ABSTRACT
This chapter concentrates on some of the many themes that have germinated in California, occasionally scorned and other times emulated elsewhere. Coping with so many issues leaves California almost kaleidoscope-like in nature. Two influences that have permeated California at the extremes are the exotic nonconformist lifestyles and fervent evangelism. In California, Bohemian behavior pushed political conservatives into a consternated reactive mode. Income patterns among various groups in California vary widely. With the state's perennial budget shortfall, California public policymakers have also taken a long look at welfare, temporary state safety net payments to individuals out of the workforce. California's CalWORKS program is the state's primary welfare program it operates in concert with the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program enacted by Congress in 1996. The intrigue of California's residents with entertainment tells us much about the state's complex culture. Without a doubt, the entertainment sector stands out as a valuable staple of the state's economy.
