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Inventory of the Ray E. Johnson Papers
LP177:148-172; LP218:54-119  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Administrative Information
  • Biography
  • State Assembly, 1967-1975
  • Scope and Content
  • Additional Information
  • Indexing Terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: Ray E. Johnson Papers
    Dates: 1966-1983
    Collection number: LP177:148-172; LP218:54-119
    Creator: Ray E. Johnson, California Legislator
    Collection Size: 4.5 cubic feet
    Repository: California State Archives
    Sacramento, California
    Abstract: As an Assembly Member, Ray E. Johnson represented the 4th District as a Republican from 1965 to 1975. As Senator, he represented the 1st District, which included all of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, and Yuba Counties. Initially elected as a Republican, he switched his party affiliation to Independent in 1983. The Ray E. Johnson Papers consist of Bills Files, 1968-1984 covering a variety of topics including public universities, health care, and funding for handicap access on park trails.
    Physical location: California State Archives
    Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

    Administrative Information

    Access

    Collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    For permission to reproduce or publish, please consult California State Archives staff. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement that may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives collections.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Ray E. Johnson Papers, LP[number]:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California. Restrictions

    Acquisition and Custodial History

    The California State Archives acquired the Ray E. Johnson Papers following his final term in the State Legislature.

    Biography

    As an Assembly Member, Ray E. Johnson represented the 4th District as a Republican from 1965 to 1975. The district included all of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Sutter and Yolo Counties. After redistricting in 1966, the district also included Lake County.
    As Senator, he represented the 1st District, which included all of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, and Yuba Counties. Initially elected as a Republican, he switched his party affiliation to Independent in 1983.
    Senator Johnson was born in Oroville on March 22,1911. He attended Oroville public schools and the University of California. He married Lorraine Christian on December 28, 1935. They had two children: Mary Lou and Ray E., Jr. He worked in retail and helped found the Christian and Johnson Garden and Nursery and the Christian and Johnson Company.
    He was active in community affairs; serving as president for the Chico Rotary, the Chico Shrine, and the Arbuckle Lions. He was an Eagle Scout and served as Chairman of the Bidwell District Boy Scouts. He belonged to the following fraternal and service groups: the Elks, Masons, Knights of Pythias and the Ben Ali Temple of Shrine.
    Before entering the California Legislature, he was a member of the Butte County Board of Education and the Butte and Colusa County Grand Juries. He was elected to the Assembly in 1965.
    According to the California Legislature at Sacramento (Legislative Handbooks), he served on the following committees:

    State Assembly, 1967-1975

    • Standing Committees
    • Agriculture, 1967-1975
    • Commerce and Public Utilities, 1973-1975
    • Conservation and Wildlife, 1965-1966
    • Environmental Quality, 1972
    • Governmental Efficiency and Economy, 1965-1966
    • Governmental Organization, 1969-1972
    • Industrial Relations, 1965-1966
    • Intergovernmental Relations, 1971-1972
    • Rules, 1967-1975
    • *Vice Chair, 1971-1975
    • Water, 1965-1968
    • Joint Committees
    • Rules, 1971-1975
    • Legislative Audit, 1971-1973

    State Senate, 1977-1984

    • Standing Committees
    • Agriculture and Water Resources, 1977-1984
    • Business and Professions, 1983-1984
    • Fire Services, 1982
    • Industrial Relations, 1977-1982
    • *Vice Chair, 1977-1978
    • Natural Resources and Wildlife, 1981-1982
    • Public Employment and Retirement, 1977-1978
    • Rules, 1979-1984
    • *Vice Chair, 1979-1984
    • Transportation, 1977-1984
    • *Vice Chair, 1979-1982
    • Select Committees
    • Forest Land Issues, 1982-1984
    • *Chair, 1982-1984
    • Joint Committees
    • Rules, 1979-1980
    • Fairs Allocation and Classification Committee, 1981-1984
    • *Chair, 1982-1984
    In addition, as a member of the Senate, he served on the Western States Legislative Forestry Task Force, 1981.
    He did not run for re-election in 1984.
    He died on November 18, 1993 in Chico.

    Scope and Content

    The Ray E. Johnson Papers consist of Bills Files, 1968-1984. The bill files document most of his legislative activity as a member of the California State Legislature. Assembly Member Johnson authored bills that addressed the especial concerns of the rural counties he represented. In addition, he wrote a number of bills that reflected his dismay over the campus unrest of the late 1960s. His HR 284 (1968) recommended that the University of California Regents and the California State University Trustees expel all students who engaged in student protests. Concerned about unnecessary expenditures on adult students, he drafted AB1898 (1971) that would have restricted state funding to only courses that met basic educational needs or the betterment of an employee. He was also concerned that student leaders were allocating student fees to radical student groups. After an unsuccessful attempt in 1972 (AB 159), his successful AB 3116 (1973-1974) provided for a new system of regulating the expenditure of student fees at California State Universities; certain amounts would be set aside for instructionally-related activities and then students could vote on whether additional fees would be voluntary or mandatory.
    Senator Johnson continued to focus on the needs of his constituents in rural counties. For example, he supported various measures to improve health care and to allow for employees to serve two counties. He also drafted SB1597 (1977-1978) that would have widened the scope of the Tahoe Regional Planning Commission to include more representatives from counties in his district. His successful measure (SB1710, 1981-1982) provided funds to makes handicapped-accessible trails along the South Yuba River and near the Bridgeport Covered Bridge. In his last term, he shepherded SB581 (1983-1984) through both houses; this measure provided stricter definitions of residents of California for the purpose of requiring registration of motor vehicles. With the support of Governor George Deukmejian, he sponsored SB1695 (1983-1984) which increased penalties for those convicted of growing or transporting large quantities of marijuana, but the bill failed to pass out of the Assembly.

    Additional Information

    The Assembly Bill Files are available on microfilm at the California State Archives.

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
    Johnson, Ray E.
    College campuses
    Medical care