Inventory of the Arlen Gregorio Papers

Processed by Archives Staff and Charlene G. Noyes
California State Archives
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
© 2001
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Inventory of the Arlen Gregorio Papers

Collection number: LP171:1-105; LP172:213-219

California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California
Processed by:
Archives Staff and Charlene G. Noyes
Date Completed:
December 2001
Encoded by:
Lisa DeHope
© 2001 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Arlen Gregorio Papers
Dates: 1971-1978
Collection number: LP171:1-105; LP172:213-219
Creator: Arlen Gregorio, California Legislator
Collection Size: 4.25 cubic feet
Repository: California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: Arlen Gregorio, Democrat, was a State Senator from 1971-1978. The Gregorio Papers include Bill Files, Legislative Counsel and Bill Analyses, Gregorio's weekly columns to newspapers, and Press Releases from his office. He sponsored legislation on a variety of topics including legislative reform, Health topics in schools, taxation of cigarettes, posession of marijuana, and the California Arts Commission/Council.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

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 which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives' collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Arlen Gregorio Papers, LP[number]:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Acquisition and Custodial History

The California State Archives acquired the Arlen Gregorio Papers following his final term in the State Legislature.

Biography

Arlen Gregorio, Democrat, was a State Senator from 1971-1978. He was first elected to the 12th Senatorial District in 1970, which represented San Mateo County. After reapportionment in 1973, his Senate District changed to the 10th District and represented southern San Mateo County and Santa Clara County cities of Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale.
Gregorio was born in San Francisco on September 11, 1931, and is a fourth generation Californian. He attended Burlingame High School and San Mateo Junior College and received his A.B. and LL.B. from Stanford University. After obtaining his law degree in 1955 he served in the United States Navy for three years. He practiced law from 1958-1970 for a private firm and also served as the assistant city attorney for San Bruno from 1962-1970. He also was chair of the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee from 1964-1970.
He was married to Donna Prentice and had three sons; John, Stephen, and Arlen. After a divorce from his first wife, he remarried again in 1980.
According to the California Legislature at Sacramento (Handbooks), Gregorio was a member of the following committees:

State Senate, 1971-1978

  • Standing Committees
  • Education, 1971-1978
  • Elections and Reapportionment, 1975-1976
  • Finance, 1977-1978
  • Government Organization, 1975-1978
  • Health and Welfare, 1973-1978
  • *Chair, 1975-1978
  • Judiciary, 1971-1972
  • Local Government, 1971-1975
  • *Vice Chair, 1971-1974
  • Natural Resources and Wildlife, 1971-1974
  • Public Utilities and Corporations, 1971-1972
  • Subcommittees
  • Finance Subcommittee on Transit Problems in Santa Clara County, 1977-1978
  • Health and Welfare Subcommittee on Bay Area Cancer Study, 1977-1978
  • Joint Committees
  • Atomic Development and Space, 1971
  • Arts, 1973-1974
  • Joint Legislative Budget Committee, 1977-1978
  • Revision of Elections Code, 1971-1976
  • Revision of Education code, 1972-1974
  • Telecommunications, 1973-1974
  • Select Committees
  • Airport Access, 1971-1972
  • Health Sciences Education, 1975-1976
  • Housing and Urban Affairs, 1977-1978
  • Innovation in the Structure and Administration of Public Education, 1973-1975
  • Investment Priorities and Objectives, 1978
  • Laws Relating to Alcoholic Beverages, 1972-1976
In addition, as a member of the Legislature, Gregorio served on the Advisory Committee to the Office of Emergency Services, the Advisory Health Council, the California Council on Criminal Justice, the California Council on Vocational Education and Technology Training, the Education Innovation and Planning Commission, the Highway Users Tax Committee, and the State Environmental Quality Study Council.
In 1978 Gregorio lost his Senate seat, losing the election by only ninety votes. He served as a Supervisor on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors from 1979-1985 and changed his party affiliation to Independent. In 1984 he ran on the Democratic ticket in a bid to regain his old seat in the Senate, but lost. He currently works for a San Francisco law firm.

Scope and Content

The Arlen Gregorio Papers consist of Bill Files, 1971-1978. The bill files document his legislative activity during his term as a member of the California State Legislature. Bills introduced by him cover a wide array of subjects. Specific legislation relative to his district included state park status for Montara Beach and San Bruno Mountain. He also sponsored bills on legislative reform, including a unicameral legislature, term limits, and campaign reform through campaign contribution disclosure. Health topics included giving school districts the power to establish smoking areas on campuses; making physical education optional for junior and senior high school students; taxation of cigarettes for anti-smoking campaigns and research; and alcohol rehabilitation plans. In addition, he created legislation to make possession of small amounts of marijuana changed from a felony to a misdemeanor. He also sponsored law which changed the name of the California Arts Commission to Council and gave it broader and more powerful duties and created the Joint Committee on the Arts, 1973-74.
Other files include legislative counsel and bill analyses, Gregorio's weekly columns to newspapers, and press releases from his office.

Related Material at the California State Archives

Oral History

Arlen Gregorio, Oral History Interview, conducted in 1989 by Ann Lage, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, for the State Government Oral History Program, is available at the California State Archives and other repositories.

Microfilm

Some of the records are available on microfilm at the California State Archives.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Gregorio, Arlen
Legislative bodies Reform
Arts


LP171:1-101; LP172:213-214

Series 1 Bill Files 1971-1978

Physical Description: 103 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by session and numerically by bill number.

Scope and Content Note

Bill files created by Arlen Gregorio may include amendments, analyses, correspondence, opinions, worksheets, statements, press releases, editorials and newspaper clippings, committee statements, and other information. Microfilm copies of bill files are available for the years 1971-1978 as indicated by (mf) following the LP number.
1971: SB224-SB1620, SCA18-SCA19, SCR7-SCR117, SJR4 (12ff) LP171:1-12 (mf)
1972: SB77-SB1480, SCA2-SCA56, SCR52-SCR86, SR70-SR218 (13ff) LP171:13-25 (mf)
1973-1974: SB33-SB2459, SCA1-SCA2, SCR6-SCR115, SJR28-SJR45 (12ff) LP171:26-54 (mf)
1975-1976: SB12-SB2124, SCA17, SCR79, SR38, SB4x; SB22, SB23xx (26ff) LP171:55-80 (mf)
1977-1978: SB30-SB2223, SCA17, SCR90, SJR44, RCR's, JRCR's (21ff) LP171:81-101 (mf)
1977-1978: SB189, SB500 (2ff) LP172:213-214
LP171:102

Series 2 Legislative Counsel Opinions and Analyses 1978

Physical Description: 1 file folder

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

Opinions and analyses of the Legislative Counsel on issues posed by Gregorio's office, as well as policy issues, code sections, and the Counsel's wording in the Legislative Counsel's Digest on specific bills.
LP171:103-105

Series 3 Weekly Newspaper Columns 1971-1974

Physical Description: 3 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by column.

Scope and Content Note

Weekly writing by Gregorio as written for San Mateo County newspapers. Written in press release format, they cover subjects such as Gregorio's specific legislation, the legislative process, and state propositions.
LP172:215-219

Series 4 Press Releases 1971-1978

Physical Description: 5 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Scope and Content Note

Similar in content to the weekly newspaper columns, the Press Releases cover Gregorio's specific legislation, current events, the legislative process, and state propositions.