DOCSLIB.ORG

The Foundations of Parole in California Author(S): Sheldon L

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Foundations of Parole in California Author(S): Sheldon L The Foundations of Parole in California Author(s): Sheldon L. Messinger, John E. Berecochea, David Rauma and Richard A. Berk Source: Law & Society Review, Vol. 19, No. 1 (1985), pp. 69-106 Published by: Wiley on behalf of the Law and Society Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3053395 Accessed: 29-09-2016 19:00 UTC JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms Wiley, Law and Society Association are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Law & Society Review This content downloaded from 129.130.52.6 on Thu, 29 Sep 2016 19:00:26 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms THE FOUNDATIONS OF PAROLE IN CALIFORNIA SHEnDON L. MESSINGER* JOHN E. BERECOCHEA DAVID RAUMA RICHARD A. BERK Parole was introduced in California, and used for over a decade, primarily to relieve governors of part of the burden of exercising clemency to reduce the excessive sentences of selected state prisoners. Later, when parole was additionally used to relieve prison crowding, processes were initiated that eventually led to the adoption of a rehabilitative justification for parole. We outline these events and their background and briefly consider their implications for the study of penal reforms. This article examines the origins and early development of parole in California, one of the first states to adopt the measure for adult prisoners. The empirical argument of the paper is as follows: Parole was proposed, and used for more than a decade, selectively to provide "early" release for prisoners serving "excessive" terms. As such, it was intended and used as a partial substitute for executive clemency. Later, it was turned to an additional end: to control the size of the prison population. This latter use undermined the earlier justification for parole and led to establishment of an agency to provide surveillance of and services to parolees. Only with this development did parole-supervision come to be emphasiz7d and parole begin to be justified as a means for helping to assure the "rehabilitation" of released prisoners. Sections I-V of this article deal with the events leading to the adoption of parole in 1893. Sections I and II examine official concern over excessive sentences and the use of executive * This paper is based on research supported by grants from the National Institute of Justice and the Law and Social Sciences Program, National Science Foundation. We wish to thank: David L. Snyder and Joseph P. Samora, California State Archives, and Marie Vida Ryan and Dona Good, California Department of Corrections, for help in locating primary records; and Francis A. Allen, Thomas G. Blomberg, Stanley Cohen, Gilbert Geis, Richard O. Lempert, and Stanton Wheeler for editorial suggestions. LAW & SOCIETY REVIEW, Volume 19, Number 1 (1985) This content downloaded from 129.130.52.6 on Thu, 29 Sep 2016 19:00:26 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 70 FOUNDATIONS OF PAROLE IN CALIFORNIA clemency to modify them. Section III considers the implications of removing control of the prisons from elected officials to a "non-partisan" board. Section IV analyzes the board's recommendation of parole, and Section V, the events leading to legislative adoption of the recommendation. Section VI shows how parole was used from 1893 until about 1907, when prison population pressures mounted; Section VII, how these pressures led to change in parole policy. Section VIII explores modifications in the structure and rhetoric of parole in California after this change, until 1914, the eve of indeterminate sentencing in California. A summary and conclusions are offered in Section IX. I California became a state in 1850 and at first leased its prisoners to private entrepreneurs who sold the prisoners' labor to various businesses, including their own.' The expense of the enterprise, rumors of corruption, persistent complaints about atrocious prison conditions, and perhaps most important, large numbers of escapes, often preceded by bloody mass uprisings, helped move state officials to take over management of the prisoners in late 1860.2 By that time, prison buildings surrounded by a wall had been constructed at San Quentin. There were over 500 prisoners on hand, with more coming daily. When the state took over, prison management was formally lodged in a Board of Directors of the State Prison, composed of the governor, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state.3 The lieutenant governor also functioned as the resident director and warden of San Quentin, when he was not busy with his other duties. The Board appointed San Quentin personnel. Its primary mandate was to keep the prisoners 1 There is no fully satisfactory history of nineteenth- (or twentieth-) century penal affairs in California. However, Lamott (1961) provides an informative and generally reliable account, especially for the nineteenth century. A useful general history of California is provided by Bean (1973). 2 During most of the period 1851-60, the state paid the lessees for housing, feeding, and keeping the prisoners. Rumors of pay-offs for pardons and for arranged escapes were rife. Prisoner uprisings were common. See Lamott, 1961: 1-81. Through fiscal 1861, about one-third of those leaving the prison did so by escaping. This was about one-fourth of those committed by the courts during the same period. Fewer than half of those who escaped appear to have been recaptured. These and similar numbers derive from annual and biennial reports of the various prison boards, compiled by the authors. 3 The Board of Directors of the California State Prison (1858-79) was preceded by boards without full control of the prison. This content downloaded from 129.130.52.6 on Thu, 29 Sep 2016 19:00:26 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms MESSINGER, BERECOCHEA, RAUMA AND BERK 71 behind San Quentin's wall, peacefully if possible, until their sentences expired. Prisoner labor was to be used to produce income to reduce expenses, but secure, peaceful confinement was the more significant goal. An important source of prisoner discontent, which made tranquil confinement difficult, was the "excessive" sentence. Sentences considered "too severe" or "excessive" often sorely troubled prisoners and those responsible for keeping them peacefully confined. Governor John B. Weller (1858-60) mentioned several sources of such sentences, suggesting that, by 1860, excessively severe sentences were both fairly frequent and difficult or perhaps impossible to avoid in advance. There was the fallibility of judges and juries, particularly "in a new country [like California], composed of a population drawn from all parts of the globe." And there was the tendency "at different periods," when crimes became "frequent," for local jurisdictions to impose "extraordinary punishments to arrest the evil." Then, too, "a few years since," some judges "sought to establish the reputation of severe, rather than just, officers." Although he had used his clemency powers sparingly, the governor said he had "not hesitated to extend executive clemency" in such cases (Weller, 1860: 66-67, emphasis in original). The Prison Directors suggested in 1865 why state prisoners with excessive sentences might become especially upset: We wish to call attention to an evil without knowing how to suggest a remedy: That is, the disparity in the sentences of Courts for the same grade of crime. Men have been sentenced to the Prison for the term of ten years for stealing a pair of mules or oxen, while others from other Courts for the same crime or one similar have been sentenced for two or three years. No mode of reasoning will convince the prisoners that both of these sentences are equal and exact justice (DCSP, 1865: 8-9). In addition to feeling that they had been dealt with unjustly, they would feel that they had been treated unfairly. No remedy except executive clemency was immediately forthcoming. Governors and other members of the Board of Prison Directors continued to tell the legislature that excessive sentences were frequent and caused prisoner discontent. Governor Frederick F. Low (1863-67) commented in 1867 that: It has been for some years a well settled belief in the minds of those having the best opportunities for acquiring information, that a large number of prisoners at San Quentin [are] . suffering This content downloaded from 129.130.52.6 on Thu, 29 Sep 2016 19:00:26 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 72 FOUNDATIONS OF PAROLE IN CALIFORNIA imprisonment under unjust or unreasonably long sentences (Low, 1868: 39). In 1873, Governor Newton Booth (1871-75), drawing on his experience with appeals for pardon, said: The inequality of sentences for the same offense in different Courts, and often in the same Court, at different times, will become apparent to any one called upon to review them. This [breeds a] sense of injustice [that] rankles in the bosom of the convict and emphasizes his war with society (Booth, 1874: 76). Governor Romualdo Pacheco (1875) confirmed this judgment during his brief stay in office, adding that it was not only prisoners and prison officials who were disturbed: Judges and juries frequently unite in soliciting the Executive to undo their work. Prosecuting officers regret their own successes, prosecuting witnesses become repentant, and the victims of criminal acts obtain satisfaction, before the term of a sentence has expired-sometimes, almost before it begins-and they join in a petition for a pardon .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • UC Davis Books
    UC Davis Books Title Checklist of Reports Published in the Appendices to the Journals of the California Legislature 1850-1970 Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5wj2k3z4 Author Stratford, Juri Publication Date 2018 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ 4.0 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Checklist of Reports Published in the Appendices to the Journals of the California Legislature 1850-1970 Revised Edition 2018 Juri Stratford Copyright © 2016, 2018 Juri Stratford 2 Introduction The California Legislature published reports in the Appendices to the Journals from 1850 to 1970. The present Checklist covers the reports published in the Appendices to the Journals from 1850 to 1970. The Checklist is arranged by volume. The Appendices include reports produced by California executive agencies as well as the California Legislature. In a few instances, the reports include work by the United States federal government or the University of California. Each entry gives the volume number for the report in one of two formats: 1909(38th)(1) This first example indicates Appendix to the 1909 Journals, Volume 1, 38th session. The Legislature stopped assigning session numbers after the 57th session, 1947. For later years, the Appendices were published as separate series of Senate and Assembly volumes. For some years, only Senate volumes were published. 1955(S)(1) This second example indicates Appendix to the 1955 Senate Journals, Volume 1. 3 4 1850(1st)(Journal of the Legislature) McDougall, Lieut. Governor and President, &c.. [G] 1850(1st)(Journal of the Legislature) Special Report of Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter IV. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES
    Chapter IV. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES City of Banning General Plan WATER RESOURCES ELEMENT PURPOSE The Water Resources Element addresses water quality, availability and conservation for the City’s current and future needs. The Element also discusses the importance of on-going coordination and cooperation between the City, Banning Heights Mutual Water Company, High Valley Water District, San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency and other agencies responsible for supplying water to the region. Topics include the ground water replenishment program, consumptive demand of City residents, and wastewater management and its increasingly important role in the protection of ground water resources. The goals, policies and programs set forth in this element direct staff and other City officials in the management of this essential resource. BACKGROUND The Water Resources Element is directly related to the Land Use Element, in considering the availability of water resources to meet the land use plan; and has a direct relationship to the Flooding and Hydrology Element, in its effort to protect and enhance groundwater recharge. Water issues are also integral components of the following elements: Police and Fire Protection, Economic Development, Emergency Preparedness, and Water, Wastewater and Utilities. The Water Resources Element addresses topics set forth in California Government Code Section 65302(d). Also, in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Section 21083.2(g), the City is empowered to require that adequate research and documentation be conducted when the potential for significant impacts to water and other important resources exists. Watersheds The westernmost part of the planning area is located at the summit of the San Gorgonio Pass, which divides two major watersheds: the San Jacinto River Watershed to the west and the Salton Sea watershed to the east.
    [Show full text]
  • California Government
    330673_fm.qxd 02/02/05 1:04 PM Page i California Government CengageNot for Learning Reprint 330673_fm.qxd 02/02/05 1:04 PM Page ii CengageNot for Learning Reprint 330673_fm.qxd 02/02/05 1:04 PM Page iii ######## California Government Fourth Edition John L. Korey California State Polytechnic University, Pomona CengageNot for Learning Reprint Houghton Mifflin Company Boston New York 330673_fm.qxd 02/02/05 1:04 PM Page iv DEDICATION To Mary, always and to the newest family members— Welcome to California Publisher: Charles Hartford Sponsoring Editor: Katherine Meisenheimer Assistant Editor: Christina Lembo Editorial Assistant: Kristen Craib Associate Project Editor: Teresa Huang Editorial Assistant: Jake Perry Senior Art and Design Coordinator: Jill Haber Senior Photo Editor: Jennifer Meyer Dare Senior Composition Buyer: Sarah Ambrose Manufacturing Coordinator: Carrie Wagner Executive Marketing Manager: Nicola Poser Marketing Associate: Kathleen Mellon Cover image: Primary California Photography, © Harold Burch, New York City. California State Bear Photo © Bob Rowan, Progressive Image/CORBIS. Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of Houghton Mifflin Company unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Address inquiries to College Permissions, Houghton Mifflin
    [Show full text]
  • Systems of California Indian Servitude Under US Rule
    ‘‘Unholy Traffic in Human Blood and Souls’’: Systems of California Indian Servitude under U.S. Rule BENJAMIN MADLEY The author teaches in the history department and American Indian Studies Program at the University of California, Los Angeles. From 1846 onward, at least 20,000 California Indians worked in varied forms of bondage under U.S. rule. This essay provides the first article-length survey of the statewide rise and fall of California’s systems of Indian servitude under U.S. rule, including their Russo-Hispanic antecedents, establishment under martial law, expansion under civilian rule, and dismantling by state and federal authorities. Further, this article proposes the first taxonomy of these systems and, in conclusion, discusses how California Indian servitude illuminates the histories of California, the western United States, the nation as a whole, and the western hemisphere while suggesting new analytical methods and research directions. Key words: American Indian labor, American Indian slavery, California Indians, California legal history, indentured servitude, unfree labor The author thanks Stephen Aron, Colin Calloway, Boyd Cothran, Robin Derby, Bruce Duthu, John Faragher, Daniel Lynch, Timothy Macholz, William Marotti, Valerie Mat- sumoto, Preston McBride, Edward Melillo, Aaron O’Connell, Carla Pestana, Jesse Philips, Arthur Rolston, Peter Stacey, Kevin Terraciano, Owen Williams, Craig Yirush, Judy Yung, Natale Zappia, and the Pacific Historical Review’s editors and anonymous reviewers. Michael Magliari provided patient and invaluable guidance. Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 83, No. 4, pages 626–667. ISSN 0030-8684, eISSN 1533-8584 © 2014 by the Pacific Coast Branch, American Historical Association. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions website, at http://www.ucpressjournals.
    [Show full text]
  • Legislators of California
    The Legislators of California March 2011 Compiled by Alexander C. Vassar Dedicated to Jane Vassar For everything With Special Thanks To: Shane Meyers, Webmaster of JoinCalifornia.com For a friendship, a website, and a decade of trouble-shooting. Senator Robert D. Dutton, Senate Minority Leader Greg Maw, Senate Republican Policy Director For providing gainful employment that I enjoy. Gregory P. Schmidt, Secretary of the Senate Bernadette McNulty, Chief Assistant Secretary of the Senate Holly Hummelt , Senate Amending Clerk Zach Twilla, Senate Reading Clerk For an orderly house and the lists that made this book possible. E. Dotson Wilson, Assembly Chief Clerk Brian S. Ebbert, Assembly Assistant Chief Clerk Timothy Morland, Assembly Reading Clerk For excellent ideas, intriguing questions, and guidance. Jessica Billingsley, Senate Republican Floor Manager For extraordinary patience with research projects that never end. Richard Paul, Senate Republican Policy Consultant For hospitality and good friendship. Wade Teasdale, Senate Republican Policy Consultant For understanding the importance of Bradley and Dilworth. A Note from the Author An important thing to keep in mind as you read this book is that there is information missing. In the first two decades that California’s legislature existed, we had more individuals serve as legislators than we have in the last 90 years.1 Add to the massive turnover the fact that no official biographies were kept during this time and that the state capitol moved seven times during those twenty years, and you have a recipe for missing information. As an example, we only know the birthplace for about 63% of the legislators. In spite of my best efforts, there are still hundreds of legislators about whom we know almost nothing.
    [Show full text]
  • Here at the Nob Hill Gazette, We're Ringing in 2017 with Our Annual A-List of All the Names We Dropped During the Past Year. W
    STORY BY ERIN CARLSON | PRODUCTION & STYLE BY NATASHA CHALENKO | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JERAMIE CAMPBELL Here at the Nob Hill Gazette, we’re ringing in 2017 with our annual A-List of all the names we dropped during the past year. We invited a few of the glitterati to be photographed for the issue, and you’ve probably seen them around: There’s Willie Brown and the ever-fashionable Sonya Molodetskaya! Plus: Dede Wilsey! Riccardo Benavides! Karen Caldwell! Each donned designer get-ups from favorites like Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana and Oscar de la Renta. No A-List would be complete without this crew. “I’d be profoundly disappoint- “I think when people see you ed if my name was not there,” said smiling, having fun —that’s the most Brown, who arrived to the shoot important thing in life,” she said. dressed to slay in a Kiton tuxedo “Life's not easy, as we all know. and Christian Louboutin formal There are moments. There are ups wear slippers. “I’d be devastated! and downs. But if you can go some- Because by comparison, I observe where and dress up, have a smile on the wearing apparel of many of the your face, feel good, that’s a moment other males of San Francisco—and that gives you pleasure.” there’s not a whole lot of people who And perhaps, some love from dress the way the guys dress in New the A-List. York, or the way the guys dress in More-than-honorable mentions Paris or the way, apparently, every in this list's 26th edition: Pamala Italian including Italian farmers and Ted Deikel; Vanessa Getty; dress.
    [Show full text]
  • GC 1002 Del Valle Family Papers
    GC 1002 Del Valle Family Papers Repository: Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Span Dates: 1789 – 1929, undated, bulk is 1830 – 1900 Extent: Boxes: 13 legal, 2 ov, 1 mc drawer Language: English and Spanish Abstract: Papers relating to Antonio Seferino del Valle, his son Ygnacio, grandson Reginaldo F., and other family members. Activities include their cattle ranching and wine businesses, particularly in Rancho San Francisco and Rancho Camulos, located in today’s Ventura County, California. Other papers include the political activities of Ygnacio and Reginaldo F. Conditions Governing Use: Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder Conditions Governing Access: Research is by appointment only Preferred Citation: Del Valle Family Papers, Seaver Center for Western History Research, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Related Holdings: P-14 Del Valle [Photograph] Collection, 1870s – 1900 GC 1001 Antonio F. Coronel (1817 – 1894) Papers P-157 Antonio Franco Coronel (1817 – 1894) Collection, ca. 1850 – 1900 Seaver Center for Western History Research GC 1002 The History Department’s Material Culture Collection Scope and Content: Correspondence, business papers, legal papers, personal and family papers, memoranda, military documents, and material relating to Antonio Seferino del Valle (1788-1841), who came to California in the Spanish army in 1819; of his son Ygnacio, (1808-80), born in Jalisco, Mexico, who engaged in the cattle and wine businesses and held at various local and state offices in California; of his grandson, Reginaldo Francisco (1854-1938), who was also active in state politics; Ysabel Varela del Valle (Reginaldo’s mother); and other family members.
    [Show full text]
  • How California Was Won: Race, Citizenship, and the Colonial Roots of California, 1846 – 1879
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2019 How California Was Won: Race, Citizenship, And The Colonial Roots Of California, 1846 – 1879 Camille Alexandrite Suárez University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Suárez, Camille Alexandrite, "How California Was Won: Race, Citizenship, And The Colonial Roots Of California, 1846 – 1879" (2019). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 3491. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/3491 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/3491 For more information, please contact [email protected]. How California Was Won: Race, Citizenship, And The Colonial Roots Of California, 1846 – 1879 Abstract The construction of California as an American state was a colonial project premised upon Indigenous removal, state-supported land dispossession, the perpetuation of unfree labor systems and legal, race- based discrimination alongside successful Anglo-American settlement. This dissertation, entitled “How the West was Won: Race, Citizenship, and the Colonial Roots of California, 1849 - 1879” argues that the incorporation of California and its diverse peoples into the U.S. depended on processes of colonization that produced and justified an adaptable acialr hierarchy that protected white privilege and supported a racially-exclusive conception of citizenship. In the first section, I trace how the California Constitution and federal and state legislation violated the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This legal system empowered Anglo-American migrants seeking territorial, political, and economic control of the region by allowing for the dispossession of Californio and Indigenous communities and legal discrimination against Californio, Indigenous, Black, and Chinese persons.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Resources Reports Within a One-Mile Radius of the Project Area
    Mission Springs Water District Vista Reservoir No. 2 Project INITIAL STUDY APPENDIX 3 TOM DODSON & ASSOCIATES HISTORICAL/ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES SURVEY REPORT MISSION SPRINGS WATER DISTRICT VISTA RESERVOIR PROJECT Assessor’s Parcel No. 638-233-005 City of Desert Hot Springs, Riverside County, California For Submittal to: Mission Springs Water District 66575 Second Street Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240 Prepared for: Tom Dodson and Associates 2150 North Arrowhead Avenue San Bernardino, CA 92405 Prepared by: CRM TECH 1016 East Cooley Drive, Suite A/B Colton, CA 92324 Bai “Tom” Tang, Principal Investigator Michael Hogan, Principal Investigator February 9, 2021 CRM TECH Contract No. 3655 Title: Historical/Archaeological Resources Survey Report: Mission Springs Water District Vista Reservoir Project, Assessor’s Parcel No. 638-233- 005, City of Desert Hot Springs, Riverside County, California Author(s): Bai “Tom” Tang, Principal Investigator/Historian Daniel Ballester, Archaeologist/Field Director Consulting Firm: CRM TECH 1016 East Cooley Drive, Suite A/B Colton, CA 92324 (909) 824-6400 Date: February 9, 2021 For Submittal to: Mission Springs Water District 66575 Second Street Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240 (760) 329-6448 Prepared for: Kaitlyn Dodson-Hamilton Tom Dodson and Associates 2150 North Arrowhead Avenue San Bernardino, CA 92405 (909) 882-3612 USGS Quadrangle: Seven Palms Valley, Calif., 7.5’ quadrangle; Section 19, T2S R5E, San Bernardino Baseline and Meridian Project Size: Approximately 1.23 acres Keywords: Northwestern Coachella Valley, Colorado Desert region; Phase I historical/archaeological resources survey; steel water reservoir built in 1966; no “historical resources” under CEQA MANAGEMENT SUMMARY Between August 2020 and February 2021, at the request of Tom Dodson and Associates, CRM TECH performed a cultural resources study on an existing water reservoir site in the City of Desert Hot Springs, Riverside County, California.
    [Show full text]
  • Governors and the Executive Branch
    I' I 1 Chapter 9 Governors and the Executive Branch Ethan Rarick The history of modem American politics cannot be written without discussing Cali~omia governors. One former governor (Ronald Reagan) went on to serve as president ofthe United States, of course, but in addition to that three others ran for president (Earl Warren, Jerry Brown, and Pete Wilson), one served as chief justice of the United States (Warren), and another was a global celebrity who could not seek the presidency only because he was a foreign-born immigrant (Arnold Schwarzenegger). The status of the office as a potential presidential launching pad caused at least two other national political figures-U.S. Sen. William Knowland and former Vice President Richard Nixon-to 'run for governor, and although Nixon lost his gubernatorial bid he ofcourse went on to eventually win the presidency. Aside from national elective politics, California's chief executive governs more Americans than anyone save the pre~ident, sits atop a state with the world's ninth largest economy, and often occupies a place on the world stage similar ta the leaders ofmiddle-sized nations. The incumbent as of 2013, Jerry Brown, is no exception to any of these trends. H~ ran for president three times his election to a third term in 2010 garnered national and even international m;dia attention, and were he a younger man, ~e woul~ sur~ly be consr·dere. d one of the frontrunners for the Democratic .preside.ntial nomination in 2016. In short, California governors have been major national 219 220 221 Governors and the Executive Branch Ethan Rarick figures for more than half a century, and will remain so for the f d many states adopted the .so-callhed 0 the other ban , tive branch officials, t us future.
    [Show full text]
  • Hispanic Heritage Month Is Celebrated Annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 by Recognizing the History, Culture and Contributions Of
    ispanic Heritage Month is celebrated annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 by recognizing the history, culture and contributions of Latino Americans. Hispanic Heritage Week was commemorated in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson and Hexpanded to a month in 1988. Joseph Marion Hernandez Romualdo Pacheco Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Hilda L. Solis 1492 Christopher Columbus’ ship lands on San Salvador and Cuba 1690 First permanent Spanish settlement is established in Texas 1790 Latino colonists settle California 1820 Mexico gains independence from Spain, including settlements in California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico. American settlers begin moving into Mexican territories 1822 Joseph Marion Hernandez becomes first Latino member of Congress 1829 Slavery is abolished in Mexico; Texas begins independence movement 1845 Texas is annexed by the United States 1846 Mexican-American War begins 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo cedes Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, parts of Colorado, Utah and Nevada to the United States. Nearly 75,000 Latinos choose to remain in the United States 1868 Fourteenth Amendment to Constitution declares all people of Latino origin born in the United States as U.S. citizens 1876 California’s Romualdo Pacheco becomes the first Latino in the House of Representatives 1898 Spain signs Treaty of Paris, transfers Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the Unit- ed States 1910 Mexican Revolution begins; hundreds of thousands of Mexicans immigrate to the United States 1917 Jones Act extends U.S. citizenship to all Puerto Ricans 1917 During World War I, “temporary” Mexican farm workers, railroad laborers and miners enter the United States to work 1928 New Mexico’s Octaviano Larrazolo becomes first Latino U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Latinos, Asians Figure Prominently in California's New Electoral Landscape
    Chapter 4 Latinos, Asians Figure Prominently In California’s New Electoral Landscape By Susan Pinkus With a new century rapidly approaching, a new, strikingly Latinos and Asian Americans are viewed as up for grabs and different electoral landscape is emerging in California. The will become more powerful players in the state’s political ongoing changes in the ethnic and racial populations in Cali- process. fornia are affecting the way politics and campaign strategies are carried out in the Golden State. The 1998 general election The Legacy of Proposition 187 saw only the beginning of a transformation in voter coalitions, and demonstrated the impact of steadily growing ethnic and Part of the Proposition 187 legacy, the 1994 anti-immigra- racial groups on turnout and outcome. tion initiative, has been an increase in citizenship among California’s immigrants. With citizenship comes the right to California is one of the nation’s most multi-cultural states. vote. What does the growing number of Latino voters mean for Candidates who run in statewide elections are often frustrated the state and for the politicians trying to figure out how to run in their efforts to design strategies that address each ethnic and in a diverse cultural arena? racial group without alienating any of them. According to Rudy de la Garza, vice president of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute and professor of government at “ While black voters have been extremely loyal the University of Texas, there is a new phenomenon in Latino to the Democratic party, and neither party thinks voting. “Before the 1975 Voting Rights Act, white candidates that will change, Latinos and Asian Americans needed Latino voters because they were spread across state are viewed as up for grabs and will become more Assembly districts.
    [Show full text]