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League of Women Voters of East San Gabriel Valley
Records
0052
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Title: League of Women Voters of East San Gabriel Valley Records
Creator: League of Women Voters
of East San Gabriel Valley
Identifier/Call Number: 0052
Contributing Institution: California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Special
Collections and Archives
Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 17.8 Linear
Feet(38 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1956-2005
Abstract: The
collection chronicles the activities of the League of Women Voters of East San
Gabriel Valley and its state and national counterparts over the course of several
decades. The collection includes studies and reports on issues, correspondence with
lawmakers, information about candidates' forums held by the organization, the
organization's newsletters, and other records documenting the organization's
operations.
The processing of this collection and the creation of this finding aid was funded by the generous support of the National
Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Advance notice required for access.
Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or
reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
[Box/folder# or item name], League of Women Voters of East San Gabriel Valley
Records, Collection no. 0052, Pomona Valley Historical Collection, Special
Collections and Archives, University Library, California State Polytechnic
University, Pomona.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona by the
League of Women Voters of East San Gabriel Valley in 2005.
The League of Women Voters of East San Gabriel Valley is a local organization
belonging to the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan civic organization that was
formed in 1920. The League of Women Voters and local leagues are involved in two
main functions: studying issues and then advocating for or against certain policies
and informing voters about elections and the voting process.
The East San Gabriel Valley League started in June of 1956 when 43 women met at the
home of Phyllis Ogden, who was later elected president of the organization. The
organization's initial name, as indicated in its early newsletters, was the
"Provisional League of Women Voters of West Covina." The organization sought
official status in November of 1957 and the national organization granted the status
in January of 1958.
The new League was active in local affairs, forming an "Observer Corps" to attend
meetings of the West Covina City Council, local school board, and meetings of the
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. The League also became involved in local
studies to evaluate West Covina's Master Plan and develop a Recreational and
Cultural Survey. Later, the organization was involved in a study of the West Covina
annexation to the Metropolitan Water District, a study that produced consensus and
enabled the League to support the annexation.
In 1969, the League officially became the League of Women Voters of East San Gabriel
Valley. The name change allowed the local organization to extend membership and
participation to nine surrounding communities. In addition to studying local issues,
the organization also holds candidate forums, bringing together voters and
candidates for public office.
Over the years, the League of Women Voters of East San Gabriel Valley has focused on
a number of issues to study, including water and air quality, waste management,
transportation, and land use. In 1994, the organization was also one of 500 local
Leagues that was awarded a grant to participate in a Community Town Hall Meeting
teleconference about health care in the United States. The local League is still
active as of 2017.
The collection includes studies, reports, correspondence, press releases, news
clippings, computer disks, and other records documenting the history and activities
of the League of Women Voters of East San Gabriel Valley over a nearly five-decade
period from 1955 to 2005.
The records contain information about issues that the League and its state and
national counterparts studied and the issues on which the organizations took action,
including health care, housing, juvenile justice, and the Equal Rights Amendment.
There are also reports and other materials related to state and local measures and
issues, including California's Proposition 13 and local water and land use issues.
The collection also includes correspondence with lawmakers including former United
States Senator Alan Cranston and former Congress members from California, David
Dreier and Esteban Torres.
The collection is organized into the following series: Series 1. Administration and
Operations; Series 2. Program: Study and Action; Series 3. Voters Service and
Citizen Information; Series 4. Publications.
The collection was initially processed by members of the League of Women Voters of
East San Gabriel Valley in 2005. The collection underwent further processing and the
finding aid was revised in 2018 by Rob Strauss, Alex Dan, Elainna-Marie Herrera, and
Emily Chavarria to enhance findability and access. The collection number was changed
from SC2005.12 to 0052 and the collection title changed from
League of Women
Voters of East San Gabriel Valley Collection
to
League of Women
Voters of East San Gabriel Valley Records.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
League of Women Voters (U.S.)
San Gabriel River Valley (Calif.)