The early 21st century has not been kind to California's reputation
for good government. But the Golden State's governance flaws
reflect worrisome national trends with origins in the 1970s and
1980s. Growing voter distrust with government, a demand for
services but not taxes to pay for them, a sharp decline in
enlightened leadership and effective civic watchdogs, and
dysfunctional political institutions have all contributed to the
current governance malaise.
Until recently, San Diego, California--America's 8th largest
city--seemed immune to such systematic governance disorders. This
sunny beach town entered the 1990s proclaiming to be "America's
Finest City," but in a few short years its reputation went from
"Futureville" to "Enron-by-the-Sea." In this eye-opening and
telling narrative, Steven P. Erie, Vladimir Kogan, and Scott A.
MacKenzie mix policy analysis, political theory, and history to
explore and explain the unintended but largely predictable failures
of governance in San Diego.
Using untapped primary sources--interviews with key decision makers
and public documents--and benchmarking San Diego with other leading
California cities, "Paradise Plundered" examines critical
dimensions of San Diego's governance failure: a multi-billion
dollar pension deficit; a chronic budget deficit; inadequate city
services and infrastructure; grandiose planning initiatives
divorced from dire fiscal realities; an insulated downtown
redevelopment program plagued by poorly-crafted public-private
partnerships; and, for the metropolitan region, inadequate airport
and port facilities, a severe underinvestment in firefighting
capacity despite destructive wildfires, and heightened Mexican
border security concerns.
Far from a sunny story of paradise and prosperity, this account
takes stock of an important but understudied city, its failed civic
leadership, and poorly performing institutions, policymaking, and
planning. Though the extent of these failures may place San Diego
in a league of its own, other cities are experiencing similar
challenges and political changes. As such, this tale of civic woe
offers valuable lessons for urban scholars, practitioners, and
general readers concerned about the future of their own cities.
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