The City At Stake (ebook)

Argumento de The City At Stake (ebook)

"Sonenshein's detailed and empirical study is a useful and refreshing antidote, and when paired alongside his 1993 book, Politics in Black and White, serves as the definitive account of the city's political history since the 1970s. . . . Sonenshein's careful study of political power in Los Angeles reminds us of the importance of urban leadership in the shaping of cities, and of the likelihood that Los Angeles politics will be increasingly dynamic and unpredictable in the future."--Richard M. Flanagan, Perspectives on Politics

"Los Angeles owes much to Raphael J. Sonenshein, a pioneering scholar of this city whose serious study has spurred interest in its dense, subtle politics and government. . . . The . . . professor's book . . . chronicles with precision the events of the mid- to late-1990s, as Los Angeles debated its future in the context of a complicated overhauling of its city charter. And Sonenshein writes not just as an observer but also as a participant: He served as executive director of one of two charter commissions that led that ambitious and difficult reform effort."--Jim Newton, Los Angeles Times

"Not only does this book examine an important political shift in the nation's second largest city, but it also serves as a quasi-memoir, as the author was at the center of the debate as it was taking place."--Journal of Urban Affairs

"A lively, detailed, yet academic book. I imagine reading it would prove instructive for all those involved in or concerned with public administration and public policy, particularly at the municipal level--and particularly in terms of building coalitions."--David Hodgkinson, Law Society Journal

"This is a thorough survey of the intricacies of politics in a city long reputed to lack coherent political organization and governance. It further shows how constructive coalitions can be built across ethnic and cultural lines by civic entrepreneurs and produce beneficial reforms."--Choice

"An absorbing insider's account of the maneuvering among elites in a major American city in the process of redefining itself politically. Sonenshein's analysis of behind-the-scenes politicking is virtually unmatched in the urban politics literature."--Michael Jones-Correa, Cornell University

"The author does a good job of combining his personal notes with newspaper articles and interviews to tell a complete story of charter reform. This should be an important contribution to the urban politics literature."--Bruce Cain, University of California, Berkeley0List of Maps ix
List of Tables xi
Preface: Reform under the Gun xiii
Acknowledgments xix
PART ONE: The Dynamics of Urban Reform
CHAPTER ONE
The Politics of Reform: The New Institutionalism Meets the New Diversity 3
CHAPTER TWO
Studying Los Angeles Politics 14
PART TWO: The Roots of Los Angeles Charter Reform
CHAPTER THREE
Reform, Los Angeles Style 29
CHAPTER FOUR
Richard Riordan and Conservative Reform 57
CHAPTER FIVE
Valley Secession and the Suburban Revolt 72
CHAPTER SIX
Charter Reform: The Cure for Secession? 84
PART THREE: The Battle over the Charter
CHAPTER SEVEN
The 1997 Municipal Elections and the Politics of Charter Reform 95
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Charter Reform Commissions 104
CHAPTER NINE
The Inside Game: Mayoral Authority 110
CHAPTER TEN
The Inside Game: Police Reform 123
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Outside Game: The Politics of Participation 130
PART FOUR: The Unified Charter
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Creation of the Unified Charter 151
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Fall and Rise of the Unified Charter 163
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Campaign for the Unified Charter 185
PART FIVE: The Battle over Secession
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Implementation 209
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The 2001 Municipal Elections 215
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Vote on Secession 227
PART SIX: The Future of Urban Reform
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Toward a Reform Regime: Governing Postsecession Los Angeles 241
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Conclusions and Implications: Reform, Twenty-First-Century Style 251
APPENDIX ONE
Summary of the Charter Proposal 267
APPENDIX TWO
Using Ecological Inference Model to Verify Results 275
Bibliography 279
Index 293