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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORT Institute of Governmental Studies Spring/Summer 2008/Vol. 49, No. 2 Presidency Takes Center Stage at IGS The presidency moved front and center at IGS this year. We took a look at how the incumbent has performed, how nominees are selected, how the voters should decide, and how the campaign has developed. The focus continues this fall. In Sep- tember IGS will host a major conference on the powers of the presidency and then follow that with our traditional Election Night party in November. “The presidential election is the focal point of American politics every four years,” said Jack Citrin, the director of the Insti- tute. “IGS is involved in providing in-depth analysis of the campaign, but also of the broader issues facing the country.” In March, the annual IGS Salon dinner featured the candid opinions and trade- mark humor of MSNBC host Chris Matthews, who spoke to more than 200 people at the Pier 39 Theater in San Francisco. For more on that event, see pages 12–13. In April, IGS hosted a two-day conference on the presidential nomination process. Congressman David Price, a political scientist turned politician, gave the keynote speech, and the panels were filled with other prominent speakers as well. For more on that event, see pages 6–7. Also in April, the Institute hosted its 27th annual Review of the Presidency. The panel included Matthew Dowd, Top: Former Bush Adviser Matthew Dowd a former top advisor to President Bottom: MSNBC host Chris Matthews Bush who has since expressed Opposite: Congressman David Price doubts about the incumbent. For INSIDE more on that event, see pages 14–15. California’s new political divide — 2 Award-winning research — 3 And throughout the year, we’ve Prop. 13 has a birthday — 4 been hosting a series of discussions New Gardner Fellows — 10 on major issues that face the vot- IGS website revamped — 18 ers—and will face the next presi- Bidding farewell to students — 21 dent. For more on those, see pages 8–9. Copyright © 2008 by the Regents of the University of California ISSN 0033-3417 UNIV. OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY INST. OF GOVERNMENTAL STUDIES 109 Moses Hall #2370 Berkeley, California 94720-2370 510 642-1474 SCHOLAR’S CORNER FAX 510-642-3020 http://www.igs.berkeley.edu Political Geography of California, published by IGS, aims to contribute to the understanding of ADMINISTRATION California’s political geography through studies Jack Citrin, Director Marc Levin, Assistant Director of the state’s broad patterns, focused portraits of Anne Benker, Management Services Offi cer specifi c regions, and essays on the interaction Nick Robinson, Library Director between geography and the state’s political insti- Ethan Rarick, Director of Publications Karin Mac Donald, Director, tutions. The project emerged from a colloquium Statewide Database bringing together French and American scholars NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL of Californian politics, generously supported by Darius Anderson,Chair Peter D. Hart The New Political the Borchard Foundation. Douglas Boxer Kevin Johnson William Brandt Priya Mathur Geography of One of the most signifi cant changes in Cal- Bryan Cameron Laurence Pelosi California ifornia’s political geography has been the emer- David A. Carrillo Dan Schnur gence in the last generation of an east-west di- Darek DeFreece Lisa Suennen Stephen Dodson Duf Sundheim Frédérick Douzet, vide, replacing the state’s traditional north-south James Fang Kris Van Giesen Thad Kousser, and divide. Karen Getman Vivek Varma Kenneth P. Miller In 1980, California was a highly competi- FACULTY ADVISORY COMMITTEE tive two-party state, and to the extent that it had Laura Stoker, Chair a regional partisan divide, it was largely between Irene Bloemraad Ann Keller California is often viewed as a trendsetter north and south. Democratic strength was con- Taeku Lee state where change happens sooner, faster, and centrated mainly in the Bay Area and northern Steve Raphael Gerard Roland more radically than anywhere else in the United California, with an important pocket of support Eric Schickler States. This is as true of the state’s demographics in Los Angeles, while Republicans dominated the David J. Vogel as of its politics and popular culture. rest of southern California. The lightly populated John C. Yoo For decades, California has attracted mi- inland region remained a battlefi eld between the The Institute of Governmental Studies’ Public grants from across the country, and it has now two parties. Overall, the state leaned Democratic Aff airs Report is published four times a year. The University of California’s primary center also become the primary destination for foreign in legislative elections, but Republican in top-of- for interdisciplinary research in politics and immigrants to the U.S. As recent immigrants the-ticket races for president and governor. public policy, the Institute was established in move in, white middle-class residents as well Even more notably from today’s perspective, 1919. Its staff includes faculty with joint IGS and departmental appointments, research as second- and third-generation immigrants are Republicans in 1980 were competitive in congres- specialists, visiting scholars, and graduate moving out or changing locations within the sional districts across the state, including many students. Drawing on the Institute’s major state. coastal areas. California elected 43 members of reference library, they conduct research in public policy, public administration, Ameri- With a population constantly on the move, the 97th Congress, with Democrats winning a can politics, urban problems, federalism, the answers to questions about who lives in Cali- narrow majority (22 vs. 21 seats). Republicans technology and government, and regional won 14 of their 21 seats in coastal counties. development. fornia and where they live change dramatically every decade. So do the political consequences Just one generation later, the state’s politi- Ethan Rarick, Editor Maria Wolf, Assistant Editor of these questions. The formal rules of politics cal map had signifi cantly changed. By the early in California, and the United States as a whole, 2000s the state as a whole was solidly Demo- Read the PAR online at: www.igs.berkeley.edu:8880/publications/ make geography crucial to the political process. cratic. Starting with Bill Clinton’s fi rst election par/index.html With district-based elections and an Electoral in 1992, Democratic candidates decisively won Email us at: [email protected] College that creates a presidential winner out of California’s vote for president, and after 1994 If you’d like to support the programs of the a jigsaw of red and blue states, where voters live they won almost all other statewide elections. Institute, you can become a Friend of IGS by becomes as important as how they behave. And After the mid-1990s they progressively tightened sending a contribution to: because California’s demographics change so their grip on the state legislature and the Califor- Friends of IGS c/o Inst. of Governmental Studies quickly, they constantly redraw the state’s politi- nia congressional delegation. In contrast to the 111 Moses Hall #2370 cal map. evenly divided congressional delegation of 1980, University of California These two principles lead to one lesson for Berkeley, CA 94720-2370 Cont. on p. 22 political observers in the Golden State: under- The Scholar’s Corner features commentaries in which faculty mem- Checks payable to UC Regents, or give online: standing California’s ever-changing political ge- igs.berkeley.edu/about_igs/friends.html bers affi liated with IGS apply academic research or concepts to issues ography is paramount. Our new book, The New relevant to the practical world of politics and policy. 2 Public Aff airs Report Spring/Summer 2008 IGS Research Wins Awards IGS research has been collecting awards this summer. Award recognizes the best work exploring ethnic and cultural • IGS Director Jack Citrin and three young scholars currently pluralism. or previously affiliated with IGS—Amy Lerman, Michael Murakami, • IGS Visiting Scholar Frédérick Douzet won two French and Kathryn Pearson—won the Heinz I. Eulau Award for the best awards for her book The Color of Power: The Geopolitics of Im- article published last year in the journal Perspective on Politics. migration and Segregation in Oakland, California, published by The award is given by the American Political Science Associa- Belin. Douzet, who frequently conducts research at IGS, won the tion (APSA), which also publishes the journal. Prix Alphonse Milne-Edwards de la Société de Géographie and The award recognized the journal article “Testing Hunting- the Prix Ernest Lemonon de l’Academie des sciences morales et ton: Is Hispanic Immigration a Threat to American Identity?” politiques. which was published in March 2007. Last year the Eulau Award went to Louise Comfort, a visiting scholar at IGS. • Gerard Roland, a professor of economics at Berkeley and a member of the IGS Faculty Advisory Committee, won the Richard Fenno Prize from the Legislative Section of APSA. Top to bottom: Roland won for his book Democratic Politics in the European Sarah Song Parliament, published by Cambridge University Press, which Eric Schickler was co-authored by Simon Hix and Abdul Noury. The book includes Bottom row (left to right): research previously presented in an IGS Working Paper. Jack Citrin Gerard Roland The Fenno Prize is awarded each year to the best book in legislative studies. IGS-related research has a long history of winning the Fenno Prize. Last year the award went to Filibuster: Obstruction and Lawmaking in the U.S. Senate, co-authored by IGS Faculty Advisory Committee member Eric Schickler. Schick- ler also won the award in 2002 for Disjointed Pluralism: Insti- tutional Innovation and the Development of the U.S. Congress. Former IGS Director Bruce Cain won the Fenno Prize in 1988 for The Personal Vote: Constituency Service and Electoral Indepen- dence.