Introduction
California is a dynamic state whose needs are in the eternal realm of changing and adjusting because of the growing population. Correspondingly, every county experiences different problems, and most of those problems require strategic problem solving because there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution. This is the essence of California’s political system. The counties are the legal entities responsible for governing and protecting segments of the population. Whereas, the state is responsible for the oversight and compliance, as well as, reimbursement of taxes and federal money. Baldassare (1998) introduced three concepts that explain the causes of many current problems and challenges counties and the state government have to endure. …show more content…
As Baldassare (1998) suggests, political fragmentation is decentralization of political authority that results in many local governments, districts, and locally oriented political representation. Baldassare (1998) argues, cities with regional governments tend to overlook the county’s authority and power. Thus, prompting poor oversight over the cities use of tax money and redistribution of social services. The idea of political fragmentation is still present in many counties across California. For example, in 2012 Stockton filed for chapter 9 bankruptcy because the city’s optimistic outlook for the future outweighed the reality of unbalanced budgets, generous civil service compensations, bond obligations, and the housing market collapse (Evans, Kosenko, & Polyakov, 2012). Referring to Baldassare (1998), it can be argued that the weak oversight of county officials over the city’s government resulted in poor compliance of fiscal spending. However, the state shares the responsibility of Stockton’s …show more content…
Matthews (2016) argues that counties with more scattered local governments, as opposing to consolidated regional governments, tend to have more economic and racial inequalities, provide fewer social services, and provide less affordable housing. Baldassare (1998) emphasized that local districts predominately focus on representing the views of their constituents, thus suggesting the idea of “local orientation” (p. 19). The following notion can be applied to the state legislature in one particular way. With the passage of Proposition 13, the state dramatically changed fiscal policy. Proposition 13 mandates the 2/3 vote requirement in both chambers to raise state’s income and sales tax (Matthews, 2010). Currently, politicians in competitive districts represent their constituents’ views and will not vote to increase taxes, resulting in political fragmentation of the
California is a dynamic state whose needs are in the eternal realm of changing and adjusting because of the growing population. Correspondingly, every county experiences different problems, and most of those problems require strategic problem solving because there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution. This is the essence of California’s political system. The counties are the legal entities responsible for governing and protecting segments of the population. Whereas, the state is responsible for the oversight and compliance, as well as, reimbursement of taxes and federal money. Baldassare (1998) introduced three concepts that explain the causes of many current problems and challenges counties and the state government have to endure. …show more content…
As Baldassare (1998) suggests, political fragmentation is decentralization of political authority that results in many local governments, districts, and locally oriented political representation. Baldassare (1998) argues, cities with regional governments tend to overlook the county’s authority and power. Thus, prompting poor oversight over the cities use of tax money and redistribution of social services. The idea of political fragmentation is still present in many counties across California. For example, in 2012 Stockton filed for chapter 9 bankruptcy because the city’s optimistic outlook for the future outweighed the reality of unbalanced budgets, generous civil service compensations, bond obligations, and the housing market collapse (Evans, Kosenko, & Polyakov, 2012). Referring to Baldassare (1998), it can be argued that the weak oversight of county officials over the city’s government resulted in poor compliance of fiscal spending. However, the state shares the responsibility of Stockton’s …show more content…
Matthews (2016) argues that counties with more scattered local governments, as opposing to consolidated regional governments, tend to have more economic and racial inequalities, provide fewer social services, and provide less affordable housing. Baldassare (1998) emphasized that local districts predominately focus on representing the views of their constituents, thus suggesting the idea of “local orientation” (p. 19). The following notion can be applied to the state legislature in one particular way. With the passage of Proposition 13, the state dramatically changed fiscal policy. Proposition 13 mandates the 2/3 vote requirement in both chambers to raise state’s income and sales tax (Matthews, 2010). Currently, politicians in competitive districts represent their constituents’ views and will not vote to increase taxes, resulting in political fragmentation of the