Ren�e B. Van Vechten nbsp; is associate professor of political science at the University of Redlands, where she teaches courses primarily in American Government and California Politics. She received her PhD in political science from the University of California, Irvine. In 2002-03, she was a Kevin Starr Fellow in California Studies, and in 2008, was honored with the Rowman and Littlefield Award for Innovative Teaching in Political Science, the American Political Science Association's national teaching award at that time. She is also engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning. A lifelong resident of Southern California, she has spent the better part of her professional life… studying, writing, and lecturing about California institutions.