California: The Politics of Diversity examines the diverse and hyperpluralistic nature of California, particularly its people and the groups to which they belong. In their accessible style, Lawrence and Cummins bring an informed, insightful perspective to the examination of the numerous pressures that make governing the state increasingly challenging. Learning objectives and chapter conclusions offer students a roadmap to key ideas while study questions encourage critical thinking. Textboxes emphasize how California compares to the other states and highlight voices of prominent policymakers. No other textbook on California politics offers as much coverage and in-depth analysis of the state’s political development and institutions that have shaped the Golden State into what it is today. The eleventh edition has been revised to reflect the latest developments in California politics, including: Coverage of the first term of Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration Analysis of the impact of the COVID pandemic on the state’s politics and economy Discussion of the 2021 gubernatorial recall Updated analysis of the state’s major policy areas, including water, housing, transportation, health care, education, crime, immigration, and climate change Changes in demographics and voter turnout in 2022 general election Updated and expanded pedagogy and art program Jeff Cummins has provided a revised instructor’s manual, test bank, and new lecture slides. These resources may be found online at the book’s website: https://textbooks.rowman.com/california11e

California: The Politics of Diversity examines the diverse and hyperpluralistic nature of California, particularly its people and the groups to which they belong. In their accessible style, Lawrence and Cummins bring an informed, insightful perspective to the examination of the numerous pressures that make governing the state increasingly challenging. Learning objectives and chapter conclusions offer students a roadmap to key ideas while study questions encourage critical thinking. Textboxes emphasize how California compares to the other states and highlight voices of prominent policymakers. No other textbook on California politics offers as much coverage and in-depth analysis of the state’s political development and institutions that have shaped the Golden State into what it is today. The eleventh edition has been revised to reflect the latest developments in California politics, including: Coverage of the first term of Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration Analysis of the impact of the COVID pandemic on the state’s politics and economy Discussion of the 2021 gubernatorial recall Updated analysis of the state’s major policy areas, including water, housing, transportation, health care, education, crime, immigration, and climate change Changes in demographics and voter turnout in 2022 general election Updated and expanded pedagogy and art program Jeff Cummins has provided a revised instructor’s manual, test bank, and new lecture slides. These resources may be found online at the book’s website: https://textbooks.rowman.com/california11e

American electoral politics since World War II stubbornly refuse to fit the theories of political scientists. The long collapse of the Democratic presidential majority does not look much like the classic realignments of the past: The Republicans made no corresponding gains in sub-presidential elections and never won the loyalty of a majority of the

"The two Clinton victories do not mark a break in a pattern of mediocre Democratic performance in presidential elections. The 1996 presidential victory was combined with Republican retention of both houses of Congress. We find little evidence here of a resurgence of the kind that could spark even the most optimistic Democratic activist to speak of a new or renewed Democratic majority, or even of a new or renewed Democratic presidential majority.

Bill Clinton's re-election is a great triumph for Bill Clinton; it is certainly a good thing for the Democrats. But it was clearly a very personal triumph that neither generated across-the-board gains for the Democratic party in 1996 nor created a stable basis for the party's electoral success in the future. Nothing that happened in 1996 suggests that the dealigned electoral politics that have dominated the last thirty years is coming to an end. In 2000, Bill Clinton moves from electoral politics to electoral history. The forces that twice elected him enter the uncertainty that characterizes all electoral politics in a dealigned age."

While this new edition will include key political developments over the last few years, California politics remains affected by the diverse and hyperpluralistic nature of the state itself, particularly its people and the groups to which they belong. Although political leadership is central to governing, the authors continue to explain California politics through the dual lenses of diversity and a variant of pluralism they call hyperpluralism. In all nine editions, the authors have tried to show two things: (1) how demographic, cultural, economic, geographic, and political diversity affect how politics actually works in California, and (2) how the exceedingly pluralistic nature of the state results in a highly competitive tug-of-war between ideologies, institutions, policymakers, political parties, interest groups , and voters.