How Local Politics Shape Federal Policy

“An important contribution to the scholarship of American political culture during the middle decades of the twentieth century.” — ###H-Environment”

“An important monograph [in] the growing literature on the metropolitan development of the American West.” — Western Historical Quarterly

“Highly recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduate students and above.” — CHOICE

[A] researched and convincingly argued study." — American Historical Review

“A useful resource.” — Technology and Culture

“Elkind does a superb job of bringing to life the nuances of Los Angeles environmental crises and providing the reader with a context for understanding them.” — Enterprise and Society

“[Elkind’s] clear-eyed and methodical explanation is necessary reading for scholars of the U.S. West and the environment, and for anyone who hopes to understand how well-organized business groups have shaped American political culture and the American landscape.” — American Historical Review

“Combining urban, political, and environmental history, Sarah Elkind delivers an assiduously researched analysis of how political policies are formed in the United States. This is a compelling, fascinating, and innovative book.” — Douglas Sackman, University of Puget Sound, and editor of A Companion to American Environmental History

“Through her nuanced analysis and deeply researched case studies, Sarah Elkind illuminates the interactions among federal, state, and local institutions that shaped the making of public policy not only in Los Angeles, but in the United States as a whole. In particular, Elkind reveals how the power of local businesses could be used to further federal policy, as well as thwart it. This valuable work makes significant contributions to the ongoing discussion of the American political economy in the twentieth century.” — William H. Becker, George Washington University