Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- League of Women Voters of the Bay Area
- Abstract:
- The League of Women Voters of the Bay Area Records (LWVBA), 1939-[ongoing], consist of administrative files, program records, and material relating to the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the League of Women Voters of the United States and the Women's Suffrage Movement in 1995. Program material includes records of league action, education, and studies relating to regional government, regional planning, air and water quality, environmental mitigation, land use, solid waste, hazardous materials management, economics, housing, and transportation. The records include agreements, Board of Directors records, bylaws, committee records, correspondence, meeting and event material, financial records, policies and procedures, program and project records, and reports. Material in the collection dates from 1939 to 2001, with the bulk dating from 1960 to 1996.
- Extent:
- Number of containers: 9 cartons, 1 oversize box, 2 oversize folders Linear feet: 11.25
- Language:
- English
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The League of Women Voters of the Bay Area Records (LWVBA), 1939-[ongoing], consist of administrative files, program records, and material relating to the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the League of Women Voters of the United States and the Women's Suffrage Movement in 1995. Program material includes records of league action, education, and studies relating to regional government, regional planning, air and water quality, environmental mitigation, land use, solid waste, hazardous materials management, economics, housing, and transportation. The records include agreements, Board of Directors records, bylaws, committee records, correspondence, meeting and event material, financial records, policies and procedures, program and project records, and reports. Material in the collection dates from 1939 to 2001, with the bulk dating from 1960 to 1996.
A small amount of material generated at the local, state, and national levels of the League of Women Voters organization is present in this collection due to the interaction among the various leagues and the League of Women Voters hierarchical organizational structure.
Early material pertains primarily to the initial organization and establishment of the LWVBA and may be found in the first three series of the collection. For example, Agreements, Bay Area Steering Committee records, Executive Committee records, and early Memoranda in Series 1 all document the early decision-making processes of the LWVBA. The earliest Governance Action Files and Study Files in Series 2 document the league's focus on regional issues at the earliest stages of its programmatic development. The Oral History Interview Files in Series 3 contain interview transcripts that provide early member perspectives on the beginnings of the league.
While the collection holds a substantial amount of early records, some early material is notably missing. For example, annual reports and program planning records from the early 1960s are not in the collection. Later annual reports from the 1980s and 1990s are also missing from the collection. With the exception of action files, there is little documentation regarding LWVBA programs during the 1980s.
The collection includes records from various LWVBA publications that are located primarily in Subseries 1.8, Publications. Records of two other publications, Do You Know Your Bay Area? and Bay Area Monitor are located in Series 2. The collection contains only the records of the publications and heavily annotated publications, as the bulk of the publications were catalogued separately.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The League of Women Voters of the Bay Area (LWVBA) was formally established in California's San Francisco Bay Area in 1961. Organization of the LWVBA began in 1957 when the League of Women Voters Alameda County Council received permission from the League of Women Voters of California to call a meeting of several local Bay Area leagues to consider regional problems and possibly a regional organization. Four years later, the LWVBA was formally established to address regional concerns in the Bay Area.
The LWVBA is a non-partisan political organization and its mission is to encourage citizen participation in government and influence public policy through education and advocacy. The LWVBA neither supports nor opposes political candidates and parties, but does take action on select issues in the public interest.
The League of Women Voters works at the local, state, and national levels, paralleling the levels of United States government. The parent organization, the League of Women Voters of the United States, was formed out of the Women's Suffrage Movement in 1920 after the ratification of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. The League of Women Voters of the United States recognizes the LWVBA as an inter-league organization composed of local Bay Area leagues.
The LWVBA comprises more than 20 local leagues, located in the nine counties that adjoin the San Francisco Bay. The local leagues are unified by one Bay Area governing council that is made up of representatives from each local league. This structure makes it possible for study and action on region-wide problems and aids in inter-league communication throughout the Bay Area. The LWVBA reports directly to the statewide League of Women Voters of California.
As one of the oldest organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area concerned with regional solutions to area wide problems, the LWVBA has adopted programs on regional government, regional planning, and many other programs of public interest. Local league members determine the issues to be studied. After research, study, and a process of member agreement called consensus, LWVBA positions are reached. Without a statement of position, action may not be taken on an issue. Action and education activities in LWVBA program areas include testifying at the state level and before regional boards, sponsoring conferences, and producing videos, publications, and workshops.
The first program of study during 1959-1960 was an analysis of Bay Area problems and possible solutions. The consensus resulting from this study was support for a regional approach to government in the Bay Area. While action and support for regional government and planning has remained the underlying theme of LWVBA programs, the LWVBA has also targeted other areas of study in subsequent years. The 1966-1968 program included the league's first environmental study. On the 1970-1972 program the league's first transportation study appeared, followed by the first land use study in 1972-1974. In the 1974-1976 program, the LWVBA added housing to its agenda of relevant public issues. Elements of later programs included California Environmental Quality Act mitigation and economics in the Bay Area. All of the areas of study mentioned above continue to be vital elements of the LWVBA program.
- Acquisition information:
- The League of Women Voters of the Bay Area Records were given to The Bancroft Library by Tamra C. Hege, President, League of Women Voters of the Bay Area, on December 15, 2001. Additions were made on June 11, 2003. Future additions are expected.
- Physical location:
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Access and use
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft LibraryBerkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
- Contact:
- 510-642-6481