In "Transforming California, " Stephanie Pincetl argues that the transformation of nature in order to enhance economic development lies at the heart of much of the state's recent history. She sees late-twentieth-century California on a path of continued environmental degradation, gripped by cynicism about government. "Transforming California" describes the evolution of the state's institutions of government as they apply to land use and development, and it shows how land-use decisions affect people's quality of life and their daily interactions with each other and with their environment. Pincetl offers an alternative vision for the renewal of the democratic spirit and process in California and for a reconciliation with nature.

The author argues that the transformation of nature in order to enhance economic development lies at the heart of much of California's late-20th century history. Stephanie Pincetl sees the state on a path of environmental degradation and gripped by cynicism about government. She describes how government land-use decisions affect people's quality of life and people's interactions with each other and with their environment. The author emphasizes the political reforms of the Progressive era, demonstrating how those reforms concentrated political power in the hands of economic elites (because these people were deemed the most capable decision-makers at the time) and established the contemporary balance of power and system of governance. Mindful of that system's failures, Pincetl offers an alternative vision for the renewal of the democratic spirit and process in California and for a reconciliation with nature.