California Politics and Government: A Practical Approach

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Contents......Page 5
Preface......Page 11
About the Authors......Page 13
1 California’s People, Economy, and Politics: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow......Page 14
Colonization, Rebellion, and Statehood......Page 15
Railroads, Machines, and Reform......Page 16
The Progressives......Page 17
The Great Depression and World War II......Page 18
Postwar Politics......Page 20
California Today......Page 21
Notes......Page 26
Learn More at the Library......Page 27
2 Political Parties and Direct Democracy: Too Much Democracy?......Page 28
The Progressive Legacy......Page 29
Official Party Structures......Page 30
Party Supporters......Page 33
The Recall......Page 35
The Initiative......Page 37
Legislative “Initiatives,” Constitutional Amendments, and Bonds......Page 38
The Politics of Ballot Propositions......Page 39
California’s “Hybrid Democracy”......Page 40
Learn More on the World Wide Web......Page 41
Learn More at the Library......Page 42
3 Voters, Candidates, Campaigns, and the Media: Mixing Money and Marketing......Page 43
The Voters......Page 44
The Candidates......Page 46
The Money......Page 47
Campaigning California Style......Page 49
Paper Politics......Page 52
Television Politics......Page 53
New Media......Page 54
Notes......Page 55
Learn More at the Library......Page 56
4 Interest Groups: The Power Behind the Dome......Page 57
The Evolution of Group Power in California......Page 58
Economic Groups......Page 59
Demographic Groups......Page 60
Single-Issue Groups......Page 61
Lobbying......Page 62
Campaign Support......Page 64
Litigation......Page 65
Direct Democracy......Page 66
Measuring Group Clout: Money, Numbers, and Credibility......Page 67
Learn More on the World Wide Web......Page 68
Learn More at the Library......Page 69
5 The Legislature: The Perils of Policy Making......Page 70
The Shift toward Professionalism......Page 71
Reapportionment: Keeping and Losing Control......Page 72
New Players, New Rules......Page 74
Term Limits in Perspective......Page 75
Leaders and Followers......Page 76
Staffing the Professional Legislature......Page 78
The Formal Process......Page 79
The Informal Process......Page 82
Other Factors......Page 83
Notes......Page 84
Learn More at the Library......Page 85
6 Courts, Judges, and Politics: California Law......Page 86
Judicial Election and Selection......Page 87
Firing Judges......Page 89
The Courts at Work......Page 90
Appeals......Page 91
The High Court as a Political Battleground......Page 93
Governors, Voters, and the Courts......Page 94
Courts and the Politics of Crime......Page 96
Notes......Page 97
Learn More at the Library......Page 98
7 The Executive Branch: Coping with Fragmented Authority......Page 99
The Governor: First Among Equals......Page 100
Formal Powers......Page 101
Informal Powers......Page 105
The Lieutenant Governor......Page 107
The Superintendent of Public Instruction......Page 108
The Money Officers......Page 109
The Bureaucracy......Page 110
Making the Pieces Fit......Page 111
Learn More on the World Wide Web......Page 112
Learn More at the Library......Page 113
8 Taxing and Spending: Budgetary Politics and Policies......Page 114
The Budgetary Process......Page 115
The Public......Page 116
Revenue Sources......Page 117
The Sales Tax......Page 118
The Personal Income Tax......Page 119
Other Sources......Page 120
Spending......Page 121
Public Education: Grades K through 12......Page 122
Public Education: Colleges and Universities......Page 124
Prisons......Page 125
Notes......Page 126
Learn More at the Library......Page 127
9 Local Government: Politics at the Grassroots......Page 128
Counties......Page 129
Cities......Page 131
Elections......Page 132
Executive Power......Page 134
More Governments......Page 135
Regional Governments......Page 136
Direct Democracy in Local Politics......Page 137
Taxing and Spending......Page 138
Learn More on the World Wide Web......Page 141
Learn More at the Library......Page 142
10 State-Federal Relations: Conflict, Cooperation, and Chaos......Page 143
California’s Clout With the President......Page 144
California’s Clout With Congress......Page 145
Divisiveness......Page 146
Terrorism......Page 147
Immigration......Page 148
Climate Change......Page 150
Water......Page 151
Shared Resources......Page 152
Notes......Page 154
Learn More at the Library......Page 155
Glossary......Page 156
Index......Page 162