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From Streets to Ballot Box: Berkeley Politics in the 1970s, Selections from the David Mundstock Collection
Wednesday November 03, 2021 - 10:33:00 PM
Poster for the "April Coalition" running for City Council in 1971
David Mundstock at streetside voter registration table being interviewed by TV media, 1971; appeared in The Daily Cal 10/27/1971
by Lincoln Cushing
David Mundstock explaining his electoral data collection, 3/1/2016
From Streets to Ballot Box: Berkeley Politics in the 1970s, Selections from the David Mundstock Collection
November 6, 2021 - April 9, 2022
The public is invited to two events this weekend, one in person and one online:
Saturday, November 6, 2 to 4 pm: See the exhibit on its opening day and meet and congratulate the curators: Jeanine Castello-Lin, Lincoln Cushing, William Roberts, Tama Spencer, Tonya Staros, and Charles Wollenberg.
Sunday, November 7, 3 to 4:30 pm: Panel presentation by Shirley Dean, Loni Hancock, Gus Newport, and Marty Schiffenbauer. (Please sign up with a donation of any amount on Eventbrite.)
About the exhibit:
From Streets to Ballot Box is based on the extensive archive compiled by David Mundstock, who died in August 2020. He left his collection to archivist and friend Lincoln Cushing, who has donated it to the Berkeley Historical Society and helped organize the exhibit.
In the 1960s, Berkeley activists took to the streets in actions like the Free Speech Movement, anti-Vietnam War protests, and People’s Park. But in the 1970s Berkeley leftists turned to the ballot box, attempting to win majorities on the city council and using the initiative process to support policies such as rent control, neighborhood preservation, citizen police control, and decriminalization of marijuana. Moderate opponents responded by organizing vigorous campaigns against the New Left candidates and proposals, and a local "two-party system" dominated Berkeley politics for more than a decade.
Prominently featured in the exhibit are campaign posters, especially for leftist candidates including the “April Coalition” that launched Loni Hancock’s political career in April 1971. There are also maps that David Mundstock saved from issues of the Daily Californian and colorfully annotated to show how each precinct in Berkeley had voted in local elections. Campaign buttons, leaflets and other memorabilia will fill out the exhibit, along with a timeline and explanatory texts.
Regular exhibit hours are Thursday–Saturday, 1–4 pm. Please plan to wear a mask. The History Center is at 1931 Center Street, Berkeley, in the Veterans Memorial Building.
The Berkeley Historical Society encourages current and past residents of Berkeley to become members in support of its operations and to receive its quarterly journal and other member benefits. Memberships start at just $25 per year. See the Membership section of the website.
From Streets to Ballot Box is based on the extensive archive compiled by David Mundstock, who died in August 2020. He left his collection to archivist and friend Lincoln Cushing, who has donated it to the Berkeley Historical Society and helped organize the exhibit.
In the 1960s, Berkeley activists took to the streets in actions like the Free Speech Movement, anti-Vietnam War protests, and People’s Park. But in the 1970s Berkeley leftists turned to the ballot box, attempting to win majorities on the city council and using the initiative process to support policies such as rent control, neighborhood preservation, citizen police control, and decriminalization of marijuana. Moderate opponents responded by organizing vigorous campaigns against the New Left candidates and proposals, and a local "two-party system" dominated Berkeley politics for more than a decade.
Prominently featured in the exhibit are campaign posters, especially for leftist candidates including the “April Coalition” that launched Loni Hancock’s political career in April 1971. There are also maps that David Mundstock saved from issues of the Daily Californian and colorfully annotated to show how each precinct in Berkeley had voted in local elections. Campaign buttons, leaflets and other memorabilia will fill out the exhibit, along with a timeline and explanatory texts.
Regular exhibit hours are Thursday–Saturday, 1–4 pm. Please plan to wear a mask. The History Center is at 1931 Center Street, Berkeley, in the Veterans Memorial Building.
The Berkeley Historical Society encourages current and past residents of Berkeley to become members in support of its operations and to receive its quarterly journal and other member benefits. Memberships start at just $25 per year. See the Membership section of the website.
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