Kings

  

Province of Kings (en) Los Reyes (es) Les Rois (fr) 國王省 (hn) 國王省 (zh) Tỉnh Kings (vn) 킹수 (kr) キングス州 (ja) Könige (de) Кингс (ru)
— Province of Sierra —
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Shotgun Province (official), Crown County, The Wheat Province, The Crossroads Province, The Rail Province, The Oil Province, The Barbecue Province, Midway Sierra
Motto(s): Rex regum fidelum et (English: King even of faithful kings)
Provincial song(s): "Forever Kings"
Map of Kings
Official language(s)	9 languages English Spanish French Han Chinese Vietnamese Korean Japanese German Danish Polish
Demonym	Kingsian(s)
Capital	Santa Barbara
Largest city	Fort Travis
Area	Ranked 20th
• Total	15,568 sq mi (40,320 km2)
Population	Ranked 5th
• Total	4,568,010 (2020)
• Density	95/sq mi  (246/km2) Ranked 16th
Elevation
• Highest point	Sawmill Mountain 8,755 ft (2,669 m)
• Lowest point	46 ft (14 m)
Admission to the Union	July 3, 1868 (14th)
Lord Superintendent	Harrison Wright
Governor	Kristie Goh (R)
Lieutenant Governor	Niel Tandy (R)
Legislature	Kings Provincial Legislature
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Provincial Assembly
K.S. Senators	Cristobal Flores (R) Jack Hoffman (R) Peter Wong (R)
K.S. House delegation	17 total commoners 10 Royalists 5 Christian Democrats 2 Democratic-Republicans
Time zone	Pacific Time Zone UTC –8/UTC –7
Abbreviations	KN, KN, Kng., Kngs.
Category • Topics

Kings, officially the Province of Kings, is a province located in the southern end of the Central Valley region of Sierra. It is classified as a Western Central Sierran province, and is usually considered a Styxie province, although it has also been included in some definitions of the Southwest Corridor as its northernmost province. Kings is bordered by Central Valley on the north; the Inland Empire on the east; the Gold Coast on the south; and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also shares maritime borders with the Sierran territory of the Channel Islands on the south through the Santa Barbara Channel. It is the 20th largest K.S. PSA by total area, the 4th most populous PSALT. Its capital is Santa Barbara and its largest city is Fort Travis. It was admitted into the Kingdom on July 3, 1868 as the 14th province in order of admission.

Humans have inhabited Kings for more than 13,000 years. The primary Amerindian group living in pre-Columbian Kings were the Chumash, who demonstrated millingstone elements in their architecture, art, and livelihoods in complex hunter–gatherer societies. When European explorers arrived in the 17th century, they encountered the Chumash. The Spaniards established the mission system in Kings, with two of the largest missions in Kings being Mission Santa Barbara and Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, Kings was under brief Mexican rule where the region experienced secularization and increased development. In 1848, Kings became part of California following the Mexican–American War. Kings was admitted as part of the newly established Sierran provinces of Central Valley and the Gold Coast in 1858. In 1868, it was admitted as a province by its own rights after the southwestern half of Central Valley and a portion of northwestern Gold Coast were partitioned through an Act of Parliament. Over two-thirds of the province were briefly occupied by the Republicans during the Sierran Civil War before it was liberated in 1877.

Historically, Kings has been dominated by three major industries: oil, cattle and bison, and railroads. The cattle industry was central to the economic development and maturation of Kings, particularly in Central Kings. In the early 20th century, the discovery of rich petroleum deposits in Kings transformed Kings' economy through an economic boom as the province shifted towards oil extracting and refining. Improvements to agriculture, transportation, and logistics enabled Kings to diversify its economy. Today, the province is a leader in various industries, including agriculture, advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, energy, aerospace, biotechnology, and telecommunications.

Etymology

Kings symbols
The Flag of Kings
The Seal of Kings
Living insignia
Amphibian	Tehachapi slender salamander
Bird	Sagebrush sparrow
Butterfly	Monarch butterfly
Crustacean	Vernal pool fairy shrimp
Fish	Golden trout
Flower	Gambel's water cress
Mammal	Giant kangaroo rat
Reptile	Kings coachwhip
Inanimate insignia
Colors	Crimson, white, gold
Food	Beef brisket
Motto	Rex regum fidelum et
Poem	"The Roads of Kings"
Ship	HRMS Kings
Slogan	It's great to be Kings
Song	"Forever Kings"
Provincial route marker
Part of a series on the provinces, states, areas, and territories of Sierra

The province is historically named for the Kings River, which was named after the Three Wise Men by Spanish lieutenant Gabriel Moraga. Although no portion of the river runs through Kings, the Sierran government named the province after the river due to the region's connection with Central Valley, the province where the river actually runs through and where Kings received its northern territory from by partition. The river was erroneously shown to run through Kings on some maps, before the Royal Surveyors' Corps conducted a formal expedition that showed no such incidence in 1870. The name's meaning was later officially changed from the river to a reference to Sierra's own kings through an act passed by the Kings Provincial Legislature in 1888.

Nicknames

Barbecue in Kings has earned it the nickname, "The Barbecue Province"

Kings has been called by several nicknames, most of which either describe a ubiquitous feature of the province or its industry. Its official provincial nickname is the Shotgun Province, a reference to the province's shape, which is similar to that of a shotgun or a pistol. It is sometimes referred to simply as "The Shotgun" by locals. The earliest attested use of the nickname dates back to 1889 shortly after the province's creation, when Gold Cost Senator Murray Bailey protested the partition of his province. Portions of Bailey's constituency (present-day Santa Barbara County) became part of the new Kings, which gave the appearance of the area as the pistol grip of the shotgun-shaped province. Senator Bailey called Kings "a loathsome and ugly shotgun", a remark which was reproduced and published on major national newspapers. Kings' first governor, Samuel Hutchison, embraced the description and proclaimed "May this loathsome and ugly shotgun forever remain foisted on the weary mind of the senator to the south".

The province has been known as "Crown Country" due to its longtime association with monarchism and historical tendency to vote Royalist. During The Disturbances, several hundred Jacobite families emigrated to Kings from the northern Styxie provinces to avoid the conflict. Several residences and properties owned by the Crown are also located in Kings, including Morgan Castle.

Kings' location between the Southwest Corridor and the Styxie has been the subject of interest in Sierran culture, literature, and academia. Its centrality within the Kingdom has earned it the name, "Midway Sierra". Its shift towards more moderate politics has also been reflected in the nickname. Since the 1990s, Kings has become more competitive in elections between the Conservative coalition (Royalists and Libertarians) and Progressive coalition (Democratic-Republicans, Social Democrats, and Greens), with the former dominating the northern, inland part of the province and the latter winning in the southern, coastal section of the province.

Other nicknames for the province include "The Wheat Province", "The Crossroads Province", "The Rail Province", "The Oil Province", and "The Barbecue Province".

Geography

Overview

Kings' South Coast with the Santa Barbara metropolitan area

Kings is located in northwesternmost part of the Southwest Corridor along the Pacific Coast of Central Sierra. It borders the province of Central Valley to the north. The border between the two provinces run along a line which is approximately 14 miles south and parallel to the 36th parallel north at 35°48′. Interior Kings shares its eastern boundary with the Inland Empire, nearly perfectly corresponding with the Gold Coast–Inland Empire border (determined as a north–south straight line starting at Mount Baldy). Minor protrusions on the line along the northern section of the Kings–Inland Empire border include lands owned by the Sierran Royal Navy, namely portions of Naval Air Station China Lake. Interior Kings shares a border with the Gold Coast to its south. The eastern half of the boundary is a west–east line that originates near the Kings town of Lebec by Tejon Pass and Castac Lake and terminates at the southern point of the Kings–Inland Empire boundary. The western half of the boundary corresponds roughly with the San Emigdio Mountains in a staircase fashion moving northward from the east to west. The eastern border of Coastal Kings begins at the westernmost point of Interior King's southern boundary near the edge of Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, giving the province its characteristic shotgun appearance. It runs southward in a straight line from this point until it reaches the source of Rincon Creek. The path Rincon Creek runs from the mountains to the Pacific Ocean serves as the remainder of Kings' border with the Gold Coast. The Pacific Ocean lies directly west of Kings and south of Coastal Kings.

Temblor Range during the springtime

Kings is considered a Southwest Corridor province or a Central Sierran province. Kings Interior, especially the Fort Travis metropolitan area, is occasionally included in definitions of the Styxie due to the region's ties with agriculture and the cultural influences of the Styxie.

Topography and terrain

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes along the Kings Coast

Kings' topography and terrain is varied. The province's coastal side and central interior are mostly flat and low-lying. The two major mountain chains: the Pacific Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada run through the province, with the former on the western portion of the province and the latter on the eastern portion. Significant mountain ranges in the province are the Santa Ynez Mountains, San Rafael Mountains, Sierra Madre Mountains, Temblor Range, Santa Lucia Range, and portions of the Tehachapi Mountains.

Los Padres National Forest

The majority of the population lives in either two regions: the South Coast (centered around the Santa Barbara metropolitan area) and Eastern Kings Interior (comprising the Fort Travis–Sierra City metropolitan area). The South Coast is bounded by the Santa Ynez Mountains to the north while the San Rafael and Sierra Madre Mountains serve as a barrier separating the western and southern coastal regions of Kings from the Kings Interior. This section of the province is occasionally known as the Trans-Kings region. Notable valleys include the Santa Ynez Valley between the Santa Ynez and San Rafael mountain ranges, Cuyama Valley along Central Kings Interior, the Carrizo Plain in northwestern Kings, and the southern portion of Central Valley (San Joaquin Valley) in the Eastern Kings Interior. The easternmost portion of Kings, beyond the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada lies Mojave Desert, including parts of Indian Wells Valley and Antelope Valley.

Upper San Roque Canyon in the Santa Ynez Mountains

Climate

Kings is divided into two main climatic zones: the Mediterranean coast and the desert interior. Along the coastal regions of Kings, the area features a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb). During the summer, days are warm and dry, and occasionally exceed 100 °F (37 °C), especially during the months of July and August. Little to no precipitation falls during the summer months, although thunderstorms may develop. The area is prone to wildfires, which can be triggered from drought, high temperatures, and windy conditions. During the winter, the weather is mild and cool, as well as wet. The majority of the province's precipitation falls between the months of late October and early March. At low elevations, snowfall is exceedingly rare and temperatures seldom dip below freezing. Springtime and fall are both mild.

In the Kings Interior, the region features a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh) and experiences long, hot summers, and short, moist winters. During the summertime, the weather easily exceeds 90 °F. Temperatures exceeding 110 °F (43 °C) are not unusual during the hottest months of summer. During the winter, the desert experiences mild daytime temperatures and chilly conditions at night. Occasionally, frost can develop during the early morning hours. The famous Tule fog weather phenomenon forms annually in the Kings Interior, leading to dense fogs and dangerously low visibility. Tule fog usually happens between the beginning of November and the ending of March.

Ecology

Kings is part of the Nearctic ecozone and supports an expansive biodiversity. The province features large communities of endemic species as well as introduced species, most of which arrived as a result of European colonization and subsequent human development in the region. Much of the Kings Interior is dominated by the lower Sonoran desert and temperate grassland biomes. Along the coast and western foothills, the region is part of the Sierra montane chaparral and woodlands ecoregion. Around Kings' major mountain chains, the area features the interior chaparral woodlands ecoregion.

Flora and fauna

Along Kings' coast, communities of Chamise, Manzanita, and scrub oak thrive in large numbers, especially near lower elevations. Other oak species including coast live oak, canyon live oak, and interior live oak are also found in this region. At higher elevations, Douglas fir, incense-cedar, sugar pine, white fir, Jeffrey pine, ponderosa pine, and western juniper grow across the mountainous landscape. On the chaparral landscape, species of gray pine, Sierra scrub oak, milkwort jewelflower, buckeye, and blue oak grown in large numbers. In the flat grasslands, various species of grass, flowering plants, and shrub such as the common sunflower, Sierra barley, squirreltail barley, black walnut, Torrey's rush, and knot grass thrive. In the desert interior, native plants common throughout the Mojave Desert are found such as the common fiddleneck, yerba mensa, Mojave suncup, angelstem buckwheat, and Joshua tree.

Kings supports a large population of native and non-native species of wildlife. It is home to various endemic mammalian species of elk, mule deer, gophers, rats, mice, hare, rabbits, Sierra ground squirrel, kangaroo rats, and San Joaquin kit fox. Waterfowl and other avian species are also native to Kings, including migratory species which travel to, from, and through Kings annually. Native reptile and amphibian species include the San Joaquin coachwhip snake and Gilbert's skink. Various freshwater and aquatic species of fish are also native to Kings' rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters.

History

Pre-Sierran period

Chumash rock art at the Painted Cave

Kings has been inhabited by humans for at least 13,000 years ago. The earliest known people to have inhabited Kings were Amerindians belonging to the Clovis culture. The Chumash became the principal inhabitants of the region, who lived in complex hunter–gatherer societies that engaged in trade, basket-weaving, kayak-building, fishing, and artwork. Some of the most famous paintings by ancient Chumash artists have been discovered in the Painted Cave, which is now protected by the provincial government as a heritage site.

Kings was first explored by non-Amerindians in the 16th century when the Spaniards under the command of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo. Cabrillo embarked on a year-and-a-half exploration throughout Sierra along its Pacific coast and traveled Kings' coasts with his three ships. In 1602, Sebastián Vizcaíno was the second Spaniard to lead an exploration in Kings and is credited for naming the Santa Barbara Channel. Hendrik Brouwer and his men were likely the third instance of Europeans traveling through Kings during their northward journey to Plumas. It was possible that Kings was used as an emergency stop for Spanish galleons traveling along the Manila trade route following Cabrillo and Vizcaíno's journeys, although the earliest confirmed land expedition in Kings was made by Gaspar de Portolà, Juan Crespí, and their men in 1769, on their way to Monterey Bay. Crespí was a Franciscan missionary who was the official diarist who documented the Portolà expedition in Kings and beyond. They passed Kings again during their return trip to Laguna. Several years later, Juan Bautista de Anza used the same route as de Portolà and traveled through the area. The Kings Interior was explored by Don Pedro Fages in 1772, who entered the area through Grapevine Canyon.

The Santa Barbara Presidio

In 1782, the Santa Barbara Presidio, the first permanent colonial settlement in Kings, was established by Governor Felipe de Neve. The purpose of the Presidio was to safeguard Spanish interests and its territorial claims in northern Alta California, particularly to discourage the expansion of its neighboring rivals, Russia and Great Britain. It was also created to serve as the region's primary center for converting, housing, and employing local Amerindians (mainly the Chumash) on the presidio grounds. Four years after the presidio was built, Mission Santa Barbara was established and dedicated to Saint Barbara.

The Spaniards' presence and interactions with the native Chumash resulted in rapid depopulation over the course of several decades. The Chumash lacked natural immunity against the Spaniards' Old World diseases including smallpox, and died in large numbers, although the Chumash community was able to survive in part to the individuals who survived and developed a resistance to such diseases. There were rare instances of conflict between the Spaniards and the Chumash, though the Spaniard government was able to suppress revolts with ease.

In 1821, Mexico fought and won its independence from Spain. In the war's aftermath, Mexico gained control over Alta California, including Kings. Mexico largely preserved the same political and social institutions over the territory, although it sought to secularize and convert land previously held by the church into state property. The Mexican government sold or rewarded large parcels of land to private citizens and soldiers at low prices to encourage emigration into the region. Local families who received the land grants turned the land into ranchos, which focused heavily on ranching and farming.

The Mexican government's treatment and handling of the local Chumash was similar to the previous Spanish administration. Amerindians were expected to assimilate into Mexican culture and society, including learning and using the Spanish language. Occasionally, the Mexican government and the Chumash in Kings engaged in conflict. The most notable case was the Battle of San Emigdio when former Mission Amerindian Chumash rebelled against the Mexican government for taking control over Mission Santa Barbara and its associated lands.

Demographics

The 2020 Sierra Royal Bureau of Census officially recorded a population of 4,568,010 people in Kings. Between January 2010 and January 2019, the Bureau estimated that the population of Kings was 4,391,920, indicating a population increase of 468,000, or 11.92% during that time period since the 2010 Census. This included a natural increase of 95,356 (that is 142,171 births minus 46,815 deaths) and an increase of 322,644 due to net migration from other Sierran PSAs or overseas countries into the province. Immigration from outside the Kingdom of Sierra resulted in a net increase of 372,644 and migration from within the county represented a net decrease of 53,269. According to the 2010 Bureau of Census, 51.5% were born in the Inland Empire, 32.7% were born in another Sierran PSA or territory, 0.1% were born abroad to Sierran parent(s), and 15.7% were foreign-born. Over 55 percent of Kings' native-born residents had parents or grandparents who were foreign-born. The center of population was near Moron in Elliot County in 2019, following a northeast-oriented trend observed since the 1980 Census.

Kings is the second fastest growing PSA in the country and is projected to surpass 5 million by 2022. It is the most populated province with territory in the geographic Central Valley and the Styxie (under certain definitions). Fort Travis, the 17th most populous city in Sierra, is the center of the Fort Travis–Sierra City metropolitan area, which comprises a tenth of province's total area but over half of the province's residents. The other major metropolitan area in Kings is the Santa Barbara metropolitan area where about 20% of the province's residents inhabit.

Religion

Religious affiliation in Kings

Affiliation	% of Sierra population
Christian	80	80
Protestant/Evangelical	45	45
Catholic	30	30
Eastern Orthodox	1	1
Other Christian	4	4
Other Faith	6	6
Unaffiliated	13	13
Don't know/refused answer	1	1
Total	100	100

Kings is one of Sierra's most religious provinces. It is predominantly Christian, with 80% of the population identifying as part of the faith. The Kings Interior is part of Sierra's Bible Country and is more socially conservative than Coastal Kings. Protestant Christians make up the largest Christian tradition in the province, with the single largest Protestant denomination being the Sierran Baptist Convention, followed by the United Methodist Church, and the Church of New England. Other Protestants with a presence in Kings include primitive Baptist churches, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Adventists, Pentecostals, and nondenominational churches. Catholics make up the next largest Christian grouping in the province, with the majority of Catholics being members of the Roman Catholic Church. The largest Catholic polity in the province is the Diocese of Fresno, located in the Ecclesiastical Province of Fresno (which comprises the provinces of Central Valley and Kings. Mormons make up a significant minority in the province and are concentrated in the Fort Travis–Sierra City metropolitan area, particularly in Whitmer County communities.

Adherents of other religions such as Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism are concentrated in Kings' urban areas. Current figures estimate that the population of Jews living in Kings is around 45,000; Muslims are around 225,000; Buddhists are around 170,000; adherents of Indian religions including Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism are around 190,000.

Culture

Kings is one of Sierra's most populous provinces and is centrally located in the Kingdom. Its location between Sierra's two largest socio-political regions, the Southwest Corridor and the Styxie, has allowed the province to have similarities and overlap between the two areas. It has a distinctly defined blend between Anglo-American, Hispanic, Creole, and Asian traditions. Within Kings, there are four established cultural regions: the North Coast, the South Coast, the North Interior, and the South Interior, although the cultural divide between the coastal West and insular East is significantly more pronounced. The former tends to be closer culturally to that of the Southwest Corridor and the Pacific Northwest, while the latter is closer to the Styxie.

Art and literature

Fort Travis is home to the Fort Travis Institute of Art, an art gallery museum owned by the University of Fort Travis, which contains over 800 individual Sierran and Anglo-American paintings and sculptures on rotation seasonally. It also has the George Miller Contemporary Art Museum, the Ian Carter Center for Performing Arts, and the Klein Theater, all of which are located in Downtown Fort Travis in a neighborhood informally known as the Arts District.

Sierra City has art venues such as the Fulbrook Center, the Stevenson Opera House, the Charlie D. McGill Symphony Center, and the Kings Interior Glass Museum.

In Santa Barbara, it features the 2000-seat Arlington Theater, the Lobero Theater, the Granada Theater, and the 4,562-seat outdoors Santa Barbara Bowl. The city has attracted a local classical music scene and is home to the internationally renowned Kings Pacific Orchestra. The Music Academy of the West is based in the Montecito district of Santa Barbara and hosts an annual summertime music festival.

Economy

As of 2019, Kings has a total gross provincial product (GPP) of $49.7 billion, the fifth-highest in Sierra. It had a GPP per capita of $33,447 in 2019. Its economy was historically based on agriculture (particularly beef products), oil, and railroads. Since the 20th century, Kings has diversified to becoming an economic powerhouse featuring manufacturing, telecommunications, biotechnology, finance, banking, logistics, petrochemicals, and education. It has been a national leader in logistics and trade due to its centrality and vast expanse of land within Sierra. Its railroad system was among the most sophisticated and well-used in Anglo-America during the 20th century and continue to serve as vital links within Sierra and to the rest of Anglo-America.

In 2015, Newstar Business listed Kings as the most business-friendly province in Sierra, citing its low taxation, minimal government regulations, and cheap land. Between 2010 and 2019, Kings saw an increase of over twenty multi-billion enterprises and conglomerates moving their headquarters to the province (mainly around the Fort Travis–Sierra City metropolitan area).

Business

Kings is home to over 275 major firms and businesses. It serves as the headquarters for five of Anglo-America's 1,000 largest publicly traded companies including Bench & Steer, KernCo Refreshments, Palmer Systems, Spooky's, and Zeus Restaurants. Sierra's largest beef producing company, Berkshireford Farms is also based in Kings and operates one of the world's largest beef processing facilities. The province has seen one of the fastest growing rates of start-up firms and hedge funds in the country, especially in the Fort Travis–Sierra City metropolitan area. Various companies including Cabrillo Technologies, Heartwell Enterprises, Western Gas, Bixby & Co., Tokki, and Media Corporation have established regional headquarters within Kings.

Tourism

Kings has a significant tourism industry and has attracted millions of visitors annually from within Sierra and overseas. The most popular destinations in Kings are the Fort Travis–Sierra City metropolitan area, the Santa Barbara metropolitan area, and Kings' two largest national forests: Sequoia National Forest and Los Padres National Forest. Both the Historical K.S. Route 101 and K.S. Scenic Route 16 are popular highways which run through Kings along the Pacific Coast and offer panoramic views of the sea, miles of natural beaches, and several beachfront communities. The most iconic spot along Kings' coast is Point Conception, located near Lompoc in Conception County.

Taxation and budget

Kings has one of the lowest tax burdens in the Kingdom. It is one of the few provinces which does not levy a provincial income tax or a provincial property tax. It generates revenue instead from a provincial-wide sales tax (6.25% for all tangible retail sales and goods) and county-level property taxes (between 0.5% and 2.15%). Provincial law allows counties to levy an additional sales tax of their own of up to 2 percent for a maximum combined total of 8.25%. The province applies a flat corporate tax of 1%, although small businesses can qualify for a lower tax rate, as low as 0.575%, if their revenues fall under annually-adjusted thresholds.

Infrastructure and transportation

Transportation in Kings is overseen and regulated by the Kings Department of Transportation (KDOT). It manages over 10,328 miles of paved road, highways, freeways, and interprovincials, and has 893,201 registered drivers through the Kings Department of Motor Vehicles (KDMV).

Roads

Major highways

Interprovincials, K.S. Routes, Provincial Highways, and other highways in Kings
Interprovincial 2 Interprovincial 99 K.S. Route 395 (Historical) K.S. Route 58 K.S. Route 178 Farm to Market Road 1 Ranch to Market Road 1 Kings Toll Route 1

Government and politics

Overview

The Province of Kings operates under the Provincial Constitution of Kings. The current constitution was adopted in 1897. The Constitution declares that the province is a semi-parliamentary democracy subject to the authority of the Sierran Crown. It divides the government into three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The executive branch features a pluralistic system, with a weak governor compared to some other Sierran provinces. It derives its authority from the Crown which serves as the foundation of Kings' government.

Executive

The head of state is Kings is the Lord or Lady Superintendent of Kings who is a viceregal representative appointed by the Queen to execute all royal duties, powers, and responsibilities on her behalf when she is not present in the province. All legislative acts, executive orders, court decisions, official documents, and other government actions must be proclaimed or signed in the name of the Lord or Lady Superintendent who bears the authority of the Queen. The head of government is the Governor, who is elected directly by the people. Kings is one of the only provinces where governors who are elected directly by citizens must also be members of Parliament. By convention, members of the Kings Provincial Assembly vote among their peers and the two most voted candidates then proceed to a general election directed to Kings' citizens. The positions of Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Provincial Treasurer, and Provincial Superintendent of Schools, the Provincial Agricultural Commissioner, and the Provincial Land Commissioner are also elected in the same manner as the Governor. The Attorney General is the only top-level elected executive post which does not require a concurrent seat in the Provincial Assembly.

Executive Government of Kings

L.S. Harrison Wright

Gov. Kristie Goh (R)

Lt. Gov. Neil Tandy (R)

Legislative

The legislature is the Kings Provincial Legislature, which is divided into two houses: the Kings Provincial Senate and the Kings Provincial Assembly. The Senate consists of 55 members, who are each elected to four-year terms. The Lieutenant Governor of Kings serves as the ceremonial head of the Senate and is permitted to vote only in cases of a tie-breaker. The Provincial Assembly consists of 185 members, who are each elected to two-year terms. Unlike most provincial legislatures, the lower house Provincial Assembly is stronger than the Senate. It is constitutionally proscribed the responsibility to select and confirm judges, justices, and certain executive officials. By law, only individuals who have a seat in the Provincial Assembly are eligible to run for the leadership positions of the executive branch (including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Superintendent of Schools) except for the Attorney General.

Judicial

Supreme Court of Kings Courthouse

The judicial system in Kings is divided into three tiers of courts. At the highest level of the court system are: the Supreme Court, which is the last court of resort in Kings for civil cases; and the Court of Criminal Appeals, which is the last court of resort for criminal cases. The Supreme Court possess primarily appellate jurisdiction, although it has some original jurisdiction for certain cases. It hears appeals for civil cases directly sent by county-level circuit courts, as well as appeals for juvenile, family, and administrative cases sent from the Court of Appeals of Kings. The Supreme Court is composed of a chief justice and 6 justices who are all elected to serve 12-year terms by members of the Provincial Assembly. The Court of Criminal Appeals, meanwhile, is the last court of resort for criminal cases and does not possess original jurisdiction. It exercises discretionary review over all criminal cases, except those involving the sentencing of the death penalty or the denial of bail, of which it is required to review them. It is composed of a presiding justice and 4 justices who are all elected to serve 6-year terms by the general electorate. All elected justices are prohibited from running with partisan identification.

Below the Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals are the three intermediate Courts of Appeals in Kings, each which are based on the province's geographic regions (Interior East, Interior West, and Coastal). The Courts of Appeals are legally required to hear all appeals petitioned at the lower courts. All Kings appellate decisions are binding on all lower courts.

At the lowest level are the Superior Courts, which have general jurisdiction over both civil and criminal cases. The Superior Courts have original jurisdiction over all criminal cases involving felony charges and misdemeanor offenses referred there by the General Courts, as well as civil cases where the amount in controversy exceeds $5,000. In addition to the Superior Courts are the General Courts, which oversee traffic violations, misdemeanors, and civil cases involving less than $25,000. The General Courts are not courts of record, whereas the superior court are. All appeals made at General Courts are referred to the Superior Courts where the cases are tried de novo. The Family and Juvenile Court is a separate court that has original jurisdiction over domestic disputes, custody rights, visitation rights, divorces, and juvenile crimes. All appeals made from here are forwarded directly to the Courts of Appeal, rather than tried de novo in the Superior Courts.

Law

Both the Kings Provincial Constitution and the Kings Revised Statutes comprise the statutory law of Kings. The former includes over 55 articles and 108,281 words as of September 2019, which covers a broad range of topics including civil liberties, property tax, criminal code, and water rights. Two notable features present in the Kings Provincial Constitution is the designation of Kings as a semi-parliamentary democracy and its enshrinement of the single-subject rule. The latter consists of the codified legislation of the Kings Provincial Legislature. It has undergone four major revisions, with the most recent and currently enforced revision dating back in 1969. The current Kings Revised Statutes consists of five sections and 102 chapters. Historically, Kings had a separate criminal code but incorporated the code into the Revised Statutes in 1976. Like most other provinces, Kings also maintains a separate heraldic code dedicated to the regulation of heraldic jurisdictions and heraldry within the province.

Counties, cities, and towns

County	County seat	Year founded	Population	Population (2010) Percentage	Area (sq. mi.)	Area %
Extant
Conception	Lompoc	1892	52,111	TBD	TBD	TBD
Elliot	Lukeston	1868	311,532	TBD	TBD	TBD
Ingham	Oidale	1868	391,350	TBD	TBD	TBD
Lee	Atascadero	1868	88,004	TBD	TBD	TBD
Steinbeck	San Luis Obispo	1908	371,829	TBD	TBD	TBD
Toulouse	Santa Barbara	1868	430,699	TBD	TBD	TBD
Walker	Sierra City	1868	819,215	TBD	TBD	TBD
Washer	Fort Travis	1888	1,538,827	TBD	TBD	TBD
Whitmer	Lake Ponzu	1908	93,176	TBD	TBD	TBD
Zachary	Bloomington	1892	95,430	TBD	TBD	TBD

Kings is administratively divided into 10 counties. Under Kings provincial law, the powers and roles of county governments are strictly limited. Each county government is headed by a board of county commissioners (generally consisting of 6 members with one designated as the ceremonial chair), who are elected from precincts that divide the county into roughly equal populaces. Counties are empowered to levy and collect taxes, oversee road maintenance, provide waste disposal services, administer elections, register voters, provide local law enforcement and first responder services (including fire control), provide animal control services, coordinate natural disaster response, and maintaining public records. Provincial laws permits county governments to undertake any additional services necessary to achieve the aforementioned powers, but prohibits it from performing any other actions independent as such. It declares that all other responsibilities and duties are reserved to the province, as well as home-rule municipalities which are established by the province. While limited, the boards are generally given quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial powers through the ability to pass ordinances and oversee. Other responsibilities of the board includes issuing bonds and setting the county budget.

According to Kings provincial law, cities and towns are both considered municipalities. There are no townships and all parts of King are either incorporated communities (as municipalities) or unincorporated areas. While counties do not have home rule status, municipalities may have it if granted by Kings Provincial Legislature (otherwise, they are subject to provincial codes on municipalities as a general law municipality). Customarily, municipalities are granted home rule status by the government if the community reaches a population of 5,000 or greater and the majority of its residents vote for such change.

Political party strength and ideologies

Kings has been politically conservative for much of its history and is regarded as a stronghold for the Royalist Party. During the mid-19th century, the Kings region was the only major area within the Central Valley that had a large monarchist base and opposed republicanism. Its monarchist tendency was a factor in leading Kings to be excluded from being a part of the Styxie. During the Sierran Civil War, the Interior Kings was among the last areas taken control by the Second California Republic and only lasted under Republican control for less than two years. It was liberated by the pro-government Monarchists in 1875. Since 1900, at least three-fourths of Kings' counties have voted for Royalist candidates and the Royalist Party dominates the provincial government in both the legislature and the executive government.

Generally, Royalists are strongest in the Fort Travis–Sierra City metropolitan area and rural counties of Interior Kings, as well as Lee County, while the Democratic-Republicans are strongest in the southwestern part of Kings' coast (including the capital city of Santa Barbara), as well as the Hispanic-majority suburbs and communities in Interior Kings. Libertarians have found partisan success mostly at the provincial level and have won seats in rural districts, while Social Democrats have become increasingly more successful in Kings Provincial Legislature among districts along the coast.

Education

Education is regulated and overseen by the Kings Department of Public Instruction (KDPI), which is led by the Kings Provincial Superintendent of Schools. Laws pertaining to education in the province of Kings is covered under Section 4, Chapters 9 and 10, which includes all legislation passed by the Kings Provincial Legislature. The Kings Provincial Constitution also features sections dedicated to education, mainly to guarantee the right to education for citizens and to empower the Superintendent of Schools and their associates with the necessary powers to dispense in order to perform their duties and responsibilities.

Kings ranks one of the highest performing provinces in the country academically in test scores, high school graduations, college graduations, and postsecondary degree completion. In 2019, 91% of high school students graduated within 4 years and an additional 5% graduated as super seniors. The high school dropout rate was 3%, the nation's third lowest in the country. More than 40% of kindergarteners in the 2019–20 academic year were previously enrolled in preschool or a similar preparatory-level program.

Colleges and universities

Public

Allan Hancock College Cero Coso Community College Cuesta College Fort Travis Community College District, 3 campuses Central Fort Travis Community College Oilville Community College South Fort Travis Community College

King Charles University Santa Barbara City College Sierra National University, Fort Travis Sierra Polytechnic National University, San Luis Obispo Taft College University of Sierra, Santa Barbara

Private

Antioch University Santa Barbara Fielding Graduate University Kern University Pacifica Graduate University San Joaquin Valley College

Santa Barbara Business College, 5 campuses Santa Barbara College of Law Kings Institute of Law Westmont College

Symbols

• 

  Tehachapi slender salamander

• 

  Sagebrush sparrow

• 

  Monarch butterfly

• 

  Vernal pool fairy shrimp

• 

  Golden trout

• 

  Gambell's watercress

• 

  Giant kangaroo rat

• 

  Kings coachwhip

• 

  Beef brisket

• 

  Christmas berry

• 

  Strawberry

Insignia	Symbol	Binomial nomenclature	Year Adopted
Official provincial amphibian	Tehachapi slender salamander	Batrachoseps stebbinsi	1983
Official provincial bird	Sagebrush sparrow	Artemisiospiza nevadensis	1970
Official provincial butterfly	Monarch butterfly	Danaus plexippus	1970
Official provincial beverage	Pop-Pop		2004
Official provincial fish	Golden trout	Oncorhynchus aguabonita	1976
Official provincial flower	Gambell's watercress	Nasturtium gambellii	1974
Official provincial mammal	Giant kangaroo rat	Dipodomys ingens	1989
Official provincial crustacean	Vernal pool fairy shrimp	Branchinecta lynchi	2007
Official provincial motto	"Rex regum fidelum et" (King even of faithful kings)	1868	1877
Official provincial slogan	"It's great to be Kings"		2002
Official provincial nickname	"The Shotgun Province"		1966
Official provincial tree	Christmas berry	Heteromeles arbutifolia	1970
Official provincial fruit	Strawberry	Fragaria × ananassa	2005
Official provincial song	"Forever Kings" (3rd edition)		1909/1935/1974
Official naval ship	HRMS Kings		2003

Great Seal of Kings

See also

• Styxie

Preceded by Clark

List of K.S. PSAs by date of admission to the Union Admitted on July 3, 1868 (14th)

Succeeded by Inland Empire

Attribution notices

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