Editing C. C. Young (section)

==Governor==
Beginning his governorship on January 4, 1927, Young's agenda included reorganizing the state's various commissions and departments into his [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]] to better coordinate state governmental affairs. "Some system like this would, I believe, be far more businesslike and effective than such haphazard and infrequent consultations as must otherwise normally take place between a Governor and our numerous unrelated boards and commissions," Young said.<ref name="California State Library">{{cite web|url=http://www.californiagovernors.ca.gov/h/documents/inaugural_26.html|title=Inaugural Address, C. C. Young. January 4, 1927|publisher=[[California State Library]]|date=1927-01-04|access-date=2007-09-26|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919072018/http://www.californiagovernors.ca.gov/h/documents/inaugural_26.html|archive-date=September 19, 2007}}</ref>

Among his other priorities were: the financing of the [[State highways in California|state highway system]] through a [[fuel tax]] rather than by [[municipal bond|state bonds]]; more clearly defined roles for the [[California State Board of Education|State Board of Education]] and the [[California State Superintendent of Public Instruction]] to eliminate conflicting duties; upholding the [[direct primary]]; and the creation of penal facilities specifically for convicted females, believing that "[[San Quentin]] is no place for our women prisoners."<ref name="California State Library"/>

In his first year of office, Young signed a bill passed by the [[California State Legislature]] authorizing the creation of a California State Parks Commission. Headed by [[Frederick Law Olmsted&nbsp;Jr.]], the survey commission investigated lands across the state suitable for state protection and developed plans for their future financing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.savetheredwoods.org/league/timeline.shtml|title=League Timeline|publisher=[[Save the Redwoods League]]|year=2007|access-date=2007-09-26|archive-date=2007-09-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927071948/http://www.savetheredwoods.org/league/timeline.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> A year later in a [[Popular initiative|voter initiative]] supported by Young, state voters approved the creation of the [[California State Parks|California State Park system]].

In late June 1927, Young personally intervened for [[Charlotte Anita Whitney]], a member of the [[Communist Party of the United States]], who had been convicted under the [[California Criminal Syndicalism Act|1919 Criminal Syndicalism Act]] passed under Governor [[William Stephens (American politician)|William Stephens]]. In 1919, Whitney had been arrested in [[Oakland, CA|Oakland]] after defying civic authorities in making a speech in behalf of John McHugh, a member of the [[Industrial Workers of the World]]. The anti-syndicalism law used to prosecute her had recently been upheld by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] which held that threats of violence against the state and individuals did not constitute [[free speech]] and was not protected by the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]]. Following the high court's decision, Young granted Whitney an unconditional pardon, believing that putting her into a cell was "unthinkable." Young added that the law under which she was convicted was undoubtedly constitutional, but that "abnormal conditions attending the trial" greatly influenced the jury and that "under ordinary circumstances" the case never would have been prosecuted.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,785831,00.html?promoid=googlep|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021011322/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,785831,00.html?promoid=googlep|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 21, 2012|title=Unthinkable | magazine=Time |date=1927-07-04 |access-date=2007-09-26}}</ref>

On November 23, 1927, inmates at [[Folsom Prison]] rioted, taking control of a majority of the interior facilities, and took several prison guards as hostages. Young responded by mobilizing the [[California Army National Guard]], ordering commanders to encircle the prison with their units, supported by heavy [[machine guns]] and two [[tank]]s shipped by train from [[Salinas, CA|Salinas]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.militarymuseum.org/FolsomPrisonRiot1927.html|title=Folsom Prison Riot, 1927 |publisher=California State Military Museum |year=2007 |access-date=2007-09-26}}</ref>  The heavy show of military force in full view of the rioters forced the revolting prisoners to capitulate peacefully.

In 1928, starring alongside British actor [[Ronald Colman]], Young appeared in the film short ''Governor C.C. Young Hails Greater Talkie Season'', appealing to early [[talking picture]] audiences to attend family-friendly movies and to ignore films that depicted negative images of society.

In 1929, Young signed the law creating the [[California Highway Patrol]].

In October 1929, Young, along with President [[Herbert Hoover]], established the Hoover-Young San Francisco Bay Bridge Commission to investigate the feasibility of a bridge linking the [[East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)|East Bay]] to [[San Francisco]], supported by his Director of Public Works, [[Bert Meek]], an engineer and surveyor. The commission submitted its report in August 1930, concluding that not only was the bridge necessary to the development of the area, but that it was "entirely feasible from economic and construction viewpoints."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/news_events/bridge/sfobay.html|title=Bridging the Bay: Bridging the Campus|publisher=[[University of California, Berkeley]]|year=1999 |access-date=2007-09-26}}</ref> The [[San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge]] eventually was completed and opened to traffic in late 1936.

Following a strike by Mexican agricultural laborers in the [[Imperial Valley (California)|Imperial Valley]] in 1928, Young commissioned an investigation on the status of working conditions for Mexicans. The investigation's findings, presented to Young in 1930, concluded that Mexican immigrants made up a majority of farm labor, had supplanted other immigrant groups and were now doing the work white [[European Americans]] would not do.<ref>{{cite book |author=Donato, Ruben |title=The Other Struggle for Equal Schools: Mexican Americans During the Civil Rights Movement |location=New York |publisher=[[State University of New York Press]] |year=1997 |isbn=0-7914-3520-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/otherstrugglefor0000dona }}</ref> The report also outlined that many labor contracting practices, including the withholding of 25 percent of immigrant farm labor salaries, were likely to be illegal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/mexican_voices/voices_display.cfm?id=86|title=Mexican American Voices |publisher=Digital History|year=2007 |access-date=2007-09-26 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070715030920/http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/mexican_voices/voices_display.cfm?id=86 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-07-15}}</ref>

Despite Young's Progressive credentials, Progressive attitudes towards the governor soured in 1929 after Young's appointee as state Superintendent of Banks, Will C. Wood, approved the merger between [[Amadeo Giannini]]'s [[Bank of Italy (USA)|Bank of Italy]] with [[Orra E. Monnette]]'s [[Bank of America]].<ref name="DeBow, Ken and John C. Syer 2003"/> While Young denied that Giannini's support of his gubernatorial candidacy in 1926 was the reason for his support of the merger, his decision did not sit well with Progressives, who viewed economic conglomerations with suspicion. In 1930, constitutional restrictions on corporations were repealed.

The loss of support for Young among Progressives, along with the beginning of the [[Great Depression]], severely hurt his chances of being re-nominated for a second term as governor. Despite campaign slogans that included "Re-Elect C.C. Young - He Left $31 Million in the Treasury," Young was defeated by [[James Rolph]], the charismatic [[Mayor of San Francisco]], in the [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] party's [[Partisan primary|primary election]] in 1930.<ref name="Governor C. C. Young" />

Following Rolph's death shortly before the [[California gubernatorial election, 1934|1934 gubernatorial election]], Young again sought the Republican nomination, but lost the [[Partisan primary|primary election]] to Rolph's successor, [[Frank Merriam]].