Foreword / William E. Simon, Jr. -- Introduction / Brian C. Anderson -- The politics and economics of decline -- The beholden state / Steven Malanga -- The big-spending, high-taxing, lousy-services paradigm / William Voegeli -- The golden state's war on itself / Joel Kotkin -- Cali to business. get out! / Steven Malanga -- The long stall / Wendell Cox -- The pension fund that ate California / Steven Malanga -- Flatten taxes! / Arthur B. Laffer -- The radical reform that California needs / Troy Senik -- The urban fiscal crisis -- Lost Angeles / Joel Kotkin -- How the road to bell was paved / William Voegeli -- Broken windows, broken city / Steven Greenhut -- Public order -- The reclamation of skid row / Heather Mac Donald -- The LAPD remade / John Buntin -- The sidewalks of San Francisco / Heather Mac Donald -- Of energy and environment -- A crude awakening / Tom Gray -- The water wars / Victor Davis Hanson -- Immigration dilemmas -- The rainbow coalition evaporates / Steven Malanga -- The demographic revolution / Heather Mac Donald -- Education -- The worst union in America / Troy Senik -- The bilingual ban that worked / Heather Mac Donald -- The union's occupation / Ben Boychuk -- Triggering school reform in California / Ben Boychuk -- Grading the teachers / Larry Sand -- UC two / Heather Mac Donald -- The culture -- The lost art of war / Andrew Klavan -- Radical graffiti chic / Heather Mac Donald -- Tom Wolfe's California / Michael Anton -- Keep hope alive -- The silicon lining / Guy Sorman -- California, here we stay / Victor Davis Hanson.