Larry N. Gerston is professor of political science at San Jose State University and the author or co-author of seven books on state and national politics. His Public Policy Making in a Democratic Society: A Guide to Civic Engagement has been heralded as a breakthrough primer for citizen involvement. Likewise, his California Politics and Government: A Practical Guide (co-authored with Terry Christensen) has sold more than 100,000 copies as the most popular book in its field. A native Californian, Gerston has worked for a county supervisor and a state legislator. For the past twenty-three years, he has been the political analyst at NBC11 in the San Francisco Bay area. In addition, Gerston has published The Costco Experience: An Unofficial Survivor’s Guide, a hands-on, tongue-in-cheek book about the world of warehouse shopping. Terry Christensen is professor of political science at San Jose State University and the author or co-author of six books and many newspaper op-ed pieces. He is frequently consulted by local and national media concerning political issues in California and Silicon Valley. He is currently at work on new editions of Reel Politics: American Political Movies from Birth of a Nation to Platoon, and Local Politics: Governing at the Grassroots (both forthcoming in 2005). He has served on numerous civic committees and commissions and currently is a member of the Advisory Board of City Year/ Silicon Valley and Program Chair for the Commonwealth Club/Silicon Valley. In 1998, he was named San Jose State University’s Outstanding Professor.