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Bob Beverly Series Descriptions
Bob Beverly Series Descriptions
THE THOMAS AND DOROTHY LEAVEY CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF LOS ANGELES RESEARCH COLLECTION
BOB BEVERLY PAPERS, 1962-1996 (CSLA 7):
Series Descriptions
To view the contents of each series and their arrangement in boxes and folders, select the links to the box and folder lists in the series descriptions below.
Series One: Biography, [1967-96]
(To view the box and folder lists for this series select the preceding series title.)
The biography series includes biographical material relating to Beverly's legislative career. The materials include press releases prepared by his staff for broadcast or print as well as literature, such as newsletters, highlighting his law-making achievements and positions on pending legislative and issues germane to his constituency. A few photographs are included also. This series maintains its original order and includes only 1 box.
Series Two: Senate Bill Files, [1983-84, 1989-96]
(To view the box and folder lists for this series select the preceding series title.)
One of the larger series in the collection is the printed copies of legislation the senator sponsored in the latter part of his tenure. Because the materials in the Beverly collection emanated from his district office, they do not include legislative working papers or correspondence from constituents, which remained in his Sacramento office. Though many of his Senate files are included here, there are, however, no legislative bill files from his tenure as an assemblyman (1967-1976). A few noteworthy bills to be found in this series include:
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SB 1331 (1983-84)--Burglary: Removal of Sunset Provision--Also known as "Rob a Home, Go to Prison," this bill states that probation may not be granted on a conviction for residential burglary.
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SB 1333 (1983-84)--L.A. County Transportation Revenue--This bill authorizes the L.A. County Transportation Commission to issue revenue bonds for construction of a 150-mile county-wide rail transit system.
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SB 840 (1995-96)--Criminal Procedure: Arraignment: Audio Video--This bill created a three-year pilot program allowing for state prison inmates to be arraigned via a two-way electronic audio-visual communication (television) system. This would greatly reduce the costs of transporting inmates to courthouses and also reduce the risk of endangering the public.
The 17 boxes in this series are arranged chronologically and by bill numbers within specific years.
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Series Three: Lobbyist Directories & Issue Reports, [1970, 1980-95]
(To view the box and folder lists for this series select the preceding series title.)
The 7 boxes in this series are comprised mainly of reports generated by government offices concerning such issues as the state budget, women's rights, health care, education, minorities, environment, etc. Summaries and previews of legislative sessions are included, as are directories of lobbying organizations, mostly originating from the secretary of state's office. Especially noteworthy are materials relating to two of the Song-Beverly Acts, dating back to 1970, that relate to consumer protection. One of these laws evolved into California's Lemon Law. There are also a small number of over-sized materials, including maps of Beverly's districts. The original order of this series has been maintained.
A sub-series, Senate Office of Research Reports, is comprised of 2 boxes of issue briefs and special reports on housing, alternative energy, the drug crisis, education, minimum wage, etc. from 1983 to 1990.
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Series Four: Legislative Counsel & Attorney General Opinions [1973-96]
(To view the box and folder lists for this series select the preceding series title.)
This series includes materials used to support the legislative process from a legal standpoint. The material includes correspondence between Beverly's office and the offices of the legislative counsel or attorney general requesting legal information concerning pending bills, regulations, or issues that may result in legislation. Included is a sub-series containing documents concerning governors' appointments. This series, comprised of 2 boxes, has been arranged alphabetically, then chronologically.
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Series Five: Correspondence, [1970-96]
(To view the box and folder lists for this series select the preceding series title.)
Though there is no correspondence from constituents, the legislator's responses to his constituents on a wide array of issues and legislation are present. Outgoing letters regarding legislation introduced in both houses are included in this series which totals 12 boxes.
The correspondence is arranged chronologically, then alphabetically (Assembly Bills, coming before Assembly Joint Resolutions, for example) and then by bill (or resolution) number. Subject correspondence files are arranged chronologically and then, in most cases, alphabetically.
There are several exceptions to this structure that will be duly noted. For instance, no correspondence appears in this series prior to 1970, and the subject files for the years 1970-1974 are not in alphabetical order. Furthermore, some of the subject files from 1974 lack headings. During these same years, Beverly's staff arranged correspondences according to the year they were written and not the legislative session they pertain to. This was altered, beginning with the 1975-76 session.
The 1977-78 subject correspondence is only partially alphabetized. Correspondence from the 1981-82 legislative session is missing altogether, while the 1983-84 session files are lacking correspondence concerning senate bills. The files that reflect the last ten years of Beverly's correspondence have no such gaps.
A sub-series consisting of one box centers on documents concerning governor appointments and Beverly's lobbying efforts on behalf of individuals he thought worthy of consideration in filling them. The sub-series is arranged chronologically and spans the years 1987 through 1994.
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Series Six: Surveys & Reports [1968-94]
(To view the box and folder lists for this series select the preceding series title.)
The 4 boxes in this series include polling data from Los Angeles County, voter surveys, vote comparisons of legislators from the Senate Republican Caucus, politico-demographic reports and precinct priority listings from the Republican Central Committee of Los Angeles County. Also included is literature and fundraising materials from community groups, as well as materials from the Teamsters' Legislative Council. The inclusive dates of these materials are 1968-1994, but the records are scattered within this time period.
Included in this series is a sub-series containing the voting record and ratings of legislators compiled mostly by political action committees or lobbying organizations. The original order of this series has been maintained.
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Series Seven: Elections [1962-96]
Note: The box and folder list for this series have been arranged chronologically for this on-line guide; to view them please select the following dates:
1962-1979 | 1980-1996
The 46 boxes in the elections series document the campaigns of other political figures as well as ballot initiative drives. (The "Campaigns" series, in contrast, documents Beverly's own campaigns as Assemblyman and State Senator, although there is a small amount of overlap between the two series.) Elections ranging from municipal offices to the federal level are documented with such materials as press clippings, letters seeking endorsements from Beverly, and mailers from voting groups. This series includes material regarding ballot initiatives in both primary and general elections. The ballot initiative files are large because they include official reports and handbooks, newspaper clippings, press releases, etc. Also, voting results are included, both from press clippings and the secretary of state's office.
Notable items in this series include:
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a pamphlet on Communist conspiracy by Karl Prussian (1962)
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inauguration program for Governor Reagan, including song lyrics for "Stand Up and Cheer (for Ronald Reagan)" (1970)
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ballot propositions (4 folders) including voting requirements revision, death penalty initiative, marijuana initiative, coastline initiative, etc. (1972)
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Time magazine (9/25/72): article on the Nixon/ McGovern campaign, but also cover story on radical television shows such as All in the Family, M.A.S.H., and Sanford and Son. (1972)
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ballot proposition #13 (Jarvis-Gann Property Tax Initiative--passed) (1978)
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ballot proposition #15 (Gun Control Initiative--lost) (1982)
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"Computergate"--investigation into alleged misuse of state leased computers for political purposes in Governor Brown's office (1982)
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ballot proposition #37 (State Lottery Initiative) (1984)
This series is arranged chronologically then alphabetically.
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Series Eight: Campaigns [1967-92]
(To view the box and folder lists for this series select the preceding series title.)
The campaigns series is an extensive and comprehensive collection of materials generated from the campaigns of Beverly himself. The first 12 boxes in this series pertain to Beverly's campaigns for Assemblyman of the 46th district (1967-1974). The remaining 18 boxes relate to his campaigns for Senator of the 27th district (later re-apportioned as the 29th district). The series is arranged chronologically by campaign year and then alphabetically by subject. The subject files for each of the campaign years are basically the same and consist of topics such as "Advertising," "Biographical Data," "Congratulatory Letters," "Correspondence," "Endorsements," "Issues," "Nomination Papers," "Opposition," "Press Clippings," "Press Releases," "Questionnaires," and "Voting Information."
"Advertising" usually includes campaign mailers, newspaper ads, and invoices for advertising materials such as signs. An "Issues" file was not kept for every campaign, but some campaign years generated large issues files and even separate folders for individual issues such as the one for gun control in 1968. Other issues covered in these files were state tax changes, nuclear power, abortion, coastal bills, and women's rights legislation. "Opposition" files include articles, correspondence, memoranda, etc. concerning Beverly's various opponents in each of the elections--from all parties. Some of the "Opposition" files are entirely about one person, as is a 1992 file on Democrat Brian Finander. The "Questionnaire" files are generally comprised of copies of questionnaires that Beverly received from various organizations soliciting his views on specific issues such as gun control, animal rights, women's issues, etc. Sometimes--as in 1976-- the "Questionnaire" file consists of questionnaires and surveys filled out by Beverly's constituents and mailed back to him.
There are a few photographs in the campaign series particularly from 1967 and 1976 (under "Photographs"). Most of them are black and white publicity photos of Beverly, but there are also some informal photographs of Beverly at various functions and with various persons. An oversize photograph of a campaign advertisement from 1992 is located in the map case.
A folder labeled "Supporters" (1984) was removed from the series and placed in a restricted area due to the confidentiality of the information within it; i.e. copies of personal checks from supporters..
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Series Nine: Communications [1976-1985]
(To view the box and folder lists for this series select the preceding series title.)
This series consists of media directories, newspaper clippings, press contacts, and press releases--those which were not part of other series. The files in the one box are arranged alphabetically by form and then chronologically. Press releases form the bulk of the series.
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Series Ten: Memorabilia
(To view the box and folder lists for this series select the preceding series title.)
There are a number of "souvenir" type items that comprise part of this series such as tie tacks and small flags portraying the city of Artesia and a small plastic "billboard" of a Beverly campaign poster. There are also several items in the flat file such as the original certificates of 19 Assembly resolutions between 1953 and 1968. The subjects of the resolutions range from memorializing the death of General Douglas MacArthur (1964) to recognizing and celebrating Chinese New Year (1957). Another item in the flat file is a photograph of the opening ceremonies of the 1984 Olympic Games.
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Series Eleven: Maps
(To view the box and folder lists for this series select the preceding series title.)
Six maps comprise this series--one very large unmounted map, one framed map, and four smaller ones mounted on pasteboard. The very large map depicts the 27th Senate District and is undated. The framed map, dated 1965, depicts the city boundaries of the 46th District. Another undated map covers the 46th Assembly District. A map from 1981 shows the newly apportioned 29th Senate District. Two maps from 1967 portray the Senatorial Districts of L.A. County and the Assembly Districts of L.A. County respectively. Though these particular maps are in the flat file in the maps series, there are also a few maps in Series 3 with other materials on re-districting.
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APPENDIX
The following periodicals were received with the Bob Beverly papers, but have been removed from the collection and placed with the general reference materials:
CALIFORNIA JOURNAL: Includes all months between Jan. 1970 and Dec. 1996 EXCEPT for the following: 1970: April, May, July, Nov. Dec. 1972: Oct., Dec. 1974: May 1987: Dec. 1988: Aug.-Dec. 1989: Nov. 1995: Nov. (The issue in the binder is for 1994.) 1996: Dec. (Many years also include an index.)
EVANS-NOVAK POLITICAL REPORT: A biweekly newsletter covering all of the weeks between Jan. 1987 and Dec. 1996 EXCEPT for the following: 1987: Dec. (all) 1988: All missing EXCEPT 1/5, 1/14, 11/9, 12/6, 12/20 1989: Jul. 19, May 23 1996: Nov. (all), Dec. (all)
THE POLITICAL ANIMAL: A biweekly newsletter covering all of the weeks between Dec. 1986 and Apr. 1993 EXCEPT for the following: 1988: Sept. (all) 1990: Oct. 29 1991: Mar. 4 1992: Jan. (all), Sept. 28 1993: Mar. 15, May-Dec.
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