Mark Baldassare is Program Director in Governance, Survey Director, Senior Fellow, and Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Public Policy at the Public Policy Institute of California. He is the author of eight previous books including California in the New Millennium (California, 2000), When Government Fails: The Orange Country Bankruptcy (California, 1998), and The Los Angeles Riots: Lessons for the Urban Future (1994).

• List of Tables Foreword Preface 1. Introduction 2. Sunny Today, Cloudy Tomorrow 3. The Tax Revolt and the Golden State 4. Schools, Schools, and Schools 5. Growth and Environmentalism 6. The Latino Century Begins 7. The Un-Party State 8. Lights Out for California? 9. Insights after a Golden Moment References Index

"This is a thought-provoking analysis by one of the most astute analysts of the California scene."-U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein "If you care about the direction America is headed, then you must pay attention to California. To understand California today and decades from now, you must read Baldassare's masterful assessment. He knows the issues and he takes you inside the head of California voters-old, young, Latino, white-he talks to them all-in a way no one else has. And you can forget all your assumptions: Baldassare proves the stereotypes are wrong."-Judy Woodruff, Anchor, CNN's Inside Politics "Baldassare has long been one of the most perceptive analysts of politics and public opinion in California. His new book will solidify that reputation. It is indispensable reading for anyone who wants to understand the changing political landscape, and the subtle shadings of public attitudes, in the nation's largest state."-Ronald Brownstein, political columnist, Los Angeles Times