This study attempts to apply contemporary political science theories to an analysis of the politics of San Francisco in the 1970's. Data for the study was gathered through personal interviews with knowledgeable observers and participants in San Francisco politics, through an extensive review of various governmental reports and data, and through firsthand study of transaction patterns in the political, business, labor, ethnic, and historical life of the city. Major sections of the book discuss the city as concept and history, channels to the political system, the mobile of governance, the politics of income, ethnic dimensions of decisionmaking, and extramural forces and local autonomy. In an appendix, the author provides a separate discussion of the theoretical concepts and methods of analysis he employs throughout the book. (JG)