California Politics and Government: A Practical Approach

Clear, concise and engaging, Gerston/Christensen/Currin-Percival/Percival's CALIFORNIA POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT: A PRACTICAL APPROACH, 15th edition, draws from current headlines to help you understand the complex role of state government and politics and their impact on your everyday life -- now and in the future. Up-to-date coverage includes the 2020 elections, how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the state's fiscal condition from a significant budget surplus to a massive deficit, economic inequality, the flow of people to and from California, judicial appointments, criminal justice reform, water and immigration policy, same-party competition under the "top two" primary and statewide ballot measures. In addition, "Get Involved" features offer suggestions for hands-on political experience, while "Learn More on the Web" features provide resources for more in-depth research on key topics.

Larry N. Gerston, professor emeritus at San Jose State University, engages the political process as an author and an analyst. He has written 11 academic books in addition to California Politics and Government: A Practical Approach, including Making Public Policy: From Conflict to Resolution (1983); Politics in the Golden State (with Terry Christensen, 1984); The Deregulated Society (with Cynthia Fraleigh and Robert Schwab,1988); American Government: Politics, Process and Policies (1993); Public Policy: Process and Principles (1987); Public Policymaking in a Democratic Society: A Guide to Civic Engagement (2002); Recall! California's Political Earthquake (with Terry Christensen, 2004); American Federalism: A Concise Introduction (2007); Confronting Reality: Ten Issues Threatening to Implode American Society and How We Can Fix It (2009); Not So Golden After All: The Rise and Fall of California (2012); and Reviving Citizen Engagement: Policies to Renew National Community (2015). He has written more than 150 op-ed pieces for every major newspaper in California. Gerston is the on-air political analyst for NBC Bay Area television and KCBS radio. He speaks often on issues such as civic engagement and political empowerment and has authored four children’s books.

Terry Christensen is a San Jose State University professor emeritus of political science. He is the author or co-author of nine books. In addition to those co-authored with Larry Gerston, his works include Local Politics: Governing at the Grassroots (2006), co-authored by Tom Hogen-Esch, and Projecting Politics: Political Messages in American Films (2015), co-authored by Elizabeth Haas and Peter Haas. His experience in practical politics at the local level includes serving on numerous civic committees and commissions, advocating policy proposals, advising grassroots groups and advising and mentoring candidates for local office―many of whom are his former students. He was the founding executive director of CommUniverCity San Jose (www.cucsj.org), a partnership between the City of San Jose, San Jose State University and adjacent neighborhoods through which hundreds of students learn about life and politics in their community through service projects proposed by neighborhood residents and supported by the City. He is also host and executive producer of Valley Politics (www.creatvsj.org/valley-politics/), a monthly television program focused on politics in San Jose and Silicon Valley.

Mary Currin-Percival is an associate professor of political science at San Jose State University. She her Ph.D.in Political Science at the University of California, Riverside in 2006. Her main areas of research are public opinion, political participation, and teaching and learning in political science. Her work has appeared in journals including Journal of Political Science Education, PS: Political Science and Politics, State and Local Government Review, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, International Migration, and Newspaper Research Quarterly. Her teaching interests include research methods, campaigns and elections, the presidency, politics and film, American and California government and politics, and campaign advertising. She also serves as the Director of the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (IPACE) and for SJSU Votes! an on-campus voter registration, mobilization, and education initiative https://www.sjsuvotes.org.

Garrick Percival is associate professor and chair of the Political Science Department at San Jose State University. He earned his Ph.D. in political science at the University of California, Riverside in 2005. His work focuses on American politics, primarily the nexus between crime policy, racial politics, and inequality at the state and local levels of government. In 2015, he published a book titled, Smart on Crime: The Struggle to Build A Better American Penal System. The book investigates the politics of the criminal justice reform movement and the promise and limits of prison reform in California and other U.S. states that, for a generation, pursued a "tough-on-crime" agenda. He is currently working on several research projects focused on local prosecutors and their relationship to California's deincarceration efforts. His work has appeared in State Politics and Policy Quarterly, Social Science Quarterly, Political Research Quarterly, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and the Policy Studies Journal, among other outlets.