written assignment

Reading Guide

· Miriam Powell, "California's Ballot Initiatives are Powerful. The Powerful Have Noticed." https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/05/opinion/california-ballot-initiatives-direct-democracy.html

· Ronald Brownstein, "The Trouble with the Gavin Newsom Recall" https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/05/newsom-recall-california/618872/

Reflection:

1-2 pages

With reference to the at least one of the two articles (Powell and Brownstein): what was the motivation behind California’s progressive reforms in the 1910s—in particular the initiative, referendum, and recall. Over the past 100 years, have these reforms solved the problems they were intended to solve (how or how not), and what do you think should be done going forward?