1.1: Welcome to the Study of California Politics

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): California’s State Seal (public domain; Zscout370 via Wikimedia)

 

Learning Objectives

• To introduce political values that we will use to study California politics.
• To analyze contemporary political ideologies and parties.
• To compare representative and direct democracy.
• To distinguish among rival arguments regarding who rules California.
• To identify how political systems theory organizes our study of California politics.

Introducing California Politics

Politics is important because it addresses two fundamental questions that every group must address: what should be done and who should decide. It can be very confusing, but underlying the daily barrage of news, rhetoric, and name-calling, the subject has an underlying logic. This book concisely explains California politics and shows you how to participate.

California politics involves three significant dimensions. It is first a matter of values, selecting the principles we believe are essential. Second, it is a matter of constitutional engineering to create and continue to improve upon a government system that can promote our values. Third, it is a matter of policy; the government's actions should put our principles into practice. Naturally, there are both agreements and disagreements regarding each of these dimensions.

Studying politics is not only valuable to understand California better, but it is also helpful to understand ourselves. What political values matter most to us? What ideology should we adopt? What are our points of view about how California is governed? What policies do we favor? This book is an academic work and a primer on how to be political. It thoroughly explains the concepts, theories, and methods of political science used to study California politics. Each chapter includes questions asking you to consider your opinions and engage in further inquiry.

In this chapter, let's discuss these central questions of politics. First, we will introduce how political values and ideology shape our viewpoints. Then, we will introduce some primary debates among political scientists that animate the study of many different aspects of California politics. Last, we will introduce systems theory to organize our study.