Art Agnos papers, 1971-2007, bulk 1984-1991

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Summary

Creators:
Agnos, Art. and Bush, Larry. (1946-)
Abstract:
This collection documents the career of Arthur "Art" Agnos, who represented the 16th district in the California Assembly from 1976 to 1988, was mayor of San Francisco from 1988 to 1992, and was Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1993 to 2001.
Extent:
96 cartons, 2 oversized flat boxes, 2 shoeboxes (98.4 cubic feet)
Language:
Collections materials are mainly in English. Some newspaper clippings are in Greek.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Art Agnos Papers (SFH 46), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection documents the career of Art Agnos, who served in the California State Assembly from 1976 to 1987, as Mayor of San Francisco from 1988 to 1992, and as Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1993 to 2001.

Materials include bill files, subject files, administrative files, strategy and policy memoranda, constituent correspondence, notes, speeches, newsletters, reports, newspaper clippings, press releases, reference material, audio and video documentation, and photographs. The collection includes papers of his aide and speechwriter, Larry Bush. Subjects include welfare reform, gays and gay rights, AIDS, domestic partners, unhoused persons, Soviet Jewry, 1989 earthquake, Embarcadero Freeway, homeporting of the USS Missouri, integration of the Fire Department, Mission Bay and Yerba Buena Gardens development, downtown baseball stadium, Loma Prieta earthquake, and Agnos' 1987 mayoral and 1991 re-election campaigns. Photographs depict an inauguration day gathering, the mayor riding in the city's Gay Rights Parade, Democratic politicians, Mother Teresa visiting City Hall, and Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev's visit. Also included is a post-mayoral television interview in which Agnos reflects upon his political work. Speeches from Agnos' international work on behalf of the National Democratic Institute are also included.

All types of documents and subjects can be found in most other series. For example, Speeches can contain correspondence, memoranda, press clippings, and press releases.

Some terms that were in use at the time, homeless, homelessness, and Black (persons and community) have been replaced except where they were used as titles of publications. The respective replacement terms are unhoused persons and African Americans. Also, it is noted that the terms Zebra shootings/killings/murders may be racialized terms.

Biographical / historical:

Art Agnos, 1938- , is a former politician and government administrator.

Agnos was born Arthur Christ Agnos on Sept. 1, 1938 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Described as gregarious by some, abrasive by others, he is best known for his political work as California assemblyman, 1976 to 1988, and as San Francisco mayor, 1988 to 1991.

He earned a Master of Social Work degree and worked in the south during the segregation era before moving to San Francisco in 1966 to work for the public housing agency. He was an aide to California State Assemblyman Leo McCarthy from 1968 to 1976, becoming Chief of Staff in 1974. He survived a shooting in 1973 during a wave of attacks that became known as the Zebra murders. He would look back on this with "an appreciation for life." He was elected to the Assembly in 1976 in a hard-fought battle against Harvey Milk. Endorsed by Willie L. Brown, Phillip and John Burton, and George Moscone, Agnos won the seat by 4,000 votes. During his six terms representing District 16, the assemblyman served as the chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and of the Health and Welfare Subcommittee of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. Agnos also served as vice chair of the Joint Committee on Refugee Resettlement and Immigration. He authored over 90 bills including work-for-welfare legislation and landmark Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) bills.

Agnos was elected San Francisco's 39th mayor in 1987 with 70 percent of the vote in the runoff against Supervisor John Molinari. Facing budget problems and and a growing unhoused population, he immediately set to work to produce a balanced budget. He created the Beyond Shelter plan, the city's first comprehensive approach to the unhoused persons issue. A 1989 downtown baseball stadium measure that he supported narrowly lost; he called this his biggest disappointment. He was credited with strong leadership in handling the recovery from the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Against significant opposition, he led efforts to demolish the quake-damaged Embarcadero Freeway. Leaving office, he said his proudest moment was the way San Franciscans responded following the earthquake.

He was the city's first mayor to ride in the Gay Freedom Day parade, in 1988. Agnos signed domestic partner legislation in June 1989 which was narrowly repealed by voters that fall. The same year, he established the Family Policy Task Force to study the inclusion of extended family members and partner of gays and lesbians as dependents on the city health plan. As a result, the city adopted domestic partner benefits in 1991. He was defeated in his re-election bid by former Police Chief Frank Jordan, 52 to 48 percent.

After leaving City Hall, Agnos worked as Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 2007, he was appointed receiver of the San Francisco Housing Authority. In a [1993?] television interview, he said:

"I liked being mayor best of all because you have unparalleled power to pick up the phone on any issue you wanted to get into, and I love to get into issues, and I love to gather people around me who had what I call 'Peace Corps hearts and linebacker eyes,' who wanted to get into issues and fight 'em. It was an extraordinary kind of time." (Interview with Evan White, Bay TV Live, [1993?]).

Acquisition information:
Transferred from City Hall following Agnos' mayoral term. Additional accessions were received from City Hall in 2004, and from Art Agnos and Larry Bush in 2006 and 2013.
Processing information:

Processed by Tami J. Suzuki with a preliminary container listing prepared by Daniel T. McGarry (intern, 2006.)

Material received in 2006 was processed in 2012. Four boxes of Larry Bush records marked "Book1," "Book 2," "Book 3," and "Book 4" were incorporated into the Larry Bush Legislation and Research series, mainly into the Mayoral record group. Numerous loose papers were included in appropriate folders and series.

Material received in 2013 was processed in 2024 and added to Assembly Series 1-3, and a new Assembly Series 16 was also created. Materials were also added to Mayoral Series 5, 8-9, and 12, and new Mayoral Series 13-15 were also created. Record Groups 3 and 4 were also created.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in four record groups. Record Group 1: Assembly is divided into five series: Series 1: Legislation and Research; Series 2: Larry Bush Legislation and Research; Series 3: Speeches; Series 4: Campaigns; and Series 16: Photographs. Record Group 2: Mayoral is divided into eleven series: Series 5: Legislation and Research; Series 6: Larry Bush Legislation and Research; Series 7: Budget; Series 8: Speeches; Series 9: Campaigns; Series 10: Correspondence; Series 11: Press Releases; Series 12: Press Clippings; Series 13: Photographs; Series 14: Video Documentation; and Series 15: Schedules. Record Group 3: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.Record Group 4: Political Issues and International Relations.

Physical / technical requirements:

Includes VHS videocassettes, 1" broadcast format videocassettes, a reel-to-reel audiotape, and standard audio cassettes.

Physical location:
Open for research. The collection is offsite and advance notice is required for retrieval. Material must be requested at least 4 business days in advance of visit.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research and available for use during San Francisco History Center hours. Photographs are available during Photo Desk hours. This collection must be requested at least 4 business days in advance of visit.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. All requests for permission to publish from photographs must be submitted in writing to the Photo Curator. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Art Agnos Papers (SFH 46), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

Location of this collection:
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102, US
Contact:
(415) 557-4567
sfhistory@sfpl.org
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