Political Science 103A
California Politics
Prof. Thad Kousser
Winter 2004
Office Hours: 2-4pm Tuesdays, 369 Social Sciences
Final: March 19, 2004
tkousser@ucsd.edu, 534-3239
Lecture: Tues & Thurs, 12:30-1:50pm, York 2622
Required Reading
› Four required texts are available for purchase at the bookstore: John Jacobs’ A Rage for
Justice (University of California Press, 1997), William Fulton’s The Reluctant Metropolis
(Johns Hopkins, 2001), Lubenow and Cain’s Governing California (Institute of
Governmental Studies Press, 1997), and Preston, Cain, and Bass’ Racial and Ethnic Politics
in California (Institute of Governmental Studies Press, 1998).
› The other readings will be posted on the course webpage and/or on the UCSD Library’s
electronic reserves.
› The course webpage, located at http://weber.ucsd.edu/~tkousser/PS103A.htm, will contain
information such as lecture slides, course announcements, and study guides.
Course Assignments
› 25% Midterm (February 10, in class)
› 30% Paper (due March 9th, in class)
› 40% Final Exam (March 19th, 11:30am)
› 5% “Section” Attendance and Participation
Lectures will last from 12:30-1:20pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with 1:20-1:50
generally reserved for discussion sections. Each student will need to attend four sections over
the quarter, and be prepared to discuss the readings assigned for the lecture that day.
There will be an in-class midterm on Thursday, February 12, as well as a final exam on
Friday, March 19th. The final will be comprehensive, but will feature topics from the second half
of the course more prominently. All exams will be closed book, and composed of identifications,
short answers, and essays. For the paper, due on Tuesday, March 9th, students will choose
between presenting a tactical plan to run a campaign in a California legislative district or writing a
policy analysis of a specific piece of California legislation, in 5-7 pages. If there are any grading
dispute, requests for a regrade must be typed and double spaced, and the review of a grade may
result in either a higher or lower grade.
Course Outline
Part I. Political Institutions in Flux
1. Tuesday, January 6th. Course Introduction and the Role of the Recall.
2. Thursday, January 8th. The Progressive Movement I: Initiatives and Referenda.
a. Eugene Lee, “The Initiative Boom: An Excess of Democracy,” in Governing
California.
3. Tuesday, January 13th. The Progressive Movement II: The Recall.
a. Institute of Governmental Studies Website, Hot Topic: Recall in California,
http://www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/htRecall2003.html.
b. Me, “The California Governor’s Recall,” for The Book of the States, available on the
course website.
4. Thursday, January 15th. Professionalizing the California Legislature.
a. Martin Smith, “The Rise and Decline of the California Legislature,” in Governing
California.
b. John Jacobs, Chapters 4, 5, and 6 (pp. 59-133) of A Rage for Justice.
5. Tuesday, January 20th. Term Limits and the Future of the Legislature.
a. Bruce Cain and Thad Kousser, pages 1-58 of Adapting to Term Limits: Recent
Experiences and New Directions, draft report for the Public Policy Institute of
California. Available on the course website.
6. Thursday, January 22nd. Bargaining with Governors.
a. John Jacobs, “The Governor: Managing a Mega-State,” in Governing California.
b. Bruce Cain and Thad Kousser, pages 103-133 of Adapting to Term Limits: Recent
Experiences and New Directions. Available on the course website.
7. Tuesday, January 27th. Movements and Elections in California.
a. William Fulton, “The Beachhead,” Chapter 1 in The Reluctant Metropolis.
b. John Jacobs, Chapters 1, 2, and 3 (pp. 1-58) of A Rage for Justice.
8. Thursday, January 29th. Redistricting, Campaign Finance, and Parties in California.
a. J. Morgan Kousser, “Redistricting,” in Governing California.
b. John Jacobs, Chapter 8 (pp. 161-177) of A Rage for Justice.
Part II. The Politics of Diversity
9. Tuesday, February 3rd. Demographics and Immigration Policy.
a. Harry Pachon, “Latino Politics in the Golden State,” in Racial and Ethnic Politics in
California.
b. Don Nakanishi, “When Numbers Do Not Add Up: Asian Pacific Americans and
California Politics,” in Racial and Ethnic Politics in California.
c. Jack Citrin and Andrea Campbell, “Immigration: California Tomorrow,” in Racial
and Ethnic Politics in California.
10. Thursday, February 5th. Political Incorporation of Minority Groups.
a. Leland Saito, “Beyond Numbers: Asian American and Latino Politics in Los
Angeles’ San Gabriel Valley,” in Racial and Ethnic Politics in California.
b. William Fulton, “Suburbs of Extraction,” Chapter 3 in The Reluctant Metropolis.
11. Tuesday, February 10th, Midterm.
12. Thursday, February 12th. Special Guest Speaker: Senator DeDe Alpert.
13. Tuesday, February 17th. Incorporation in Urban Politics.
a. Harold Brackman and Steven Erie, “At Rainbow’s End,” in Racial and Ethnic
Politics in California.
b. Raphael Sonenshein, “Jewish Participation in California Politics,” in Racial and
Ethnic Politics in California.
c. William Fulton, “Perestroika Co-opted,” in The Reluctant Metropolis.
14. Thursday, February 19th. Race as a Political Issue.
d. Bruce Cain and Karin MacDonald, “Race and Party Politics in the 1996 U.S.
Presidential Election,” in Racial and Ethnic Politics in California.
e. William Fulton, “Whose Riot Was This, Anyway,” in The Reluctant Metropolis.
15. Special Guest Lecture. Tuesday, February 24th. Scott Maloni, political consultant and
former spokesman for San Diego Mayor Susan Golding, will discuss the March 2nd local
elections.
16. Thursday, February 26th. Moving On Up to Sacramento.
a. James Richardson, “The Members’ Speaker: How Willie Brown Held Center
Stage in California, 1980-1995,” in Racial and Ethnic Politics in California.
b. Fernando Guerra, “Latino Politics in California: The Necessary Conditions for
Success,” in Racial and Ethnic Politics in California.
Part III. Perspectives on Policy.
17. Tuesday, March 2nd Crime and Punishment I: The System.
a. Preble Stoltz, “The California Supreme Court,” in Governing California.
b. Joseph McNamara, “Criminal Justice: The Hottest Hot Button,” in Governing
California.
18. Thursday, March 4th Crime and Punishment II: Race and Crime.
a. Frank Gilliam, Jr., “Race, Crime, and Public Policy in California” in Racial and
Ethnic Politics in California.
b. Sandra Bass, “Blacks, Browns, and the Blues: The Police and Minority
Communities in California,” in Racial and Ethnic Politics in California.
19. Tuesday, March 9th The Layers of California Government.
a. Revan Tranter, “Cities, Counties, and the State – From Prop. 13 to 218,” in
Governing California.
b. William Fulton, “Welcome to Sales Tax Canyon,” in The Reluctant Metropolis.
20. Thursday, March 11th. Environmental Politics.
a. William Fulton, “Redefining Chinatown,” in The Reluctant Metropolis.
b. William Fulton, “The Politics of Extinction,” in The Reluctant Metropolis.