Elihu Harris, California Legislator
Biography
Elihu Harris, Democrat, was a California State Assembly Member from 1979-1990, representing the 13th Assembly District. The 13th Assembly District included parts of the cities of Berkeley and Oakland and the entire cities of Alameda and Emeryville.
Elihu Harris was born on August 15, 1947 in Los Angeles, California. He attended public schools in Berkeley, California after moving there at an early age. After graduating from Berkeley High School in 1965, he attended California State University, Hayward. He served as student body vice president and received a B.A. with honors in political science. Harris went on to receive a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1969, and a Juris Doctorate from University of California, Davis, in 1972.
His first job in politics was as an administrative assistant to California Assembly Member John L. Miller. He would move on to serve as a legislative assistant for Congresswoman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke. In 1975, he was appointed Executive Director of the National Bar Association in Washington, D.C. Two years later, he left Washington for a private law practice in California. In 1978, Harris was elected to the Assembly to represent the 13th District. He married Kathy Neal in 1983.
Harris is associated with several organizations like the NAACP, California Association of Black Lawyers, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Charles Houston Bar Association, and Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church. He also served as a board member for the Alameda Boys Club and Family Services of Berkeley and as Chairman of the Black American Political Association of California.
As an Assembly Member, Harris's interests were civil rights, criminal justice, poverty, tax reform and transportation. Serving as Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee from 1980-1988 allowed him to play a key role in the rules and regulation of the criminal justice system. His legislation created the Martin Luther King Jr. state holiday. Harris left the Assembly in 1990 and was elected Mayor of Oakland that same year.
According to the California Legislature at Sacramento (Handbooks) and the California Blue Book, Harris served on the following committees:
State Assembly, 1979-1990
- Standing and Interim Committees
- Constitutional Amendments, 1979-1980
- Criminal Justice, 1979-1984
- Earthquake Preparedness and Natural Disasters, 1989-1990
- Economic Development and Planning, 1981-1982
- Economic Development and New Technologies, 1983-1986
- Finance and Insurance, 1983-1984
- Governmental Organization, 1985-1988
- Health, 1989-1990
- Judiciary, 1981-1990
- *Chair, 1981-1988
- Labor and Employment, 1979-1982
- Public Investments, Finance and Bonded Indebtedness, 1985-1986
- Revenue and Taxation, 1987-1988
- Transportation, 1979- 1982, 1985-1990
- *Vice Chair, 1979-1980
- Utilities and Commerce, 1987-1988
- Ways and Means, 1989-1990
- Subcommittees
- Subcommittee #2- Education, 1989-1990
- Subcommittee on Administration of Justice, 1985-1988
- Subcommittee on Air Quality, 1979-1980
- Subcommittee on Arts and Athletics, 1987-1988
- Subcommittee on County Justice System Subvention Program, 1979-1980
- Subcommittee on International Trade, Investment and Tourism, 1985-1986
- Subcommittee on Investment Practices, 1987-1988
- Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice, 1981-1982
- Subcommittee on Organized Crime and Gang Violence, 1987-1990
- Subcommittee on Sports and Entertainment, 1985-1986
- Subcommittee on Toll Bridges, 1987-1988
- Subcommittee on Toxic Substances, 1979-1980
- Subcommittee on Worker's Compensation, 1983-1984
- Select Committees (General Research Committees)
- Select Committee on Ethics, 1989-1990
- Select Committee on Fair Employment Practices
- *Chair, 1979-1982
- Select Committee on Insurance, 1985-1986
- Select Committee on Judicial Efficiency and Improvement
- *Chair, 1983-1984
- Select Committee on Oversight of the Office of Administrative Law, 1983-1984
- Select Committee on Refugee Resettlement, International Migration and Cooperative Development, 1989-1990
- Select Committee on Revision of the Penal Code, 1981-1988
- Select Committee on Small Business, 1981-1982
- Select Committee on Tort Liability, 1989-1990
- Select Committee on Youth and Drug Abuse Prevention, 1989-1990
- Joint Committees
- Joint Legislative Audit Committee
- *Chair, 1989-1990
- Joint Study Committee on Worker's Compensation, 1983-1984
- Additional Committees
- Legislative Task Force on AIDS Vaccine Injury Compensation Review, 1989-1990
- California Law Revision Commission, 1987-1990
- Commission on Uniform State Laws, 1981-1990
- Judicial Council, 1981-1988
- Public Procurement Advisory Committee, 1983-1986
- Special Legislative Investigating Committee on the State Bar, 1981-1982
From the guide to the Elihu Harris Papers, 1979-1990, (California State Archives)
| Role | Title | Holding Repository | |
|---|---|---|---|
| creatorOf | Elihu Harris Papers, 1979-1990 | California State Archives |
| Role | Title | Holding Repository |
|---|
Filters:
| Relation | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| associatedWith | Harris, Elihu M. | person |
| Place Name | Admin Code | Country |
|---|
| Subject |
|---|
| Discrimination |
| Occupation |
|---|
| Activity |
|---|
