California
state, United States
- Capital:
- Sacramento
- Population:
- (2020) 39,538,223; (2023 est.) 38,965,193
- Governor:
- Gavin Newsom (Democrat)
- Date Of Admission:
- September 9, 1850
- U.S. Senators:
- Dianne Feinstein (Democrat)
- Alex Padilla (Democrat)
Recent News
Apr. 27, 2024, 3:16 PM ET (AP)
As border debate shifts right, Sen. Alex Padilla emerges as persistent counterforce for immigrants
Apr. 26, 2024, 5:06 PM ET (AP)
140,000 people did their taxes with the free IRS direct file pilot. But program's future is unclear
Apr. 26, 2024, 2:33 PM ET (AP)
As some universities negotiate with pro-Palestinian protesters, others quickly call the police
Apr. 25, 2024, 5:23 PM ET (AP)
Fed plan to rebuild Pacific sardine population was insufficient, California judge finds
Apr. 25, 2024, 8:35 AM ET (AP)
More arrested in pro-Palestinian campus protests ahead of college graduation ceremonies
California, constituent state of the United States of America. It was admitted as the 31st state of the union on September 9, 1850, and by the early 1960s it was the most populous U.S. state. No version of the origin of California’s name has been fully accepted, but there is wide support for the contention that it derived from an early 16th-century Spanish novel, Las sergas de Esplandián (“The Adventures of Esplandián”), that described a paradisiacal island full of gold and precious stones called California. The influence of the Spanish settlers of the 18th and 19th centuries is evident in ...(100 of 10123 words)