speaker of the California State Assembly presides over

944-405: Is then applied with a small brush, and as it evaporates it deposits the gold, which can now be heated and polished. For small delicate figures, a pen or a fine brush may be used for laying on the ether solution. The gold(III) chloride can also be dissolved in water in electroless plating wherein the gold is slowly reduced out of solution onto the surface to be gilded. When this technique is used on

1003-423: Is then exposed to heat, before being quenched in water. By this method, the color of the gilding is further improved and brought nearer to that of gold, probably by removing any particles of copper that may have been on the gilt surface. This process, when skillfully carried out, produces gilding of great solidity and beauty. This method of gilding metallic objects was formerly widespread, but fell into disuse as

1062-435: Is wrought or chased, the application of mercury before the amalgam is applied allows for it to be more easily spread. When the surface of the metal is plain, the amalgam can be applied to it directly. When no such preparation is applied, the surface to be gilded is simply bitten and cleaned with nitric acid . A deposit of mercury is obtained on a metallic surface by means of quicksilver water, a solution of mercury(II) nitrate ,

1121-600: The Spaniards . The surface is etched with acids, resulting in a surface of porous gold. The porous surface is then burnished down, resulting in a shiny gold surface. The results fooled the conquistadors into thinking they had massive quantities of pure gold. The results startled modern archaeologists , because at first the pieces resemble electroplated articles. Keum-boo is a special Korean technique of silver-gilding, using depletion gilding . The gilding of decorative ceramics has been undertaken for centuries, with

1180-553: The amount in controversy is below $ 25,000). The state constitution allows direct participation of the electorate by initiative , referendum , and recall . In a 2015 review by the nonprofit Center for Public Integrity of how effectively states promote transparency and procedures to reduce corruption, California received a C−, the second-highest grade in the country. It ranked particularly low in public access to information and judicial transparency. In 2005, Pew Research Center 's Government Performance Project gave California

1239-498: The separation of powers system to structure its government. 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

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1298-530: The 4th century CE and was used for the gilding of bronze plaques. It was known to Pliny (33,20,64–5), Vitruvius (8,8,4) and in the Early Medieval period to Theophilus (De Diversis Artibus Book III). In Europe, silver-gilt has always been more common than gilt-bronze, but in China the opposite has been the case. The ancient Chinese also developed the gilding of porcelain , which was later taken up by

1357-545: The French and other European potters. Mechanical gilding includes all the operations in which gold leaf is prepared, and the processes to mechanically attach the gold onto surfaces. The techniques include burnishing , water gilding and oil-gilding used by wood carvers and gilders; and the gilding operations of the house decorator, sign painter, bookbinder , the paper stainer and several others. Polished iron, steel and other metals are gilded mechanically by applying gold leaf to

1416-693: The Legislature . The lieutenant governor is the president of the California Senate and acts as the governor when the governor is unable to execute the office, including whenever the governor leaves the state. The governor and lieutenant governor also serve as ex officio members of the University of California Board of Regents and of the California State University Board of Trustees. Regulatory activity

1475-499: The Roman goddess of wisdom Minerva once overlooked both chambers. Today, Minerva, sculpted by Michael H. Casey, appears only in the senate chambers. Gilded Corinthian columns support the gallery above, and dark red curtains that can be drawn for privacy are tied back along the columns. High arched windows run along the bottom below rectangular pane windows. Behind the rostrum, there are two chairs with red velvet cushions, reserved for

1534-742: The State Assembly. The lieutenant governor is the ex officio president of the Senate and may break a tied vote, and the president pro tempore of the California State Senate is elected by the majority party caucus. The Legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento . Its session laws are published in the California Statutes and codified into the 29 California Codes . The judiciary of California interprets and applies

1593-434: The body; the mercury used in the process also evaporates into the atmosphere, thus polluting it. This process has generally been supplanted by the electroplating of gold over a nickel substrate , which is more economical and less dangerous. In depletion gilding, a subtractive process discovered in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica , articles are fabricated by various techniques from an alloy of copper and gold, named tumbaga by

1652-412: The brush, but this is not so) and then laying the edge of the brush along the edge of the piece of metal foil. The jelly will cause the metal to adhere very gently to the hairs and allow the piece to be floated from the paper surface on which had previously been stored. Because the leaf is so thin, this must be done in a room with extremely still air, and the user of the tip usually does not breathe until

1711-654: The courts of general jurisdiction that hear and decide any civil or criminal action which is not specially designated to be heard before some other court or governmental agency. As mandated by the Constitution, each of the 58 counties has a superior court. The superior courts also have appellate divisions (superior court judges sitting as appellate judges) which hear appeals from decisions of other superior court judges (or commissioners, or judges pro tem) in cases previously heard by inferior courts, such as infractions , misdemeanors , and "limited civil" actions (actions where

1770-426: The dangers of mercury toxicity became known. Since fire-gilding requires that the mercury be volatilized to drive off the mercury and leave the gold behind on the surface, it is extremely dangerous. Breathing the fumes generated by this process can quickly result in serious health problems, such as neurological damage and endocrine disorders , since inhalation is a very efficient route for mercuric compounds to enter

1829-420: The decorated ware is fired in a kiln to fuse the gold to the glaze and hence ensure its permanence. The most important factors affecting coating quality are the composition of applied gold, the state of the surface before application, the thickness of the layer and the firing conditions. A number of different forms and compositions are available to apply gold to ceramic, and these include: A gilder's tip

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1888-541: The decoration of pottery , porcelain, and glass . Herodotus mentions that the Egyptians gilded wood and metals, and many such objects have been excavated. Certain Ancient Greek statues of great prestige were chryselephantine , i.e., made of gold (for the clothing) and ivory (for the flesh); these however, were constructed with sheets of gold over a timber framework, not gilded. Extensive ornamental gilding

1947-405: The following substances: red ochre , verdigris , copper scales, alum , vitriol , and borax . By this operation the color of the gilding is heightened, as a result of the perfect dissipation of some of the remaining mercury. The gilt surface is then covered over with potassium nitrate , alum or other salts, ground together, and mixed into a paste with water or weak ammonia . The piece of metal

2006-790: The general usage of the term "government agency". When Brown took office, he was dismayed to discover that under California law , approximately 360 boards, commissions, and agencies all reported directly to the governor, and proposed his "super-agency" plan (then spelled with a hyphen) in February 1961 to impose order on such chaos. Brown appointed the secretaries of the first four superagencies (of eight then planned) in September 1961. The superagencies operate as "umbrella organizations" or "semiautonomous fiefdoms," but their Cabinet-level secretaries are not quite as powerful as they may appear at first glance. The governor continues to directly appoint

2065-446: The gold as pigment in paint: the artist ground the gold into a fine powder and mixed it with a binder such as gum arabic . The resulting gold paint, called shell gold , was applied in the same way as with any paint. Sometimes, after either gold-leafing or gold-painting, the artist would heat the piece enough to melt the gold slightly, ensuring an even coat. These techniques remained the only alternatives for materials like wood, leather,

2124-467: The gold leaf was layered on using a gilder's tip and left to dry before being burnished with a piece of polished agate . Those gilding on canvas and parchment also sometimes employed stiffly-beaten egg whites ("glair"), gum , and/or Armenian bole as sizing, though egg whites and gum both become brittle over time, causing the gold leaf to crack and detach, and so honey was sometimes added to make them more flexible. Other gilding processes involved using

2183-424: The introduction of the technique, with gilding soon being seen used on the walls, vaults and inside the houses of anyone who could afford it, including the poor. Owing to the comparative thickness of the gold leaf used in ancient gilding, the traces of it that remain are remarkably brilliant and solid. Fire-gilding of metal goes back at least to the 4th century BC. Mercury -gilding was invented by Chinese Daoists in

2242-533: The law, and is defined under the Constitution, law, and regulations. The judiciary has a hierarchical structure with the Supreme Court at the apex. The superior courts are the primary trial courts, and the courts of appeal are the primary appellate courts. The Judicial Council is the rule-making arm of the judiciary. The California Supreme Court consists of the chief justice of California and six associate justices. The court has original jurisdiction in

2301-526: The leaders of superagency components. The appointments are announced by the governor rather than by the secretaries, who are merely a layer of management installed to ensure that the components of their respective superagencies can stay outside of the governor's "routine attention span" (unless something goes wrong). Today, the Cabinet-level agencies (superagencies) are the: The independently elected officers run separate departments not grouped within

2360-454: The leaf is in place. Once the leaf has settled, it is often burnished with polished piece of agate to achieve a high degree of brilliance. Gilder's tips are necessary because touching the metal leaf with the finger tips would immediately cause the leaf to lose its coherent flattened shape and crumble irretrievably into metallic dust which then cannot be used for any purpose. [REDACTED]   This article incorporates text from

2419-402: The mercury has evaporated, indicated by the surface taking on a dull yellow color, the metal must undergo further steps to exhibit its fine gold color. First, the gilded surface is rubbed with a scratch brush of brass wire, until its surface is smooth. It is then covered with gilding wax, and again exposed to fire until the wax is burnt off. Gilding wax is composed of beeswax mixed with some of

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2478-574: The metallic surface at a temperature just under red-hot, pressing the leaf on with a burnisher, then reheating when additional leaf may be laid on. The process is completed by cold burnishing. "Overlaying" or folding or hammering on gold foil or gold leaf is the simplest and most ancient method, and is mentioned in Homer 's Odyssey and the Old Testament . The Ram in a Thicket (2600–2400 BC) from Ur describes this technique used on wood, with

2537-404: The mixture is stirred with an iron rod, the gold is totally absorbed. The proportion of mercury to gold is generally six or eight to one. When the amalgam is cold, it is squeezed through chamois leather to separate the superfluous mercury; the gold, with about twice its weight of mercury, remains behind, forming a yellowish silvery mass with the consistency of butter. When the metal to be gilded

2596-414: The nitric acid attacking the metal to which it is applied, and thus leaving a film of free metallic mercury. After the amalgam is equally spread over the prepared surface of the metal, the mercury is then carefully volatilized with heat just sufficient to do so, as a temperature too high may cause part of the gold to be driven off, or otherwise run together, leaving some of the metal surface bare. When

2655-538: The original gas chandelier . A hand-carved dais caps off a recessed bay framed by Corinthian columns. The Latin phrase " Senatoris est civitatis libertatem tueri " ("It is the duty of the Senator to guard the civil liberties of the Commonwealth") lines the cornice. A portrait of George Washington by Jane Stuart , the daughter of Gilbert Stuart , is on the wall above. The State Seal hangs above. Statues of

2714-427: The permanence and brightness of gold appealing to designers. Both porcelain and earthenware are commonly decorated with gold, and in the late 1970s it was reported that 5 tonnes of gold were used annually for the decoration of these products. Some wall tiles also have gold decoration. Application techniques include spraying , brushing , banding machines, and direct or indirect screen-printing . After application

2773-409: The porch above. Eight fluted Corinthian columns line the portico. A cornice supports the pediment above depicting Minerva surrounded by Education , Justice , Industry and Mining . Above the flat roof with balustrade are two drums supporting a dome. The first drum consists of a colonnade of Corinthian columns; the second, Corinthian pilasters. Large arched windows line the drum walls. The dome

2832-534: The president pro tempore of the senate and the speaker of the assembly, but they are never used. The California Assembly chamber is located at the opposite end of the building. Its green tones are based on those of the British House of Commons , the lower house. The dais rests along a wall shaped like an "E", with the central projection housing the rostrum. Along the cornice is the Assembly motto, in Latin: Legislatorum est justas leges condere ("It

2891-499: The second surface of glass and backed with silver, it is known as " Angel gilding ". Fire-gilding or wash-gilding is a process by which an amalgam of gold is applied to metallic surfaces, the mercury being subsequently volatilized , leaving a film of gold or an amalgam containing 13 to 16% mercury. In the preparation of the amalgam, the gold must first be reduced to thin plates or grains, which are heated red-hot, and thrown into previously heated mercury, until it begins to smoke. When

2950-702: The state for the local performance of governmental or proprietary functions within limited boundaries". Gilded Gilding gives an object a gold appearance at a fraction of the cost of creating a solid gold object. In addition, a solid gold piece would often be too soft or too heavy for practical use. A gilt surface also does not tarnish as silver does. Modern gilding is applied to numerous and diverse surfaces and by various processes. More traditional techniques still form an important part of framemaking and are sometimes still employed in general woodworking , cabinet -work, decorative painting and interior decoration , bookbinding , and ornamental leather work, and in

3009-552: The state. There are 58 counties, 482 California cities, about 1,102 school districts, and about 3,400 special districts . Counties and incorporated cities may promulgate local ordinances , which are usually codified in county or city codes, respectively, and are misdemeanor crimes unless otherwise specified as infractions . School districts , which are independent of cities and counties, handle public education. Special Districts deliver specific public programs and public facilities to constituents, and are defined as "any agency of

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3068-465: The superagencies, and there are other Cabinet-level departments: Most (but not all) of the leaders of these entities are normally appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. Despite their independence, the governor can exert influence on them over time by waiting for incumbent leaders to reach the ends of their terms and appointing new ones who support the governor's current agenda. Examples include the: The California State Legislature

3127-420: The surface of the acid. The whole mixture is then poured into a separating funnel with a small aperture, and allowed to rest for some time, when the acid is run off from below and the gold dissolved in ether separated. The ether will be found to have taken up all the gold from the acid, and may be used for gilding iron or steel, for which purpose the metal is polished with fine emery and spirits of wine . The ether

3186-448: The surface was often first coated with gesso . "Gesso" is a substance made of finely ground gypsum or chalk mixed with glue. Once the coating of gesso had been applied, allowed to dry, and smoothed, it was re-wet with a sizing made of rabbit-skin glue and water ("water gilding", which allows the surface to be subsequently burnished to a mirror-like finish) or boiled linseed oil mixed with litharge ("oil gilding", which does not) and

3245-422: The vellum pages of illuminated manuscripts , and gilt-edged stock. Chemical gilding embraces those processes in which the gold is at some stage of chemical combination. These include cold gilding, wet gilding, fire gilding and depletion gilding. In cold gilding, the gold is obtained in a state of extremely fine division (i.e. atomized or finely powdered), and applied by mechanical means. Cold gilding on silver

3304-544: The west end of Capitol Park and the east end of the Capitol Mall , the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The California State Capitol Museum is housed on the grounds of the capitol. The structure was completed between 1860 and 1874, designed by architect Reuben S. Clark of Clark & Kenitzer, one of San Francisco 's oldest architectural firms, founded in 1854, and

3363-665: Was also used in the ceiling coffers of the Propylaea . Pliny the Elder recorded that the first gilding seen at Rome was after the destruction of Carthage , under the censorship of Lucius Mummius , when the Romans began to gild the ceilings of their temples and palaces, the Capitol being the first place where this process was used. Gilding became a popular luxury within Rome soon after

3422-516: Was hit by two earthquakes within days of each other in 1892 which damaged the Capitol. In 2012, many protesters stormed the building and were arrested. The building is based on the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The west facade ends in projecting bays, and a portico projects from the center of the building. At the base of the portico, seven granite archways brace and support

3481-465: Was remodeled, adding seventy rooms and elevators, between 1906 and 1908. Between 1949 and 1952, the Capitol's apse was demolished to make way for the building's expansion with the construction of the East Annex. The offices of the governor of California are housed in the East Annex. The Capitol and grounds were listed on the office of the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and listed as

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