Overview of the Collection
Access
Publication Rights
Provenance
Preferred Citation
Biographical Note
Scope and Content
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Overview of the Collection
Title: Gil Garcetti Papers
Date (inclusive): 1982-2000
Bulk dates: 1992-2000
Collection Number: mssGarcetti
Creator:
Garcetti, Gil, 1941-
Physical Description:
47 Linear Feet
(113 boxes)
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of
former Los Angeles County district attorney Gil Garcetti (born 1941). The collection
features records documenting Garcetti's managerial and campaign activities within the district attorney's office from 1984
to 2000. The bulk of the collection was
created and accumulated during his tenure as district attorney from 1992 to 2000. These
records are comprised of correspondence, budget, statistics, speeches, reports, notes, press
clippings, schedules, recommendations, photographs, and audiovisual materials.
Language of Material: The collection is entirely in English.
Access
Collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader
Services Department.
Some personal and financial records are sealed for 75 years from date of creation.
Publication Rights
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Provenance
Gift of Gil Garcetti, June 2015.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Gil Garcetti papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Biographical Note
Gil Garcetti was the district attorney of Los Angeles County from 1992 to 2000. Garcetti
had served in various prosecutorial and managerial positions during his 32-year career with
the district attorney's office, from starting out as a trial deputy in 1968 to becoming the
chief deputy in 1984.
Gilbert I. Garcetti was born on August 5, 1941 in Los Angeles. Garcetti received his
bachelor's degree in management from University of Southern California's School of Business
and his J.D. degree from UCLA Law School in 1967. While in university, Garcetti married
Sukey Roth. They have two children, Dana and Eric Garcetti. During the 1968 presidential
campaign, Garcetti was the Southern California campaign manager for the Democratic Party's
candidate Eugene McCarthy. That same year, Garcetti was hired as a trial deputy at the
district attorney's office. In 1972, Garcetti helped create the Consumer Protection
Division, which was the country's first prosecutorial division focused on protecting the
environment and rights of consumers. In 1977, Garcetti became the head of the Special
Investigations Division, which prosecuted criminal activities of elected officials and
public employees. In 1983, Garcetti was appointed as head deputy in the Felony Trials
Division. In 1984, after helping Ira Reiner win the district attorney's election, Garcetti
was named as Reiner's chief deputy. However, in 1988, Garcetti was demoted from
second-in-command to head deputy of the district attorney's Torrance branch.
In 1992, Garcetti won the district attorney's election after Reiner had dropped out of the
race. Garcetti was re-elected in 1996 after defeating John Lynch. As the chief prosecutor of
the country's largest non-federal prosecutorial office, Garcetti initiated various programs
and legislations intended to enhance both law enforcement and crime prevention. In 1993,
Garcetti formed district attorney's Family Violence Division, which tackled domestic
violence and child abuse cases, and a Hate Crimes Unit. Garcetti initiated SAFE-WAY-OUT
hotline, which provided a free and accessible connection between domestic violence victims
and local shelters. Garcetti emphasized crime prevention by establishing Bureau of Crime
Prevention and Youth Services. In addition, he developed anti-gang programs like SAGE
(Strategies Against Gang Environments) and anti-delinquency programs like Project LEAD,
RESCUE, and SHORTSTOP. Furthermore, Garcetti set up units to deter white-collar crimes, such
as Welfare Fraud Division and Real Estate Fraud Section. During his two terms as district
attorney, Garcetti faced various scandals, which included the prosecution of O. J. Simpson
and corruption within Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Division.
In 2000, Garcetti lost to Steve Cooley in the district attorney's election, effectively
ending his 32 years of service at district attorney's office. In 2002, Garcetti was
appointed as president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission; he was also a fellow at
the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Scope and Content
The papers of former Los Angeles County district attorney Gil Garcetti (1941-) includes
mainly records that document his managerial and campaign activities in the nation's largest
local prosecutorial office. The bulk of the papers contain administrative files created
during Garcetti's tenure as district attorney from 1992 to 2000. These files consist of
correspondence, budget, statistics, speeches, notes, press releases, schedule and calendars,
recommendations, reports, and photographs. Many of these documents reflect Garcetti's focus
on prosecution of domestic violence, fraud, gang violence, and child-support violations, as
well as on crime prevention initiatives, such as Strategy Against Gang Environments program
(SAGE) and SAFE WAY OUT family violence hotline. Another significant part of the Garcetti
papers is his campaign files from the Los Angeles County district attorney elections in
1992, 1996, and 2000, which include bills, research, polls, debate notes, ephemera, and
press clippings. The papers also contain case files, DDA interview notes, and reports from
1984 to 1991, during which Garcetti served as district attorney Ira Reiner's chief deputy
and subsequently head deputy of the Torrance branch. The rest of the papers include
audiovisual materials, awards, and memorabilia.
Series I consists of documents created and collected during Garcetti's tenure as Los
Angeles County district attorney. They include bills, correspondence, notebooks, schedules,
legislative reports, press clippings, speeches, and statistics.
Series II contains records related to Garcetti's campaigns during the 1992, 1996, and 2000
district attorney's elections. They include press clippings, ephemera, fundraising plans,
polls, debate preparations, audiovisual materials, and electronic resources.
Series III consists of mainly notebooks created during Garcetti's time as chief deputy district
attorney from 1984 to 1988 and as head deputy of the Torrance branch from 1988 to 1992.
Series IV consists of videocassettes created and collected during Garcetti's tenure as
district attorney. Some topics include campaign advertisements, press conferences,
interviews, and news coverage. The videocassettes are unavailable until they have been
reformatted.
Series V is comprised of personal files, awards, and memorabilia.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in five series:
- Series I. District Attorney files
- Series II. Campaign files
- Series III: Chief Deputy District Attorney files
- Series IV: Audiovisual materials
- Series V: Personal files
Indexing Terms
California. District Attorney (Los Angeles
County)
County government -- California -- Los Angeles County --
Officials and employees
Garcetti,
Gil, 1941-
Los Angeles County (Calif.) -- Crime -- 20th century
Los Angeles County (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century
Los Angeles County (Calif.) -- Politics and Government -- 20th
century
Political campaigns -- United States -- Case studies
Public prosecutors -- California -- Los Angeles County -- 20th
century
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