1941: California

Area and Population.

Admitted to statehood Sept. 9, 1850, California ranks 2nd in size among the states, with an area of 158,693 sq. mi., including 1890 sq. mi. of inland water surface, according to remeasurements of the United States undertaken for the 16th census in 1940. From north to south along its medial line it measures 780 mi., and its breadth varies from 150 mi. to 350. In population it ranks 5th, numbering 6,907,387 according to the 1940 census, an increase of 1,230,136, or 21.7 per cent, over the 1930 census. The largest cities are Los Angeles, 1,504,277; San Francisco, 634,536; Oakland, 302,163; San Diego. 203,341; Long Beach, 164,271; Sacramento, the capital, 105,958; Berkeley, 85,547; and Pasadena, 81,864.

During the past decade the state led the Union in numerical increase of population, and is now exceeded only in total numbers by New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. This unusual growth is to be explained largely as a result of the severe economic depression of the '30s, and the droughts in the Middle West — the 'Dust Bowl' — which caused thousands to pour into California, still proverbially the 'Land of Gold,' where higher relief benefits and old-age pensions were available. This great influx of unemployed placed a heavy economic and social burden upon the established population. The state authorities tried to reduce the invasion by enforcement of the 'anti-Okie' statute, prohibiting anyone from assisting indigent persons to become residents of the state. On Nov. 24, 1941, the Supreme Court of the United States declared this legislation unconstitutional. (See also UNITED STATES: Supreme Court Decisions.) The white race largely predominates among the population. There are small Indian and Negro elements, and a larger number of Asiatics, chiefly Chinese and Japanese.

Education.

The merging of elementary rural schools continued during 1941, and the number of districts was reduced by 35. The average daily attendance in schools for 1940-41 was as follows: elementary grades, 680.329; high schools, 362,009; junior colleges, 39.109. The cost of elementary schools for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1940 was $42,205,306.97; of high schools, $32,117,845.02; of junior colleges, $2,587,120.00. The total enrollment in the seven state colleges during 1940 exceeded 10,000 students. At the University of California (Berkeley) 28,851 were registered, and at the University of California in Los Angeles, 9,762. Owing to increased opportunities for employment as a result of defense activities, the autumn of 1941 showed a general falling off in college attendance.

Agriculture.

In 1940 the value of farm lands and buildings in California was given as $2,166,452,648, and of farm implements and machinery, as $132,337,109. The income from crops was $412,627,000, and that from livestock and livestock products, $223,581,000. Owing to defense needs, the breeding of livestock and the acreage for food crops showed a marked increase, which continued on a larger scale in 1941.

Fisheries and Lumbering.

Income from fisheries in 1940 amounted to $22,000,000; from lumbering, $60,000,000.

Manufacturing.

Manufacturing not only continued its lead over agriculture during 1941, but showed a vast expansion, partly owing to defense needs. Shipbuilding and the manufacture of aircraft were the principal manufacturing industries and quite overshadowed other industrial activities of the state. In 1941 there were 24 aircraft manufacturing firms, all situated in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. Most of them were engaged in filling U. S. Government contracts. Data regarding activities of these plants were incomplete, owing to the fact that information was not made available; but the published contracts of the seven major companies from June 1940, to Oct. 1, 1941, amounted to $1,435,287,931. In shipbuilding the San Francisco Bay region led in the period from September, 1939 to July, 1941, the total for all contracts in this area having a value of $741,835,152, of which government contracts amounted to $594,204,152. In the Los Angeles area the contracts for the same time amounted to $282,086,000; and at San Diego and Stockton there was some activity in this industry. The California Chamber of Commerce Bulletin for Oct. 21, 1941, reported the total number of shipbuilding contracts in the state as amounting to $1,087,432,152.

The total value of manufactured products for 1939, in all industries, was $2,798,180,000; food and kindred products being in the lead with a value of $897,762,000, and products made from coal and petroleum ranking second with a value of $379,207,000.

Mineral Products.

The state maintained in 1940 the high rate of production of leading minerals which had given California, according to the final figures, third place in the Union in 1939, with a total value of $467,612,196. Petroleum, for which the state ranks next to Texas, was close to the figure for 1939, at 223,861,000 bbl. Gold, in which California leads, was slightly in excess of the previous year at 1,455,671 oz. the highest amount since 1862. Silver fell a little below the 1939 figure at 2,359,139 oz. Production of natural gasoline amounted to 586,000,000 gal. Ranking second in production of cement, California's total for 1940 was 13,813,362 bbl. with a value of $17,296,522. First in tungsten concentrates, in 1940, the state produced 2,076 tons compared with 1,263 tons in 1939.

Legislation.

The leading measures passed by the 1940-41 session of the Legislature were as follows: prevention of the 'hot cargo,' or secondary boycott, from going into effect through a popular referendum in November, 1942, unless a special election is held before then; creation of a California Youth Correction Authority, which in certain cases will have jurisdiction over persons under 23 years of age who commit crimes, the object being to prevent youthful offenders from becoming hardened criminals; creation of a State Council of Defense, to cooperate with the Federal Government in connection with the defense program; reapportionment of the Congressional seats and of the 80 seats in the state Assembly. Owing to its large increase in population, California gained three new seats in the Federal House of Representatives, all assigned to the southern part of the state. Reapportionment of Assembly seats resulted in loss of one district each by San Francisco and Alameda counties, both of these going to Los Angeles County.

Political and Related Events.

An outstanding political development of 1941 was the elimination of the State Relief Administration, which had for some time been a subject of controversy between the state administration and the opposition in the Legislature. The latter had fought the Governor's proposals for a works program for the unemployed, and had insisted that relief be handled by the counties. A legislative bloc prevented passage of an appropriation bill for the State Relief Administration, thus putting an end to that body. The Governor also refused to call a special session of the Legislature to vote relief moneys, on the grounds that there was no certainty of favorable action, and that defense activity in the state had provided work for practically all of the employables.

Defense Activities.

In general, state politics were subordinated to activities within the state for national defense, which touched the lives of a large portion of the population. Several large army camps were established, notably Camp Roberts, near San Luis Obispo, and Fort Ord, near Monterey, where many thousands of men were being trained for military service. Moffett Field, near Palo Alto, expanded its activities as a training school for airplane pilots.

Finance.

The Governor's budget for the biennium July 1, 1941-July 1, 1943, estimated receipts at $613,070,000, recommended expenditures totaling $552,570,000, and expressed a hope that before the close of the biennium the existing deficit would be replaced by a general surplus fund of $11,000,000. The total revenues for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1940, were $269,594,615.76; the total expenditures, $276,709,242.92. During that year the cost of unemployment relief was $48,215,147.30, and the total spent for social welfare, including aid to the needy aged, the blind, children, etc., was $70,215,147.30. The actual and estimated expenditure for unemployment insurance, during the biennium 1939-41, was $9,118,562.71, and the sum estimated and proposed for 1941-43 was $9,833,177. As of June 30, 1940, there were 305 banking units in the state banking system, with total resources of $1,501,702,000. Since state revenues were, by the close of 1941, pouring in at a rate that promised a balanced budget with a heavy surplus by the close of the biennium, press and people began to demand reduction of state taxes. The Governor, however, showed opposition to a change in the tax rate.

State Officers.

Governor, Culbert L. Olson; Lieutenant Governor, Ellis E. Patterson; Secretary of State, Paul Peek; Controller, Harry B. Riley; Treasurer, Charles G. Johnson; Attorney General, Earl Warren, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Walter F. Dexter.

United States Senators:

Hiram Johnson, Sheridan Downey.