California Politics and Government A Practical Approach

by Gerston, Larry N.; Christiansen, Terry

• ISBN13: 9780155063884
• ISBN10: 015506388X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-01-01
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

Summary

Concise and up-to-date, this Sixth Edition provides students with a concise synthesis of politics, policy making, and institutions in a state whose issues and complexity are unmatched anywhere. A brief "nuts-and-bolts" treatment, this text uses contemporary examples that are both appealing to read and illustrative of complex principles.

Table of Contents

About the Authors	vi
Preface	vii
California's People, Economy, and Politics: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow	1	(14)
Colonization, Rebellion, and Statehood	1	(2)
Railroads, Machines, and Reform	3	(2)
The Great Depression and World War II	5	(2)
Postwar Politics	7	(1)
California Today	8	(5)
Into the Future	13	(2)
Notes	13	(1)
Learn More on the World Wide Web	14	(1)
Learn More at the Library	14	(1)
Political Parties and Direct Democracy: Too Much Democracy?	15	(12)
The Progressive Legacy	14	(3)
Party Organization-From Structure to Supporters	17	(3)
New Reforms for the Twenty-First Century	20	(1)
Direct Democracy	20	(3)
The Politics of Ballot Propositions	23	(2)
Political Parties, Direct Democracy, and California Politics	25	(2)
Notes	26	(1)
Learn More on the World Wide Web	26	(1)
Learn More at the Library	26	(1)
Voters, Candidates, Campaigns, and the Media: The Mix of Money and Marketing	27	(13)
The Voters	27	(2)
The Candidates	29	(1)
Campaigning California Style	30	(5)
The Media in California Politics	35	(3)
Elections, Campaigns, and the Media	38	(2)
Notes	38	(1)
Learn More on the World Wide Web	38	(1)
Learn More at the Library	39	(1)
Interest Groups: The Power Behind the Dome	40	(12)
The Evolution of Group Power in California	40	(1)
The Groups	41	(4)
Techniques and Targets: Interest Groups at Work	45	(5)
Regulating Groups	50	(1)
Measuring Group Clout: Money, Numbers, and Credibility	50	(2)
Notes	51	(1)
Learn More on the World Wide Web	51	(1)
Learn More at the Library	51	(1)
The Legislature: The Perils of Policymaking	52	(14)
The Making and Unmaking of a Model Legislature	52	(7)
How a Bill Becomes a Law	59	(5)
Unfinished Business	64	(2)
Notes	64	(1)
Learn More on the World Wide Web	65	(1)
Learn More at the Library	65	(1)
Courts, Judges, and Politics: California Law	66	(14)
The California Court System	66	(4)
The Courts at Work	70	(5)
The High Court as a Political Battleground	75
Governors, Voters, and the Courts	74	(3)
Courts and the Politics of Crime	77	(1)
Politics and the Courts	78	(2)
Notes	79	(1)
Learn More on the World Wide Web	79	(1)
Learn More at the Library	79	(1)
The Executive Branch: Coping with Fragmented Authority	80	(14)
The Governor: First among Equals	80	(7)
The Supporting Cast	87	(4)
The Bureaucracy	91	(1)
Making the Pieces Fit	91	(3)
Notes	92	(1)
Learn More on the World Wide Web	92	(1)
Learn More at the Library	93	(1)
Taxing and Spending: Budgetary Politics and Policies	94	(13)
The Budgetary Process	95	(2)
Revenue Sources	97	(4)
Spending	101	(4)
Modern State Budgets: Too Little, Too Much, or Just Right?	105	(2)
Notes	106	(1)
Learn More on the World Wide Web	106	(1)
Learn More at the Library	106	(1)
Local Government: Politics at the Grass Roots	107	(1)
Counties and Cities	107	(4)
Power in the City: Council Members, Managers, and Mayors	111	(4)
More Governments	115	(1)
Direct Democracy in Local Politics	116	(1)
Land Use: Coping with Growth	117