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Inventory of the Senate Committee on Local Government Records
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Table of contents
Title: Senate Committee on Local Government Records
Dates: 1967-2010
Collection Number: See series description
Creator:
Senate Committee on Local Government
Creator/Collector: Senate Subcommittee on the Disabled
Creator/Collector: Senate Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Public Works
Creator/Collector: Senate Subcommittee on Land Use Planning
Creator/Collector: Senate Subcommittee on Mobilehome Parks
Creator/Collector: Senate Subcommittee on Planning Law Revision
Creator/Collector: Senate Subcommittee on Redevelopment of Antiquated Subdivisions
Collection Size:
112 cubic feet
Repository:
California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: The Senate Committee on Local Government Records consist of 112 cubic feet of records reflecting the activity of the committee
in investigating and introducing legislation related to local governmental procedure and organization. The records cover the
years 1967-2010, with the bulk from 1970-2002, and are comprised of bill files, hearing files, reports and publications, committee
logs, subject files, Orange County bankruptcy files, omnibus bill files, validating acts files, and committee correspondence
files. The record group also includes the records of several subcommittees.
Physical Location: California State Archives
Languages: Languages represented in the collection:
English
While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.
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.
[Identification of item], Senate Committee on Local Government Records, LP[number]:[folder number], California State Archives,
Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
The State Archives received these records in a series of transfers according to state law.
The creation of the Senate Committee on Local Government was a byproduct of Senate Resolution 150, introduced and adopted
on June 20, 1939. Senate Resolution 150 implemented a study and revision of the Standing Rules of Senate. This revision,
intended to simplify and expedite Senate business, resulted in a complete restructuring of Senate committees. Prior to 1939,
Senate Rules called for forty standing committees so that each senator could serve as a committee chair. The new rules reduced
the number of standing committees to twenty, most of them new creations, and brought committee duties in line with the organization
of the California Code. The Senate Committee on Local Government came into existence on May 24, 1940, the day these new Senate
Rules were read and adopted.
A standing committee of the Senate, the Committee on Local Government was active since its creation, although slight modifications
were made to its purview as the years progressed. Senate Rules tasked the committee's initial nine members with the review
of "all bills relating to (a) County government (b) Municipal corporations [and] (c) Special assessment and other local districts
when not regulated by the provisions of some other code and uncodified legislation on the above subjects." In 1963, the committee's
membership increased to eleven, rising in 1969 to thirteen. The following year, however, membership was reduced to eleven
once again, and the committee's responsibilities altered to include "all bills pertaining to local governmental procedure
and organization, and bills of local jurisdiction concerning environmental resources."
The committee retained responsibility for review of legislation involving local governmental procedure and organization, but
various other tasks were added or removed. By 1972, the committee (then consisting of nine members) no longer assessed environmental
resources bills. Instead, it had been assigned responsibility for review of legislation relating to "municipal judgeships,
municipal court attachés, and personnel," a task that shifted in 1975 to the Senate Judiciary Committee. That same year,
membership in the Committee on Local Government was again reduced, and its seven members focused only upon "bills relating
to local governmental procedure and organization," and "bills that have been considered by other committees having jurisdiction
of the appropriate subject, for consideration of any questions relating to local government administration." The scope of
the committee did not change again until 1999, when bills relating to land use were added to its jurisdiction for review.
The number of committee members fluctuated between eleven and seven members in the 1980s and 1990s. The number of committee
members fluctuated again in the 2000's. By 2006, committee membership had been reduced to five. By the time the committee
was decommissioned in 2011, membership had risen again to nine. Eighteen Senators chaired the committee: Harold J. Powers
(Dem., Rep.) 1941-1942; Roy Cunningham (Dem., Rep.) 1943-1952; Harold T. Johnson (Dem.) 1953-1954; Luther E. Gibson (Dem.)
1955-1958; Stephen P. Teale (Dem.) 1959-1962; Joseph A. Rattigan (Dem.) 1963-1966; Clark L. Bradley (Rep.) 1967-1968; John
G. Schmitz (Rep.) 1969-1970; John R. Nejedly (Rep.) 1970; Milton Marks (Rep.) 1971-1985; Marian C. Bergeson (Rep.) 1985-1994;
William A. Craven (Rep.) 1994-1998; Richard K. Rainey (Rep.) 1998-2000; Tom Torlakson (Dem.) 2001-2004; Christine Kehoe (Dem.)
2004-2006; and Gloria Negrete McLeod (Dem.) 2007-2008. Patricia Wiggins (Dem.) 2009-2010 was removed as the Senate Local Government
Committee Chair on March 24, 2010, due to unspecified health reasons. David Cox (Rep.) 2010, served as Chair for the remainder
of Wiggin's term until his death on July 13, 2010. In 2011, the Senate Local Government Committee and the Senate Revenue and
Taxation Committee were combined into the new Senate Committee on Governance and Finance.
The Senate Committee on Local Government Records consist of 112 cubic feet of records reflecting the activity of the committee
in investigating and introducing legislation related to local governmental procedure and organization. The records cover the
years 1967-2010, with the bulk from 1970-2010, and are comprised of bill files, hearing files, reports and publications, committee
logs, subject files, Orange County bankruptcy files, omnibus bill files, validating acts files, committee correspondence files,
and chronological files. Although the committee began in 1940, records from the first twenty-six years are lacking in the
Archives holdings.
Among the bill files, hearing files, and subject files researchers will find information on topics related to local government,
such as redevelopment, land use, and growth issues; property tax rates and allocation; and the organization, administration,
and finance of county governments, municipal governments, and special districts. Of particular interest to the researcher
are the files relating to the committee's investigation of the events leading up to Orange County's declaration of bankruptcy
in 1994, as well as plans for the county's recovery. Additionally, the committee's hearing files and subject files contain
materials from the Senate Local Government Working Group, regarding the impact of the proposed 1993/1994 State Budget upon
local governmental bodies. Bill files contain information related to the Williamson Act of 2010 which provides property tax
relief to farmers. Researchers may also be interested in materials related to SB250 (2009-2010), which focused on the spaying
and neutering of cats and dogs.
The Senate Committee on Local Government Records also include the records of several subcommittees: the Senate Subcommittee
on the Disabled, Senate Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Public Works, Senate Subcommittee on Land Use Planning, Senate
Subcommittee on Mobilehome Parks, Senate Subcommittee on Planning Law Revision, and Senate Subcommittee on Redevelopment of
Antiquated Subdivisions. The subcommittee files focus on specific local government issues and contain material such as public
hearing files, correspondence, and reports.
The California State Archives received the records of the Senate Committee on Local Government over a number of years and
archives staff arranged them at various times. While the physical arrangement of the records reflects this variety, this inventory
describes all of the records according to present archival descriptive standards for legislative committee records. Therefore,
the physical arrangement of these records does not necessarily follow the order listed in this inventory.
The Senate Committee on Local Government records are organized into 15 series: (1) Bill Files, (2) Hearing Files, (3) Reports
and Publications, (4) Committee Logs, (5) Subject Files, (6), Orange County Bankruptcy Files, (7) Omnibus Bill Files, (8)
Validating Act Files, (9) Committee Correspondence Files, (10) Senate Subcommittee on the Disabled Files, (11) Senate Subcommittee
on Infrastructure and Public Works Files, (12) Senate Subcommittee on Land Use Planning Files, (13) Senate Subcommittee on
Mobilehome Parks Files, (14) Senate Subcommittee on Planning Law Revision Files, and (15) Senate Subcommittee on Redevelopment
of Antiquated Subdivisions Files.
It is anticipated that the Archives will receive further records from the Senate Committee on Local Government. Researchers
should check for recently received, unprocessed records of the committee.
Related Material
Committee chairpersons often kept materials relating to committee operations among their personal files. Researchers are
encouraged to check for such files at the California State Archives and other repositories. In addition, several committee
chairs have also been interviewed as part of the State Government Oral History Program. These interviews are available at
the California State Archives.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
California. Legislature. Senate. Committee on Local Government.
Local government - California
Regional planning - California
Property tax - California
Local finance - California