Inventory of the Board of Control Records
Processed by Ann Sullivan
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/
© 2009
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the Board of Control Records
Collection number: R127
California State Archives
Office of the Secretary of State
Sacramento, California
- Processed by:
- Ann Sullivan
- Date Completed:
- June 2009
- Encoded by:
- Sara Kuzak
© 2009 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Board of Control Records
Dates: 1856-1995
Collection number: R127
Creator: California State Board of Examiners, 1856-1910
Creator: California State Board of Control, 1911-1995
Collection Size:
174 volumes and 19 cubic feet
Repository:
California State Archives
Abstract: The records of the Board of Examiners consist of 104 bound volumes created from 1856-1910. These bound folios were assigned
identification numbers F2429 and F3349. These record groups are organized into nine series consisting of Minutes, Record
of Claims, Appropriations, Public Accounting, Orphans and Abandoned Children, Coyote Claims, Contingent Fund Ledger, Form
Book, and Correspondence. The records of the Board of Control consist of seventy bound volumes and nineteen cubic feet of
textual material.
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], California Board of Control Records, [identification number], California State Archives, Office
of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
Acquisition and Custodial History
The California State Archives acquired the Board of Control and Board of Examiners Records according to state law.
Administrative History
The California Legislature established the Board of Examiners in 1856 to examine the books of the State Controller and State
Treasurer and to oversee the money in the treasury (Chapter 85, Statutes of 1856). The Board's membership consisted of the
Governor, the Secretary of State, and the Attorney General. The Legislature enacted another law in 1858 revising the role
of the Board to include ruling on claims against the State for which appropriations had been made, counting the money in the
state treasury, and examining the books of the Controller and Treasurer. (Chapter 257, Statutes of 1858)
In 1911, the California Legislature abolished the Board of Examiners and established the Board of Control in its place to
provide many of the functions of the previous organization. (Chapter 349, Statutes of 1911) The Legislature charged the Board
of Control with the fiscal supervision of state departments, hospitals, prisons, reformatories, boards, commissions, and bureaus.
The Legislature reorganized the Board of Control again in 1927 providing new responsibilities such as performing as the governing
body of the Department of Finance; regulating travel expenses and allowances for state employees and officers, as well as
auditing and determining claims against the State (Chapter 251, Statutes of California 1927). Membership of the Board of
Control no longer consisted of the Governor, Secretary of State, and the Attorney General, but consisted of the Director of
the Department of Finance, acting as chairman, the State Controller, and a third member appointed by the Governor serving
a four-year term.
Activity of the Board of Control from its reorganization in 1927 through the mid-1960s consisted of many routine procedures.
Determination and authorization of claims during its twice-monthly meetings was a significant part of the workload. The State
Merit Award Program, instituted in 1950, provided one of the earliest specialized claims programs administered by the Board
of Control. The Merit Award Program allowed state employees to be financially rewarded for their suggestions that reduced
or eliminated state expenditures or improved operations after those suggestions were implemented. The Board of Control appointed
four of the five board members to the State Merit Award Board and provided final action decisions for compensation to state
employees. Board of Control administrative involvement in the Merit Award Program ceased by 1976 when the program was transferred
into the Department of General Services.
The Claims, Rulemaking, and Fiscal Control Program within the Board of Control developed in the early 1970s and became known
as the Government Claims Program. The increasing size and complexity of state government required that uniform rules and
regulations be developed and implemented regarding fiscal matters and the need for equitable treatment. Another reason to
create the Government Claims Program was the increased number of claims filed against the State overloading the courts and
therefore creating a substantial backlog. This program dealt with specific fiscal operations managed by the Board such as:
review of discharge of accounts receivable by the state; refunds, credits, and cancellation of taxes; sale and disposal of
unclaimed property; transfer of funds between state agencies; determination of pro-rata share of administrative costs payable
by each state agency; determination of headquarters for purposes of travel claims; and hearings regarding purchase and bid
protests.
A significant program administered by the Board of Control was Indemnification of Private Citizens, later becoming the Victims
of Crime Compensation Program. Established in 1973, this was the first state-run program in the nation to financially compensate
victims who had been injured and suffered financial hardship due to a crime of violence or citizens who had been injured or
whose personal property had sustained damage while performing acts benefiting the public (Chapter 1144, Statutes of 1973).
Scope and Content
The records of the Board of Examiners consist of 104 bound volumes created from 1856-1910. These bound folios were assigned
Record Group Numbers F2429 and F3349. These record groups are organized into nine series consisting of Minutes, Record of
Claims, Appropriations, Public Accounting, Orphans and Abandoned Children, Coyote Claims, Contingent Fund Ledger, Form Book,
and Correspondence.
The records of the Board of Control consist of seventy bound volumes and nineteen cubic feet of textual material. Record
numbers F3349 and F3351 were assigned to bound folios created from 1911-1973. These volumes contain Minutes, Record of Claims,
Appropriations, Public Accounting, and Reports. Record number R127 consists of the nineteen cubic feet of textual material
created between 1949-1995. These records are organized into six series including: Meeting Agendas; Meeting Minutes; Government
Claims Program Files; Administrative Office Files; Victims of Crime Program Files; and Executive Office Files.
The records of the Board of Control document the actions of a fiscal authority responsible for supervising the business affairs
of all state departments, hospitals, prisons and reformatories, boards, commissions, and bureaus. The bulk of the R127 records
consist of the Board's meeting agendas (R127.1), which cover the years 1949-1991. Meeting agendas illustrate the number and
variety of cases the Board was required to rule on as well as the importance of background material when it existed. Individual
claimants are listed as agenda items and often include social security numbers or in the case of victim indemnification claims,
descriptions of crimes. Some of these agendas have been restricted because of the existence of personal information of claimants
within the agenda.
Another significant portion of this collection are the Administrative Office Files (R127.4) and Executive Office Files (R127.6),
which were almost exclusively created during the early 1980s and 1990s. These two series offer insight to the changes the
Board experienced during this time period. A record of proposed legislation and their analyses exist within the administrative
office files. Weekly, monthly, and annual statistical report files from the early 1980s reflect a significant claim backlog
and administrative attempts to remedy this problem. A number of correspondences exist within the executive office series.
Much of this correspondence reflects the Board of Control supervised expansion of the Victims of Crime Compensation Program.
Internal audit reports produced from 1987-1989 are also included within the executive files. William J. Anthony, Director
of the Department of General Services, served as Executive Officer from 1984-1990 and Austin Eaton's service followed from
1990-1996 during this significant expansion.
Government Claims Program Files (R127.3) contain some information about Loma Prieta and Northridge Earthquake disaster claims.
A sub-series of Government Claims Program Meeting Minutes exists for 1990 where this time period is not represented in the
general Meeting Agendas or Meeting Minutes series.
The Board of Control administers the Victim of Crime Program, under the name Victim Indemnification Fund. This program's
mission has been to help pay un-reimbursed expenses of victims when they occur as a result of a violent crime. Victim of
Crime Files (R127.5) series subjects reflect the program's emphasis to legally define all who may be considered as a victim
and to implement a fair and equitable policy for financial assistance. The Board of Control generally heard Victim of Crime
claims in closed sessions due to personal information and explicit nature of some crimes. Victim of Crime Program hearing
files from 1987-1991 are restricted for this reason unless a direct connection with the victim can be substantiated. Also
within this series are joint power agreements between county district attorney's offices and the Board of Control-Victim of
Crime Program that allowed for shorter processing times and determination of claims by a local authority near the victim.
Further accruals are expected.
Related Collections at the California State Archives
Department of General Services
Department of Finance Records
Merit Award Board Records
State Controller Records
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
California. State Board of Control
California. Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board
F3349
Series 1
Minutes
1856-1857
1891-1910
Physical Description: 6 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Meeting Minutes provide an overview of Board issues and actions taken during official meetings. Produced after each Board
meeting, the meeting minutes include notes regarding claim decisions, bids and bid protests, and other agenda items.
F3349
Series 2
Record of Claims
1856-1911
Physical Description: 50 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Records of Claims list individual claims and include claim number, name of claimant, appropriation and remarks, description
of claim, date presented and acted upon, amount claimed, amount allowed, deductions, withdrawals, and rejections.
Also, includes Indexes to Record of Claims from 1899-1911. Each volume is an alphabetical index for one fiscal year that corresponds
to the Record of Claims volume for the same fiscal year. These are alphabetical indexes by claimant's name that identify the
page number in the Record of Claims where the claim was recorded.
F3349 and F3351:7
Series 3
Registers of Appropriations
1898-1911
Physical Description: 7 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by fiscal year.
Scope and Content Note
Appropriations and expenditures reviewed by the Board. Includes name of fund, citation of law providing fund, amount of money
available, date and type of transaction, and amount of money spent.
F3349 and F3351:10
Series 4
Public Accounting Volumes
1867-1914
Physical Description: 6 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Abstracts of State Property provide itemized lists of all property and its value held in state offices in San Francisco (F3349:4320)
and Oakland (F3349:4322) during 1897 and 1898. The Register of Instruments of Title to Real Estate Owned by the State (F3351:10)
includes deed date, date of recording, where recorded, name of grantors, description of land, county name, amount of acres,
whether gift or purchase, owner of land title, and remarks from 1901 through 1914. Transportation of Prisoners and the Insane
Ledgers, 1880-1886 (F3349:5197, 2427). Memoranda of Laws, Forms, and Regulations of the Treasury Department, 1876 (F3349:3401).
F3349:4046-4050, 4068
Series 5
Orphans and Abandoned Children Volumes
1890-1911
Physical Description: 6 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged by county or orphanage with volume.
Scope and Content Note
These volumes provide a register of claims against the state for appropriated funds by orphan asylums throughout California.
(Chapter 326, Statutes of 1870 and Chapter 19, Statutes of 1880) Each asylum is listed alphabetically by county and provides
the name, sex, age at admission, date of admission and discharge, and classification of charges as a whole, half, or abandoned
children.
F3349:4040, 4045
Series 6
Coyote Claims
1892-1895
Physical Description: 2 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged numerically by claim number.
Scope and Content Note
Coyote Claims register claims against the State by individuals in order to receive compensation for killing a coyote and providing
the scalp as documentation. Lists of claimants are by county and provides the names of claimants, amount claimed and allowed,
date the scalps were presented for documentation, and the date the claim was acted on.
F3349:4340
Series 7
Contingent Fund Ledger
1857-1858
Physical Description: 1 volume
Arrangement
Arranged by state office or state fund.
Scope and Content Note
This ledger documents State Officers, Legislature, and Agencies expenditures of the State Contingent Fund and Special Contingent
Fund. An index in the front of the volume provides an alphabetical list of all offices, agencies, and programs included.
F3349:4072
Series 8
Form Book
1889-1890
Physical Description: 1 volume
Arrangement
Arranged numerically by form number.
Scope and Content Note
This volume contains many examples of claim forms used by the Board of Examiners to track expenditures from appropriated funds.
Pre-printed forms are included with some state officer, agency, or commission information while similar forms without specific
appropriation information are also included. Also included in this series are examples of forms provided by the Board of
Examiners to be filled out by institutions requesting numerous compensation claims at regular intervals such as orphanages,
prisons, and asylums.
F3349:1-23
Series 9
Letterbooks
1887-1906
Physical Description: 23 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Volumes F3349:1-18 are Letters Sent and cover the years 1887-1991, 1893-1900, 1903-1905. Volumes F3349:19-23 are Letters
Received and cover the years 1892-1899. Correspondence wee generally sent or received by the Board Secretary and related
to such topics as claims before the Board, requests to make out claims, payments of claims or employees, questions and clarifications
regarding payment of claims, and audit of claims.
R127.01, Boxes 1-12, Folders 1-2
Series 1
Meeting Agendas
1949-1991
Physical Description: 207 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by hearing date.
Access Information
These files are RESTRICTED as per Government Code Section 7923.755 (formerly Gov. Code sections 6254.17 (a) and (b)) (restricted
unless direct connection to the claim can be verified). Many individual claims set to be ruled on during the meetings use
social security numbers as identification.
Scope and Content Note
Meeting Agenda Files include proposed agendas for the semi-monthly meetings of the Board of Control. Limited background materials,
referring to agenda items, are also included in many files. Typical agenda items include claims, bid-protest rulings, headquarter
determinations, merit award decisions, and discharges from accountability. Also within this series are meeting agendas for
specific programs including the Merit Award Program, Government Claims Program, and Victims Claims Program. These supplementary
agendas address issues specific to the designated program and lists claim requests where the Board approves, denies, or continues
the request.
R127.02 and F3349:4205-4231, Boxes 12-13, Folders 3-7
Series 2
Minutes
1910-1981
Physical Description: 24 volumes and 12 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Meeting Minutes offer a detailed perspective to issues and actions that occurred before the Board of Control meetings. Meeting
Minutes provide another perspective of Board issues and actions taken during official meetings. Produced after each Board
meeting, the meeting minutes include notes regarding claim decisions, bid-protests, and other agenda items.
R127.03, Boxes 13-15, Folders 8-1
Series 3
Government Claims Program Files
1952-1995
Physical Description: 19 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.
Scope and Content Note
Typical items found within the Government Claims Program series include correspondence and meeting minutes. Other subject
files include determination of allowable travel expenses from agencies, boards, and commissions. Catastrophic events presented
special challenges to the Government Claims Programs and subject files of the Bay Bridge and Nimitz Freeway Disaster and the
Northridge Earthquake are included. Government Claims Program meeting minutes exist for 1990 only.
R127.04, Box 15, Folders 2-19
Series 4
Administrative Office Files
1951-1991
Physical Description: 18 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.
Access Information
Subject file: "Audits-Internal" (1991)is RESTRICTED per Government Code Section 7923.755 (formerly Gov. Code sections 6254.17
(a) and (b)) (Restricted unless direct connection to the claim can be verified). This file includes detailed description
of crimes and personal information of victims within the claims processed by the Victims of Crime Program.
Scope and Content Note
This series was created by the Board of Control's Administrative Office and includes reports, correspondence, and background
information. The bulk of the series consists of administrative reports. A significant backlog of claims occurred in the
early 1980s and many of these reports address solutions as well as preventative measures to avoid similar situations in the
future. Specific subjects in this series include: Administrative Procedure Bulletins; Annual Reports (1979-1990); Budget
Background (1988-1989); Legislative Files (1984-1989); and Policy and Regulation Proposals (1988-1989).
R127.05, Boxes 15-17, Folders 20-6
Series 5
Victims of Crime Program Files
1983-1994
Physical Description: 47 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.
Access Information
Subject files: "Alex Carbaga" and "Hearing Minutes" (1987-1989, 1991) are RESTRICTED per Government Code Section 7923.755
(formerly Gov. Code sections 6254.17 (a) and (b)) (restricted unless direct connection to the claim can be verified). These
files include detailed description of crimes and personal information of victims within the claim processed by the Victims
of Crime Program. However, Hearing Minutes-Consent Only (1988-1989) is not restricted.
Scope and Content Note
Subject files of the Victims of Crime Program reflect issues facing the Board of Control's most publicly examined program.
Subjects found within these files are audit reports, legislative background material, and regulatory issues. Victims Compensation
Program files also contain Status Reports from 1988-1994, which provide an overview of the program.
R127.06, Boxes 17-19, Folders 7-21
Series 6
Executive Office Files
1971-1991
Physical Description: 65 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.
Access Information
Subject files: "Board Member Correspondence-Internal" and "VOC-Joint Powers Agreements" are RESTRICTED per Government Code
Section 7923.755 (formerly Gov. Code sections 6254.17 (a) and (b)) (restricted unless direct connection to the claim can be
verified). These files include detailed description of crimes and personal information of victims within the claim processed
by the Victims of Crime Program.
Scope and Content Note
Items found within the Executive Office Files include reports, correspondence, legislation background, and newspaper clippings.
These files represent the most comprehensive and valuable material in understanding the scope of programs the Board of Control
provided. This series spans William J. Anthony's term as Board of Control Chairman (1984-1990) and part of Austin Eaton's
terms as Executive Officer and then Chairman from (1990-1996). Subject files focus on the U.S. Department of Justice's interest
to the California Victim of Crime Program and funding of this program. Legal Proceedings contain a sampling of claims against
the state where the Government Claims Programs could not resolve the issue and were finalized in court. A subject file entitled
Legislation contains legislative bill analyses affecting Board of Control administrative procedures or programs.
F3349 and F3351:15-17
Series 7
Record of Claims
1911-1920
Physical Description: 17 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by fiscal year.
Scope and Content Note
F3349:4016-4017, 4023, 4026-4027, and 4036-4037 are Records of Claims for each fiscal year from 1911-1919. Two volumes for
the fiscal years starting on July 1915 and ending on June 1917 are missing. Records of Claims list individual claims presented
to the Claims Board by state agencies, companies, and individuals. Volumes include claim number, name of claimant, appropriation
and remarks, description of claim, date presented and acted upon, amount claimed, amount allowed, deductions, withdrawals,
and rejections.
F3349:4005-4011 and F3351:16-17 are Indexes to Record of Claims from 1911-1920. Each volume is an alphabetical index for one
fiscal year that corresponds to the Record of Claims volume for the same fiscal year. These are alphabetical indexes by claimant's
name that identify the page number in the Record of Claims where the claim was recorded.
F3351:15 is a Register of Claims Paid by the Social Insurance Commission from 1915 through 1919. The entries are listed chronologically
by the date of the claim. Claimants are either Commissioners or employees of the Social Insurance Commission and types of
claims include traveling, salaries, office expenses, and payments.
F3349:4311 and F3351:1-6
Series 8
Registers of Appropriations
1911-1919
Physical Description: 7 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by fiscal year.
Scope and Content Note
Registers of state agency appropriations and expenditures reviewed by the Board of Control. Includes name of fund, citation
of law providing fund, amount of money available, date and type of transaction, and amount of money spent.
F3349 and F3351
Series 9
Public Accounting Volumes
1915-1934
Physical Description: 13 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged by record type.
Scope and Content Note
F3351:8-9 are the Board of Control's Revolving Fund Books from 1920-1923 which itemize the appropriations and expenditures.
Includes encumbrance register, statements of expenditures, list of cash receipts, journal of transactions, and analyses of
income and expenditures. Also recorded are the expenditures of Administration, Purchasing, Rented Offices, and Maintenance
of Buildings and Grounds.
Volumes list monthly inventories, maintenance charges for farm employees, and the quantity and value of local products produced
and consumed at state owned institutions from 1930-1934. These expenditures are recorded in four separate volumes for the
following institutions: Folsom State Prison (F3351:11), San Quentin State Prison (F3351:12), Special Schools and State Hospitals
(F3351:13), and Veteran's Homes (F3351:14).
Abstracts of State Property, F3349:1121, 2499, 2503, 4321, 4323 and F3351: 21-22, are reports prepared by the State Property
Agent annually itemizing the value of real property owned by the state, the amount of acreage owned by the state, and the
agricultural and industrial products produced by state institutions.
F3349:4330, F3351:18-20, F3351:23, F3356:2
Series 10
Reports
1910-1924
Physical Description: 6 volumes
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Four volumes, F3351:18-20 and F3349:4330, document the Board of Control's audit and report regarding Los Angeles County's
bond issuance and repayment from 1910-1917. Bond register for school districts in Los Angeles County. Includes date bond
sold and delivered, name of school district, rate of interest, amount of bond, date bond issued, bond number, date of maturity,
par value of bond, and year of redemption.
The Survey of the Accounting System of the California Highway Commission, F3351:23 records the historical perspective of the
original accounting system and an analysis of the then current 1924 accounting system including its organization and recommendations
for the future.
A Report on Examination of the Books and Records of Account of the Board of State Harbor Commissioners for the Bay of San
Diego for the period February 1, 1911 to February 1, 1915, F3356:2.