Inventory of the Anderson Valley Advertiser Records
D-171
Colby E. "Babe" Slater Student Intern Brittani Orona and Manuscript Archivist Liz Phillips
University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections
2013
1st Floor, Shields Library, University of California
100 North West Quad
Davis, CA 95616-5292
speccoll@ucdavis.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Davis Library, Dept. of Special Collections
Title: Anderson Valley Advertiser Records
Creator:
Anderson Valley Advertiser (Firm)
Identifier/Call Number: D-171
Physical Description:
60 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1944-2019
Abstract: The
Anderson Valley Advertiser (AVA) Records features correspondence, secondary research, ephemera,
photographs, and other materials related to Bruce Anderson, editor of the
Anderson Valley Advertiser. The collection spans the years 1944-2016 with the bulk of the
collection comprising the years 1984-1991. The collection features materials related to Earth First!, environmental activist
Judi Bari, the Mendocino County School Board, the Wanda Tinasky controversy, and the New Boonville Hotel. The collection also
features newspaper clippings from various Bay Area newspapers and magazines, such as the
San Francisco Chronicle, and includes back issues of the AVA from 1978-2016.
Physical Location: Researchers should contact Archives and Special Collections to request
collections, as many are stored offsite.
History
The
Anderson Valley Advertiser (AVA) was established in 1956 by Elizabeth and Steven Malgrem as a
small community newspaper in Boonville, California, in Mendocino County. The newspaper originally served only the Anderson
Valley and surrounding communities but has since reached national circulation. Bruce Anderson, who is not related to the
namesake of the Anderson Valley, bought the newspaper in 1983 in an effort to establish a publication that featured not only
local news but national political news as well.
Often described as politically left wing, the newspaper focuses on a variety of issues such as: the Mendocino County
School Board; Mendocino County Indian education; the Wanda Tinasky controversy; Vernon and Charlene Rollins and the New
Boonville Hotel; and environmental movements and environmentalists such as Earth First! and Judi Bari. Renowned political
journalist and writer Alexander Cockburn was a regular contributor for the publication. Bruce Anderson often courted
controversy for his outspoken political and personal views.
After independently managing the AVA for twenty years, Mr. Anderson sold the newspaper and moved to Eugene, Oregon to
create a new publication,
AVA Oregon!. The effort failed and Anderson bought back the Mendocino-based AVA in 2007. Still
published in Boonville, the publication is available in print and online.
Scope and Content
The
Anderson Valley Advertiser (AVA) Records features correspondence, secondary research, ephemera,
photographs, and other materials related to Bruce Anderson, editor of the
Anderson Valley Advertiser. The collection spans the years 1944-2016 with the bulk of the
collection comprising the years 1984-1991. The collection features materials related to Earth First!, environmental activist
Judi Bari, the Mendocino County School Board, the Wanda Tinasky controversy, and the New Boonville Hotel. The collection also
features newspaper clippings from various Bay Area newspapers and magazines, such as the
San Francisco Chronicle, and includes back issues of the AVA from 1978-2016.
Arrangement of the Collection
The collection is arranged in eight series: I. Biographical Information; 2. Correspondence; 3. Secondary Materials; 4.
Ephemera; 5. Clippings; 6. Photographs; 7. Realia; and 8. AVA Back Issues. There are two subseries: 3.1, Court Cases; and
4.1
Art and Writing. Court Cases is located within the Secondary Material Series and Art and Writing is located within the
Ephemera Series. The collection is roughly chronological.
Related Materials
Access
Collection is open for research.
Processing Information
This collection was processed under the Guidelines for Efficient Archival Processing in the University of California
Libraries. Due to the unclear order of the original materials, items in the collection are grouped by series and arranged
in
the order of the boxes in which they were originally stored.
Colby E. "Babe" Slater Student Intern Brittani Orona and Manuscript Archivist. Liz Phillips processed this collection with
the assistance of student employee Kelley Liang.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Bruce Anderson, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Anderson Valley Advertiser Records, D-171, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library,
University of California, Davis.
Publication Rights
All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for
permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is
not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Anderson Valley (Calif.) -- Newspapers
Forest conservation -- California, Northern -- Citizen participation
California -- Mendocino County -- Periodicals.
Mendocino County (Calif.) -- Politics and government
Bari, Judi --
Correspondence
Anderson, Bruce -- Correspondence
Box
53, Box D Legal
2
Biographical Materials Series 1
1944-1963, ca. 1990
Physical Description:
2 folders
Scope and Contents
Includes school memorabilia, graduation speech, information related to purchase of Anderson Valley Advertiser, and
business plan for Anderson Valley Books.
Box
1, Box
2, Box
3
Correspondence Series 2
1980-1995
Physical Description:
2 linear feet
Scope and Contents
Includes correspondence to Bruce Anderson on various topics related to personal and professional events. Notable
correspondents include: environmental activist Judi Bari, journalist Alexander Cockburn, and former Democratic
representative Doug Bosco. Correspondence also includes: letters to the editor, letters from inmates, personal
correspondence between Bruce Anderson and members of his family, and letters from detractors and supporters of the
Anderson Valley Advertiser. The collection predominately features letters sent to Bruce
Anderson and the AVA. There are no response letters from Anderson in the collection.
Box
3, Box
4, Box
5, Box
6, Box
7
Secondary Materials Series 3
1973-1996
Physical Description:
3 linear feet
Scope and Contents
Includes research related to various articles published in the AVA, as well as news media related to Bruce Anderson.
Notable materials include: Judi Bari and Earth First!, magazines including the
New Yorker,
Time, and
California! Magazine, selected Alexander Cockburn articles, and information related to the
Colfax Family and the New Boonville Hotel. Much of the material is articles from different publications concerning
national, local, and regional events. Includes the subseries Court Cases.
Box
7, Box
8
Court Cases Subseries 3.1
1973-1995
Physical Description:
0.5 linear feet
Scope and Contents
Includes courtroom transcripts and notes.
Box
8, Box
9, Box 17
Ephemera Series 4
1984-1995
Physical Description:
1.4 linear feet
Scope and Contents
Includes artwork, pamphlets, brochures, and related material regarding rallies and political events related to
Mendocino County, California, as well as national events. Notable items in ephemera include: pamphlets related to Earth
First! rallies, Doug Bosco election ephemera, Bruce Anderson election ephemera, various fliers for happenings concerning
Mendocino County, state wide, and national events. Includes the subseries Art & Writing.
Box
9, Box
10
Art and Writing Subseries 4.1
1984-1994
Physical Description:
0.5 linear feet
Scope and Contents
Includes poems, essays, drawings, and photographs.
Box
10, Folder
5, Box
11, Box
12, Box
13, Box
14, Box
15, Box
16, Box 18, Box 19, Box 20, Box 21
Clippings Series 5
1988-1992
Physical Description:
10 linear feet
Scope and Contents
Includes clippings from national and international publications. Notable publications found in the Clippings Series
include:
Coastal Post,
Independent Coast Observer,
The Laytonville Ledger,
Los Angeles Times,
The Mendocino Beacon,
The Mendocino County Observer,
The Mendonesian,
The Militant,
The New Settler Interview,
North-Coast News,
The Paper,
The Press Democrat,
Russian River News,
San Francisco Chronicle,
San Francisco Examiner,
SF Weekly,
Street Sheet,
Sutter-town News,
Ukiah Daily Journal,
Valley Sun, and
The Willits News. The clippings include information on: Jesse Jackson, Judi Bari, Daryl Cheney, Earth
First! bombing, the New Boonville Hotel, Mendocino County Indian Education, and various controversies and altercations
involving Bruce Anderson.
Box
10, Box
53
Photographs Series 6
1983-1992
Physical Description:
0.75 linear feet
Scope and Contents
includes photographs of various political rallies, portraits, local events, and personal photographs from Bruce
Anderson and the Anderson family. Notable photographs include: photos of Free Bruce! rally, Earth First! protest rallies,
photographs of Judi Bari's bombed vehicle, personal family photographs from Bruce Anderson, and photographs of the
Anderson Valley High School Basketball team. Most photographs were not accompanied by context or captions. Where
applicable, context of the photographic collection is provided. Photographs are arranged in the order in which they were
received by the creator.
Box
52
Realia Series 7
undated
Physical Description:
1 linear feet
Scope and Contents
Items from Anderson's office, such as: business cards; Rolodex; framed photograph; and assorted memorabilia.
AVA Back Issues Series 8
1978-2019 April
Physical Description:
38.4 linear feet
Scope and Contents
Includes back issues of the Anderson Valley Advertiser from 1978-April 2019.
Box 25, Box 26, Box 27, Box 28
Box 33, Box 34, Box 35, Box 36, Box 37
Box 37, Box 38, Box 39, Box 40
Box 45, Box 46, Box 47, Box 48, Box
54
Box
49, Box
54, Box 55, Box
56
Box 55
2004-2005
Scope and Contents
AVA OREGON! Vol.1 (November 2004-February 2005)