California Politics
Midterm Study Guide
Tuesday, May 3rd
Part I. Identifications. When you review your lecture notes and the readings for each
week, pull out major players, political science concepts, propositions, court cases, laws,
and other items that I might ask you to identify. Be prepared to identify or define the
items, and write a few sentences about their importance in California politics (in about
five minute each). Here are some examples of the sorts of items that might appear:
Prop. 140
The Progressive Movement
Prop. 198
Democratic Party v. Jones
Plural Executive
Petition Referendum
Oversight Activities
Artie Samish
Professional Legislature
Malapportionment
1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act
Shrimp Hour
Select and Elect
Prop. 34
Jess Unruh
Get Out the Vote
Darrell Issa
Part II. Short Answer Essays. These can come in a number of forms, like “compare and
contrast,” “discuss the following statement: ,” “apply this theory to a current event,” or
“compare various reform proposals relating to ….” For instance, I might ask you to
describe what is needed, both technically and practically, to pass an initiative in
California, and give you ten minutes to do so. The best answers will use material from
the readings to illustrate concepts brought up in lecture.
Part III. Prepared Long Essay. I am going to choose one of the three following essays,
and give you twenty minutes to write it:
1. The Cycles of Legislative Power. You are the one hundred year-old lobbyist
for the University of California, and you are always trying to pass a law reducing student
fees. Making reference to the lessons in Rage for Justice and the Cain and Kousser and
Martin Smith readings, describe what strategies you used to pass this law in the Artie
Samish days, in the Era of Professionalization, and in the post-term limits age.
2. Reforming the Progressive Reforms. Select one of the changes that the
Progressive Movement made to California’s political institutions, and use evidence from
lectures and readings to evaluate whether the reform has had the effects that Progressives
intended. Propose and defend your own idea for updating this reform.
3. The Role of Parties. Describe the role of parties in one of three California
political processes: budget bargaining, redistricting wars, or district campaigns. Describe
how each process works and talk about what parties can (and can’t) do to affect it. What
does this say about the strength of California’s parties?
Extra Credit. Biography. I’ll ask you for the key points from one of the biographies.