Guide to the Gwen Moore Papers

California State Archives
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
© 2014
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Guide to the Gwen Moore Papers

Collection number:LP442

California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California
Processed by:
Sarah Starke
Date Completed:
January 2012
Encoded by:
Lisa C. Prince
© 2014 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Guide to the Gwen Moore Papers
Dates: 1979-1994
Collection number: LP442
Creator: Moore, Gwen
Collection Size: 35 cubic feet
Repository: California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: Gwen Moore, Democrat, served in the California State Assembly from 1979 through 1994 representing the 49th assembly district until 1990, when the district was renumbered as the 47th. The Gwen Moore Papers consist of 35 cubic feet of textual records and audio/visual materials and cover the years 1979-1994.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Administrative Information

Access

While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.

Publication Rights

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Gwen Moore Papers, LP442:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Agency History

Gwen Moore, Democrat, served in the California State Assembly from 1979 through 1994 representing the 49th assembly district until 1990, when the district was renumbered as the 47th. Her district extended from the coast of Los Angeles County to the Wilshire District and covered Playa Del Rey and Westchester in Los Angeles, Ladera Heights, Marina Del Rey and Rancho Park. Moore was born in Los Angeles and graduated from California State University, Los Angeles. She received a teaching credential from the University of California, Los Angeles and served as a Los Angeles County deputy probation officer, an administrator in the Manpower and Development Training Program, and director of public affairs for the Los Angeles Community Action Agency. In 1975, she began her political career after being elected to the board of the Los Angeles Community College District. In 1978, she successfully ran for Assembly in the 49th district.
During her time in the Assembly, Moore's legislative interests were varied; however, she focused her efforts on bills related to Parental and Family Leave, adoption, private club discrimination, public utilities and telecommunications, and weight distance and transportation. She gained national prominence in 1983 for authoring the Moore Universal Telephone Service Act, also known as the Moore Act. The act secured the availability of telephone service to all Californians and is regularly reevaluated and formatted to fit the current telecommunication trends and forecasts. Moore's national reputation was also augmented by her service as Chair of the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee. She has testified before Congress regarding telecommunications, utilities, transportation, and business issues. From 1986-1988, Moore was targeted in an FBI sting operation when she agreed to carry two bills (AB3773 and AB4203) that were written by undercover agents in exchange for $10,500 in illegal campaign contributions. Moore was acquitted in 1990 because of a lack of evidence, but her former legislative aide, Tyrone Netters, was charged and convicted on counts of extortion, conspiracy, racketeering, money laundering, and income tax evasion. Moore was elected to be the Democratic Majority Whip in 1989 following the scandal, a move the party made to let Californians know they still had confidence in Moore.
Moore finished her tenure with the California State Assembly in 1994. The same year, she ran for Secretary of State and lost. After leaving the State Capitol, Moore founded a legislative consulting company called CeM Communications Group out of Los Angeles, where she works as the chief consultant for clients regarding public utilities and telecommunications issues and helps develop and implement public affairs and legislative strategies and community outreach programs. Moore also founded the Community Education Organization, a non-profit that offers after school programs in Los Angeles. In 2007, Moore was appointed to the State Bar Board of Governors.
During her term in the California Legislature, Moore served on the following committees according to the California Legislature at Sacramento (Handbooks) and the California Blue Book:
Standing Committees
Revenue and Taxation, 1979-1984
Housing and Community Development, 1979-1980
Human Resources, 1979-1980
Criminal Justice, 1981-1982
Public Employees and Retirement, 1981-1982
Human Services, 1981-1982
Utilities and Commerce, Chair, 1983-1994
Criminal Law and Public Safety, 1983-1984
Labor and Employment, 1983-1994
Transportation, 1983-1984
Consumer Protection, 1985-1986
Finance and Insurance, 1985-1994
Public Safety, 1985-1986
Health, 1987-1990
Public Employee Retirement and Social Security, 1987-1988
Governmental Efficiency and Consumer Protection, 1989-1990
Local Government, 1989-1990
Education, 1991-1994
Consumer Protection, Governmental Efficiency and Economic Development, 1991-1992
Governmental Organization, 1991-1994
Insurance, 1991-1994
Televising the Assembly, 1991-1994
Higher Education, 1993-1994
Select Committees
Select Committee on Utility Performance, Rates and Regulation, 1983-1984
Special Committees
Special Committee on Community Colleges, 1983-1984
Task Force on Defense Conversion, 1993-1994

Scope and Content

The Gwen Moore Papers consist of 35 cubic feet of textual records and audio/visual materials and cover the years 1979-1994. The records are organized into the following record series: Bill Files, 1979-1994; Family Leave Files, 1983-1984; Weight Distance Files, 1983; Correspondence, 1991-1994; and Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee Files, 1984.
The Bill Files document Moore's legislative activity during her time as a member of the California State Assembly. As an Assembly Member, Moore introduced bills on many pressing issues in California, but it is her dedicated work in a few major fields of public policy that defines her tenure in the Assembly. As an advocate for children in California, Moore introduced eight major bills that extended unpaid family and parental leave for California workers up to four months: AB613 (1985-1986), AB368 and AB2738 (1987-1988), AB77 (1989-1990), AB77 and AB2477 (1991-1992), and AB1460 and AB3619 (1993-1994). These bills were all variations of legislation that would allow family members to take time off to care for a newborn or newly adopted child, or for a seriously ill child, parent or grandparent, or elderly spouse. In addition to the Bill Files, Family Leave Files also include reports, memoranda, employer policies and surveys regarding these issues. Family Leave Files pertain to the overall public policy issue instead of the nuances of each specific bill, but generally cover past and present family leave laws, both in California and in other states. Family Leave Files also cover topics such as cost analysis and effects on business and specific studies and projects done by Californian interest groups.
In addition to advocating for longer unpaid family leave, Moore created legislation to benefit families and children such as AB1574 and AB1575 (1979-1980) changing a previous law that held that the child's natural parents must give consent before giving them up for adoption; AB2384 (1981-1982) or the Priorities in Placement of Children in Foster Care and Adoptions and Redesign of the Adoption Assistance Program, providing that ethnic background and religious preference be used as a criterion when placing a child in foster care or for adoption; AB3326 (1985-1986) which would shift the burden of proof from the female to the male when he takes a genetic paternity test and continues to deny paternity. Another of Moore's primary political causes was suspending tax incentives and benefits for private clubs that discriminated against women. AB3011 (1981-1982) suspended liquor licenses to clubs that denied membership based on race and gender; AB184 (1983-1984), AB239 and AB2239 (1987-1988) disallowed deductions for expenses at clubs which discriminate based on sex or race. Other Bill Files that cover private club discrimination are AB1159, AB1160, AB1161, and AB2655 (1981-1982).
From early in her career in the Assembly, Moore focused on weight distance and transportation issues within the trucking industry. Of particular interest to Moore was taxation regarding weight distance and cost allocation. Her work in this area incited the opposition of the large trucking industry in California. Additionally, Moore took part in a series of meetings regarding nuclear decommissioning and Pullman Power Products in Diablo Canyon; the corresponding documents are included in the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee Files from 1984.
One of Moore's main legislative accomplishments is AB1348 (1983-1984), also known as the Moore Universal Service Telephone Act which required the Commission to establish a program to provide low-income households with access to affordable basic residential telephone service.

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Parental Leave
Telecommunication


LP442:1-634

Series 1 Bill Files 1979-1994

Physical Description: 634 file folders-1 audiocassette

Arrangement

Bill Files are arranged chronologically by legislative session, then numerically by bill number.

Scope and Content Note

Bill Files were created by Gwen Moore while she served as a state Assembly Member from 1979-1994. The files may include bill analyses, amendments and resolutions, author's statements, testimony, press releases, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and committee statements. Audio/visual material included in the files has been moved to a cold-storage vault for preservation purposes and separation sheets are included in the file folders to alert the researcher to the existence of the material.
Moore's legislation covered several topics including low income housing (AB1092 from 1979-1980); dental exams and soft drink taxes (AB2653, 1981-1982); weight distance and mileage fees (AB1716, 1981-1982); domestic violence (AB3568 and AB3569, 1981-1982); telephone service (AB1348, 1983-1984); gang violence (AB2013, 1987-1988); and recycling (AB1796, 1989-1990). Some of Moore's exceptional bills included: AB1946 (1979-1980) establishing a $10 fee on marriage/divorce licenses to go to county domestic abuse programs; AB2384 (1981-1982) or the "Priorities in Placement of Children in Foster Care and Adoptions and Redesign of the Adoption Assistance Program;" AB101 (1983-1984) or the "Landslide Hazard Identification Program;" AB512 (1983-1984) or the "Cable Communications Franchising and Refranchising Act;" AB3326 (1985-1986) regarding genetic paternity testing; AB1506 (1989-1990) restricting the ability of local governments to impose regulations on the operation of limousines for hire on airport property; AB1796 (1989-1990) or the "Problem Plastics Elimination Act;" AB311 (1991-1992) protecting housing applicants from sexual discrimination; and AB1287 (1993-1994) or the "Nonlawyer Provider Identification and Study Program."
1979-1980 (25ff), AB491-AB3256, ACA84, ACR43-ACR138 LP442:1-25
1981-1982 (67ff), AB634-AB3570, ACR109, AJR5-AJR109,SCR111 LP442:26-92
1983-1984 (91ff), AB96-AB4022, ACR16, AJR5-AJR112 LP442:93-183
1985-1986 (72ff), AB613-AB4363, ACA9-ACA42, ACR18-ACR154, AJR71-AJR72, HR18 LP442:184-255
1987-1988 (95ff), AB115-AB4687, ACA4-ACA36, ACR12-ACR169, AJR20-AJR65, HR8 LP442:256-350
1989-1990 (99ff), AB77-AB4332, ACA17-ACA48, ACR24-ACR87, AJR69-AJR70, HR45, AB23X LP442:351-449
1991-1992 (101ff), AB77-AB3826, ACA34, AJR7-AJR78, AB49X-AB56X, AB1XX, HR30 LP442:450-550
1993-1994 (84ff), AB431-AB3619, ACR30 LP442:551-634
Access to audiovisual material requires the production of use copies.
LP442:635-660

Series 2 Family Leave Files 1983-1984

Physical Description: 26 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Access Information

Scope and Content Note

Family Leave Files include reports, news clippings, correspondence, and interest group memoranda regarding past and present family leave law in California. Also included are records on family leave laws in other states and countries, employer policies from companies in California, cost of leave analysis, demographic information, the Yale Bush Center Infant Care Leave Project, the Children Now Survey, elder care and senior citizen information, federal legislation and other topics. Family Leave Files generally cover the issue of extending unpaid leave for the care of a newborn, newly adopted child, seriously ill or injured child, elder spouse, elder parents, or grandparents for up to four months. Corresponding bills are AB613 (1985-1986), AB368 and AB2738 (1987-1988), AB77 (1989-1990), AB77 and AB2477 (1991-1992), AB1460 and AB3619 (1993-1994).
LP442:661-687

Series 3 Weight Distance Files 1983

Physical Description: 26 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Scope and Content Note

Weight Distance Files include background, reports, brochures, publications, memoranda, agendas, testimonies, speeches, analyses, news clippings, surveys and statistical data regarding cost allocation in California and other states, federal weight distance information, documents from Californians for Fair Highway Taxes, the Power Unit Tax, infrastructure studies, documents concerning Public Utilities Commission rate deregulation, and similar topics.
LP442:688-721

Series 4 Correspondence 1991-1992

Physical Description: 35 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by last name of corresponding party.

Scope and Content Note

Files include a sampling of incoming and outgoing correspondence between Assembly Member Moore and state agencies, constituents, other legislative staffers and members of the Legislature. Also included are news clippings that pertain to Moore's legislative agenda and reports that relate to the bills she introduced in the Assembly. Topics discussed in the correspondence files vary, but focus on correspondence made by attorneys, political action groups, interest groups, businesses and corporations. Support and opposition letters are also included and cover topics such as adoption and family leave, private club discrimination, weight distance and telephone service.
LP442:722-728

Series 5 Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee Files 1984

Physical Description: 7 file folders- 2 VHS tapes

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Access Information

Access to audiovisual material requires the production of use copies.

Scope and Content Note

Files include committee meeting notes, memoranda, background information, testimonies, speeches and reports regarding nuclear decommission in Diablo Canyon from a series of meetings in 1984. John Clewett, an attorney working with the Government Accountability Project of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC, identified former workers at the Diablo Canyon plant who worked for Pullman Power Products during a specific period of operation. Clewett and his plaintiffs worked to uncover several safety-related problems and spoke openly about the problems when it became apparent that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would prematurely allow the startup of Diablo Canyon before it was safe to operate. Utilities and Commerce Commission Files include the information that came from these testimonies, background investigation, and commission meetings.