“An important new book . . . [revealing how] California needs to strengthen the power of its Legislature to legislate by requiring simple majorities for both budgets and tax increases.”
“A smart, good read that closely analyzes and traces the state’s political dysfunction, from the short attention spans of its constitutional framers to the intractable knots of political gridlock that bind it.”
“If you are interested in improving government—you should read the book . . . It reflects the spirit of innovation that was once part of the California story. This is what the campaign for governor should have been about.”
“If you’ve grown weary of California's annual budget stalemates and furloughs, if you're frustrated by the Legislature, if you feel California is broken, then California Crackup should be required reading. . . . The book is a concise and lucid analysis of how the state arrived at its current mess, as well as offering strategies to address what's ailing it.”
“A terrific book. Cataloging the multiple, inter-locking political elements that caused the collapse of governance in California, the two veteran political writers draw these pieces together into a lucid framework that offers not only a clear diagnosis, but also a serious prescription for what ails the not-so-Golden State.”
“What California needs, and what might just save the UC system, which is being eroded before our eyes, is a structural overhaul of our state’s system of governance. Mark Paul and Joe Matthews present a set of concrete solutions in their book."
“A great book; everyone who wants to fix California needs to read it.”
“A welcome attempt to stand above the political fray . . . Much of what Mathews and Paul do propose at the level of policy is indeed sensible and well justified. Their arguments on behalf of the need to energize the legislature are particularly important.”
“Objective and at times humorous (if that’s possible) analysis of how California grew dysfunctional and what will make it functional again.”
“Are we doomed to a government unable to accomplish anything, much less heal itself? Sometimes it does look that way. But the authors of California Crack Up do have some ideas about how to fix things, and some are pretty good.”
"California Crackup is brilliant. It cuts through the familiar tangle of diagnoses and quick-fix solutions to provide a comprehensive and persuasive analysis of California's dysfunctional governmental system. Paul and Mathews have coolly laid out a complicated story, made it readable, sometimes even comedic. It is the best discussion of the issue I've seen in over three decades."—Peter Schrag, author of California: America's High-Stakes Experiment
"I know of no other work that combines so succinctly and enjoyably a historical summary of California's existing problems with such a sweeping and provocative program of reform."—Ethan Rarick, University of California, Berkeley
"Mark Paul and Joe Mathews have produced an indispensable guide to California's crisis of governance—and they have done so with humor, scholarship, fairness and storytelling verve. Every Californian should read this book."—Steve Coll, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Ghost Wars
"Mark Paul... has a talent for presenting California Big Think stuff in an easily accessible and always readable way...[offering] clear and creative insights on the subject of California's collapse."—CalBuzz
"Joe Mathews has done an artful, fascinating, and convincing job of connecting the California of today's Schwarzenegger era to the long history that made his rise possible.—James Fallows,The Atlantic Monthly on Mathews' book, The People's Machine
