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This book argues that California politics should be viewed through a local lens due to the principal-agent relationship present in local governments around the state and, through a variety of recent civil rights and public goods case studies, presents a comprehensive understanding of 21st century California local politics.
List of contents
1. The Case for Studying Special Districts and Local Elections
Part I: Voters in Local Elections 2. Who Participates in Local Elections? California versus the United States 3. Who Finds Low-Salience Elections Salient? An Analysis of Participation in Four Orange County Off-Cycle Elections
Part II: Special District Representatives 4. The Principal-Agent Dilemma: Appointed versus Elected Special District Representatives 5. Launch Pad or Final Resting Place: How do Special District Representatives View the Positions they Hold?
Part III: Special Districts 6. Why does California have so many Special Districts? Migration, Economics, and Partisanship 7. Community Members versus Special District Representatives: The Case of the Temecula Valley Unified School District 8. California Politics is Local. Appendix A. Appendix B. Appendix C
About the author
Brett L. Savage is Assistant Professor of Political Science at San Diego Miramar College. He received his PhD in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine. His research explores American politics, public law, local government, public policy, and electoral behavior. In addition to his academic work, Brett served as Vice President of the Apple Valley Fire Protection District, a California special district, from 2017 to 2021.
Jacob Sutherland is a PhD candidate at the University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on several areas including public policy, institutions, urban affairs, and civic engagement. Jacob is also Managing Editor for
Political Research Quarterly.
Summary
This book argues that California politics should be viewed through a local lens due to the principal-agent relationship present in local governments around the state and, through a variety of recent civil rights and public goods case studies, presents a comprehensive understanding of 21st century California local politics.
