In 1962 the Congress of Racial Equality established its Western Regional office in San Francisco to direct into non-violent channels the burgeoning civil rights activities on the West Coast. By 1965 this office was directing the activities of about 40 local CORE chapters in the Western states and two in Canada (in CORE's first extension outside of the U.S.); the California chapters are those best documented in these papers.
The Western Regional office concentrated on three main issues: de facto school segregation, equal employment opportunities, and open housing. In 1963 it strongly supported the passage of California's Rumford Act which prohibited discrimination in housing, and vehemently opposed the act's nullification by the passage of Proposition 14 in 1964. Greater success was met in the area of equal employment opportunities, since the California Fair Employment Practices Commission acted vigorously to correct all cases brought to its attention. Although deeply concerned about de facto school segregation, the Western Regional office sponsored few successful programs to change this situation.
The major officers in the Western Region were the Regional Field Secretary, the public relations officer, and the legal counsel. The Regional Field Secretary was responsible to the national office for coordinating all chapter activity in the region. Genevieve Hughes was the first to be appointed to this post in early 1962; she was succeeded later that year by Fredericka Teer. Chet Duncan held the position from May, 1964 to March, 1965, when Isaac Reynolds took it over. From 1963 to 1965 the public relations officer was Shirley Ann Mesher, while Wester Sweet served as chief legal counsel.
The Western Regional office closed in May 1965.
