Guide to the Ron Mandella Community Garden records, 1971-2005 (2000-2003)

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Guide to the Ron Mandella Community Garden records, 1971-2005 (2000-2003)

MSS 2005/06

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Table of contents

Series 1: History, 1978-2004

Series Description

This series consists of newsletters, flyers, applications, and photographs that document the history of the Ron Mandella Community Garden. The bulk of the series is comprised of newspaper, magazine, and Internet articles that describe the aims of the Ron Mandella Community Garden and their ensuing legal action against the Capitol Area Development Authority. The series also includes board meeting minutes, RMCG member plot maps, proposed CADA development maps, an overhead projector presentation, and certificates of appreciation for one of the Garden members, Goli Sahba. Materials within each folder are arranged chronologically.

Box 1, Folder 1

Board Member Meetings, 1996-2001

Box 1, Folder 2

Board Member Minutes, 1996-2004

Box 1, Folder 3

Member Newsletters/Flyers, 1991-2002

Box 1, Folder 4

Flyers (General Community), 1996-2003

Box 1, Folder 5

Maps, 1997-2003

Box 1, Folder 6

Over-head Project Presentation, 2003

Box 1, Folder 7

Photographs, 2000

Box 1, Folder 8

Certificates of Appreciation for Goli Sahba, 2003

Box 1, Folder 9

Articles, 1978-2003

Box 1, Folder 10

Confidentiality Issues: Membership Apps. and Rosters, n.d.

Series 2: Correspondence and Letters, 1990-2003

Series Description

This series contains correspondence between garden members and others in the community such as city officials, CADA representatives and letters written by elementary school children. A large portion of this correspondence directly relates to the garden members' attempts to "save the garden" from development by CADA. This also contains letters from community members writing in support of keeping the garden. The series is divided into three areas; General correspondence, which contains the "save the garden" efforts, official correspondence (between garden members and the city or county officials), and the letters from school children, and is organized into 7 folders. The bulk of the correspondence dates from 2000 to 2003. Arranged chronologically within the files and alphabetically by folder subject.

Box 2, Folder 1

Correspondence: Saving the Garden, 1999-2001

Box 2, Folder 2

Correspondence: Saving the Garden, 2001

Box 2, Folder 3

Correspondence: Saving the Garden, 2002-2003

Box 2, Folder 4

Letters: Elementary School Thank You, 2002

Box 2, Folder 5

Letters: Community Supporters, 1990-2003

Box 2, Folder 6

Letters: Interagency, City, State, 1998-2003

Box 2, Folder 7

Letters: From RMCG Board Members, 1997-2002

Box 2, Folder 8

Letters: To Garden From City Officials, 1995-2001

Box 2, Folder 9

Letters: To Garden From Official Agencies, 1998-2003

Series 3: Business and Legal, 1980-2003

Series Description

This series consists of the financial and business records reflecting the daily operations of the Ron Mandella Community Garden. It contains bank statements, cancelled checks, invoices, receipts, insurance papers, and payment stubs. It also has correspondence with the City of Sacramento and with their insurance company regarding disputes over bills and payments, arrangements for event-specific insurance, by-laws, incorporation papers, legal service invoices and agreement papers, and lease papers.

Box 3, Folder 1

Bank statements and cancelled checks, 1994-2003

Box 3, Folder 2

Check stubs, 1993-1998

Box 3, Folder 3

Incorporation papers, by-laws, lease papers, board papers, 1980-2002

Box 3, Folder 4

Insurance papers, 1995-2003

Box 3, Folder 5

Legal services agreements and invoices, 1996-2003

Box 3, Folder 6

Miscellaneous expenses and income, 1997-2003

Box 3, Folder 7

Treasurer's reports, 1996-2003

Box 3, Folder 8

Utility bills, 1997-2003

Series 4: Legal Files, 1995-2003

Series Description

This series contains letters and other information for the Ron Mandella Community Garden attorney to look over (including a sheet called "Possible Areas of Litigation"). Most of the correspondence is to and from RMCG member Robert Stuter and government/state officials or representatives, in California State offices of Department of General Services, Office of Housing and Community Development, CADA, and even Gray Davis as Lt. Governor. There are also letters between officials such as City councilmember Deborah Ortiz, (and Assemblywoman Ortiz), Councilmember Jimmie Yee, councilmember Heather Fargo, Mayoral Candidate 2000 Julie Padilla, and other community members mostly in support of keeping the garden. These items seem to be what Robert Stuter in particular wanted his attorney to see. Letters span the period of November 1995 - August 2000. There are briefs of lawsuits between CADA and RMCG as both Plaintiffs and Defendants that span the period of December 2002 through December 2003, and Police Counter Reports and a Misdemeanor Complaint from May 9, 2000, October 17, 2001 and June 22, 2003.

Box 4, Folder 1

Letters to support case in favor of RMCG (For legal team), 1995-2003

Box 4, Folder 2

Capitol Area Development Authority vs. RMCG Lawsuit, 2002-2003

Box 4, Folder 3

RMCG vs. Capitol Area Development Authority Lawsuit, 2002-2003

Box 4, Folder 4

Police Counter Reports and Misdemeanor Complaint, 2000-2003

Series 5: Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA) Development, 1995-2004

Series Description

This series is primarily related to the Capitol Area Development Authority operations, community, and City of Sacramento involvement in development of the Ron Mandella Community Garden area from 1995-2004. Files within this series include general information about the Capitol Area Development Authority, Environmental Impact Reports and related environmental studies documents for the Fremont Mews/Site 13 (Mandella Community Gardens area), CADA board meeting minutes and agenda from 1995-2004, and other documentation from CADA. Folders also consist of City of Sacramento Citizen's Advisory Committee for Parks and Recreation agendas, letters from the City of Sacramento regarding the Fremont Mews Development Project, Owner Participation Agreements from the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Sacramento, information on community workshops for Site 13, and letters from the public to CADA related to the Fremont Mews/Site 13 development project.

Box 4, Folder 5

CADA General Information, 2000-2002

Box 4, Folder 6

CADA Public Relations, 2000-2003

Box 4, Folder 7

Community and Local Correspondence with CADA, 1998-2003

Box 4, Folder 8

CADA and the City of Sacramento, 2000-2003

Box 4, Folder 9

CADA Board Minutes and Agendas, 1995-2000

Box 4, Folder 10

CADA Board Minutes and Agendas, 2001

Box 5, Folder 1

CADA Board Minutes and Agendas, 2002-2004

Box 5, Folder 2

CADA Environmental Impact Reports, 1998-2004

Box 6, Folder 1

CADA Fremont Terrace Proposal, 2000

Box 6, Folder 2

CADA Fremont Terrace Project Misc., 1996-2000

Box 6, Folder 3

CADA Soil Investigations for Garden Site II, 2001

Box 6, Folder 4

CADA Garden Site II: Limited Phase I/II Investigation, 2002

Box 6, Folder 5

CADA Site 13 Resolutions and Agreements, 2000-2003

Series 6: General Garden Information, 1987-2004

Series Description

This series contains literature on gardening techniques and information used in the Mandella gardens. Also included in this box are pamphlets and newsletters about community gardens in the Sacramento area as well as other California regions. The folders in this series also contain news clippings and web based reports documenting the effects of soil contamination, along with methods of successful organic gardening. Also included in this series are signs and flyers targeted at "save the garden" efforts, as well as lists and newsletters of tasks needed to be fulfilled in the garden.

Box 6, Folder 6

Gardening Literature, 1987-2004

Box 6, Folder 7

Community Garden Literature, 1987-2004

Box 6, Folder 8

Save the Garden Literature, 1987-2004

Box 6, Folder 9

Compost Sign Hung in Garden, 1987-2004

Series 7: Artifacts, 2000-2003

Series Description

This box contains the physical artifacts from the Garden. In its entirety, the artifacts consist of one scrapbook, one wooden plaque, one cloth banner, one laminated page with photos, and one Rainbow Day Care flyer. The box also holds one CD (with copies) that contains flyers, documents, a garden song, and the Garden's web-site. Two VCR tapes remain (with copies) of a city council meeting and a local community access show. Both programs argue for the Garden to be protected from development.

Box 7, Object 1

Scrapbook, 1999-2001

Box 7, Object 2

Wooden plaque, n.d.

Box 7, Object 3

Cloth banner, n.d.

Box 7, Object 4

Photographs (laminated), n.d.

Box 7, Object 5

Flyer: Rainbow Day Care, n.d.

Box 7, Object 6

CD featuring flyers, documents, garden song, and web-site information, n.d.

Box 7, Object 7

VCR tapes of city council meeting and local community access show, n.d.

Collection Contents

Series 1: History,

Series 2: Correspondence and Letters,

Series 3: Business and Legal,

Series 4: Legal Files,

Series 5: Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA) Development,

Series 6: General Garden Information,

Series 7: Artifacts,