California Politics Is Local : Voting Behavior and Special Districts

In California Politics Is Local, Brett L. Savage and Jacob Sutherland argue that California politics should be viewed through a local lens due to the unique nature of the principal–agent relationship present in local governments around the state. Local governments make up the most common form of government in the United States and are responsible for a wide variety of public goods, services, and policies that affect their community members’ lives daily. This is especially true in California, which is home to 58 counties, 482 cities, 1,037 school districts, and nearly 2,000 independent special districts. However, many questions remain regarding California local politics, especially when it comes to the principal–agent relationship between local representatives and community members.

By leveraging a variety of recent case studies about the contestation of civil rights and public goods and utilizing several novel datasets, Savage and Sutherland present a comprehensive understanding of California local politics as it stands in the twenty-first century. Specifically, they provide one of the first studies dedicated to examining the opinions and perceptions held by special district representatives about the nature of their roles as community representatives, and they expand upon theories of participation at the local level pertaining to issue and office salience for different demographic and political groups.

California Politics Is Local brings a fresh perspective to students and scholars of urban affairs, political institutions, civic engagement, and public policy in the Golden State.

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.