The policy making process in CA plays an instrumental role in the prosperity and quality of life that exist today, and will exist in the future for CA. Public policy can be defined as a public response to public problems. It's what the government says and does about these problems. Policy is when government and nongovernmental agents work together to create solutions for the public at large. The policy actors are formal, as well as informal; they are individuals or groups, which bring about the influence needed to implement public solutions. There are numerous issues within CA that are increasing the strain placed on the policy making process. The biggest challenge CA faces in the next few decades is meeting the needs of a growing …show more content…

Likewise, the judicial branch in CA has a lot of power in policy making. They are very susceptible to scrutiny by the public for decisions they make, and the policy decisions that they make have substantial implications. There is a lot of debate regarding judicial activism versus judicial restraint. It is argued that judicial activism infringes on the democratic policy institutions, and can corrode the faith and esteem the people hold for the judiciary. There are also problems regarding interest groups. The influence of interest groups threatens the democratic basis of our government. Interest groups, which tend to represent the views of the political elite, create the framework for the government and citizen interaction. The problem with this is that interest groups are based on the interest of individuals, not on the interests of everyone. Lobbyists also play a controversial role in policy making. They offer services like media consulting, public relations, survey research, direct mail, and fund raising. Lobbyists sell politics to the highest bidder. It is another commodity in a market driven economy. This is creating a much less democratic process in policy making. Lobbyists are the ones who are dictating the political course taken by the state,