Month: March 2011

L.A. History Research Group meets April 16: Michelle Nickerson will speak on Women and the Postwar Right

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The next meeting of the Los Angeles History Research Group will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 16, 2011, in Seaver Classroom 3 of the Munger Research Center at The Huntington Library.

From the announcement:

Michelle Nickerson will present and answer questions about her soon-to-appear book, Mothers of Conservatism: Women and the Postwar Right, which examines how California women shaped the grassroots right that emerged in the two decades following World War II.  She studies red-hunting housewives who develop activist networks, institutions, and sensibilities in local education battles that contribute to the momentum of the conservative movement.  As in the past, this will be a special opportunity to celebrate the reading group’s origins and the best scholarship about the history of Southern California.

If you have any questions, please contact one of the coordinators listed below:

Nick Rosenthal
ngrosen@lmu.edu

Allison Varzally
avarzally@exchange.fullerton.edu

Patricia McBroom on Public Trust Doctrine Lawsuit over California Water

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Patricia McBroom, in her blog, The California Spigot, has published an article (March 23) on how environmental groups have filed a potentially revolutionary lawsuit based on the “ancient doctrine” of “public trust” to challenge the privatization of water rights in the Sacramento Delta. The suit is against California’s water agencies: the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and the Department of Water Resources (DWR). The environmentalists charge that water officials have violated the public trust by allowing so much water to be pumped out of the Delta that fish and wildlife, aesthetics, recreation and water quality are being damaged or destroyed.

From the article:

Basing a lawsuit on the ancient doctrine [of public trust] is rare.  Only a few have been won, but when they are successful, a public trust case transforms the relationship between private and public interests in regard to natural resources.  Such a ground-breaking decision was made by the California Supreme Court in 1983 to preserve Mono Lake near Yosemite. The Court ruled that the Los Angeles Water District had to stop taking water from the streams that fed Mono because the lake was being irreparably damaged by the diversions.  The current delta lawsuit is based on that decision.

As it has evolved since Roman times, the doctrine preserves certain waterways for use by the public, setting up a fundamental right that cannot easily be restricted by private ownership.  Such rights include use of lakes, streams, tidal lands and other natural resources linked to water.
To read the whole article, click here.

San Gabriel Mission History Forum April 16

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The San Gabriel Mission and the Jonathan Heritage Foundation are hosting the “San Gabriel Mission’s History Forum!” on Saturday, April 16, 2011, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Mission, 427 S. Junipero Serra Dr. (at Mission Road), San Gabriel, CA  91776.

Program:

Dr. Jennifer Perry
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Pomona College
“Peoples of the California Channel Islands”

Noted anthropologist Dr. Perry will present an overview of the prehistory of the Channel Islands from archaeological and ethnohistoric perspectives. She will discuss why this region is so unique with respect to the antiquity and complexity of its Tongva and Chumash heritage.

Dr. James A. Sandos
Farquhar Professor of the Southwest, University of Redlands
Patricia Sandos, Independent Scholar
“Chisli, Canuch, and Junípero Serra:
Indian Response to Mission San Diego, 1769-1788”

One of the most respected mission historians, Dr. Sandos and his wife Patricia will present a rare glimpse into the early history of California’s first mission settlement from the various perspectives of a persistent Indian rebel, his brother and his son and their interactions with Fr. Serra.

Moderated by John Macias, San Gabriel Mission parishioner and
Ph.D. Candidate in History, Claremont Graduate University

From the flyer for the event:

This event is an opportunity for the public to interact with historians in an informal setting so that everyone can share information and learn more about history! And, visitors can see the mission church, museum, grounds and mission building models of all 21 missions in California on a self-guided tour.

This event is FREE, but seating is limited.  Seats may be reserved by calling 626-457-3048, no later than April 14. Persons age 17 and younger MUST be with a parent or guardian age 18 or older.

Enter at mission’s gift shop to check in.

Next California Studies Dinner March 16: Mary Ann Irwin and Robert Cherny speaking on Women in California Politics

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The next California Studies dinner will take place March 16, 2011 in Berkeley; the speakers will be Mary Ann Irwin, Professor of History, Diablo Valley College and Robert Cherny, Professor of History, San Francisco State University; they will be talking about their new book California Women and Politics, From the Gold Rush to the Great Depression.

TIME & PLACE
7 :00 p.m. – 10 :00 p.m.
Director’s Room, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, 2521 Channing St.(just above Telegraph Ave).

The dinner is buffet style. Dinners are free, but a small donation is requested from those partaking of wine and beverages.

PLEASE RSVP by Friday, March  11, 2011, to Delores Dillard, Department of Geography, 507 McCone Hall, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA  94720-4740 phone (510)  642-3903 or FAX (510) 642-3370, or e-mail: deloresd@berkeley.edu