Voting Histories, 1990

The Manuel Lito Peña Papers consist of personal files and photographs documenting Peña's work in Tolleson, Arizona in the 1950s with the Community Service Organization (CSO); correspondence reflecting his friendship with César Chávez, farm labor union leader and organizer; legislative speeches made and bills introduced in the Arizona Senate (1966-1996); campaign literature generated when Peña sought re-election as the Democratic representative for District 22; political statements made and additional documents produced explaining Peña's votes on a variety of issues presented for discussion among lawmakers, including the Governor Evan Mecham impeachment hearings in 1988; biographical information; newspaper clippings and printed matter about state and county elections (1980s-1996); correspondence from and to Peña's District 22 constituents (1966-1996); and original photographs portraying Senator Peña's friendships with community activists, leaders, and organizers of the Community Service Organization (CSO) at meetings in California in 1956 and 1957.

Series I: Personal Papers contains biographical information about state Senator Manuel Lito Peña (1986-1999); handwritten notes concerning legislative matters and speeches made at local and national public events (1970-1996); Peña's appointment book (1966); personal correspondence with United Farm Workers labor leader César Chávez (1959-1962); and notes and newspaper articles regarding legislation that Peña introduced (1991-1998).

Series II: Campaigns and Elections presents a wide variety of materials showing Senator Peña's re-election campaigns (1976-1992) including expenditures, correspondence from colleagues in the Democratic party, flyers, contributors lists, and nomination petitions.

Series III: Legislation - House and Senate houses Senator Peña's voting records; documents his sponsorship of legislation to increase benefits for workers injured on the job (workers compensation); shows Peña's efforts to introduce legislation to eliminate the sales tax on food and to support measures that benefit the average consumer; presents Peña's efforts to monitor and control regulation measures by the automobile industry and insurance companies to ensure that they remain fair and equitable to consumers; and illustrates a number of issues important to Peña's constituents, including consumer protection bills, interest rates on bank loans, gasoline sales taxes, regulation and enforcement of building codes, game and fish license fees, the establishment and control of credit card interest rates, and the minimum wage.

Series IV: Committees documents Senator Peña's work on committees including Agriculture, Commerce and Labor, Commerce and Industry, Finance, Transportation, Alternative Fuels, Auto Insurance, Maricopa County Democratic Central Committee, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCS), and the State Retirement System between 1966 and 1999. The minutes generated from these meetings demonstrate Senator Peña's attention to detail and concern for the protection of his constituents and the general public.

Series V: Government Agencies, Sub-Series A: General houses Senator Peña's correspondence, memorandums, notes, statements, and reports on the regulation of such agencies as the State Department of Transportation, the State Department of Insurance, the State Department of Commerce, the State Department of Weights and Measurements, the State Structural Pest Control Commission, the State Department of Banking, the State Liquor Control Board, and the State Athletic Commission dating from 1964 to 1993.

Series V: Government Agencies, Sub-Series B: Legal Matters shows Evan Mecham's 1988 impeachment hearings. Included are Senator Peña's handwritten notes taken during lawmakers' discussion of the charges filed against Governor Mecham. Of particular interest are the materials recording Senator Peña's physical confrontation with future Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court William Rehnquist in Phoenix in 1964. Rehnquist, a young lawyer at the time, had allegedly been sent by the Republican Party to a south Phoenix voting site during general elections to intimidate racial and ethnic minorities in order to prevent them from voting for Democratic candidates. Rehnquist sat at a table near the voting area and spoke to potential African American and Mexican American voters standing in lines waiting to vote. In his conversations with them, he challenged their qualifications and questioned Spanish-speaking individuals about their knowledge of the United States Constitution and noted that they spoke with heavy Spanish accents. Peña, a Democratic precinct poll watcher for the area, questioned Rehnquist about his behavior and the two engaged in a shouting match that culminated in a violent incident. Seven years later, in 1971, Peña testified at Rehnquist's confirmation hearings in Washington, D.C. about this incident. Rehnquist denied that the events occurred and attributed Peña's recollection of the matter to a case of mistaken identity.

Series VI: Correspondence contains correspondence from local and national Democrats and Republicans expressing their opinions on legislative matters and on candidates for political offices. Constituents' correspondence is included in this series as is correspondence with members of Senate and House committees. These letters date from 1962 to 1996.

Series VII: Miscellaneous houses materials regarding Democratic National Committee matters including newsletters, newspaper articles about Senator Peña's interest in issues dealing with consumer rights, state elections, and Hispanic voters. Of particular interest are newsletters published by the Community Service Organization (CSO) from 1957 to 1964.

Series VIII: Photographs contains original photographs from Senator Peña's personal files dating from 1956 to 2003. Many of these photographs, however, are undated. Among the subjects depicted are Peña's re-election campaign; Peña's political colleagues, including Tony Abril, Nayo Cajero of Tucson, Governor Jack Williams, presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, and vice-presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen. Also included are photographs taken in neglected neighborhoods in Tolleson, Arizona, where the work of the Community Service Organization (CSO) is visible and photographs taken at Community Service Organization (CSO) meetings in the mid-1950s.