Guide to the Board of Supervisors Records
Michael D. Griffith and Lindsay Gillis
Santa Clara County Archives
1875 Senter Road
San Jose, CA 95112-2527
Phone: (408) 755-7895
Fax: (408) 755-7897
URL: http://archives.sccgov.org
Email: Archives@ceo.sccgov.org
© 2012
Santa Clara County. All rights reserved.
Guide to the Board of Supervisors Records
Collection number: 2006-008, 2006-014, 2012-003, 2012-008, and 2012-009
Santa Clara County Archives
San Jose, California
- Processed by:
- Michael D. Griffith and Lindsay Gillis
- Date Completed:
- 2012
- Encoded by:
- Michael D. Griffith, Lindsay Gillis and Trista Raezer
© 2012 Santa Clara County. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Board of Supervisors records
Dates: 1857-1993
Collection number: 2006-008, 2006-014, 2012-003, 2012-008, and 2012-009
Creator:
Santa Clara County (Calif.). Board of Supervisors
Collection Size:
194 bound volumes and two boxes
Repository:
Santa Clara County Archives.
Abstract: The Board of Supervisors Records consist of financial records, Board of Supervisor meeting minutes, County ordinances, record
of boundaries of school districts, records of franchises, road registers, adminstration files, and ephemera.
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult Archives staff.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
The Archives can claim physical ownership only for some collections. Users are responsible for securing permission of the
copyright holder for publication or quotation.
Preferred Citation
Board of Supervisors records, 2012-003, 2012-008, 2006-008 and 2006-014, Santa Clara County Archives.
Acquisition Information
Most of these records were transferred by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors in 2006 and 2012. The minutes ranging from
1857 to 1930 and one road register were transferred by the County Surveyor in 2006.
Administrative History
The Board of Supervisors was first authorized as the chief governing body of California counties by the State Constitution
of 1849. In Santa Clara County, the first board took office in 1852. The size and powers of the board have varied over the
years. Among board powers are general policy and administrative control over county affairs, management of elections, and
the assessing and collecting of taxes. In 1951 Santa Clara County adopted a charter which authorized appointment of a county
executive to oversee administration and which changed the role of the board to setting policy only.
Scope and Content of Collection
For the scope and content of the collection, see the descriptions of each series.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into eight series: Financial Records, Minutes, Ordinances, Record of Boundaries of School Districts,
Record of Franchises, Road Registers, Administrative Files, and Ephemera. Each series is arranged into chronological order,
except for the Administrative Files, which are arranged by subject.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Santa Clara County (Calif.). Board of Supervisors
Roads California
Schools California Santa Clara County
Series: I
Financial records,
1861-1910
Physical Description: 7.75 linear feet
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of various financial records of the Board of Supervisors. See the subseries descriptions for the scope
and content.
Subseries: I
Certified Claims Allowed by Board of Supervisors,
1883-1910
Physical Description: 3.5 linear feet.
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
These nineteen volumes record payments approved by the Board of Supervisors. The volumes were divided into separate funds,
for example "Current Expense Fund" and "Hall of Records Fund". Within each fund, each claim for payment was numbered and
the claims entered in order. The claims considered at each Board of Superisors meeting were alphabetized before being numbered,
so entries through the year appeared in numerical order but also went A-Z each month. Information on individual claims may
include the name of the claimant, the nature of the service provided the county, the amount and date of the claim, and the
date of county payment.
Arrangement
The volumes are arranged in chronological order.
Subseries: II
Supervisors Allowance Books,
1873-1896
Physical Description: 2 linear feet.
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
These six volumes complement the "Certified Claims Allowed by Board of Supervisors". The subseries, for which volumes are
missing, covers 1873-1875, 1883-1886, and 1890-1896. Each volume lists claimants in alphabetical order and then under each
letter, entries are made chronologically. Entries may include the name of the claimant requesting county payment, nature
of service performed for the county, amount of claim, claim number, fund charged, and the date the claim was allowed.
Arrangement
The volumes are arranged in chronological order.
Subseries: III
Miscellaneous financial records,
1861-1883
Physical Description: .33 linear feet.
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This subseries contains three volumes. The "Ledger" covers 1861-1876 and contains balance sheets for various county accounts,
including, for example, the School Fund, Funded Debt, and Railroad Interest Fund. The volume provides information on overall
county expenses but does not record specific expenditures. It includes an index. The "Journal" also covers 1861-1876. It
lists credits and debits in chronological order. Normally, it indicates the category for each credit or debit (e.g., hospital,
school) or the general nature of the credit or debit (e.g., "tax list uncollected returned"). The third volume, "S. T. Ayer
Supervisor Dist. No. 5" covers 1876-1883. It lists claims approved at each Board of Supervisors meeting, probably for supervisorial
district 5 only. Each entry includes the name of the claimant and the amount allowed. For 1882, the general nature of the
claim is sometimes indicated. The names entered for each meeting date are not in alphabetical order.
Series: II
Minutes,
1857-1992
Physical Description: 144 bound volumes and 8 boxes of microfilm
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of orignal, bound photographic copies, and microfilm of minutes of Board of Supervisors meetings and
of indexes to minutes. Both the original minutes and indexes that ranged from 1850 to 1930 were damaged in the 1931 courthouse
fire, photographed, and subsequently destroyed. The five photographic volumes of minutes cover 1857-1862, 1891-1892, and
1926-1928. The eight volumes of indexes cover 1850-1881, 1883-1905, and 1921-1930. The index to "Book 1 Book 2 Book 3" appears
to index actions taken in regard to roads only. The eight boxes of microfilm cover minutes and indexes from 1857 to 1905.
Arrangement
The volumes are arranged in chronological order.
Series: III
Ordinances,
1901-1965
Physical Description: 2.25 linear feet
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series includes ten volumes containing ordinances adopted by the Board of Supervisors, entered largely in chronological
order. Until the early 1950s, the ordinances were numbered sequentially. There also are three indexes to the ordinances
covering 1947 to 1956.
Arrangement
The volumes are arranged in chronological order.
Series: IV
Record of Boundaries of School Districts,
circa 1870
Physical Description: .25 linear feet.
Series Scope and Content Summary
This volume contains handwritten descriptions of the boundaries of over fifty school districts in Santa Clara County. The
volume is not dated but appears to be circa 1870 (there is one reference to the Southern Pacific Railroad).
Series: V
Record of Franchises,
1883-1952
Physical Description: .25 linear feet.
Series Scope and Content Summary
This volume, which was part of a series, contains the text of franchises granted by the county, entered in chronological order.
The volume appears to have been created at a later date (possibly 1950s); the text of each franchise is typed with the exception
of the final entries, which are the pasted-in text of newspaper publication of the ordinance granting the franchise. The
franchises are numbered, first by franchise number and later by the number of the ordinance granting the franchise.
Series: VI
Road Registers,
1853-1955
Physical Description: 1 linear foot.
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series contains four registers recording Board of Supervisor actions in regard to county roads, the actions listed in
chronological order under the name of the road. Examples of actions include accepting a petition for creation of a road and
issuing an invitation for bids to construct a road. For each action listed, there is a reference to the Board of Supervisors
minutes in which the action also is reported. The volumes cover 1853-1878 and 1931-1955. The series also includes an index,
apparently covering the years 1931-1955 and possibly earlier. The index lists roads in alphabetical order and within each
letter section, the entries appear to be chronological by date of action.
Series: VII
Administration Files,
1961-1992
Physical Description: 2 boxes
Scope and Content Note
This series consists of administrative files.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by subject.
Box/Folder : 1/1
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors: Annual Report,
1968
Physical Description: 2 documents
Box/Folder : 1/2-1/4
Correspondence,
197-1981
Physical Description: 3 folders
Box/Folder : 1/5-1/7
Correspondence & Meeting Minutes,
1975-1980
Physical Description: 3 folders
Box/Folder : 1/8
County Service: Collaboration for Excellence, Final Report
1991
Physical Description: 1 document
Box/Folder : 1/9
Managing by Objectives,
1974
Physical Description: 7 documents
Box/Folder : 1/10
Meeting Minutes,
1977
Physical Description: 9 documents
Box/Folder : 1/11-1/13
Miscellaneous,
1978-1979
Physical Description: 3 folders
Box/Folder : 1/14
Organization & Functions Handbook and Correspondence,
1973
Physical Description: 3 documents
Box/Folder : 1/15-1/16
Procedures Manuals,
1966-1969
Physical Description: 2 volumes
Box/Folder : 1/17
The Woman Manager in a Rapidly Changing Environment: Developing Executive Skills,
1979
Physical Description: 1 document
Series: VIII
Memorabilia,
1980-1993
Scope and Content Note
This series contains ephemera collected by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically.
Box: unboxed
In the Chips: The Local Investment Game of Silicon Valley
1980
Physical Description: 1 board game
Box: 1
1 conductor's hat which belonged to Ron Diridon
1993
Physical Description: 1 hat