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Finding Aid to the California Tomorrow Records MS 3641
MS 3641
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Table of contents
Collection Title: California Tomorrow records
Dates: 1946-1983,
Date (bulk): bulk, 1961-1983
Collection Number: MS 3641
Creator:
California Tomorrow.
(Organization).
Physical Description:
Extent: 56 Cartons, including 1 carton containing 10 microfilm reels,
24 audiotapes and 8 audiocassettes; 9 boxes; 5 volumes; 1 oversize
folder
(75.0 linear feet)
Repository:
California Historical Society
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA, 94105
415-357-1848
reference@calhist.org
URL: http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/
Physical Location: Collection is stored onsite.
Language of Materials: Collection materials are in English.
Abstract: The records of California Tomorrow document the
organization's growth and influence from its initial meeting in 1961 through its
dissolution in the spring of 1983. Linking the objectives of conservationists,
planners, regulators and California residents, California Tomorrow called for
comprehensive state planning to address challenges faced by the state such as
sustainable land use, both for agriculture and housing; conservation of water and
energy resources; preservation of California's coastline, deserts, lakes and
forests; transportation planning; and regional government. Their activities included
the publication of reports and the journal
Cry
California
, and the creation of the comprehensive
The California Tomorrow Plan, which was born from Town Hall meetings
throughout the state. Records contain minutes of meetings, correspondence, speeches
and the personal files of founder Alfred Heller and co-founder Samuel Wood, with the
bulk of the material consisting of editorial files for the organization's journal.
Contents of the editorial files include the correspondence of William Bronson, first
editor, and John W. Abbott, who succeeded him, and files for each individual issue,
containing rough drafts, photographs, drawings, correspondence and notes. Also
includes the working files and edited draft versions of
The
California Tomorrow Plan
, beginning with the "A First Sketch" of 1971,
with comments solicited from manuscript reviewers and the public as well as press
notices following publication. Administrative material in the collection includes
reference files, maps, scrapbooks and clippings, membership files, publication sales
and distribution information, and financial records. The records also contain
government reports and studies, as well as notes and correspondence from study
tours, conferences, seminars and regional meetings sponsored by California Tomorrow
and other organizations, with some accompanying audiocassette and audiotape
recordings.
CHS is not taking appointments for research at this time. Please check the Library's website updates:
https://californiahistoricalsociety.org/collections/north-baker-research-library/
Use of the audiotapes may require the creation of listening copies for some
recordings.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection
materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Library and
Archives, North Baker Research Library, California Historical Society, 678
Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Consent is given on behalf of the
California Historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not
intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such
permission must be obtained from the copyright owner.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use
of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
[Identification of item], California Tomorrow Records, MS 3641, California
Historical Society.
Cry California, volumes 1-16, available on
microfilm.
Listening copies available for all audiocassettes and some audiotapes.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
California Tomorrow.
(Organization)--Archives.
Wood, Samuel E., (Samuel Edgerton),
1905-1994.
Heller, Alfred E.
Bronson, William, 1926-1976
Abbott, John W.
Land use--California.
Conservation of natural resources--California.
Regional planning--California.
Transportation--Planning.
Environmental protection--California.
Audiotapes.
Microfilms.
Scrapbooks.
Audiocassettes.
The California Tomorrow Records were given to the California Historical Society
by California Tomorrow circa 1983.
No additions are expected.
Processed by Laurie Skophammer in 2008.
California Tomorrow, a nonprofit educational organization, was founded by Alfred E.
Heller and Samuel E. Wood. The first meeting was held on June 24, 1961, with Alfred
E. Heller named president, William M. Roth, vice-president, and Harold Berliner
secretary; Samuel E. Wood became executive director. The founding members' intent
was to link the objectives of conservationists, planners, and regulators and to urge
the adoption of a widely integrated planning process to meet the needs of both
conservation and growth.
On Sept 16, 1961, the following Statement of Principles was adopted by the Advisory
Board:
That our use of these resources should derive not from whim, but from careful
determination of how we believe we should live our lives, now and in the future, and
how we believe a healthy economy can be maintained;
That individual gain is not alone sufficient reason for committing natural resources
to use, but that the greatest good to be gained by the greatest number in the long
run should be the controlling consideration in resources policy-making, both private
and public;
That the work and activities of man should and can be so ordered that all citizens of
the state may continually enjoy the widest variety of choice of environment,
including quiet and light, pure air and water, and a fair share of untrammeled green
earth;
The group recruited many well-known members for its Advisory Board, including Wallace
Stegner, architect Nathaniel Owings, San Diego writer Neil Morgan, Caspar
Weinberger, Standish Backus, Jr., Victor H. Palmieri, and Simon Eisner, Pasadena
city planner. Assemblyman Willie Brown, Jr., and Harvey S. Perloff, Dean of the UCLA
School of Architecture, joined the Advisory Board in later years. In their public
debut, with a 63-page booklet entitled
California Going,
Going...
, Heller and Wood sounded an alarm about the dangerous
consequences of unplanned growth on the environment and future quality of life in
the Golden State. At a time when California was attracting 1,500 new residents each
day, they called for coordinated and comprehensive planning efforts between the
public and private spheres to "keep California beautiful and productive." A
quarterly journal,
Cry California, was launched in
late 1965, initially edited by William Bronson. It earned a solid reputation amongst
the environmental press for introducing new topics and exploring complicated
issues.
However, the organization is perhaps best known for
The
California Tomorrow Plan
of 1972, which offered an alternative model for
dealing with the challenges facing the state in a systematic way. A series of
statewide seminars brought together members of the public and experts in the fields
of planning, conservation and government to identify specific regional concerns and
exchange ideas to address them, which were incorporated into
The California Tomorrow Plan. This format proved so successful that it
was also employed in preparing the 1982 publication,
California 2000: The Next Frontier.
Faced with declining membership and financial problems along with a marked change in
political climate that affected grant funding, by the end of 1982 California
Tomorrow was in a precarious situation. In April and May of 1983, members of the
Advisory Board and Board of Directors were requested to submit their resignations
and California Tomorrow's activities were suspended. A restructured organization
with a different focus was established in 1984.
Alfred E. Heller, founder and president of California
Tomorrow from 1961-1974, is a California native and graduate of Stanford University.
He was living in Nevada City and publishing the weekly
Nevada
County Nugget
when he became involved in a grassroots attempt to reroute
new freeway construction slated to go through the middle of town. Subsequently he
became a member of the California State Highway Commission. His experience with
various state agencies during the freeway campaign convinced him that the lack of
integrated planning in California posed a serious threat to the state's future. In
addition to numerous articles on environmental problems, Heller co-authored
California Going, Going... and
Phantom Cities of California as well as editing
The California Tomorrow Plan.
Samuel E. Wood, co-founder and executive director of
California Tomorrow from 1961-1968, was a former official of the United States
Agriculture and Interior departments and staff director of California legislative
committees in conservation fields. He was instrumental in drawing up the 1959 bill
that established the State Office of Planning and required the preparation of a
state development plan. After leaving the state government service, Wood worked as a
planning consultant and political science professor in Sacramento. He was introduced
to Alfred Heller through a mutual friend, Catherine Bauer Wurster, professor at the
University of California, Berkeley in the Department of City and Regional Planning.
She recognized their shared commitment to arousing awareness regarding the need for
comprehensive planning and also appreciated their complementary talents. Dr. Wood
provided the research for the publications
California Going,
Going...
and
Phantom Cities of
California
. He continued as a consultant with California Tomorrow following
his retirement as executive director in 1968.
Sources
Hart, John.
The New Book of California Tomorrow: Reflections
and Projections from the Golden State
. Los Altos: William Kaufmann,
Inc., 1984.
Heller, Alfred E., "California Tomorrow: A Voice for State and Regional Planning," an
oral history, conducted by Malca Chall in Statewide and Regional Land-Use Planning
in California, 1950-1980 Project, Volume I. Berkeley: Regional Oral History Office,
The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 1983.
Wood, Samuel E., "Administration, Research, and Analysis in Behalf of Environmental
Quality," an oral history, conducted by Malca Chall in Statewide and Regional
Land-Use Planning in California, 1950-1980 Project, Volume I. Berkeley: Regional
Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley,
1983.
| 1961 | First meeting of the Resource Policy Institute, which was renamed California Tomorrow by Proctor Mellquist, Sunset magazine editor and Advisory Board member |
| 1962 | Publication of California Going, Going..., which introduced the term "slurb" to describe suburban sprawl |
| 1963 | Publication of The Phantom Cities of California by Alfred Heller and Samuel Wood |
| 1965 Winter | First issue of Cry California editor William Bronson. Topics explored include loss of agricultural land, coastal preservation, air quality, the California water plan, transportation, pesticides, and alternative energy sources such as geothermal power |
| 1967 May 14-June 5 | California Tomorrow and SPUR European Planning Study Workshop. Participants visited New York, Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Tapiola, London, Paris and Madrid |
| 1967 | Publication of The Federal Threats to the California Landscape , by Samuel Wood and Daryl Lembke, Los Angeles Times reporter |
| 1967 October 2 | California One State Conference held at the Sheraton-Palace Hotel in San Francisco, attended by 450 people |
| 1968 May 12-June | Second study tour to Europe, led by Sam Wood |
| 1968 June 30 | Sam Wood retires as executive director but continues as consultant |
| 1968 November 23-December 1 | Hawaii planning tour, led by Alfred Heller |
| 1968 | California Tomorrow headquarters moved from Forum Building in Sacramento to Monadnock Building at Third and Market in San Francisco |
| 1969 February 18 | State Planning - Are we Doing Enough? Conference held at the Sheraton-Palace Hotel in San Francisco, attended by 400 people |
| 1970 | Publication of A Legacy of Our Presence, a pamphlet by the Stanford Biology Study Group on environmental consequences of the Vietnam War |
| 1970-1971 | Preparation of The California Tomorrow Plan . Task force members included Harvey Perloff, Nathaniel Owings, and Marc Goldstein |
| 1971 April 13-14 | Presentation of A First Sketch at a conference held at the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco. Subsequent conferences to solicit feedback were held throughout California |
| 1972 | Publication of The California Tomorrow Plan as the summer 1972 issue of Cry California , subsequently offered in paperback and hard cover by a new publishing company, William Kaufmann, Inc. |
| William Bronson departs to become editor of the Sierra Club Bulletin, replaced by John W. Abbott, long-time California Tomorrow consultant and publicist | |
| 1973 | Publication of Democracy in the Space Age, edited by John W. Abbott (also called the Regional Government Study) |
| 1974 | Alfred Heller resigns as president, succeeded by vice-president William M. Roth |
| 1976 January 12 | Death of John W. ("Jack") Abbott |
| 1977 | Attorney Weyman Lundquist, chairman of the environmental law section of the International Bar Association and counsel for the League to Save Lake Tahoe, becomes president of California Tomorrow |
| Journal format changes to include an annual review, edited by Walt Anderson. | |
| California Tomorrow begins association with the Environmental Intern Program | |
| Richard Grant (Abbott's assistant) becomes secretary and editor of Cry California. | |
| 1982 | Publication of California 2000: The Next Frontier , edited by Richard Reinhardt with research by Charles Warren, author of Global 2000 and head of the President's Council on Environmental Quality during the Carter administration. Conferences held in six regions of California |
| Attorney Ronald L. Olson replaces Weyman Lundquist as president of California Tomorrow; Isabel Wade becomes executive director and Stephanie Mills the new journal editor | |
| 1982 December | California Tomorrow moves headquarters to 512 Second Street in San Francisco |
| 1983 May-June | California Tomorrow dissolves; Board Members submit resignation letters, as requested |
Scope and Contents of Collection
The records of California Tomorrow document the organization's growth and influence
from its initial meeting in 1961 through its dissolution in the spring of 1983.
Linking the objectives of conservationists, planners, regulators and California
residents, California Tomorrow called for comprehensive state planning to address
challenges faced by the state such as sustainable land use, both for agriculture and
housing; conservation of water and energy resources; preservation of California's
coastline, deserts, lakes and forests; transportation planning; and regional
government. Their activities included the publication of reports and the journal
Cry California, and the creation of the
comprehensive
The California Tomorrow Plan, which was
born from Town Hall meetings throughout the state. Records contain minutes of
meetings, correspondence, speeches and the personal files of founder Alfred Heller
and co-founder Samuel Wood, with the bulk of the material consisting of editorial
files for the organization's journal. Contents of the editorial files include the
correspondence of William Bronson, first editor, and John W. Abbott, who succeeded
him, and files for each individual issue, containing rough drafts, photographs,
drawings, correspondence and notes. Also includes the working files and edited draft
versions of
The California Tomorrow Plan, beginning
with the "A First Sketch" of 1971, with comments solicited from manuscript reviewers
and the public as well as press notices following publication. Administrative
material in the collection includes reference files, maps, scrapbooks and clippings,
membership files, publication sales and distribution information, and financial
records. The records also contain government reports and studies, as well as notes
and correspondence from study tours, conferences, seminars and regional meetings
sponsored by California Tomorrow and other organizations, with some accompanying
audiocassette and audiotape recordings.
Series 1, Founder and Co-founder Files, contains the individual and shared files of
Alfred E. Heller and Samuel E. Wood. These include California Tomorrow
administrative material from the organization's inception, as well as meeting
minutes and correspondence with Advisory Board members and the Board of Directors.
Also contains material related to the many appearances made by Heller and Wood on
behalf of California Tomorrow at conferences and seminars. Alfred Heller maintained
his own subject files, and Samuel Wood's papers include the subject and job files he
brought with him to California Tomorrow as well as his annual appointment
calendars.
Series 2, Administrative Files, contains correspondence with the Board of Directors
and meeting minutes, along with correspondence of a general nature with California
Tomorrow members and prospective members. Also includes the files of John W. Abbott,
who served as executive secretary in addition to becoming editor of
Cry California following the departure of William
Bronson. The Organizational History subseries contains the ongoing project files of
Isabel Wade, who was executive director of California Tomorrow at the time of its
demise in 1983. Contains material regarding all aspects of membership services,
including the study tours sponsored by California Tomorrow, brochures and
fundraising appeals, grant applications and promotional material. Also includes
files documenting office operations, including dissemination of publications, job
descriptions, financial information and receipts, in addition to shared reference
material and photograph and subject files.
Series 3, Publications, includes a copy of every publication produced by California
Tomorrow, and a full run of the journal
Cry
California
with accompanying editorial material. These files include
many remarkable black and white photographic prints primarily of the California
landscape, but also many other subjects, along with contact sheets and other
graphics material. This series also includes the correspondence of editor William
Bronson and material regarding the publication of
The
California Tomorrow Plan
by William Kaufmann, Inc.
Series 4,
The California Tomorrow Plan, documents this
groundbreaking project from the planning stages through the "A First Sketch"
presentation, the subsequent revision process, and final publication, presentation,
and reactions from the public, press, and professionals in many fields.
Series 5, California 2000 Project, documents the final undertaking of California
Tomorrow, a study outlining the challenges and opportunities facing the state in the
last two decades before the millennium. Specific areas include population, land,
water, energy, and air.
Series 6, Conferences, contains material from the many seminars sponsored by
California Tomorrow as well as those of other professional organizations and
advocacy groups. California Tomorrow conferences provided a forum for communication
between the public and experts in the fields of conservation and planning and
related fields such as architecture. Files include correspondence, photographs,
audiorecordings and transcripts of speeches and remarks, when available, as well as
any brochures, background printed materials and comments from participants. The
files also document the many conferences and seminars attended by Alfred Heller,
Samuel Wood, and John Abbott on behalf of California Tomorrow, including
correspondence, notes and background materials.
The records from California Tomorrow office were organized when acquired by the
California Historical Society and the bulk has been kept as received; series
arrangement follows the groupings established by the California Tomorrow staff.
The records of California Tomorrow are organized into six series: Series 1, Founder
and Co-founder Files; Series 2: Administrative Files; Series 3: Publications; Series
4:
The California Tomorrow Plan; Series 5:
California 2000 Project; Series 6: Conferences.
Series 1, Founder and Co-founder Files, is divided into two subseries: Alfred E.
Heller and Samuel E. Wood. These series are further divided into sub-subseries, with
the files of Alfred E. Heller divided into Correspondence; Speeches; Organizational
Files; Subject Files, and Samuel Wood's files divided into Correspondence;
Contributed Time Files; Advisory Board Files; Administrative Files; Job and Subject
Files.
Series 2, Administrative Files, is divided into ten subseries, reflecting different
aspects of the organization's endeavors as well as the shared office files. These
are: Organizational History; Correspondence; Planning Study Tours; Membership
Services; Promotional Materials and Advertising; Office Operations; Publications
Distribution; Financial; Reference Materials; Scrapbooks and Clippings.
Correspondence is further subdivided into General Correspondence and John W. Abbott
Files. The Planning Study Tours are also divided into four sub-subseries: 1967
European Tour; 1968 European Tour; 1968 Hawaii Tour; Miscellaneous. Reference
Materials is further subdivided into Reports and General Reference, Subject Files
and Photo Subject Files.
Series 3, Publications, is divided into six subseries: William Bronson Files;
Editorial and Administrative Files;
Cry California;
California Tomorrow; Other Publications;
Publication of
The California Tomorrow Plan.
Series 4,
The California Tomorrow Plan, is divided
into four subseries: Planning and Administrative Files;
The
California Tomorrow Plan - A First Sketch
; Revision; Presentations.
Subseries 4.2,
The California Tomorrow Plan - A First
Sketch
, is further divided into two sub-subseries: Semi-Final Draft and
Conference Programs.
Series 5, California 2000 Project, is divided into three subseries: General
Information and Planning, Regional Conferences and
California
2000: The Next Frontier
Draft.
Series 6, Conferences, is divided into two subseries: California Tomorrow Conferences
and Participation in Conferences and Seminars. California Tomorrow Conferences is
further divided into six subseries for each conference and types of events.
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