Historical Note:
Scope and Contents
Arrangement of Materials:
General
Conditions Governing Access:
Conditions Governing Use:
Accruals:
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Preferred Citation:
Processing Information:
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: League of
Women
Voters of Los Angeles Collection
Creator:
League of
Women
Voters of Los Angeles
Identifier/Call Number: URB.LWVLA
Extent:
61.59 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1911-2017
Abstract: In 1921 the League of
Women
Voters, a
national organization, merged with an existing
women's
organization in California, the
California Civic League, which already had chapters in many cities throughout the state.
Women
in Los Angeles established a chapter that same year, and participated in the first
statewide League of
Women
Voters convention in California in 1922. The
League of
Women
Voters of Los Angeles Collection
documents the Los Angeles
League's establishment and evolution from 1921 to 2016. The majority of the records in the
collection were created by the League of
Women
Voters of Los Angeles (LWVLA), with fewer
materials created by the League of
Women
Voters of California and League of
Women
Voters of
the United States. The collection primarily consists of printed matter created or collected
by LWVLA, including minutes, agendas, booklets, fact sheets, flyers, League position
statements, member training aids, public relations material, reports, speeches, election
materials, research files, press clippings, and more.
Language of Material: English,
Spanish; Castilian
Historical Note:
In 1921 the League of
Women
Voters, a year-old national organization, merged with an
existing
women's
organization in California, the California Civic League, which already had
chapters in many cities throughout the state.
Women
in Los Angeles established a chapter
that same year, and participated in the first statewide League of
Women
Voters convention in
California in 1922. In keeping with its philosophy that continuing political education is
necessary to the success of any democratic government, the League is a non-partisan
organization with members who subscribe to myriad political beliefs. Its primary purpose is
to promote political responsibility through informed and active citizen participation in
government. The League works to promote education, government efficiency, legislative
actions that support a democratic society, and international cooperation. It focuses on the
qualifications individual candidates possess rather than supporting or opposing them, and in
general supports and organizes a number of programs and projects to inform the electorate
and help citizens vote.
Many changes in local, state, and national legislation occurred through the Los Angeles
League's efforts. In the late 1920s, national and California chapters worked together to
establish a formal voter registration system. California adopted such a system in 1930. The
League also helped revamp the civil service system within California, which had been in
place since 1913, and worked in support of numerous reforms to the state constitution.
Over the years, the Los Angeles League has focused its energy and attention toward voter
education and other voter service activities with a special focus in some eras on educating
California residents from other parts of the country. Issues of ongoing significance to the
League in Los Angeles have included crime, housing, homelessness, childcare, criminal
justice, education, public health, the environment, and the city charter, among others.
Scope and Contents
The
League of
Women
Voters of Los Angeles Collection
documents
the Los Angeles League's establishment and evolution from 1921 to 2016. The majority of the
records in the collection were created by the League of
Women
Voters of Los Angeles (LWVLA),
with fewer materials created by the League of
Women
Voters of California and League of
Women
Voters of the United States. The collection primarily consists of printed matter created or
collected by LWVLA, including minutes, agendas, booklets, fact sheets, flyers, League
position statements, member training aids, public relations material, reports, speeches,
election materials, research files, press clippings, and more. The collection is arranged in
four major series:
Local League Files (1911-2017),
Los Angeles County Files (1920-2016),
California
Files
(1925-2015), and
Scrapbooks and Photographs
(1939-2007).
Series I,
Local League Files, documents LWVLA's work in Los
Angeles. It has been divided into two subseries:
Administrative Files
(1911-2017) and
Working Files (1925-2015). The
Administrative Files document LWVLA's internal operations,
administration, and management, as well as its communications and interactions with League
members from other locations around the United States. The subseries consists primarily of
annual reports, board of directors agendas and meeting minutes, bylaws, correspondence,
financial documentation, annual convention materials, documentation of unit mergers, program
planning materials, and more. It is filed alphabetically. The
Working
Files
document LWVLA's investigative efforts into myriad issues of public interest
in Los Angeles. It consists of articles, booklets, brochures, pamphlets, reports,
statements, clippings, correspondence, and other materials on numerous subjects, including
statewide propositions, city and county ballot measures, environmental issues, election
procedures, candidate forums, housing, city planning, the Los Angeles City Charter,
education, health care, crime, criminal justice,
women's
rights, and more. It is filed
alphabetically.
Series II,
Los Angeles County Files, documents interaction
between LWVLA and other League units in Los Angeles County. It consists of reports,
bulletins, newsletters, and yearbooks, of the Los Angeles County Chapter of the League of
Women
Voters, as well as issues of the
Intra-League Newsletter
and
Los Angeles County Voter. It also contains materials
documenting county-wide meetings, reports distinct neighborhoods and regions of Los Angeles,
information about the League's restructuring in the 1970s, and more. It is filed
alphabetically.
Series III,
California Files, documents LWVLA's interaction
with the League of
Women
Voters of California, and its participation in statewide League
events, especially conventions. It consists of annual reports, board reports, treasurer's
reports, yearbooks, newsletters, and more. Guides and handbooks prepared by the California
League on such subjects as voting, education, and volunteering used by League members are
also included. It is filed alphabetically.
Series IV,
Scrapbooks and Photographs, includes loose
photographs, slides, and negatives taken at LWVLA-organized events and activities around Los
Angeles, and several scrapbooks prepared by LWVLA and other League units that primarily
contain press clippings. While many are comprised of publicity, a few focus on particular
events, including the 1976 Carter-Ford debate and a 1953 United Nations project.
Photographic materials is arranged alphabetically, and scrapbooks are arranged by size.
Arrangement of Materials:
Series I: Local League Files, 1911-2017
Subseries A: Administrative Files, 1911-2017
Subseries B: Working Files, 1925-2015
Series II: Los Angeles County Files, 1920-2016
Series III: California Files, 1925-2015
Series IV: Scrapbooks and Photographs, 1939-2007
General
Other Information:
Processing of this collection was supported in part through a grant from the National
Endowment for the Humanities.
Conditions Governing Access:
This collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use:
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright
status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected
by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the
written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Accruals:
1981, 1985, 2011, 2016
Immediate Source of Acquisition
League of
Women
Voters of Los Angeles, 1979.
Preferred Citation:
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Processing Information:
Teena Stern, 1980
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Ephemera
Maps
Documents
Photographs
Scrapbooks