California State Archives

The California State Archives collects, catalogs, preserves, and provides access to the historic records of state government and some local governments. Many of these records document the history and development of the Los Angeles area, beginning with Spanish and Mexican Land Grant records that pre-date statehood. Other valuable sources include: · Papers of political figures associated with Los Angeles, like former Assemblyman and State Treasurer Jesse M. Unruh and former governors Goodwin J. Knight and Earl Warren; · Photographs of Los Angeles’ beaches and parks, expositions, fairs, downtown buildings, universities, highways and highway construction from the records of the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Finance and Department of Public Works; · Maps, photographs and textual material associated with infrastructure development and transportation in Los Angeles, including the records of the Public Utilities Commission, the Department of Public Works, the California Highway Commission and the California Conservation Corps; · Corporate filings for early non-profit organizations and stock-issuing companies in the Los Angeles area that incorporated in the State of California; · Records documenting the debate over water projects and the appropriation and use of water in Los Angeles, which can be found in the records of the Department of Water Resources and the State Water Rights Board; · Collections that detail momentous events in Los Angeles’ history, like the records of the Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Investigation and the Governor’s Commission on the Los Angeles Riots of 1992. Researchers interested in the history of Los Angeles, as well as the wider history of California, will find the California State Archives to be a rich and diverse resource. For more information about our collections, please contact the Reference Desk at (916) 653-2246. For general information, please call (916) 653-7715. The Reference Desk may be reached by email at ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov.