poli sci final

CA budget

• education is single largest expense

• health second

• then human services

CA gov

• single party democratic control

  • repblican is unpopular and rarely wins seats

• top 2 election process

• newsom at end of term

  • candidate for prez maybe

• election might produce 2 republican candidates or two democratic candidates

Chapters of Californias political history

• chinese workers

• railroad

• explosive growth

  • and backlash

chinese workers

• came 50-100 years before 1882

  • people did NOT like them

• extreme white fear

  • retaliation: called Chinatown filthy, uncivilized, etc

• REFLECTED IN POLITICS

  • stripped them of rights by limiting voting rights

  • limited in chinese immigration

• no asian coliseum

  • exploited labor systems so they get paid lower

  • in response more employers chose chinese workers bc they were cheaper but that “stole” the jobs of white americans

Railroad

• Southern Pacific Railroad

• founded by Big 4

  • Leland Stanford, Huntington, Hopkins, Crocker

• got rich bc of the system

• The public did not like them due to monopolistic practices (it was the main mode of transportation for everyone)

  • they expanded by owning all railroads, even some ferries and boats

• had land grants that influenced house prices. buying property etc

• the profit they earned was used to influence more politicians to feed into their interest

• called the OCTOPUS

  • bc they had control in transportation, economy, and politics)

Explosive growth

• Population boom

  • 1910 move industry moved to LA

  • 1910-1970 - GREAT MIGRATION

    • when black americans left the south and moved to northern states like california in response to the injustice in the south

    • migration accounted for demographic changes

      • like oaklands main population is AfA

      • ppl who migrated to bay or la for jobs

• As a result

  • economic boom

  • more diverse

  • migration boom

backlash

• some californians did not like the idea of more ppl coming

  • as a respnse supportef policies and regulations that excluded migrants

    • ie: Prop 13, 14, 187

Reform/Progressive Era (CA)

was a response to the rapid industrialization and the political corruption of the railroad over the decades

• weakened political parties/bosses

  • replaced them with conventions and primary elections

• destroyed the political machines that controlled policies

recall

when people may petition to remove office holders at all levels of government

referendum

a process where advocates or independent contractors can have 90 days to collect signatures to make policies or propose them themselves

initiative

allow citizens to make policies or propose policies themselves

Prop 13

properties are accessed at the market value, based on WHEN it was SOLD

• affects property tax rates so older Americans who have had their houses longer pay a significantly lower rate than a young person who would buy the house at a later date

Prop 14

• allows explicit discrimination in housing, homeowners are allowed to refuse to leaser to whoever they want

  • can leaser property to white ppl only, and no asian ppl

• related to 1964 civil rights movement

  • legalized racism essentially

Prop 187

denies all public services to undocumented immigrants

American Healthcare system

• gov not involved EXCEPT for Medicare and Medicaid

• healthcare is a profit enterprise

  • insurance companies and pharma comps are charging ppl what they are willing to pay

• highly fragmented, administrative cost are too high

  • due to so many factors of insurance

• concept of copay

  • out of pocket vc how much the insurance company can cover

• basically, insurance is a lengthy complicated process which makes it expensive

where do ppl get insurance

Typically, through work, which typically means NO JOB NO INSURANCE

• results in not seeing doctors or getting meds at a affordable price

we pay the most for healthcare but have the worst health status

• we just pay more for everything tbh

• Americans experience low expectancy at birth, low safety, commonly have diabetes or heart disease

high end of our medical are is GOOD if you can AFFORD it. hard to change current system bc of our political system.

• americans and capitalism..

  • free marker start innovations create competition which leads to better tech (think silicon valley)

• concept of higher paying customers meaning higher efficiency

• elites like it so nothing changes

system of federalism, limiting solving an issue (healthcare) this size

Some states have DIFFERENT policies

• makes it harder to set a standard for everyone and more complicates

3 events that changed our healthcare system

• creation of private insurance dependency

• dependency on employer

• creation of medicare and medicaid in 1965

creation of private insurance dependency

occurred in the 1930’s during the Great Depression

• Blue Cross provided healthcare coverage for hospitals that couldn’t afford it

dependency on employer

During WW2 employers competed for workers using healthcare as an incentive to get more labor

• is now a solidified process

creation of Medicare and medicaid in 1965

In 2010, ACA (Affordable Care Act or obamacare) expanded the system of insurance-led healthcare instead of replacing it with a universal healthcare system that could help the majority of Americans

Pros for switching to a Medicare of All system (im more in favor)

• wouldnt have to pay for more insurance premiums since coverage would be fore all

• everyone would have healthcare

• healthier nation

• cheaper bc less administrative cost

• could cap cost on medical and medication

• more responsible and responsive system

Cons for switching to a Medicare of All system

• taxes go up (capitalist no like bc its like a waste on money)

• politics might sneak into healthcare

• some ppl can take advantage for free for all system

Housing and Homelessness (USA)

• regional mismatch between supply and demand

• suburban zoning laws that make housing more expensive

• cuts in public housing

• deinsutionalization

• elimination of inexpensive housing options

• legacies of segregated housing

• gentrification and NIMBYism

regional mismatch between supply and demand

• ties to the dream od suburban

• urban areas have extremely high housing prices (think palo alto)

  • ppl are forced to buy homes further away and have a longer commute which are in suburban areas

    • face zoning law conflicts

suburban zoning laws that make housing more expensive

• They can restrict development to create and build single-family housing

• zoning laws losing opportunities

• if you’re just a single worker looking for a simple starter home

  • less affordable options due to ALL single FAMILY homes

cuts in public housing

• prez reagan actions during his presidency

  • slashes in federal housing budgets for market funding

• now less available options for affordable housing

deinsutionalization

• the closure of mental health/ psych institutions

  • creators of this legislation assumed these ppl would be taken care of by family

• there was not many community support, patients who would leave could not afford housing

  • resulting in becoming homeless or went to prison due to lack of resources

elimination of inexpensive housing options

prior to WW2 cities used to have a bunch of affordable housing options

• dwindled over time

legacies of segregated housing

• acts of REDLINING

  • separates POC into separate districts (think Chinatown) leading to “ghettos”

  • homeownership is a form of wealth, certain groups were barred from this form of wealth

gentrification and NIMBYism

• poor urban area experiences mass influz of wealthy ppl moving in or when new businesses move into cit (think silicon valley)

• strangers moving into a new city

  • change prices and access for current inhabitants

• not in my backyard mindset

  • successful in blocking development, prevents creation of lower income housing

  • occurs when ppl do not want change in their neighborhood

Housing and Homelessness (CA)

• love affair with single-family homes and not enough starter homes

• tremendous demand and inadequate supply

• unintended consequences of prop 13

• cost of building - made worse by many regulations

• weather?

  • not enough proof or enought studies, but maybe?

• contrary to popular belief, most unhoused are cali native (90%)

social ills that contribulte to homelessness

• race

• class

• criminal justice system

• substance use disorder

• mental illness

• healthcare

• intimate partner violenc

• lack of affordable housing

love affair with single-family homes and not enough starter homes

• supply of single family homes

  • uses too much space, making it insufficient

  • unaffordable esp for single

• starter homes are not available as a result

tremendous demand and inadequate supply

mass influx of immigrants

• increases in population

• hard to keep with population growth

cost of building - made worse by many regulations

• really high and way more expensive than other states

• for what reason bro…. demand?

contrary to popular belief, most unhoused are cali native (90%)

• did not come from other states

• lost their housing mostly due to social ills

race and class

racism only allowed certain groups to accumulate wealth

• specifics were permitted to apply for a mortgage

• influenced housing, neighborhood, school system, and less chance of becoming homeless

criminal justice system

criminalizes ppl with mental illness

• cannot access treatment or housing asa result

substance use disorder

lack rehabilitative or support services

• prob end up homeless or in jail

• not in right state of mind

• stigma

mental illness

how can we better support ppl facing mental illness

• hint ITS NOT DEINSTITUTIONALIZATION

healthcare

access, cost, and availabulity of treatment are big factors

• not everyone can get proper care due to circumstance s

intimate partner violence

Survivors of domestic violence usually leave their homes to escape abuse

• face immediate housing instability due to lack of affordable housing

lack of affordable housing

• no one can buy a house

• lac og availability of safe shelters

Struggles in American Democracy

• Big structural problems

  • the original vision of the country did not include us

  • power is diffuse, progress is slow

  • key political institutions are UNDEMOCRATIC

  • money flood out political system

• Poor citizen participation

• declining guardrail institutions

  • institutions design to protect out democracy from all angles

the original vision of the country did not include us

prioritized whire, wealthy, and educated men over ppl over color

key political institutions are UNDEMOCRATIC

• district drawn differntly

  • cracking and packing process

  • not reflective of the ppl and play into interest of officials

• voter suppresion is rampant

• concept of electoral college

  • how they are more powerful than the ppl

money flood out political system

seen though our healthcare and how officials are elected

Poor citizen participation

• low voting rates

• distrust of basic facts (conspiracy theories, social media influence)

• declining awareness of civics

• highly vunerable to misinformation, conspiracy, and demagogues

• commitment to democracy seems iffy

declining guardrail institutions

• institutions designed to protect out democracy from all angles

• presdident challenging courts, flouting the rule of law

  • possible constitutional crisis

• congress ridlocked

• political parties too weak

• media becoming more corporate or risk adverse

  • play into what the government wants vs actually being unbiased

• supreme court becoming more political

key features of democracy (9)

• respect for human rights and freedoms

• freedom of accosiation, expression and opinion

• access to power within rule of law

• periodic free and fair elections

• a pluralistic system of political parties and organizations

• seperation of powers

• independent judiciary

• transparency and accountability

• free, independent, and pluralistic media

critiques on our current democracy

• immigration policy is hurting respect for human rights and freedoms

• freedom of expression is hurt when ppl are punished for saying their political views (ie Gaza)

• fair elections? Voter suppression still exists

• pluralistic system of parties and organizations: results mainly between dem or rep, other parties don’t have that much power

• independent judiciary: how can it be independent when appointed by president ( mostly conservative)

how can we fix democracy

• full voting rights

  • higher turnout

• end or limit money in politics

  • allows officials to work in favor of ppl who have money

• abolish the electoral college

  • more representation

  • higher turnout

  • the idea that we are not a republic

• fix drawing of congressional districts

• require 1-2 years of public service for all young ppl…

  • more knowledgeable, helps with engagement

• switch to proportional representation or ranked choice voting

  • we don’t have to be trapped by choosing between 2 options where we might not like either of them