California Proposition 20, Coastal Initiative Collection

Collection

Identifier: MS-0195

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of materials regarding the Proposition 20 campaign from 1972, most of which are from organizations which worked to defeat the measure.

Dates

Creation: 1972-1972
Creation: Majority of material found in 1972

Creator

California Proposition 20 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The copyright interests in some or all of these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creator(s) of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of archival collections is such that multiple creators are often applicable and copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. In any case, the user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, obtaining publication rights and copyright infringement. When requesting images from Special Collections & University Archives for publication, we require a signed agreement waiving San Diego State University of any liability in the event of a copyright violation.

Historical Note

The voters of California, by an 800,000 vote margin (55%-45%), passed the Coastal Initiative, Proposition 20, in November 1972. The proposition created six regional commissions and one statewide commission to oversee the use and development of California's 1,000 mile coastline. Members of the regional and state commissions were to be locally appointed in some instances, with a percentage of the appointments filled by the Governor, state Senate Rules Committee, and the Speaker of the Assembly.

Proposition 20 was designed to address the state legislature's failure to produce an acceptable compromise measure regarding coastal ecology, protection, and preservation. Ecology groups and interested private citizens drew up the initiative and obtained the required number of voter signatures to qualify the proposition for the November 1972 ballot within two months of the Legislature's final defeat of the previous coastal bill.

Proposition 20 was, from the start, very controversial. Business and labor banded together in their opposition to the initiative; two of every three daily newspapers in California joined this odd coalition, as did numerous civic and service groups. Although an effective and vigorous campaign by the proposition's opponents was the result, the Proposition's supporters were ultimately successful.