Collection contains chiefly governmental and non-governmental agency reports concerning the controversial 1965 Upper Newport Bay proposed land exchange between the County of Orange and the Irvine Company. Materials include plans and proposals for preservation of the bay; information on its flora, fauna, and geology; correspondence; legal documents; audio recordings; and printed ephemera. Public and expert meeting agendas, environmental surveys and policy reviews, and legal opinions and briefs further illustrate the complexity of the issues, groups and individuals involved.

In the 1960s, after preparing the legal groundwork for over a decade, the Irvine Company (Orange County, California) proposed a major land swap with the County of Orange. The proposal was unanimously approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors in 1965. The project, involving an exchange of publicly owned tidelands on the Upper Newport Bay in Orange County for Irvine Company-owned blufflands, was intended to pave the way for the development of a marina, housing developments, and recreational facilities along the Upper Newport Bay shoreline.

6.1 linear feet 7 boxes and 3 oversize folders

Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and University Archives.

Collection is open for research.