Oral history interview with Ralph C. Dills ..., 1989

Resource Information

The work Oral history interview with Ralph C. Dills ..., 1989 represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in UCLA Library.

Label

Oral history interview with Ralph C. Dills ..., 1989

Statement of responsibility

by Carlos Vásquez

Inclusive dates

1989

Creator

• Dills, Ralph C., 1910-

Contributor

• University of California, Los Angeles, Library | Department of Special Collections
• State Government Oral History Program (Calif.)

Interviewee

• Dills, Ralph C, 1910-

Subject

• Garland, Gordon
• Tenney, Jack B., (Jack Breckinridge), 1898-1970
• Political campaigns -- California
• Petroleum industry and trade -- California
• California Democratic Council
• Substance abuse -- California
• Burns, Hugh M, 1902-
• Communism -- California
• Teachers -- California -- Retirement
• Legislators -- California -- Interviews
• Brown, Edmund G., (Edmund Gerald), 1905-
• Health insurance -- California
• oral histories
• Dills, Ralph C, 1910-
• Gray, Dudley
• Yorty, Sam, 1909-1998
• Public schools -- California
• Samish, Arthur H, 1897-
• Campaign funds -- California
• Sinclair, Upton, 1878-1968
• Chiropractic -- Law and legislation -- California
• Unruh, Jesse, 1922-1987
• Dills, Clayton A
• Credit unions -- California
• Morton, Harold C, 1895-
• Lobbying -- California
• California -- Politics and government -- 1850-1950
• Education, Higher -- California

Genre

• Interviews
• oral histories

Language

eng

Summary

Dills discusses his background, education, early political involvement in the EPIC movement and in the Democratic party, tenure as a municipal court judge particularly during the Watts rebellion in 1965, and provides considerable information on his chief legislative interests and accomplishments while serving initially as a California state assemblyman and then as a California State Senator

Additional physical form

Audiotape recording available in the California State Archives.

Biographical or historical data

Ralph C. Dills, a native of Texas and at the time (1939) of his successful candidacy for a seat representing the Sixty-ninth Assembly District a public school teacher, has served as assemblyman (1929-1949), justice of the peace and municipal judge (1949-1966), and state senator (1967-1990). His brother, Clayton A. Dills, served in the California State Assembly from 1943 to 1966. Ralph Dills's principal legislative interest has been to protect, preserve, and expand California's public education system. His legislation has included bills to create such institutions as El Camino Community College and California State University, Long Beach. He and other Los Angeles County legislators also created the foundation for a School of Law at the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition to sponsoring numerous bills contributing to teacher collective bargaining and retirement systems, he authored landmark bills addressing waste management and promoting California tourism.

Cataloging source

CSA

Form designation

oral history transcript

Location of originals duplicates

• The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
• California State University, Sacramento. Library. University Archives.
• California State University, Fullerton. Library. Oral History Program.
• Honold Library for the Associated Colleges, Claremont, California.
• University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Dept. of Special Collections.