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The New Political Geography of California
Frederick Douzet, Thad Kousser, and Kenneth P. Miller, editors; $24.95
In many ways, recent developments in California politics can be understood best through geography. The formal rules of American politics — such as district-based elections and the Electoral College — make geography crucial to the political process. Where voters live is in many ways as important as how they behave. In recent decades, California's political map has changed dramatically as the state's fast-growing population has divided along racial, ethnic, economic, religious, and cultural lines. Most notably at the statewide level, these trends have caused California's traditional North-South partisan divide to be surpassed by an emerging East-West divide. In this new alignment, the state's densely populated coastal region has become increasingly Democratic, while the less-populated but fast-growing interior has become increasingly Republican. At the same time, demographic segregation within regions has also had important political consequences.
This volume, a unique collaboration by scholars from the United States and France, offers a range of perspectives on California's changing political geography. Introductory essays discuss recent statewide trends, including the population shifts that have contributed to California's emerging East-West partisan divide. The book's second section offers portraits of the changing political geography of specific regions, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland, and the San Joaquin Valley. Finally, a series of essays analyzes the interaction between geography and the state's political institutions. Topics in this section include geography's influence on the political career of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, two-party competition in the state, the law and politics of redistricting, and conflicts between local and state government.
The New Political Geography of California provides fresh insights into the political dynamics of the Golden State, and potential lessons for other democratic jurisdictions adapting to rapid demographic change. Order now!
California Votes: The 2006 Governor's Race
Ethan Rarick, ed.; 231 pp.; $24.95
In November of 2005, California voters were ready to terminate Arnold Schwarzenegger as a politician. The state was headed in the wrong direction, they told pollsters, and they didn't want to re-elect their Hollywood governor. The two most likely Democratic challengers held leads over Schwarzenegger, who had just endured a terrible thrashing in a special election he had called. Voters rejected all four ballot measures the governor supported. After less than two years in office, it seemed that the political career of Arnold Schwarzenegger was an experiment gone wrong.
Yet just a year later, Schwarzenegger swept to victory, carrying 52 of the state's 58 counties and winning re-election by more than a million-and-a-half votes.
Here is the story of that dramatic turnaround, told mostly in the words of California's top political insiders. We learn about the strategies and ideas behind Schwarzenegger's rejuvenation, but also about the two Democrats who sought to take his job: Treasurer Phil Angelides and Controller Steve Westly. In separate chapters, some of California's leading political scholars dissect the underlying political structure of the state, while top pollsters describe the mood of the voters before, during and after the campaign.
California is home to one out of every eight Americans, and California gubernatorial campaigns are the nation's second most important and dynamic political races, behind only those for the presidency. Add to that the global celebrity of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and it has become essential that anyone who wants to understand American politics must understand California politics. Here is an insider's peek into that world, direct from the men and women who made the decisions that affected the outcome of one of the most-watched American political campaigns in years. Order now!
California Political Almanac 2007-2008
A.G. Block and Gerald C. Lubenow, eds., 562 pp., $59.95
This is the essential resource for anyone interested in California politics. Compiled by veteran California political journalists, this edition features complete 2006 California election results, and offers profiles of state and national officials, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sen. Barbara Boxer, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as leaders of the California Legislature. Maps, tables, and figures provide information on current and past officeholders, local and national district lines, the state budget, and much more. Expert coverage and engaging narratives examine the pressing issues of the nation's most important state.
Published in conjunction with Congressional Quarterly Press. Order now!
War, Ancient and Modern: What the Conflicts of the Past Teach Us about the Fighting of Today
Victor Davis Hanson, 73 pp., $10
At a time when issues of national security are paramount, a distinguished historian and commentator examines the military conflicts of the past and searches for lessons for today.
Hanson — a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, a professor emeritus at Fresno State University, and a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist — delivered the annual Chester W. Nimitz Memorial Lectures in National Security Affairs, which serve as the basis for this stimulating volume.
Voting Rights Act Reauthorization of 2006: Perspectives on Democracy, Participation, and Power
Ana Henderson, editor, 377 pp., $24.95
In 2006, Congress reauthorized the "crown jewel" of civil rights legislation: the Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act outlawed discriminatory practices that blocked minorities' access to the ballot and required certain states, counties, and towns to take additional measures to make voting accessible to disenfranchised communities. In 2005, the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity at the Boalt Hall School of Law commissioned research from a range of scholars on portions of the Act that were set to expire. The interdisciplinary fruits of that research were provided to Congress during the reauthorization debate in 2006, and are now available to the public in this cutting edge volume.
These studies bring legal analysis, and the insights of quantitative social science, to bear on some of the most important questions raised by the Voting Rights Act: Has the Voting Rights Act improved minority voters' access to government? Have jurisdictions complied with its requirements? Should the expiring provisions have been reauthorized? The studies will aid courts and advocates in defending the Voting Rights Act from legal challenges, and will remind supporters of this most fundamental piece of civil rights legislation why it continues to be a vital safeguard for minority political empowerment. Order now!
To Be the Change You Wish to See: A History of the Assembly, Executive, Judicial Administration and Senate Fellowship Programs
Elizabeth Barham Austin, 252 pp., $21.95
More than 1,300 men and women have served as Capital Fellows. For six decades the Assembly, Executive, Judicial Administration and Senate Fellow programs have strengthened the institutional capacities and professionalism of state government, brought into state service hundreds who might not otherwise have had the chance, and provided experience and inspiration to fellows who went on to great careers infused with the spirit of public service. This volume is their story.
Published in conjunction with the Center for California Studies. Order now!
Earl Warren and the Warren Court: The Legacy in American and Foreign Law
Harry N. Scheiber, ed., 368 pp., $80 (hardcover), $30 (paperback)
Earl Warren and the Warren Court comprises essays written by leading experts from the fields of law, history, and social science on the most important areas of the Warren Court's contributions in American law. In addition, Scheiber includes appraisals of the Warren Court's influence abroad, written by authorities of legal development in Europe, Latin America, Canada, and East Asia.
This book offers a unique set of analyses that portray how innovations in American law generated by the Warren Court led to a reconsideration of law and the judicial role — and in many areas of the world, to transformations in judicial procedure and the advancement of substantive human rights. Also explored within these pages are the personal role of Earl Warren in the shaping of "Warren era" law and the ways in which his character and background influenced his role as Chief Justice.
Published in conjunction with Lexington Books. Order now!
The Political Question Doctrine and the Supreme Court of the United States
Nada Mourtada-Sabbah and Bruce E. Cain, eds., 273 pp., $75 (hardcover), $29.95 (paperback)
The application of the Political Question Doctrine is at a crucial crossroads as the Supreme Court continues to test new "War on Terrorism" initiatives. Historically, the political question doctrine has held the courts from resolving constitutional issues that are better left to other departments of government, as a way of maintaining the system of checks and balances. However, the doctrine's many ambiguities have allowed a roughly defined juxtaposition of the branches of government during previous years when the Republic was concerned with both international matters and those within its continental confines.
The Political Question Doctrine and the Supreme Court of the United States discusses the gradual changes in the parameters of the doctrine, including its current position dealing with increasingly extraterritorial concerns. Nada Mourtada-Sabbah and Bruce Cain bring together critical essays that examine the broad issues of judicial involvement in politics and the future of the doctrine. With a wide range of historical and theoretical perspectives, this book will stimulate debate among those interested in political science and legal studies.
Published in conjunction with Lexington Books. Order now!
