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Inventory of the Leon D. Ralph Papers
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Table of contents
Title: Leon D. Ralph papers,
Date (inclusive): 1967-1976
Collection number: See series description
Creator:
Ralph, Leon D.
Extent:
5 cubic feet
Repository:
California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: Leon Douglas Ralph, Democrat, was a State Assembly Member, 1966-1976. His main area of interest was issues affecting minorities,
particularly affirmative action.
Physical location: California State Archives
Language:
English.
Collection is open for research.
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.
[Identification of item], Leon D. Ralph Papers, LP[number]:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary
of State, Sacramento, California.
The California State Archives acquired the Leon D. Ralph Papers following his final Assembly term.
Alternative Forms of Material Available
Some of the records are available on microfilm at the California State Archives.
Leon Douglas Ralph, Democrat, was a State Assembly Member, 1966-1976. His 55th Assembly District included cities within Los
Angeles County. Following redistricting, he represented the 48th Assembly District.
He was born on August 20, 1932 in Richmond, Virginia and established residence in California in 1956. He attended the University
of Colorado and received an A.A. degree from Los Angeles Valley College and a B.A. degree in Political Science from Windsor
University in Ontario, Canada. He later attended Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena. Ralph served in the United States
Air Force during the Korean Conflict, 1950-1954 and then worked as a logistical analyst for Douglas Aircraft, 1956-1963. With
Martha Anna Morgan whom he married on September 27, 1951 he had three children: Martha, Ruth, and Leon, Jr. His 1972 marriage
to Pamela Joynes (which ended in divorce in 1989) produced two children: Tyrone and Tiffany. In 1990 he married Ruth Gonzales
Banda who had two children of her own: Maya Gonzales Banda & Vicente Ramon Banda.
Assembly Member Ralph's community and civic affiliations included such organizations and positions as Los Angeles County Democratic
Committee member; Watts Branch NAACP member; Broadway-Manchester Chamber of Commerce member; Chair of the County of Los Angeles
Conference of Black Elected Officials; and Democratic National Committee member from California.
Leon Ralph began his political career as an administrative assistant to Speaker of the Assembly Jesse Unruh. He was elected
to the State Assembly in 1966 and served until 1976 when he resigned to become a minister. During his term in the Legislature
he was a member of the Black Legislative Caucus. In 1988 he made an unsuccessful campaign to return to the Assembly. According
to the California Legislature at Sacramento (Handbooks), he served on the following committees:
Biography/Organization History
- Standing Committees
- Commerce and Public Utilities, 1969-1974
- Elections and Reapportionment, 1967-1973
- Unemployment Disability Insurance (Subcommittee), 1975-1976
- Finance and Insurance, 1972-1974
- Finance, Insurance, and Commerce, 1975-1976
- Governmental Organization, 1967-1976
- *Chair, 1971-1974
- Health, 1975
- Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (Subcommittee), 1975
- Rules, 1975-1976
- *Chair, 1975-1976
- Social Welfare, 1967
- *Vice Chair, 1967
- Urban Affairs and Housing, 1969
- Urban Development and Housing, 1971-1972
- Ways and Means, 1967-1970
- Joint Committees
- Educational Goals and Evaluation, 1975
- Rules, 1975-1976
- Select Committees
- Prison Reform and Rehabilitation, 1972-1974
- Other Service
- Employment Service Board, 1974
The Leon D. Ralph Papers consist of Assembly Bill Files, 1967-1976 and Committee Files, 1968-1974. The bill files document
Ralph's legislative activity during his time as a member of the California State Legislature. Bills introduced by Assembly
Member Ralph cover a wide array of subjects. His main area of interest was issues affecting minorities, particularly affirmative
action. Committee files document committee activities and include background information on proposed legislation.
Arranged into two series: bill files and committee files.
The following terms have been associated with these materials in the Archives'
automated public access system (currently in development, June 2004).
Ralph, Leon D.
California - - Legislature - - Assembly
Educational - - law and legislation
Affirmative action programs - - Law and legislation
Leon D. Ralph, Oral History Interview, conducted 1990 by Arlene Lazarowitz, Oral History Program, California State University,
Fullerton for the California State Government Oral History Program.