Policy primer

Remaking California: Reclaiming the Public Good focuses on current state political crises. Edited by R. Jeffrey Lustig, a former government professor at Sacramento State, it’s full of necessary information for the voting booth. Lustig’s essay looks at the political effects of state income flowing to the upper class from below, Dan Walters maps the state’s roller-coaster politics since the ’50s and Lenny Goldberg critiques Proposition 13. Christopher Witko details the weakening of majority rule, while reforming the executive branch is John Syer’s concern. Ronald Schmidt Sr. and José G. Arias tackle race and migrants, while Osha Meserve and Erik Ringelberg explore water issues. Mark Paul and Micah Weinberg propose ways to improve representative government. An epilogue, “If I Ran the Zoo,” features Jean M. Ross, William T. Vollmann and other scribes’ proposals to fix California politics. In ways big and small, Lustig’s timely collection provides food for political thought and action.