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Riordan Papers Series Descriptions
Riordan Papers Series Descriptions
THE THOMAS AND DOROTHY LEAVEY CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF LOS ANGELES RESEARCH COLLECTION
MAYOR RICHARD J. RIORDAN ADMINISTRATIVE PAPERS (CSLA-17):
Collection and Series Descriptions
COLLECTION TITLE and NUMBER: Mayor Richard J. Riordan Administrative Papers, 1980-2001. CSLA-17
ACCESSION NUMBER: 2001.17
COLLECTION SIZE: 75 archival document boxes
The Mayor Richard J. Riordan Administrative Papers were donated to Loyola Marymount University in 2001. The collection consists of textual and non-textual materials. The former includes budgets, correspondence, minutes and agendas of committee meetings, reports and studies, brochures, and publications relating to the Mayor's office. The non-textual materials consist of videocassettes, audiocassettes, and photographs. The dates of the holdings range from 1980 to 2000, with 1993-2001 constituting the bulk dates. Materials dating before 1993 did not originate with the Mayor's administration.
The collection is organized into eight series: LA's Business Team, City of Los Angeles Budget,Speeches and Press Releases, Los Angeles City Charter Reform, Mayoral Programs, Personal Photographs, Videocassettes, and Audiocassettes. These eight series are based on the filing structure received from the Mayor's Office, and form Collection Number CSLA-17 in the Center for the Study of Los Angeles Research Collection. The original order has been preserved when processing the collection.
A brief description of each series is listed below. Descriptions include links to each series' box and folder lists, which are indexes to a series' holdings and arrangement in folders and boxes.
Series Descriptions
Series 1: LA's Business Team
Series Size: Boxes 1-10
To consult the box and folder list for the holdings of this series, select the following title: Series 1: LA's Business Team
LA's Business Team provided comprehensive one-on-one business assistance to promote business retention, expansion and attraction. Services included site selection assistance, compiling economic incentive and training packages, and facilitating permits and approvals for projects. Some of the latter were part of the Genesis L.A. economic development initiative to generate more than 5000 quality jobs and $250 million in new private investment for the inner city. Holdings in this series include project management updates, copies of email, meeting minutes, reports and contracts.
Series 2: City of Los Angeles Budgets 
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Series Size: Boxes 11-17
To consult the box and folder list for the holdings of this series, select the following title: Series 2: City of Los Angeles Budgets
This series consists entirely of budgets, supporting financial reports and schedules. Included are final printed city budgets from the fiscal years 1993-1994 to 2000-2001.
Series 3: Speeches and Press Releases back to top
Series Size: Boxes 18-23, 73-75
To consult the box and folder lists for the holdings of this series, select the following titles: Subseries A: Speeches 1995-1998 | Subseries B: Speeches 1999-2001 | Subseries C: Press Releases
This series illustrates the types of issues and concerns, groups and organizations that were addressed during Mayor Riordan's terms. Some speeches have briefing papers or are annotated. Of interest are the Mayor's annual "State of the City" addresses. Speeches and press releases have chronological indices, for which, please see Box 19, Folder 7; Box 21, Folder 3; Box 23, Folder 7. Speeches include January-November 1995, all of 1997; January, February, April, October 1998, February-December 1999, all of 2000 and January-June 2001. Press releases are from the years 1998 to 2001.
Series 4: Los Angeles City Charter Reform back to top
Series Size: Boxes 24-29
To consult the box and folder list for the holdings of this series, select the following title: Series 4: Los Angeles City Charter Reform
The Los Angeles City Charter serves as the city's constitution. The 1924 charter had been amended nearly 400 times and by 1997 was 700 pages long. Through a long (1997-1999) and complex process, the charter was reformed by approximately 120 elected and appointed commissioners and at 170 public hearings. On June 8, 1999, voters passed Charter Measure 1, approving the new city charter. Among the general improvements were more local control and an accountable city government with new efficiencies. The charter materials in this series come from the files of Assistant Deputy Mayor Theresa Patzakis and include copies of the charter, agendas, minutes, reports, press coverage and correspondence showing the progress of reforming the Los Angeles City Charter.
The Charter Reform Commission, led by the Elected Chair, Erwin Chemerinsky, and the Appointed Chair, George David Kieffer, spent June through August of 1997 in weekly study group meetings focusing on institutions and management. They analyzed the L.A. Charter, compared similar institutions and cities, and developed options for reform. Ultimately, their results were published as the document, "Road to Decision" (Box 27, Folder 1). By September of 1997, the "Road to Decision" outlined ten key issues of charter reform and a schedule for publicly discussing them.
Appointed Commissioners established 3 objectives of deliberations meetings: to design a simpler, more accessible charter; to clarify roles of key city officials; to increase and improve opportunities for citizen participation in the charter.
As a result of the Unified Charter, the structure of government was modified to allow accountability and checks and balances between the Mayor and City Council. It introduced self-selected Neighborhood Councils to monitor and suggest local services. Citizen-led Redistricting Commissions will determine City Council District boundaries, rather than the City Council. Instead of one Planning Commission, 5 Area Planning Commissions will make local land use decisions. A Code of Conduct for elected officials was written, the Mayor was authorized to declare and prepare for local emergencies, the Controller's Office was authorized to conduct performance audits, and finance functions were consolidated in an Office of Finance.
Series 5: Mayoral Programs back to top
Series Size: Boxes 30-42
This series contains several subseries of the Mayor's programs including: Los Angeles's Better Educated Students for Tomorrow (LA's BEST), Mayor's Criminal Justice Planning Office (CJPO) Grant Awards, Los Angeles Opportunities for Procurement and Services (LA OPS), and the Alameda Corridor Business Outreach Program (ACBOP).
To consult the box and folder lists for the holdings of this series, select the following titles:
Subseries A: Accomplishments and Los Angeles's Better Educated Students for Tomorrow (LA's BEST). (Box 34) Los Angeles's Better Educated Students for Tomorrow is an after-school program used by many Los Angeles Unified School District schools with disadvantaged students. LA's BEST gives children the opportunity to grow academically. These files contain annual reports, promotional materials, press releases and news clippings. Also, this subseries contains the Mayor's "accomplishments" (Boxes 30-33). Accomplishment files are composed mainly of press releases, news clippings and public relations material detailing Mayor Richard J. Riordan's accomplishments during his two consecutive terms of office. Of interest is Chief of Staff, Kelly Martin's file on Charter Reform in Box 33, Folder 2.
Subseries B: The Mayor's Criminal Justice Planning Office (CJPO) Grant Award. (Boxes 35-37) These files contain national grant applications and awards for community policing and special training programs of the Los Angeles Police Department. The awards are listed according to their Federal Grant number and title.
Subseries C: Los Angeles Opportunities for Procurement and Services (LA OPS). (Boxes 38-40) The Los Angeles Opportunities for Procurement and Services was established in July 1999 and operated by the Mayor's Office of Economic Development, the Los Angeles Minority Business Opportunity Committee and the Interdepartmental Procurement Committee. Through this interdepartmental cooperation, LA OPS assisted minority, women and other business enterprises to participate in citywide procurement contracts. Program services include database lists, referrals, training assistance, and access to capital and consortiums. The Los Angeles Minority Business Committee assisted in the growth and development of minority, women and disadvantaged businesses in the area of contract and procurement, certification, access to capital, bonding, entrepreneurial training, management and business assistance and international trade. This sub-series contains progress reports, meetings, requests for reimbursement, memos of understanding, press clippings, and correspondence.
Subseries D: Alameda Corridor Business Outreach Program (ACBOP). (Boxes 41-42) The goal of the Alameda Corridor Business Outreach Program was to award 22% of all Alameda Corridor contracts to disadvantaged businesses. ACBOP was administered by the Alameda Corridor Transportation Agency working together with the Mayor's Office of Economic Development. The Alameda Corridor was anticipated to create approximately 10,000 construction jobs, and cost $2 billion. The Alameda Corridor was developed to increase commercial traffic both by highway and rail from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, creating an estimated growth of $88 billion annually in the regional economy. This program's success led to the establishment of the Los Angeles to Pasadena Business Outreach Program in 2000, which is briefly covered at the end of these files. This sub-series contains financial assistance award packets, grant applications, correspondence, press clippings, memos, refunding request, budgets, a City Council resolution, and progress reports.
Series 6: Personal Photographs back to top
Series Size: Boxes 43-54
To consult the box and folder lists for the holdings of this series, select the following titles: Subseries A: 1993-1994 | Subseries B: 1995-1996 | Subseries C: 1997-1998 | Subseries D: 1999-2001 | Subseries E: No Date
The majority of these photographs were taken by Mayor Riordan's staff member, Tom LaBonge, during the years 1993-2000. Photographs are arranged chronologically, with descriptions of any known individuals, dates and locations. The total number of photographic prints (not unique prints) is noted in the line following the description. Two items of interest are the Mayor's Bike Rides, designed as participatory community events and often highlighting improvements within neighborhoods, and the numerous "day on the job" visits to city departments. Also of interest are photographs of Mayor Riordan with statesmen (Bill Clinton and George W. Bush), diplomats (from China, Ireland, Great Britain, Greece, etc.), celebrities (James Brown, Drew Barrymore, etc.) and sports figures (Greg Louganis, Muhammad Ali, the Lakers).
Series 7: Videocassettes back to top
Series Size: Boxes 55-71
To consult the box and folder list for the holdings of this series, select the following title: Series 7: Videocassettes
The videocassette series is arranged chronologically. Videocassettees contain weekly or monthly press clips from local and national news broadcasts, with an occasional guest appearance on a nationally syndicated program. Of interest are the videocassettes that summarize Riordan's mayoral achievements (Box 70, Tapes 3 and 4). A detailed chronological log of all the video clips' dates, times and channels is in Box 71, Folder 1.
Series 8: Audiocassettes back to top
Series Size: Box 72
To consult the box and folder list for the holdings of this series, select the following title: Series 8: Audiocassettes
This small series is arranged chronologically. The audiocassettes record interviews given by the Mayor on various radio stations. Also included are some ad hoc budget meetings.
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