Preface
- Page ID
- 181718
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Welcome to Introduction to California Government and Politics
This book is an introduction to California politics for students dipping their toes in political science for the first time. Learning about politics is as much about learning about oneself as about our state and nation. Hence, this book helps students understand their political values, ideologies, partisan attachments, and beliefs about many political issues. Second, it adopts an inquiry-oriented approach to California politics, sharing debates among political scientists for each topic under investigation and asking students to develop their critical evaluations of our political system. Third, this book invites students to add their voices to California politics by participating in multiple ways to address the challenges of California politics and policymaking in the twenty-first century.
The organization of this book follows the format of standard political science textbooks. The first chapters introduce the fundamental questions of politics and apply them to California, the following chapters explore the many ways that Californians participate in politics, and the third section examines the structure and function of the three branches of government in Sacramento and local governments. The book concludes by introducing public policy analysis. California faces many challenges, and how we address them makes for some fascinating case studies.
This book greatly benefited from the support of the Open Educational Resources Initiative of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. In particular, the critical reviews and suggestions by Professors Brooke Collins (College of the Canyons), Alana Jeydel (Fresno City College), and Jessica Scarffe (Allan Hancock College) were very much appreciated. Thanks also to our project facilitator, Professor Suzanne Wakim (Butte College). Moreover, the encouragement of Professors David Andrus and James Glapa-Grossklag of the College of the Canyons has been very motivating, as always.
Enjoy this exploration of California politics!