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Title: Newton R. Russell Papers
Dates: 1965-1996
Collection number: LP457
Creator:
Newton R. Russell, California Legislator
Collection Size:
35 cubic feet
Repository:
California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: California legislator Newton R. Russell served as a State Assembly Member from 1965-1974, and as a State Senator from 1975-1996.
The Russell Papers consist of 35 cubic feet of records reflecting the interests and political activities of Russell during
his career in the California State Legislature. The records contain 12 record series covering the years 1965-1996.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.
For permission to reproduce or publish, please consult California State Archives staff. Permission for reproduction or publication
is given on behalf of the California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, as the owner of the physical
items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement that may arise from reproduction or publication
of materials from the California State Archives' collections.
[Identification of item], Newton R. Russell Papers, LP457:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary
of State, Sacramento, California.
Acquisition and Custodial History
The California State Archives acquired the Newton R. Russell Papers following his final term in the State Legislature.
Newton R. Russell, a Republican, served in the California Legislature from 1965 to 1996. He was first elected to the California
State Assembly in 1964, and later elected to the State Senate in a 1974 special election. As an Assembly Member, Russell represented
the 62nd District, which included the cities of El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale, and Inglewood; part of Gardena; the Los Angeles
communities of Venice and Westchester; and census-designated places including Del Aire, Lennox, Marina del Rey, West Athens,
and Westmont. As a Senator, he represented the 21st District, which included the cities of Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge,
Pasadena, San Marino, South Pasadena, Temple City; and Los Angeles communities of Altadena, La Crescenta, Los Feliz, Montrose,
Silver Lake, Verdugo City, and Griffith Park. Russell retained his Senate seat until 1996 when he stepped down due to term
limits.
Newton R. Russell was born on June 25, 1927, in Los Angeles, California. A fourth-generation Californian, Russell graduated
from Webb School in Claremont, where he was senior class president. After serving in the Navy during World War II, he attended
the University of Southern California where he received his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1951. He later
pursued graduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Georgetown University in Washington, D. C. Prior
to his election to the State Assembly in 1964, Russell worked for the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company for twelve
years as a special agent.
Russell first ventured into politics as a volunteer for Richard Nixon's 1960 presidential campaign. Four years later, he won
a seat in the State Assembly after a failed first try. In 1968, Russell planned to run for a congressional seat, but decided
against it after Governor Ronald Reagan urged him to stay in the Assembly to retain the Republican majority there. In 1974,
Russell lost a primary race by a slim margin to Assembly Member Michael Antonovich. But, less than two weeks later, Russell
defeated Los Angeles City Councilman Arthur K. Snyder in a special election when a midterm resignation left an opening in
the Senate. He served for another twenty-two years before term limits forced him to leave office in 1996. Russell died in
May 2013 from lung cancer at his home in La Cañada Flintridge at the age of 85.
Over the course of his thirty-two year career in the Legislature, Russell focused primarily on issues related to the public
pension system and various social issues. As Chairman of the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee, he became
the acknowledged expert on public pensions among his fellow legislators, drafting several bills to close loopholes and to
eliminate wasteful spending. In addition to his efforts to reform the state retirement system, Russell also led a longtime
charge to regulate the pornography industry, writing legislation that effectively restricted pornographers from distributing
their products in areas frequented by children or broadcasting videos via basic cable. Opposed to vice in other areas, he
also fought to more strictly regulate "happy hour" promotions in bars, as well as to restrict-unsuccessfully-the sale of drug
paraphernalia. Like most public officials in the 1980s, Russell was also concerned by the rise and spread of the AIDS virus.
A religious conservative, he staunchly supported abstinence-only education, wrote legislation to require AIDS-testing prior
to marriage, and opposed civil equality for homosexuals.
During his term in the California Legislature, Russell served on the following committees and commissions according to the
California Legislature at Sacramento (Handbooks), Assembly Final History, Senate Final History, and Pocket Directory of the
California Legislature:
California State Assembly, 1965-1974
- Standing Committees
- Education, 1969-1974
- Elections and Reapportionment, 1971-1972
- Employment and Public Employees, 1973
- Finance and Insurance, 1965-1968, 1972-1974
- Government Administration, 1970-1974
- *Chair, 1970-1974
- Local Government, 1971
- Military and Veterans Affairs, 1965-1966
- *Vice Chair, 1965-1966
- Public Employees and Retirement, 1973-1974
- Public Health, 1965-1966
- Revenue and Taxation, 1969-1970
- Rules, 1967-1970
- Urban Affairs and Housing, 1969
- Water, 1965-1968
- Select Committees
- Campus Disturbances, 1969
- Industrial Safety, 1971-1974
- Juvenile Violence, 1973-1974
- *Vice Chair, 1973-1974
- Manpower Development, 1971-1974
- Service Station Franchising and Petroleum Product Practices, 1973-1974
- Special Committees
- General Research, 1965-1966
- Joint Committees
- Building Space Needs, 1968
- Educational Evaluation, 1969-1970
- Educational Goals and Evaluation, 1972-1973
- Legislative Organization, 1967-1970
- Public Domain, 1969-1970
- *Chair, 1969-1970
- Commissions
- American Revolution Bicentennial of California, 1973-1974
- Economic Development, 1972-1974
- Educational Innovation Advisory, 1969-1971
- Educational Innovation and Planning, 1972-1974
- Indian Affairs Advisory, 1965-1967
California State Senate, 1974-1996
- Standing Committees
- Banking and Commerce, 1981-1990
- *Vice Chair, 1985-1990
- Banking, Commerce, and International Trade, 1991-1994
- *Vice Chair, 1991-1994
- Budget and Fiscal Review, 1985-1986
- Energy and Public Utilities, 1979-1994
- *Vice Chair, 1983-1994
- Energy, Utilities, and Communications, 1995-1996
- *Vice Chair, 1995-1996
- Finance, Investment, and International Trade, 1993-1996
- *Vice Chair, 1993-1996
- Industrial Relations, 1975-1984
- *Vice Chair, 1981-1982
- Insurance, 1993-1996
- Insurance and Financial Institutions, 1975-1976, 1979-1980
- Insurance, Claims, and Corporations, 1991-1994
- Legislative Ethics, 1993-1996
- Local Government, 1985-1996
- Public Employment and Retirement, 1975-1982
- *Vice Chair, 1975-1976
- *Chair, 1977-1982
- Public Utilities, Transit, and Energy, 1975-1978
- Transportation, 1987-1996
- Subcommittees
- Cable Television (Energy and Public Utilities), 1983-1984
- Cal-OSHA (Industrial Relations), 1977-1980
- *Chair, 1977-1978
- Energy (Public Utilities, Transit, and Energy), 1977-1980
- *Chair, 1977-1980
- Energy (Energy and Public Utilities), 1981-1984
- *Chair, 1981-1984
- Energy Costs and Industrial Development (Energy and Public Utilities), 1985-1990
- Health Care Reform (Insurance), 1995-1996
- Justice, Corrections, Resources, and Agriculture, No. 2 (Budget and Fiscal Review), 1985-1986
- Nuclear Facility Safety and Emergency Preparedness (Energy and Public Utilities), 1985-1986
- The Americas (Finance, Investment, and International Trade), 1995-1996
- Vice Chair, 1995-1996
- Women in the Workforce (Industrial Relations), 1983-1984
- Select Committees
- California's Wine Industry, 1987-1996
- Children and Youth, 1975-1994
- Department of Insurance as a Consumer Protection Agency, 1989-1990
- Information Services in State Government, 1995-1996
- Insurance Reform, 1993-1994
- Interstate Banking, 1983-1984
- Investment Priorities and Objectives, 1977-1980
- Mediation, 1995-1996
- *Chair, 1995-1996
- Northridge Earthquake, 1995-1996
- Pacific Rim, 1987-1994
- Vehicle Design and Performance, 1975-1976
- Special Committees
- Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health, 1991-1996
- Entertainment Industry, 1993-1994
- Global Competition and International Trade, 1991-1992
- Joint Committees
- Educational Goals and Evaluation, 1975-1976
- Energy Policy and Implementation, 1977-1981
- Energy Regulation and the Environment, 1989-1992
- Job Development, 1977-1981
- Legislative Retirement, 1983-1990
- Mental Health Research, 1989-1992
- *Vice Chair, 1989-1992
- Motor Vehicle Inspections, 1975-1976
- Oversight on Lowering Cost of Electric Services, 1993-1996
- Peace Officers Classifications, 1977-1982
- Public Pension Fund Investments, 1981-1982, 1987-1988
- Rules, 1981-1996
- State's Economy, 1977-1992
- Tort Liability, 1977-1981
- Worker's Compensation Study, 1983-1984
- Commissions
- Corporate Governance, Shareholder Rights, and Securities Transactions, 1989-1992
- Debt Advisory, 1987-1990
In addition to his many committee appointments, Newton R. Russell was also a member of the Executive Committee (1965-1972)
and the Republican State Central Committee (1965-1972). He also served as Senate Minority Whip (1986-1996).
The Newton R. Russell papers consist of 35 cubic feet of textual records and audio/visual materials and cover the years 1965-1996.
The records are organized into 12 record series: Bill Files, 1966-1996; Pastor-Prayer Subject Files,
1990-1995; Speech Subject Files, 1991-1994; Pornography Research Files, 1975-1987; Senate Select Committee on Mediation Files,
1988-1996; Subject Files, 1971-1991; Antelope Valley Files, 1983-1992; Newsletters, 1965-1987; Press
Clippings, 1993-1995; Press Releases, 1974-1995; AIDS Subject Files, 1983-1988; and Rose Bird Recall Files, 1982-1986.
The Bill Files series comprises the bulk of the collection and provide the strongest evidence of Russell's primary legislative
interests. These files demonstrate his concerted and consistent focus on: the public pension system, drug
and alcoholic beverage regulation, pornography regulation, and AIDS.
Supplementing the Bill Files, the collection's other series reveal Russell's politically conservative outlook and his activism
while in office. A longtime foe of pornography, the Pornography Research Files provide access to Russell's
legislative influences and models from around the country as he drafted his own legislation in California. Similarly, the
AIDS Subject Files document Russell's battle to combat the controversial disease in accordance with their
political-religious principles. More than anything, this series illustrates the fiercely contentious atmosphere surrounding
AIDS in the 1980s.
In addition to those record series that illuminate Russell's career as a legislator, several also provide insight into his
career as a politician. Pastor-Prayer Subject Files illustrate his efforts to reach California's conservative
religious communities in the early 1990s. Likewise, Newsletters and Press Releases, spanning most of his career, track Russell's
outreach efforts toward his Southern California constituents in general. Even more locally, the Antelope
Valley Files document his interest in and efforts for one specific constituent community. Throughout his career, Russell was
in constant communication with those he represented and worked hard to serve their needs.
No further accruals are expected.
Related Material at the California State Archives
John Doolittle Papers
Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Russell, Newton R.
Alcohol-Law and legislation
Drugs-Law and legislation-California
AIDS(Disease)
Crime prevention-California
Early childhood education-California