Pacific Gas and Electric Company collection, 1960-1970

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Summary

Creators:
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Abstract:
Sound recordings and motion picture film of a series of political education programs, featuring campaign presentations by candidates for election to major state political offices in California.
Extent:
21 motion picture film reels, 3 manuscript boxes (5.4 Linear Feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Pacific Gas and Electric Company collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Biographical / historical:

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) sponsored this series of political forums featuring candidates for statewide office in California and discussions of leading issues in cooperation with (in 1966, and possibly other years) the Pacific Service Employees Association, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Local 1245), and the Engineers and Scientists of California for the thousands of PG&E employees in northern and central California.

From a "Politics '66" brochure about this series:

"Informing P.G. and E.'s 23,000 employees who are scattered over 47 of California's 58 counties, and who are encouraged to take their individual citizenship privileges and responsibilities seriously is the broad objective of the "POLITICS '66" series. This has also been the objective of five such preceding series.

"Register, work for, contribute to and vote for the cnadidates and party of choice is the theme of the Company's bipartisan, voluntary Applied Citizenship Training program of which the Politics Series is a part. The forums provide the vehicle by which citizen employees may learn for themselves through direct and indirect exposure to candidates and spokesmen on issues, the qualifications of office seekers and the merits of propositions.

"The forums are held in the Company's General Office auditorium on the ground floor of 245 Market Street, San Francisco during lunch hours.

"Many of the noon hour programs are filmed in their entirety using a multiple camera technique known as 'Live Camera,' which is similar to television except that the finished product is on 16 mm sound film. Additional prints are processed immediately for same day delivery via the Company's internal mail 'Pony Express' to various points in the system for screening in the operating divisions the following day.

"Program Frequency: Generally a Tuesday-Thursday program schedule beginning mid-September and continuing to election day, with opposing candidates booked for appearances during the same week, is followed.

"Program Format: Following a brief introduction the candidate or candidates are allowed up to thirty minutes to make their formal presentation. However, they must submit to ten to fifteen minutes of questions from the audience. Programs are concluded by 1:00 P.M.

"Candidates or advocates of positions on propositions and their staffs may distribute campaign literature on the date of their appearance.

"Each biennial series is concluded one week after the election with a panel of distinguished political analysts, commentators, and editors who 'post mortem' the several campaigns, review the returns, and respond to questions from the audience. Like the films of candidate appearances, the press panel prints are circulated among the Company's 13 operating divisions for viewing by employees and their friends.

"Applied Citizenship Training Program: Since its inception in 1960, approximately 8,000 P.G. and E. employees have volunteered for and completed a 16 hour bi-partisan course in practical politics. Company sponsored, the ACT course has been warmly endorsed by Local 1245, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Engineers and Scientists of California.

"California Good Citizenship Committee: This year P.G. and E. is cooperating with the California Good Citizenship Committee and a large number of other California firms in providing the means by which and encouraging employees to contribute financially to the candidates and party of their individual choice."

Acquisition information:
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1980.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Pacific Gas and Electric Company collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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