The collection contains records from the California Democratic Council (CDC), a statewide organization linking independent Democratic Clubs with the Democratic Party structure. The CDC organized conventions, ran issues conferences, endorsed candidates, and participated in other activities. Materials range from 1947 to 1988 but the bulk of the materials are from the 1960s and 1970s.

The California Democratic Council (CDC) was founded in 1953 by a group of concerned Democrats. They were galvanized by State Senator George Miller, Jr., who called a meeting in Asilomar to discuss "What's wrong with the Democratic Party in California." In the early 1950s, even though the majority of California voters were registered Democrats, there had only been one Democratic Governor in the 20th Century and the Republicans held the majority in both houses of the Legislature, and a total of 111 out of the 162 elective, partisan offices in the state. The CDC was created as a link between the volunteer democratic clubs and district councils, and the official party structure (State and County Central Committees and elected officials). Besides encouraging membership in the local clubs, one of the CDC's primary responsibilities was to arrange for pre-primary endorsements of candidates (which the Central Committees were not allowed to do). This was needed to cut down on problems caused by the cross-filing of Republican candidates in Democratic primaries and divisive primary campaigns that carried over to the general election and allowed the Republican candidate to win the seat.

9 boxes, 3 half-boxes, 24 legal boxes, and 3 legal half-boxes

12 linear feet

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