Inventory of the Lucille Roybal-Allard Papers

California State Archives

1020 "O" Street

Sacramento, California 95814

Phone: (916) 653-2246

Fax: (916) 653-7363

Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov

URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/

Inventory of the Lucille Roybal-Allard Papers

Collection number:LP406

California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California

Processed by:: Michelle Voelker
Date Completed:: December 2009
Encoded by:: Lisa C. Prince

Descriptive Summary

Title: Inventory of the Lucille Roybal-Allard Papers

Dates: 1987-1992

Collection number: LP406

Creator: Roybal-Allard, Lucille

Collection Size: 7 cubic feet of textual records, 7 videocassettes and 6 audiocassettes

Repository: California State Archives

Sacramento, California

Abstract: Lucille Roybal-Allard, Democrat, served in the California Assembly from 1987 to 1992, representing the 56th Assembly District. The Lucille Roybal-Allard Papers are organized into four series: Bill Files, Subject Files, Speeches, and Hearing Files.

Physical location: California State Archives

Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Administrative Information

Access

While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.

Publication Rights

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Lucille Roybal-Allard Papers, LP406:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Agency History

Lucille Roybal-Allard, Democrat, was born in Los Angeles, California on June 12, 1941, to Congressman Edward Roybal and his wife, Lucille. She was raised in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, where she attended Euclid and St. Mary's Catholic Schools. Roybal-Allard received her Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Los Angeles, where she majored in speech therapy. Prior to being elected to the California Assembly, Roybal-Allard was active professionally and as a volunteer. Roybal-Allard served as the executive director of the National Association of Hispanic CPAs in Washington, D.C.;department manager for Community and Human Resources, Inc.; assistant director at the Alcoholism Council of East L.A; and a research assistant for Community Health Projects/ Drug Abuse and Prevention, Los Angeles County.

Roybal-Allard was elected to the California Assembly in 1987 in a special election after Gloria Molina left the Assembly for the Los Angeles City Council. Roybal-Allard won 58 percent of the vote. She represented the 56th Assembly District, which includes the cities of Commerce, Maywood, Vernon, and parts of Los Angeles, including the downtown, Bell Gardens and Royal Heights areas, and the unincorporated East Los Angeles area. Roybal-Allard fought against the construction of a prison in Hispanic areas of Los Angeles during her time as an Assemblywoman. Other legislation by Roybal-Allard required the California State Bar to set standards for punishing attorneys for improper sexual conduct with clients. Additionally, she carried bills to protect the environment, with an emphasis on stopping incineration of hazardous wastes. Bills on protecting victims of sexual assault and domestic violence as well as legislation that made it a misdemeanor to harass someone with repeated telephone calls were also introduced by Roybal-Allard.

In 1992, Roybal-Allard successfully ran for the U.S House of Representatives, taking the 33rd Congressional District, which was later renumbered as the 34th Congressional District after the 2000 Census. She has been reelected seven times and currently holds the office today. She is married to Edward Allard III and together they have four children: Lisa, Ricardo, Angela and Guy-Mark.In 1992, Roybal-Allard successfully ran for the U.S House of Representatives, taking the 33rd Congressional District, which was later renumbered as the 34th Congressional District after the 2000 Census. She has been reelected seven times and currently holds the office today. She is married to Edward Allard III and together they have four children: Lisa, Ricardo, Angela and Guy-Mark.

According to the California Legislature at Sacramento (Handbooks) and the Assembly Final History, Roybal-Allard served on the following Assembly committees:

Standing Committees

Health, 1987-1992

Labor and Employment, 1987-1988

Local Government, 1987-1988

Rules, 1991-1992

Transportation, 1989-1990

Utilities and Commerce, 1987-1992

Ways and Means, 1989-1992

Subcommittees

Immigration in the Workplace, Chair, 1897-1988

Ways and Means #1, 1989-1990

Select Committees

Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault, Chair, 1989-1990

Scope and Content

The Lucille Roybal-Allard Papers consist of 7 cubic feet of textual records, 7 videocassettes and 6 audiocassettes. These materials document Roybal-Allard's activities in the California State Assembly from 1987-1992. They are organized into four series: Bill Files, Subject Files, Speeches, and Hearing Files.

The Bill Files series reflects Roybal-Allard's long-standing interest in women's rights. Roybal-Allard consistently authored legislation to protect women in cases of domestic violence and sexual assault. AB4348 (1987-1988), AB237 (1989-1990), and AB371 (1991-1992) all dealt with domestic violence. The bills sought to add language to existing laws to make spousal abuse punishable and created preventative services for victims of domestic violence. She also authored numerous bills each session pertaining to different aspects of sexual assault. Most notable among these bills are AB4208 (1987-1988), which attempted to standardize hospital protocol for victims of sexual assault; AB2631 (1989-1990), which defined acquaintance rape and called for stricter punishments to be enforced; and AB365 (1991-1992), which sought to provide educational services and materials to university students about sexual assault and how to remain safe. Along the lines of sexual assault, Roybal-Allard also authored legislation to have the California Bar add bylaws that would require punishment for any attorney found guilty of sexually assaulting a client (AB415, 1989-1990). Roybal-Allard introduced multiple bills on education and preventative services concerning such subjects as domestic violence and sexual assault.

Roybal-Allard also took a great interest in the rights of immigrants in California. Her district had a large proportion of immigrants and she authored numerous bills to protect their rights. Of particular interest are AB3371 and AB3372 (1987-1988) which prevented the construction of a toxic waste incinerator in East Los Angeles County, a mostly immigrant region of her district. She also authored AJR50 (1987-1988), which called on legislators and the governor to allow amnesty to those who had fallen victim to threats or acts of terrorism from the Salvadorian "Death Squads". Other notable legislation related to immigration included AJR41 (1989-1990) which called for a moratorium of immigration raids while the 1990 census took place, and AJR47 (1987-1988) which allowed for family unity after the effects of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Another piece of notable legislation authored by Roybal-Allard for two consecutive sessions (AB408, 1989-1990; AB757, 1991-1992) was a bill to make safety standards on cigarette lighters more stringent. The idea behind the bill was to increase safety standards on cigarette lighters so that children could not injure themselves or start fires in their homes. The major concern over the bill was the cost but the bill finally became law (chapter 904) in 1991.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Women

Emigration and Immigration

Family Violence

LP406:1-57

Series 1 Bill Files 1987-1992

Physical Description: 57 file folders

Arrangement

Bill Files are arranged chronologically by legislative session, then numerically by bill number.

Scope and Content Note

Most bill files include all or some of the following items: bill analyses, amendments and resolutions, author's statements, press releases, newspaper clippings, and correspondence. Roybal-Allard's legislative interests included women's rights, minorities' rights, immigration, and child safety. Roybal-Allard authored multiple bills related to domestic violence and sexual assault to better protect the rights of women. Notable legislation includes AB2632 (1989-90), which gave a clear definition of domestic violence in order to more strictly enforce the laws; AB321 (1989-90) created a standardized method for nurses and emergency physicians to examine a rape victim; AB2629 and AB2631 (1989-90) both deal with date rape or acquaintance rape including instructions for selecting juries for the trials and the degree of punishment a person can receive for committing date rape. Roybal-Allard was also interested in protecting the rights of immigrants. She authored legislation to block hazardous waste incinerators from being built in predominantly immigrant areas of Los Angeles County (AB3371 and AB3372, 1987-88; AB58 and AB318, 1989-90; AB157 and AB937, 1991-92). The building of hazardous waste incinerators in her district generated fervent constituent correspondence and ultimately the legislation was successful in preventing the incinerator from being built in her district.

1987-1988 (15ff), AB291-AB4665, AJR47-AJR64, AB4X LP406:1-15

1989-1990 (30ff), AB58-AB4162, AJR41-AJR96 LP406:16-46

1991-1992 (10ff), AB57-AB2225, ACR31 LP406:47-57

LP406: 58-177, 182-187

Series 2 Subject Files 1987-1992

Physical Description: 126 file folders, 6 videocassettes

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Access Information

Access to audiovisual material requires the production of use copies.

Scope and Content Note

Subject files are arranged alphabetically by subject heading. Subject files contain information on topics that were relevant to the legislation Roybal-Allard authored or to the committees on which she was a member. Included are internal memoranda from Roybal-Allard's office, newspaper articles, and reports. Roybal-Allard served as the chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault as well as the chair of the Subcommittee on Immigration in the Workplace so the majority of her subject files pertain to various aspects of sexual assault or immigration.

The subject file series also contains six videocassettes pertaining to Assemblywoman Roybal-Allard's time in office. The tapes are all news broadcasts related to bills authored by Roybal-Allard. Most notable among the tapes are two titled "The Contemporary Latina" and the tape concerning her bill on attorney misconduct. Roybal-Allard was featured with a short interview in each of these segments. The tapes have all been given their own identification number and separation sheets have been filed to alert researchers to their presence.

See Appendix A in Master Finding Aid on the California State Archives website for a complete listing of subject headings

LP406:178-181

Series 3 Speeches 1987-1992

Physical Description: 4 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by title of speech.

Scope and Content Note

Speeches are arranged alphabetically by the title of the speech. Speech files contain the speeches given by Lucille Roybal-Allard on certain topics on the specified date. Most of the speech topics relate to her legislative interests. Many of her speeches were given to constituents, with a vast majority of the speeches filed given to various Latina groups. The speeches were generally delivered to groups who asked Assemblywoman Roybal-Allard to speak at one of their functions. Notable speeches include "Women in Politics", given to the Mexican-American Democratic Club; "National Hispanic Women's Conference", given to the Mexican-American Opportunity Foundation; and the speech given to the California Hispanic Commission on "Drug Prevention". Many of the speeches have been translated into Spanish.

LP406: 188-189

Series 4 Hearing Files 1987-1992

Physical Description: 2 file folders, 6 audiocassettes, and 1 videocassette

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by hearing date.

Access Information

Access to audiovisual material requires the production of use copies.

Scope and Content Note

The records contained in the hearing files series include six audiotapes and one videocassette. On October 28, 1987, Assemblywoman Roybal-Allard held a hearing on immigrant workers in Los Angeles. The hearing examined specifically the experiences of immigrant workers in the garment industry. The hearing was part of her committee work on the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee for which she chaired the subcommittee on Immigration in the Workplace. The hearing ends with a promise to investigate the situation further. Also included in the hearing files is a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee for Assemblywoman Royal-Allard's bill AB2220 (1991-1992). The bill was authored in order to include spousal rape in the broader definition of rape so that it would be considered a crime.