Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Physical location: MP B:18:I:06 – B:18:K:07
Contributing Institution:
Center for Sacramento History
Title: Illa Collin papers
creator:
Collin, Illa
Identifier/Call Number: MS0001
Physical Description:
39 Linear feet
(39 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1839-2007
Date (bulk): 1978-2007
Abstract: The Illa Collin Papers document the
political career of Sacramento County Supervisor Illa Collin. Collin sat on the Sacramento
County Board of Supervisors for 28 years, which at the time made her the board's
longest-serving member. Her political career included supporting social programs for
children, the elderly, the homeless, people with mental illness, and the poor, as well as
efforts to protect the environment. She was instrumental in the creation of the region's
light-rail system, the American River Parkway, and the Sacramento Tree
Foundation.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Received from Sandy Burnett in July 2007 and Judy Gee in May 2015 by the Center for
Sacramento History.
Processing and finding aid by Nicole Allison, Alex Dilley, Laurie Frazier, Francis Macias,
Nathan Roberts, Matthew Walker, James Wheeler, Jamie Wilson, 2017. ArchivesSpace data input
by Lynn Aiello, 2018.
The collection is open for research.
[Identification of item], MS0001, Illa Collin papers, Center for Sacramento History.
Materials related to those in the Illa Collin Papers may be found in the following
collections at the Center for Sacramento History: the Suttertown News Collection (1995/026),
the National League of American Pen Women (2003/051), and the Faces and Places Collection
(2007/046).
Illa Collin was born January 24, 1932, in Rock Springs, Wyoming. After her father passed
away in a mining accident during World War II, her mother moved the family to Portland,
Oregon. She finished high school in Portland and then graduated from the University of
Oregon. Collin met her husband, Don, while attending college. After graduating, she taught
at schools in Portland, and then she and her husband moved to California, where she first
taught at schools in Piedmont. In 1968, the couple moved to Sacramento, where they raised
their three daughters, and Collin began working for different political movements and
campaigns. She was active in the Women's Movement, and from 1973-1975 led the League of
Women Voters in Sacramento. She also worked on improving social services and community
planning in Sacramento before taking a seat on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors in
1977.
Collin represented District 2, which encompassed the southern region of Sacramento County
from Broadway just south of Downtown Sacramento (including the Sacramento neighborhoods of
Land Park, South Land Park, Pocket, Meadowview, and Valley Hi) to Galt on the Sacramento
County line. Collin had a passion for issues like women's rights, Asian American rights,
providing education for the underprivileged, helping revitalize the urban downtown and
surrounding communities, protecting all areas of the environment, and creating an efficient
public transportation system in Sacramento. While in office, she was instrumental in the
creation of the region's light-rail system, the American River Parkway, and the Sacramento
Tree Foundation.
Collin sat on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors from 1978 to 2005 and, at the
time, was the board's longest-serving supervisor.
The collection is arranged into 10 series:
- Series 1. Project and Subject Files
- Series 2. Resolutions
- Series 3. Ask Illa
- Series 4. Media
- Series 5. Correspondence
- Series 6. Elections
- Series 7. Calendars and Schedules
- Series 8. Reference Publications
- Series 9. Newspaper Clippings
- Series 10. Certificates, Resolutions, and Awards
The Illa Collin Papers primarily document the political activities of Illa Collin while she
sat on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. Material dates from 1978 to 2006.
Collected during her tenure and preserved by Collin and her staff, the papers consist mainly
on her working files and correspondence between her office and her constituents, various
local organizations, and schoolchildren. Other series within the collection focus on the
many organizations Collin worked with and the causes she supported; correspondence with her
constituents as part of a program called Ask Illa; the honorary resolutions that she passed;
election campaigns of people she politically supported; publications she collected for
reference to projects she oversaw while in office; calendars and schedules of meetings and
events she attended; campaign ephemera; publications and reports; and newspaper and magazine
clippings that chronicle her time in office. The papers were in a discernable order when
transferred to the Center, and that original order was kept. The series hierarchy was
created based on the original order of the papers. In general, records are arranged
chronologically within each folder. Most newsprint, telegrams, and other brittle paper have
been photocopied onto archival paper for preservation purposes. In addition to textual
records, the collection contains photographs and compact discs. The geographic focus of the
material is Sacramento and California.
Topics and subjects covered in the collection include Sacramento's poor and homeless
community, community development, education, environmental issues, land use, transportation
projects, water resource projects, civil rights issues (particularly women's and Asian
rights), and activities of the Democratic Party on the national and local levels.
The following scope and content notes highlight only some of the records in each series;
please see the container list for a full listing of the series contents. The numerous
project files, correspondences, election material, publications, and newspapers collected by
Illa Collin makes up a large percentage of the collection and provides the framework and
foundation of each series.
Series 1. Project and Subject Files. This series contains
folders depicting information about the many organizations that Illa Collin was involved
with during her time as county supervisor. Subject folders contain photos, news articles,
reports, and correspondence. This type of material is also contained in other series files
within this collection, but the records contained in this series pertain to a specific
organization or subject. This series is arranged alphabetically.
Series 2. Resolutions. This series is made up of folders that
depict resolutions that Illa Collin passed during her time as county supervisor. They honor
individuals, organizations, community groups, and businesses for their contributions to the
greater good of Sacramento County. The files in this series are arranged chronologically
using the date on the official resolution page.
Series 3. Ask Illa. This series consists of material related to
"Ask Illa," a source of outreach where constituents would write to Collin with concerns, and
she would then respond via community newsletters.
Series 4. Media. This series contains photos of Illa Collin,
some with attached correspondence, and data compact discs.
Series 5. Correspondence. This series primarily comprises
material documenting communication between Collin and organizations, schoolchildren, various
companies, and constituents. Within the correspondences are thank you letters, invitations
to events, and form letters concerning matters on the Stone Lakes Project. The form letters
came from the different neighborhoods, cities, and groups that she represented while sitting
on the Board of Supervisors. This series is arranged chronologically.
Series 6. Elections. This series contains material related to
elections that took place in Sacramento and with the national Democratic Party, which Collin
supported. The information is broken down into the following subseries:
- Subseries 6.1 Statement of the Vote. This subseries includes books that provide a full analysis of different elections through the years. It is arranged chronologically.
- Subseries 6.2 Political Ads. This subseries contains political ads and other ephemera from electoral campaigns during Collin's time in office. It is arranged chronologically.
- Subseries 6.3 Jimmy Carter. This subseries documents the re-election campaign of President Jimmy Carter during the 1980 election and includes correspondence, ads, and campaign materials.
Series 7. Calendars and Schedules. This series includes Collin's
daily planners, schedules, and calendars that document appointments and events from her time
as a county supervisor. It is arranged chronologically.
Series 8. Reference Publications. This series contains
publications related to projects Collin worked on while in office and issues she was
interested in. The publications are sorted by topic and divided into the following
subseries:
- Subseries 8.1 Children. This subseries contains publications pertaining to children's programs.
- Subseries 8.2 Civil Rights. This subseries contains publications about the civil rights of Asian Americans along with a newsletter called Context.
- Subseries 8.3 Community Development. This subseries contains publications on community development projects during Collin's time in office.
- Subseries 8.4 Education. This subseries contains publications pertaining to the UC Davis Extension Campus.
- Subseries 8.5 Employee Newsletters. This subseries contains Sacramento County employee newsletters.
- Subseries 8.6 Environmental. This subseries contains reports on environmental projects.
- Subseries 8.7 Financial. This subseries contains California and Sacramento County financial reports.
- Subseries 8.8 Government Rosters. This subseries contains publications on government employees.
- Subseries 8.9 Government Publications. This subseries contains publications on government policies.
- Subseries 8.10 Healthcare. This subseries contains publications on healthcare projects.
- Subseries 8.11 Housing. This subseries contains publications on housing projects.
- Subseries 8.12 Judiciary. This subseries contains publications pertaining to court hearings and legislature.
- Subseries 8.13 Land Use. This subseries contains publications about the different land use projects.
- Subseries 8.14 Transportation. This subseries contains publications about different transportation projects.
- Subseries 8.15 Tributes. This subseries contains publications honoring Collin and Robert Matsui.
- Subseries 8.16 Water Resources. This subseries contains publications about different water resource projects, most notably the San Francisco Estuary.
- Subseries 8.17 Women's Rights. This subseries contains publications and laws about women's rights.
Series 9. Newspaper Clippings. This series includes newspaper
articles that quote Collin, are about her, or are written by her. Also included are articles
she saved from smaller magazines or newspapers that feature projects she worked on as a
supervisor. This series is arranged chronologically.
Series 10. Certificates, Resolutions, and Awards. This series
includes the honors bestowed on Collin during her years in office. Most of the plaques and
trophies were first photographed before being disposed of due to volume; prints of these
photographs are found in the appropriate folders.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
American River (Calif.)
Civil rights
Community Development
Elections
Education
Environment
Housing
Land Use
Legislation
Presidential Campaign
Presidents--Election
Public Works
Sacramento (Calif.)—History
Schools
Water Resources
Women
Youth Groups
Transportation
Matsui, Robert T., 1941-2005
Yurdyga, Chris
Zanni, Chris
Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce
Japanese American Citizens' League
League of Women Voters
Sacramento Area Councils of Governments (SACOG)
Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA)
Sacramento County Board of Supervisors
Sacramento County (Calif.) Board of Supervisors
Sacramento International Airport
Sacramento International Airport (Calif.)
Sacramento River Cats
Sacramento River Cats (Baseball team)
Sacramento Tree Foundation
Women's Civic Improvement Center
Carter, Jimmy, 1924-