COURSE GOALS:
States and localities in the United States are often referred to as “laboratories of democracy.” This is because of the great latitude that the U.S. Constitution gives to the American states to develop solutions to their problems (education, health care, crime, the environment, growth and sprawl, etc.). This freedom brings both opportunities and challenges (after all, laboratory experiments often fail!) One of the great opportunities for social scientists is to learn why some experiments succeed while others fail. The American federalist structure gives us the opportunity to compare different state, county and city cases to explore why things work and why they do not.

No state is a more interesting laboratory than California. With its diverse population and unique history, California is a land of both promise and challenges. The promise of California is its incredible dynamism and energy. The state often sets the trends in policy innovation and structural reforms. The challenge is in getting the members of this multi-ethnic, multi-cultural state to work together to solve collective problems.

This course will look at the politics of states and localities using California as a reference point. The course has two main objectives. First is to understand the politics of states and how different political contexts produce different political outcomes. We will use Heclo’s (1987) ideas, interests and institutions framework to explore variations in the structure of state institutions, the behavior of state actors and public policy outcomes. The second is to understand how political scientists do research and attempt to make statements about what is true and what is not. To address both these issues we will conduct research projects that attempt to address problems in American states and counties.

This course will address the following CLU General Education Goals:

1. Written and Oral Communication Skills
2. Understanding of Cultural and Global Diversity
3. Critical Thinking
4. Service to the Community

This course will address the followingPolitical ScienceDepartment Goals:

1. Critical Thinking
2. Civic Engagement

In this course, students are expected to:

1. employ different theoretical approaches towards understanding California Politics.
2. exhibit critical thinking and effective writing skills by incorporating course readings into reflective essay assignments
3. demonstrate the ability to work with other students in groups to present information.
4. show an ability to find, evaluate, use and communicate information in both oral and written formats.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS:
Any aspect of this syllabus can be changed by the instructor at his discretion.

Readings for the day need to be completed prior to class times, as class activities, discussions, and quizzes will primarily draw upon assigned readings.

Talking, working, and thinking with others are large parts of this class. We will get into discussions about some controversial subjects. I encourage expressions of opinions (myself included), but there are some classroom boundaries. Our class will be a safe place. That is to say, we will all treat each other in a respectful manner. Translation: rude interruptions, hurtful insults (including racial, gender, sexuality, etc. slurs), and personal attacks will not be tolerated. You may not always be comfortable with the topics, and by no means are you expected to approve of everything we discuss.

California Lutheran University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to students with various documented disabilities (physical, learning, or psychological). If you are a student requesting accommodations for this course, please contact your professor at the beginning of the semester and register with the Coordinator for Students with Disabilities (Pearson Library, Center for Academic Resources, Ext. 3260) for the facilitation and verification of need. Faculty will work closely together with you and your coordinator to provide necessary accommodations.

Academic Honesty: Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class. According to the CLU student handbook, plagiarism occurs “whenever a source of any kind has not been acknowledged.” With respect to my policy, let me be clear – you will receive and F in the course if you take material from the Internet and insert it into any written work as your own without giving credit to the person who wrote it. Those found violating the CLU code on academic dishonesty in any way will receive an F in the class.

All quizzes, exams, activities, and papers must be turned in on time: no make-ups will be given, and no re-writes will be offered. If an assignment is of the take-home variety, it must be typed, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins all around, spell-checked, grammar-checked, and demonstrate correct citation and bibliographic format. Late take-home assignments will not be graded unless you have documentation of an emergency. Missed quizzes will be marked down as zeroes


COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Your grade will come from the following assignments:

Blog Entries: Yyou will be asked to create a blog based on an issue you identify as important to you (Setting up a Blogger blog). This blog will serve as the basis for your policy project. Each week, I will ask you to respond to a question I ask based on the readings that relates to your policy project. The questions are designed to get you to think about a policy issue of your choosing and to develop your thinking about the policy issue as the semester unfolds. Each entry can be considered as a "piece" of your final policy project. The assignment is designed to think about your individual passions and how they are affected by the larger political society. Each entry will equal 1 points and I will ask you to create 10 blog entries. They will be graded pass/fail based on whether you do the assignment in a timely fashion, and whether you put mental effort into the assignment.


10 Class participation responses = 10 points

Diigo Portfolio: part of your grade will come from your level of engagement with the readings. I will ask you to create a portfolio of content on Diigo, a social bookmarking site that allows you to share bookmarks and add highlights and comments to existing articles. I will rely a great deal on your annotation of the readings via Diigo. Here is a link to the class Diigo Page.

Diigo Portfolio = 10 points

Blog Responses: Five times during the semester I will ask you to provide a one paragraph response to a blog posting on my blog. I will let you know in advance the days during which you will be required to post. You will get 7 opportunities to provide blog comments, thus two freebies.

Blog Responses = 5 points


Exams: We will complete our consideration of California Political dynamics with an in-class exam in which you will be asked to apply the theories and concepts learned to current issues related to California Politics. At the end of our final section of the course, we will do a second in-class exam that will have the same objectives. Each mid-term essay exam will be worth 20 points.

2 midterm exams x 20 points = 40 points

California Policy Network: Each of you will contribute an issue brief to the California Policy Network, a website we will maintain that is modeled after a similar website, the Michigan Policy Network......

and Presentation: In groups of three you will write a 25-30 page research paper on a current issue facing California. The report should include: a statement of the problem you are examining and the goal for your paper, a discussion of the trends in the social issue, an examination of the reasons explaining these trends, and an examination of the alternative solutions to the issue. You will present your work during the final week of class via a power point presentation that will contain at least five slides (one slide for each section of the paper). This final paper and the presentation will be worth a combined 30 points (20 points from the paper and 10 points from the presentation. Once a month during the semester, we will conduct workshops where you will be required to share your work with the rest of the course. The majority of your grade (80%) will come from your individual section of the project which will be determined before the project commences.

California's Future and Presentation = 25 points

Assignments Summary
Discussion Leadership = 20 points
Discussion Participation = 10 points
Blog Responses = 5 points
Exams – 20 points X 2 exams = 40 points
California's Future Project and Presentation – 25 points

REQUIRED TEXTS:
Cain, B. (2001) Governing California
Additional Readings On-Line

LIST OF READINGS:

Week 1: Course Introduction

Jan 20: Introduction to the Course

Jan 22: The Challenge of California
Required

Baldassare and Haniak (2006) California 2025: It's Your Choice

Parsons (2009) Is California Dreaming Over? Associated Press.

Blog Assignment #1: Create your blog. Use this website as a resource . Give your blog a name and a theme that describes the issue you will be studying this semester. Be ready to talk about your blog....i.e. memorize the URL address of the blog.

Week 2: Civic Obligations

Jan 25:
Bartlett (2007) Citizenship. Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology.

Marshall, T. H. (1950) The Development of Citizenship on the End of the Nineteenth Century Citizenship and Social Class.

Schudson (2008) The Good Citizen: Chapter 1. CQ Press.

Additional: Michael Sandel's lecture on The Good Citizen and the Freedom to Choose


California's Social/Political Culture
Required
Elazar -- segment if I can find it
Hero - Social diversity
Putnam - social capital


Quay (2007) Beyond Dreams and Disappointments: Defining California Through Culture in A Companion to California History..

Vogeli The Big-Spending, High-Taxing, Lousy-Services Paradigm. City Journal.

Senik 2009 Who Killed California. National Affairs.

rodriguez true west. harpers.

Grunwald. (2009) The End of California: Dream On. Time Magazine.

Harkinson. (2009) The New Dust Bowl Mother Jones.


Jan 27: The Changing California Electorate
Required
Brooks, D. (2004) The Americano Dream. New York Times..

Travels into America's Future - 98.08

Brownstien, R.(2009) The California Experiment. The Atlantic.

Gerston (2004) Immigration in California. Medeterranean Quarterly.


Additional

The Atlantic | January/February 2003 | Mongrel America | Rodriguez
California Offers a Look Into Future of Politics - WSJ.com
California Is Defined By Cultural Changes Accompanying Its Enormous Growth
Scott Kurashige: The Future is Now: California's Multiracial Challenge to America - Politics on The Huffington Post
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/may/09/local/me-anaheim-latinos9 - anaheim's changing demographics


Jan 29: Managing in a Changing California
Must select your semester long topics today!

Required
Citrin, J. Wong, J. (2000) Ethnic Conflict, Race Relations and California Politics. PPIC Report (chatper 1-3).


Additional
California Electoral Outcomes by County L.A. Times
Organizing the Unorganizable
Ethnic Integration Up in Greater L.A. Suburbs

Blog Assignment #2: Using the readings from this week's class sessions, think about how California's social and political culture might shape the way people think about your issue

Week 3: Power Dynamics in California

Feb 1: Power and Coalitions in Changing California
Required
Pastor, M. (2007) Elections, Economics, and Coalitional Politics: Investigating California’s Futures.
Asians Flex Muscles in California Politics - New York Times

Additional
California Japantowns
The visonary state: introduction
American Experience | Zoot Suit Riots | People & Events


Feb 3: California Political Development
Required
Janiskee and Masugi - Chapter 1: Diversity

Additional
Smart Voter Guide to Government

Feb 5


Blog Assignment #3: Using the readings from this week's class sessions, think about how California's social and political culture might shape the way people think about your issue

Week 4: California's Political Institutions
Federalism
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 9
James Madison, Federalist 10, 39, 45

Tiebout, C. (1956) A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures.

Federalism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Taplin "The Bear Flag Revolution."

Arguments for Federalism...Independence Institute.
Feb 8: The California Constitution
Required
J&M - Chapter 2: A Progressive Constitution
The California Constitutions of 1849 and current (skim both) and The Revision of California's Constitution


Feb 10: Public Opinion and Media
J&M - Chapter 3: Media and Public Opinion

Feb 12: President's Day
Paradise Lost: Chapter 1
PPIC "Californians and their Government"
The Personal Is the Antipolitical - New York Times

Week 5: Parties and Elections

Feb 15: President's Day

Feb17: Elections: Cont.
Public Policy Institute of California "California's Exclusive Electorate"

Additional
Bedolla, L. and Scola, B. (2006) Finding Intersection: Race, Class, and Gender in the 2003 California Recall Vote
Redistricting Data from Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies
Alexander, K. (2008) The California Voters' Experience. California Voter Foundation.
Computer Security Group at the University of California release video on how to hack a touch-screen voting machine in three seconds
California Map Series: California Voter Foundation
Ramierz, R. and Barreto, M. (2004) Minority Participation and the California Recall: Latino, Black, and Asian Voting Trends, 1990–2003.

Feb 19: Parties and Interest Groups

http://www.themonkeycage.org/2009/05/how_much_partisanship_is_fake.htm

Maplight Assignment

Week 6: The California Legislature

Feb 22: Legislative Reform
PPIC "At Issue: Legislative Reform"

Additional

How Have Term Limits Affected the California Legislature?

California Bill Search
Legislative History Clearinghouse (Jan Raymond)
Rough and Tumble Blog

The California Executive
Feb 24: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/05/governors-of-large-states-are-less.html - governors in large states are less popular


Feb 26: The California Executive
Required

To Faithfully Execute the Law: California's Executive Branch

Governor Declares Drought in California
California in fiscal emergency, governor eyes layoffs
The Governator Takes to Twitter and Widgets to Pass California Budget (mashable.com)
California State Government — The Executive Branch


Week 7: California's Judicial System

March 1:

March 3:

March 5:

Week 8: Courts and Intitatives?

March 8: Stolz, P. Uelman, J. Rasky, S. The Courts in Governing California

March 10: Judicial System: Cont.
Required
California Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 8?
California Supreme Court strikes down noncompete clauses
California Supreme Court Rules "Emergency Room Patients" Can't Be Billed If Their HMO Fails To Pay.
California Supreme Court to Decide Whether Illegal Aliens Are Eligible For In-State Tuition
Index of California State Court Legal Opinions
Overview of the California State Court System

California Judicial System

March 12: California's Fourth Branch
Baldassare and Katz (2006) The Coming of Age of Direct Democracy. Sample Chapters. Intro and Chapter 1

Week 9: Intiative process

March 15: Lee, E. Direct Democracy: Initiative, Referendum and Recall in Governing California
Required

IMPROVING THE. CALIFORNIA INITIATIVE PROCESS: OPTIONS FOR CHANGE

March 17: Direct Democracy's Aftermath
Required

California's marriage ruling -- what it means and what it doesn't mean - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com
The Barnyard Strategist - NYTimes.com (registration required, but it's free)
The California Stem-Cell Gold Rush

Additional
Ryan J. Davis: The Great California Gay Marriage Shift - Politics on The Huffington Post
Left at the Altar: What happens now to gay marriage, in California and elsewhere? (slate.com)
Mormon Church is Leading Fight Against Gay Marriage in California
Why Gay Marriage Was Defeated in California

The Christian Right Picks California for Culture War Election Showdown | Sex and Relationships | AlterNet
Mormons lead the way in financing Yes on Prop. 8 efforts - Sacramento Politics - California Politics | Sacramento Bee

March 19

The California Budget

March 22: The Proposition 13 Debate
Required
Citrin, Jack (2009) "Proposition 13 and the Transformation of California Government," California Journal of Politics and Policy: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1, Article 16.

Fox, Joel D. (2009) "Proposition 13 Thirty Years after the Revolution: What Would Howard Jarvis Say?," California Journal of Politics and Policy: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1, Article 14.

http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/04/10-visualizations-for-number-of-days-to-pay-your-taxes/
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CaliticsFeed/~3/tEMexYQgSBk/a-wonkoriffic-view-of-the-budget-mess-and-the-may-19-ballot

Additional
California Budget Project "Planning for California's Future
Proposition 13 at 30: The Political, Economic and Fiscal Impacts
Proposition 13 and State Budget Limitations
Proposition 13: Some Unintended Consequences
California Budget Simulation

California's Other Governments
March 24: Cities and Counties
Required
Tranter, R. Cities, Counties, and the State in Governing California
Phanton Governmets

March 26 - April 2: Spring break

April 5: Reading Los Angeles
Required
The New Urban Studies
The Southland's hidden Third World slums
BBC (1972) Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles.

Additional
Behind the Scenes of Los Angeles
Fault Lines (2007) The new Yorker
solnit. check out the parking lot.
(1965) One Woman's Confession "I hate suburbia". Ladies' Circle.
Dear, M. (2008) Rediscovering Reyner banham's Los Angeles. LA School of Urbanism.
Homogeneity Prevails in East LA
Representing Diversity in Community Governance: Neighborhood
Collaboration Between Los Angeles City Departments
Ochoa and Ochoa (2005) Latino Los Angeles: Transformations, Communities, and Activism.
Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in the 2005 Mayoral Elections in Los Angeles and New York
Neighborhood Councils In Los Angeles: A Midterm Status Report

Policy Issues

April 7 Environment
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12248015?nclick_check=1 - 2/3 of counties fail air quality standards


Required
Marquis (2009) Solar Rush National Parks


2009. Climate Action Team Report to Governor and Legislature

California Knows How to Regulate: A Short History of Air Pollution With A Cameo By Ronald Reagan

California vs. The Auto Industry

How Much Does Bad Air In LA and Central Valley Cost California?

Wilson, A. (2007) State has Most Minorities Near Toxic Facilities. LA Times

Additional

California Planners Discover Saving The World From Climate Change Is Hard!
E.P.A. Chief Defends His Decision on California - New York Times
California Not Ready for Climate Change
Air Resources Board Weighing Climate Plans
Sea Lions Hit by High Levels of Acid Poison in California - New York Times
Federal Judge Upholds Law on Emissions in California - New York Times
Home Page: California Hydrogen Highway
Bowers, A. (2008) California's Secret SUV Ban. Slate.
exhaust gripe and smogtown blog
Air Board Approves Diesel and Climate Protection Plans
Greenhouse Gas Plan Punts On Land Use Issue
Congestion Pricing No Sure Thing in Liberal San Francisco
Air Board Approves Diesel and Climate Protection Plans
Why is California so Special. Salon.
Olney (2008) Toxic Conditions in Southern California Waste Water. Which Way LA Radio Show.

April 9: Energy
Required
http://flowingdata.com/2009/04/28/visualizing-the-united-states-power-grid/

A Green Energy Industry Takes Root in California - New York Times
Is more nuclear energy in California's energy future?

Additional
California Solar Power History

NYTimes.com - Life (Mostly) Off the Grid

California Energy Commision (2007) State Alternative Fuels Plan.
California Coastal Records Project
California CLimate Change Portal

April 12:

April 14: Water
Required
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/science/earth/14aquifer.html

New York Times Magazine: The Future is Drying Up, by Jon Gertner, Oct 21, 2007 (you might need to register but it's free)

Additional
The Color of California Water Politics | Urban Habitat
L.A. Facing Drought
California Colloquium on Water - Water Resources Center Archives - University of California
A Sustainable Water Supply For Southern California
California Water Politics - the Water Buffaloes are back!
California Water Diversion Debate Continues

April 16: Traffic and Congestion
Required
Jones, S. (2007) How to Slow a Speeding Train. San Diego City Beat.
Ten Ideas For Fixing L.A.'s Traffic
Changing The Car Culture Of Los Angeles

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=2311

Additional
'Lifestyle Changes' Needed for High-Speed Rail's Success
The Miserable State of California's Roads
YouTube | California High-Speed Trains
RAND Corp. Offers SoCal Short Term Congestion Fixes
New Rail Brings Opportunities and Fears to East L.A.
California's High Speed Rail Future
L.A.'s Mayor On Solving The City's Congestion
Caltrans Traffic Cameras
Drawing A Rail Line From L.A. To San Francisco
California Transit: It'll Drive You To Drive

April 19: Sprawl and Land Use
Required
USC Urban Initiative "After Sprawl: Action Plans for metropolitan Los Angeles"
KCET (2005) Surviving Sprawl. Life and Times Special Feature (Video) watch these two videos- Growing in the Right Direction and Front Porch Living
Effect of California's New Anti-Sprawl Law Uncertain

Additional
The Discarded landscape of the car culture


Legislation Edges California Closer to True Urban Planning
A Walkable Downtown Los Angeles?
Pasadena: The Great Planning Success Story
King, J. (2007) California Cities will Continue to Sprawl.
Why the rush to Manhattanize L.A.?
You Can't Escape Sprawl
A Taller Los Angeles
California's Biggest Land Use Story Is Not The Housing Market
California Infill Parcel Locator
Panoramic Shot of San Ramon California
Southern California Association of Governments
Neighborhood Knowledge UCLA
California Land Use Planning iNformation Network
California Local Codes and Charters from Berkeley IGS
League of California Cities
Nicholson, G. (2008) Jonathan yardley on the lost art of walking. washington post.
California Needs To Follow Sacramento's Regional Planning Model
A New Model Of Development In California?
Ram, Cram, and Jam Brigade: An Anti-Smart Growth Video
California's Growth Debate Continues Amidst Housing Slowdown

April 21: Crime and Incarceration
Required
California Prisons Starts Desegregating Prisons.
The Prison-Industrial Complex - The Atlantic (December 1998)
Grigoriadis, V. (2007) The Great California Weed Rush. Rolling Stone.

Additional
Golden Gulag: Prisons, Surplus, Crisis, and Opposition in Globalizing California
Boston Review — Guarded Hope
The California Prison Disaster
Samuels, D. (2007) Dr. Kush. The New Yorker.
Street Gang Resource Center
California Showdown Over DNA Lab Reflects National Debate - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)

April 23: Education
Required
California schools: What happened after California abolished bilingual education | Economist.com
California Public Education Spending Lags Behind Rest of Nation
Proposition 13: Unintended Effects and Feasible Reforms
http://www.sacbee.com/walters/story/1856371.html?mi_rss=Dan%20Walters

Additional
http://www.bepress.com/cjpp/
From first to worst
Policy Analysis for California Education
California schools | The English patients | Economist.com
California School Finder
California DOE Data Quest
Ed Source
California School Performance Maps
California Budget Project (2007) How Does California Compare? Financing California's Public Schools.


April 26: Higher Eucation
Required
PPIC: California Not Producing Enough College Graduates To Meet Industry Needs
Defining diversity down
The California Ideal and American Higher Education. Introduction

Additional
Burning Down the House: Politics, Governance, and Affirmative Action at the University of California.
The History of the California Master Plan for Higher Education

April 28: Health Care
UCLA Health Policy Institute "The State of Health Insurance in California" (just executive summary 1-8)
One in Five Californians Were Uninsured in 2005 Despite Modest Gains in Coverage

Additional
California Healthy Families

Economic Growth and Development
http://www.ppic.org/main/commentary.asp?i=948

Identity Politics
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/05/on-hate-crimes.html



April 30: Review Session

May 3: Exam #2

May 5: Final Presentations

May 7: Final Presentations


Research Sources

Digital Special Collections program

Online Archive of California

CERES

California Digital Research Collection

California State Library Research Resources

California Endowment Publications

UCLA Library Digital Collection - Los Angeles in Photographs

Inside CDL: California Local History Digital Resources Project

California Legislative Analyst's Office

California - Ballotpedia

The California Channel

Sacramento Bee State Worker Salary Database

Rand California

California History Online

PPIC

Required
California Budget Project (2007) Making Ends Meet. How Much Does it Cost to Raise a Family in California.
KCET (2006) Poverty and Homelessness. KCET Special Features (Video).
Poverty a Persisting Problem in California
Additional
Center for the Continuing Study of the Calfornia Economy
California Budget Project (2007) "Hard Work and a Fair Shot"
Incomes to Mix in New L.A. Housing Plan
California to Cut Welfare Safety Net for Parents
Rising black latino clash on jobs

April 15: Immigration
Required
Citrin, J. Immigration in California in Governing California
KCET (2007) A Closer Look at Immigration in Southern California. Life and TImes Special Features. Video
Deporting Our Souls: Immigration Policy in the US and in California. Excerpt.

Additional
How Immigrations Affect California Employment and Wages
The bread of conquest
fight in the fields
In the Strawberry Fields - The Atlantic (November 1995)
History Moving North - 97.02


Resources
California Growth Slows As Out-Migration Continues
California history online
denis johnston's hippies
London: I must be california dreaming
Indoor-Outdoor Living, California Modernist Style
Read Introduction, "Traversing the Hills of Edendale", in pdf format
On the edge of america

Additional
Hiram Johnson and the American Liberal Tradition
Oil!' and the History of Southern California - New York Times
California's recall fever harks back to Progressive Era
Direct Democracy During the Progressive Era
The coming age of direct democracy
Only in California
Inventing the Dream (Chapter 7)
The Diary of Hiram Johnson
California Map Collection at CSU-East Bay
(2008) California is Due for a Katrina Style Disaster. Wired Magazine.
The Making of California
California History Lecture Series
The California Gold Rush, 1849
The Great Wall. A mural of California History

Resources
Aplerovitz, G. (2008) California's Split. New York Times.
Democrats too are being intransigent
Can anyone govern California?
California Facing "Financial Armageddon"
Is California too big to govern?
Disappointment
Sundown for California

Additional

The California Initiative Process: Background and Perspective

Taking the Initiative

How Interest Groups Use the Initiative Process in California