Governing California: Politics, Government, And Public Policy in the Golden State

Diversity and change are hallmarks of California political life, and the changes often chart new paths for other states to follow. California blazed a trail to direct democracy, personal politics, disdain for parties, professional campaign consultants, huge campaign budgets, and modern media techniques. This book explains how this diverse, entrepreneurial, and individualistic collection of people functions politically, how its most important institutions of government operate, and how it makes public policy. There are surprisingly few good books on California politics and government. Our goal is to give students and interested observers of state politics and government an analytical and interpretive overview of the machinery of state government, the pivotal issues that dominate political discourse, and the primary interest groups that play off one another in the ebb and flow of political life. Chapters include The Changing Legislative Landscape, by Patrick Johnston, Resolving Differences and Crafting Compromise: Creating a Budget for California, by John Decker, California: A Professional Legislature after Term Limits, by Bruce Cain, Thad Kousser, and Karl Kurtz, The Governor: Managing a Mega-State, by John Jacobs and A.G. Block, The Courts, by Preble Stolz, Jerry Uelmen, and Susan Rasky, Cities, Counties, and the State, by Revan Tranter, Direct Democracy: Initiative, Referendum, and Recall, by Eugene C. Lee, Redistricting: California 1971-2001, by J. Morgan Kousser, Do Debates Matter? The 2003 Gubernatorial Debates, by Rachel VanSickle-Ward and Darshan Goux, Immigration, by Jack Citrin and Andrea Campbell, Water in California: A Case Study in Federalism, by Megan Mullin