Remaking California : Reclaiming the Public Good

by Lustig, R. Jeffrey

• ISBN13: 9781597141345
• ISBN10: 1597141348
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-05-31
• Publisher: Heyday Books

Summary

California is locked in a constitutional crisis. Its schools are in decline, its water system near collapse, and its prisons in disarray. It is unable to avoid a yearly budget crisis, maintain its public facilities, or care for its sick. Nor can its citizens remedy these ills under present arrangements. A land once known for its beauty and abundance is now characterized by abandoned properties and a shortage of homes, jobs, and opportunities.

Table of Contents

Editor's Preface	p. ix
California's Constitutional Crisis
California at the Edge	p. 3
Decline and Fall	p. 23
Causes of the Crisis: How State Government Currently Works
Proposition 13: Tarnish on the Golden Dream	p. 41
The California Legislature and the Decline of Majority Rule	p. 60
Reforming the Executive	p. 78
Voting, Elections, and the Failure of Representation in California	p. 99
Effects of the Crisis: A Changing California
Immigration, Diversity, and the Challenge of Democratic Inclusion	p. 121
The View from East L.A.	p. 140
California's Water Crisis: The Delta and Beyond	p. 154
Remedies for the Crisis: Overhauling State Government
Remapping the California Electorate	p. 175
A People's Convention for California	p. 192
Epilogue: "If I Ran the Zoo" Proposals for Constitutional Reforms
How California Can Solve Its Budget Crisis: Form a Bank	p. 215
Education and the State Constitution	p. 217
Publicly Funded Elections for Public-Interest Government	p. 219
There's No Time to Waste: An Educator's Approach to California Governance Reform	p. 221
State Constitutional Reform: A Primer	p. 223
Change How We Appoint Judges	p. 226
Two Asymmetries	p. 228
Change Needed, Convention Not Necessarily the Answer	p. 230
Towards a Politics of Place	p. 233
Reestablish Cross-Filing	p. 235
California: The Perfect Storm	p. 238
Needed: An Education in Governance	p. 241
Notes	p. 243
Index	p. 263
About the Editor	p. 273
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