Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-210) and index.

Out of luck -- Building and breaking California -- Crisis without exit -- History and the constitution -- Empowering and shackling Sacramento -- From teachers to janitors : direct democracy demotes the legislature -- The California fix -- Budgeting without shackles -- The architecture of political frustration -- Remaking elections and the legislature -- Government from the bottom up -- A more direct democracy -- Good rules to match its mountains.

Is California beyond repair? A sizable number of Golden State citizens have concluded that it is. Incessant budget crises plus a government paralyzed by partisan gridlock have led to demands for reform, even a constitutional convention. But what, exactly, is wrong and how can we fix it? In California Crackup, Joe Mathews and Mark Paul provide clear and informed answers. Their fast-paced and often humorous narrative deftly exposes the constitutional origins of our current political and economic problems and furnishes a uniquely California fix: innovative solutions that allow Californians to debate their choices, settle on the best ones, hold elected officials accountable for results, and choose anew if something doesn't work. California Crackup offers something new: a geniunely democratic operating system for the state.