Series

Physical Description: 327 file folders.

Arranged chronologically by session and numerically by bill number.

Senate Bill files created by Senator John Seymour generally are for bills he authored, and may contain drafts of legislation, analyses by committees and state agencies, comments by constituents or other interested parties, notes by Seymour and his staff, relevant background reports or newspaper articles, correspondence in support of or opposed to legislation, veto messages, notices from the legislative counsel about related bills and other miscellaneous materials. Assembly bill files for 1985-1986 may include his comments on the measures, his responses to constituents, and related correspondence.

The series represents the full range of Seymour's legislative priorities, but bills that were successful or particularly controversial provide the most complete records of his thinking, compromises, and political priorities. In 1983-1984, for example, he introduced SB407 that would have required a minimum grade point average for students to participate in extra-curricular activities, but eventually dropped the bill after receiving criticism from newspapers, parents, and other educational reformers. His support for the needs of the physically or developmentally disabled appears in many bills; for example, SB1832 (Stats. 1984, ch. 166), allocated state funds to match private grants obtained by independent living centers and SB2232 (1988 Stats., ch. 1292), among other provisions, created a Traumatic Brain Injury Fund to support research projects. His successful SB888 (1985 Stats., ch. 1474) which required juvenile sex offenders to registers with local police illustrated his commitment to stringent penalties for convicted juvenile offenders. Seymour also responded to the difficulties facing childcare providers seeking liability insurance in the late 1980s. His SB1474 proposed in 1985 would have created state insurance pool for certain providers; he withdrew the bill after the insurance industry decided to address the problem through a private joint pool. His leadership role in Drug and Alcohol Abuse committee led to a number of bills during most sessions: some of the successful ones included SB1960 (85-86) increased penalties for sale of certain drugs; and SB1365 (1987 Stats. 1041), increased penalties for Driving under the Influence infractions. The importance of affordable housing to Seymour personally and many Californians in the 1980s showed in a series of successful measures sponsored in the 1989-1990 session: SB1282 (1989 Stats., ch. 1451) clarified the affordable housing requirements for city planners and SB1287 (1989 Stats. Ch. 1155) required redevelopment agencies to replace all low-income housing that was destroyed in redevelopment projects within five years.

1983-1984: SB320-SB2310, SCA21, SCA26, SCR21, SJR11, SJR 20, SJR47 (46ff) LP333:1-45

1985-1986: SB27-SB2518, SCA27, SCA42, SCR39, SCR67, SR44 (103ff) LP333:46-148

1985-1986: AB19-AB2580, ACR17-ACR58 (22ff) LP333:149-170

1987-1988: SB509-SB2876, SCA42, SCR59, SCR91, SJR7, SJR11 (84ff) LP333:171-254

1989-1990: SB50-SB2890, SCA20, SCA37, SCR35, SJR11, SJR47 (72ff) LP333:255-326

Physical Description: 110 file folders.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Include correspondence, reports, notes, and memorandums. Files provide insight into the range of Seymour's concerns and crucial political debates during his tenure. The interplay between local, state, and partisan issues appear in the group of files about education that address issues such as conditions at community college in his district and concerns about inequities in school funding that favor poorer district. Seymour's political strategies and close attention to constituent concerns come across in the files grouped under "Seymour," which include form letters on a variety of issues, copies of his district newsletter, proposed and potential legislative initiatives, and requests for legal opinions from the legislative counsel or attorney general. Those interested in the re-confirmation battle in 1985 and 1986 over Supreme Court Justice Rose Bird will find useful Seymour's file since he was a leading advocate in the successful call for voters to remove her from the court because of her opposition to the death penalty.

A list of subject headings is available in Appendix A of the finding aid at the California State Archives.

Physical Description: 56 file folders.

Arranged chronologically by year and then alphabetically by subject title.

Includes general reports on budget; agendas and minutes from budget hearings by Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and its subcommittees, the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, and the Budget Conference Committee; requests for budget changes from agencies and analyses from the Department of Finance; request for special consideration of appropriations from Seymour to committees and the governor; similar requests from other legislators, citizens, and organization to Seymour; and Governor's messages on the budget. The files are particularly complete for 1990 when the State of California faced a severe budget deficit. During that period, Seymour served on the Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, its subcommittee #3 that dealt Health, Human Services, and Labor Budget issues, and the Conference Committee that resolved the differences between the Assembly and Senate's versions of the Budget. Included in the files for 1990 are a number of reports on the institutional problems of completing the budget process in a timely manner in California.

A list of headings is available in Appendix B of the finding aid at the California State Archives.

Physical Description: 30 file folders.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Include reports, hearing transcripts, letters, notes, and memorandums. These files represent the Seymour's concern with issue arising from drug and alcohol abuse, which he addressed in part by leading Select Committee on Drug and Alcohol Abuse (1985-1986) and the Select Committee on Substance Abuse (1987-1990). These files contain the evidence that led Seymour to sponsor numerous bills. Particularly useful are those files related to drug testing (see also Seymour's bill files on SB2175, 1985-1986; SB1610 and SB1611 of 1986 and 1987).

A list of subject headings is available in Appendix C of the finding aid at the California State Archives.

Physical Description: 16 file folders.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

One file includes the records of a disciplinary case of a student in 1989 and its use is restricted under the California Public Records Act, Govt. Code, sec. 7927.700 (formerly sec. 6254(c)).

Includes letters, reports, background notes, and a California Maritime Academy yearbook (1987). This files document Senator Seymour's concern about the operations of the California Maritime Academy. Critics of the Academy alleged sexual harassment of students and employees, mismanagement of the institution by its administration, lack of oversight by the Board of Governors, and misuse of federal resources. One of the complaining students was a constituent of Senator Seymour. Files contain a variety of reports by a variety of individuals and institutions on the Academy and illustrate its attempts to integrate women and minorities into both its faculty and student body. A lengthy investigation by the United States Navy and given to William H. Dannemeyer, member House of Representatives, in 1989 explores the charges of misuse of federal resources. The investigations culminated for Senator Seymour in a hearing by the Select Committee on the Maritime Industry in 1990.

A list of subject headings is available in Appendix D of the finding aid at the California State Archives.

Physical Description: 9 file folders.

Arranged chronologically by date of material.

Includes letters to Senator Seymour, his replies, and related background information. Much of the correspondence demonstrates Senator Seymour's attention to the needs of his district's businesses, governments, and residents. This series also provides further evidence of his concern over drug and alcohol abuse, real estate regulation, and child care. Files for 1984 reveal Seymour's involvement in both state and national Republican Party activities and the presidential election. A series of letters in May 1988 explain his resignation as chair of the Republican Caucus. The correspondence for 1990 includes his resignation letter after his appointment to the U.S. Senate