Report A California State of Mind: The Conflicted Voter in a Changing World By Mark Baldassare Sep 1, 2002 Based on the findings of the most comprehensive public opinion surveys in the state, this volume focuses on the political climate in California at the turn of the century-a climate that was and still is largely influenced by Californians' deeply ingrained distrust of government and lack of faith in elected officials. The state's electricity crisis, recent corporate scandals, and current state budget deficit have only served to deepen this distrust. Baldassare offers examples of the ways in which voter distrust distorts the state's policymaking efforts and hampers California's ability to prepare for its challenging future. He shows how distrust is being expressed today in the ballot choices voters are making in statewide elections, the demands they are making for reform of government, and the restrictions they are imposing on government in the absence of that reform.
Report Redistricting and Legislative Partisanship By Eric McGhee Sep 9, 2008 Critics of the state legislature contend that its pattern of gridlock—as exemplified by the current budget impasse—can be traced to the “safe seats” it drew for itself in the 2001 redistricting process. Redistricting reform is often suggested as the right prescription for these legislative ills. This report analyzes in detail the effects of the 2001 redistricting on legislative behavior, voting patterns, and partisanship. It concludes that if increased bipartisanship is what critics want, redistricting reform may not be the optimal way to attain it.
Report For Better or For Worse? School Finance Reform in California By Jon Sonstelie, Eric J. Brunner, Kenneth Ardon Feb 1, 2000 Beginning in the 1970s, school finance in California was transformed from a local to a state system. Has this transformation been good for California? For Better or For Worse? School Finance Reform in California traces the origins of school finance reform and assesses its chief consequences. Concluding that this reform did not achieve most of its original goals, the authors attribute this failure to two factors: the reformers’ imperfect understanding of the inequities under local finance and the effects of Proposition 13.
Report Public Safety Realignment: Impacts So Far By Magnus Lofstrom, Brandon Martin Sep 28, 2015 Prompted by a federal court order to reduce prison overcrowding, California’s 2011 historic public safety realignment shifted many correctional responsibilities for lower-level felons from the state to counties. The reform was premised on the idea that locals can do a better job, and it was hoped that incarceration rates and corrections costs would fall. At the same time, critics predicted crime would rise. Four years since its implementation, realignment has made several important impacts: Realignment significantly reduced the prison population, but the state did not reach the court-mandated population target until after the passage of Proposition 47 in November 2014, which reduced penalties for many property and drug offenses. The reform challenged county jails and probation departments by making them responsible for a greater number of offenders with a broader range of backgrounds and needs. The county jail population did not rise nearly as much as the prison population fell, reducing the total number of people incarcerated in California. Realignment did not increase violent crime, but auto thefts rose. Research so far shows no dramatic change in recidivism rates. State corrections spending remains high, but there is reason to believe expenditures could drop in the future. Realignment has largely been successful, but the state and county correctional systems face significant challenges. The state needs to regain control of prison medical care, which is now in the hands of a federal receiver. And the state and counties together must make progress in reducing stubbornly high recidivism rates.
blog post State Water Market Needs Reform By Ellen Hanak, Jelena Jezdimirovic Feb 2, 2016 Water trading is an important tool for managing water scarcity. But as the latest drought has shown, California’s process for approving water trades is flawed. Reforms could help manage future droughts.
event Vote-by-Mail and Voter Turnout in the Pandemic Election Apr 14, 2021 Many states changed their policies to increase voting by mail and reduce the risk from COVID-19 during the 2020 election. In California, officials took extra steps to facilitate vote-by-mail and accommodate in-person voting.
Report California’s Political Geography 2020 By Eric McGhee Feb 24, 2020 California still leans Democratic overall, but independents are leaning Republican in many areas of the state. A closer look suggests that registering all eligible residents to vote could moderate more partisan places. Views on specific issues also follow their own geographic patterns.
