Introduction: Placing California in Post-World War II American Politics . . 1 
Chapter 1. Politics and Party in California at Mid-Century . . 11
Chapter 2. Building the Democratic Party in the 1940s . . 31
Chapter 3. The Stevenson Effect . . 55
Chapter 4. A Democratic Order . . 83
Chapter 5. Turning Point: California Politics in the 1950s . . 105
Chapter 6. The Liberal Moment . . 123
Chapter 7. Democratic Politics and the Brown Administration . . 155
Chapter 8. Welfare Reform and the Idea of the Family . . 183
Chapter 9. Culture Wars, Politics, and Power . . 205
Chapter 10. The Legacy of the Democratic Party Renaissance . . 239
Epilogue: Liberal Politics in California in an "Era of Limits" . . 269

Notes . . 281
Index . . 333
Acknowledgments . . 341