Cities Annual Report


Book Description




Southern California - Fodor's Guide


Book Description

Get close to tigers, pandas, and gorillas at a world-famous zoo, cling to the cliffs on a drive along the Pacific, redefine your idea of Asian food at a Pasadena favorite, or jump on a surfboard and catch hairy waves--Fodor's Southern California, 2nd Edition offers all these experiences and more! Our local writers have traveled throughout the area, including the Central coast, Yosemite and San Diego to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a journey of stunning variety. Before you leave for your trip be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing. The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best --"Fodor's guides are saturated with information." - We frequently update our Southern California guide, and we make every effort to bring you the most accurate and thorough book. Plus we provide timely updates about the area to Fodors.com. - Unlike other travel books, Fodor's guides rely heavily on local experts who know the territory best--so you know you're seeing the real Southern California. - We give you the planning tools you need to tailor your trip. We give options for all budgets. You make the choices. ----------------------------------- With Fodor's you get much more than a guidebook-we make it easy for you to customize your dream vacation. Visit www.fodors.com to find up-to-date travel bargains, mini-guides to worldwide destinations, information on local festivals, dazzling drives, maps, vacation planning tips and much more! And, for more insider secrets, visit "Travel Talk" and "Rants and Raves" online at www.fodors.com/forums to get advice from other travelers like you.













Frommer's California 2003


Book Description

You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go -- they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us! Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's California features gorgeous color photos of the state's spectacular beaches, national parks, vineyards, and more. Quite simply, this is the most reliable and comprehensive California guide you can buy. Whether you're looking for a romantic B&B in the Wine Country, the hippest new restaurant in San Francisco, or the best beaches in L.A. and San Diego, Frommer's California will show you the way. The guide is personally researched by longtime residents, and it's full of their candid opinions about the best their state has to offer. They've inspected countless accommodations, and have selected the very best places to stay throughout the state: lavish golf resorts, spas, stunning B&Bs, beachfront motels, and Yosemite's best campgrounds. With Frommer's in hand, you'll see it all -- from the desert to the towering redwoods, from Hollywood to Hearst Castle, from Sea World to Big Sur. You'll even get a color fold-out map and an online directory that makes trip-planning a snap!




The Populist Paradox


Book Description

Do small but wealthy interest groups influence referendums, ballot initiatives, and other forms of direct legislation at the expense of the broader public interest? Many observers argue that they do, often lamenting that direct legislation has, paradoxically, been captured by the very same wealthy interests whose power it was designed to curb. Elisabeth Gerber, however, challenges that argument. In this first systematic study of how money and interest group power actually affect direct legislation, she reveals that big spending does not necessarily mean big influence. Gerber bases her findings on extensive surveys of the activities and motivations of interest groups and on close examination of campaign finance records from 168 direct legislation campaigns in eight states. Her research confirms what such wealthy interests as the insurance industry, trial lawyer associations, and tobacco companies have learned by defeats at the ballot box: if citizens do not like a proposed new law, even an expensive, high-profile campaign will not make them change their mind. She demonstrates, however, that these economic interest groups have considerable success in using direct legislation to block initiatives that others are proposing and to exert pressure on politicians. By contrast, citizen interest groups with broad-based support and significant organizational resources have proven to be extremely effective in using direct legislation to pass new laws. Clearly written and argued, this is a major theoretical and empirical contribution to our understanding of the role of citizens and organized interests in the American legislative process.