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Inventory of the Maxine Waters Papers, 1976-1990

LP411

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Table of contents

Series Description

LP411:1-173

Series 1 Bill Files 1977-19901

Physical Description: 173 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by legislative session, then numerically by bill number.

Scope and Content Note

Most bill files include all or some of the following items: bill analyses, amendments and resolutions, author's statements, press releases, newspaper clippings, and correspondence. Water's legislative interests included women’s rights, small business development and victims’ rights. Waters authored multiple bills related to divesting California from South Africa. Notable legislation includes AB2808 (1981-1982), which aimed to create the South African Divestment Act; AB134 and AB1134 (1983-1984) also called for California to divest from South Africa. She also authored legislation to alleviate some of the problems facing employees of industrial plants which closed or were closing. Such legislation included AB952 (1983-1984), AB607 (1987-1988) and AB2839 (1981-1982). The issue of plant closures drew in correspondence from around the country, as the issue was becoming a national concern.

1977-1978 AB548-AB3769, ACA85, ACR62-ACR72, AJR23-AJR93,HR6-HR7 (17ff) LP411:1-17

1979-1980 AB143-AB3461, ACR20-ACR123, AJR4-AJR68 (24ff) LP411:18-41

1981-1982 AB208-AB3722, ACR146, AJR94-AJR114, AB6X-AB21X (25ff) LP411:42-66

1983-1984 AB95-AB4047, ACA36, AJR13-AJR127 (31ff) LP411:67-97

1985-1986 AB126-AB4367, AJR5-AJR101 (30ff) LP411:98-127

1987-1988 AB292-AB4347, ACA5, AJR85, HR26-HR27 (22ff) LP411:128-149

1989-1990 AB126-AB4055, ACA46, AJR105, AB12X-AB51X (24ff) LP411:150-173

LP411:174-286

Series 2 Subject Files 1977-1990

Physical Description: 113 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

Subject files contain information on topics that were relevant to the legislation Waters authored or to the committees on which she was a member. Included are memoranda from Waters’ office, newspaper articles, photographs, and reports. Waters served as a representative to the Democratic National Convention in the early 1980s. As a result, numerous files pertaining to the political party’s national affairs are included in her subject files. Other files relate to topics concerning her district, such as the Los Angeles County Board of Education and Los Angeles County Board of Health.

For a complete list of subject files, see Appendix A in Additional Series Information.

Additional Series Information

Appendix A: List of Subject Files

LP411:287-334

Series 3 South Africa Files 1981-1989

Physical Description: 48 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by the subject heading.

Scope and Content Note

South Africa files contain information on topics that were relevant to the legislation Waters authored pertaining to the country of South Africa and apartheid during the 1980s. The files include newspaper clippings and monthly publications relating to the happenings in South Africa. Also found in the South Africa Files are lists of Californian and American companies who had investments in South Africa. There is correspondence from companies and constituents giving their opinion on the matter. In these files are reports by certain businesses that invested in South Africa, such as IBM, who gave reports to the Assembly as to what they are doing to divest or future plans of divestment.

For a complete list of South Africa files, see Appendix B in Additional Series Information.

Additional Series Information

Appendix B: List of South Africa Files

LP411:335-337

Series 4 Hearing Files 19778-1979

Physical Description: 3 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by hearing date.

Scope and Content Note

Hearing Files consist of material related to a Special Hearing on the Report of the Office of Small Business Development (05/04/1978) held by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, of which she was a member. Also found in the series are interim hearings before the Assembly Committee of Public Employees and Retirement (12/07/1978) where she introduced legislation regarding layoffs based on seniority. She authored this bill so that jobs gained by affirmative action programs would not be lost due to work force reductions. An interim hearing on AB290 was held before the Assembly Labor, Employment and Consumer Affairs Committee on November 16, 1979. Waters was a member of the committee and was also presented her legislation at this hearing. Waters authored AB290 on the topic of forced sterilization for women working in the hazardous materials industry.

LP411:338-383

Series 5 Correspondence 1977-1990

Physical Description: 46 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Scope and Content Note

Correspondence Files contain a sampling of letters sent to Waters on specific subjects. Waters’ staff organized the letters by topic in order to compose form letter responses. Some files contain examples of the form letter and relate to such topics as the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, Minorities in Business, South Gate, Taxes, and the University of California.

For a complete list of Correspondence, see Appendix C in Additional Series Information.

Additional Series Information

Appendix C: List of Correspondence

LP411:384-388

Series 6 Press Releases 1976-1990

Physical Description: 5 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged numerically and chronologically by year.

Scope and Content Note

Press Releases were announcements about topics that Waters wanted noticed or activities and legislation she was involved in. Some of the topics included in this series are legislation introduced by Waters, announcements of press conferences, and legislation authored by Waters and signed by the governor. Waters and her staff assigned a number to each press release in the order in which she released them. Numbers 1-193 are the press releases from 1976-1984. Each year after that saw the numbering start over. In 1985:1-29, 1986: 1-17, 1987:1-12, 1988:1-19 and 1990:1-9. The press releases from 1989 were not included in her files.

LP411:389-396

Series 7 Photographs 1985-1990

Physical Description: 8 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by the group heading.

Scope and Content Note

The photographs in this series are mainly of the Champions Dinners that Waters hosted in order to honor various athletes of African-American descent or athletes living in her district. These athletes included Jack Youngblood, Ron Brown, John Matuszak, Timmy Smith, Terry Schroeder, Willy Gault, Charles Lake, Linden King, Mike Haynes, and Valerie Brisco-Hooks. Other photos included are of a dinner for the Black American Political Association, photos of the legislature in the late 1980s, and photos taken of Waters with Reverend Jesse Jackson.

California Commission on the Status of Women 1977-1988

Scope and Content

According to a press release in 1977 from Assembly Speaker Leo T. McCarthy, the Commission on the Status of Women “acts as the state’s information center on the status of women in the areas of education, employment, politics, social attitudes, economics and law. It aids in projects designed to promote the full participation of women in all aspects of society.” The commission was charged with conducting studies and reporting their findings to the legislature. Maxine Waters served on the commission from 1977-1990.

LP411:397-407

Series 1 Meeting Minutes 1986-1988

Physical Description: 11 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by date.

Scope and Content

The Meeting Minutes contain proposed agendas, minutes of meetings, background information, legislative updates, and relevant correspondence for a designated meeting. The meetings were usually held once a month in Sacramento, in the Governor’s conference room. Discussed in the meetings were topics including pay inequities, equal opportunity to jobs and education, and issues of minority women throughout California.

LP411:408-412

Series 2 Pending Legislative Summaries 1993-1986

Physical Description: 5 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by month

Scope and Content

The Pending Legislative Summaries were monthly updates published by the Commission in regard to all legislation currently in the legislature that affected women. Since the Commission consulted with individuals and groups, they had to stay current on the legislation that would affect women and thus authored these packets so that each member would be able to do so.

LP411:413-438

Series 3 Commission Business Papers 1977-1988

Physical Description: 26 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by year.

Scope and Content

The Business Papers of the Commission contain incoming and outgoing correspondence between the Commission on the Status of Women and representatives of affected groups and state agencies. The files also include financial statements, and various types of approvals and amendments pertaining to Commission policies. The majority of these files consist of correspondence and focus on the day-to-day workings of the Commission.

LP411:439-451

Series 4 Meeting Files 1984-1987

Physical Description: 13 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by date of meeting.

Scope and Content

The Meeting Files include agendas, minutes from previous meetings, transcripts, correspondence, reports, notes on general discussion, calendars for scheduled meetings, and budget information. Each file contains a tentative agenda for the next meeting and items that would be heard then. Each item was assigned a number that corresponded to a number on the agenda. Most items were reports published by the Commission for review by the Legislature. Other topics discussed in meetings included pay inequities, equal opportunity to jobs and education, and issues of minority women throughout California.

LP411:452-454

Series 5 Subject Files 1982-1986

Physical Description: 3 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.

Scope and Content

Subject Files contain information on topics that were relevant to the Commission on the Status of Women. The Subject Files include a press kit given to members of the Commission so they would be prepared to answer questions about the business of the Commission. Also included is a file containing a proposed duty statement of the Executive Director of the Commission, which was written in response to the Commission’s evaluations of the Director. The last subject file contains a response by the Commission to the Legislative Analyst’s questions about the budget for the Commission in 1986.

LP411:455

Series 6 California Women File 1983-1988

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by date of publication.

Scope and Content

California Women is a monthly newsletter that details the current happenings of the Commissions on the Status of Women. Waters received the publications regularly, although she did not keep every copy issued to her. The publication discusses legislation pertaining to women as it moves through the legislature. It also has a message from the chair in each issue.

Series Description

Bill Files

Subject Files

South Africa Files

Hearing Files

Correspondence

Press Releases

Photographs

California Commission on the Status of Women

Meeting Minutes

Pending Legislative Summaries

Commission Business Papers

Meeting Files

Subject Files

California Women File