{"links":{"self":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog.json?page=8\u0026view=compact","prev":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog.json?page=7\u0026view=compact","next":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog.json?page=9\u0026view=compact","last":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog.json?page=789\u0026view=compact"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":8,"next_page":9,"prev_page":7,"total_pages":789,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":70,"total_count":7884,"first_page?":false,"last_page?":false}},"data":[{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-8","type":"Undefined","attributes":{"title":"1964, .","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-8#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":[{"ref_ssi":"aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-8","ref_ssm":["aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-8","aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-8"],"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-8","title_filing_ssi":"1964, .","title_ssm":["1964, ."],"title_tesim":["1964, ."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1964, ."],"text":["1964, .","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","Yellowsheets","/repositories/2/archival_objects/2386","Box 1","Folder 7"],"component_level_isim":[3],"parent_ids_ssim":["8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_a6dcf9942e69e6c2Mc","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-1-2"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","Yellowsheets"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","Yellowsheets"],"parent_levels_ssm":["collection","Series","Subseries"],"unitid_ssm":["/repositories/2/archival_objects/2386"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Undefined"],"level_ssim":["Undefined"],"sort_isi":9,"containers_ssim":["Box 1","Folder 7"],"_nest_path_":"/components#0/components#0/components#6","_nest_parent_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-1-2","_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"ead_ssi":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","unitdate_ssm":["1945-1994"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1945-1994"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"text":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. ","Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.","Lyrasis Special Collections","These materials are written in  English"],"unitid_tesim":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1945-1994"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"repository_ssm":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"extent_tesim":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAt the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAlthough Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["BIOGRAPHY"],"bioghist_tesim":["Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. "],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["ABSTRACT"],"odd_tesim":["Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBecause of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 2: FARM WORKERS\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAround 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eAccession Processed in 1997.\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/scopecontent\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["SCOPE AND CONTENT","Accession Processed in 1997."],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_4daaeb965e441c44361e6101b0c557d4\"\u003eFor current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog."],"names_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"corpname_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"language_ssim":["These materials are written in  English"],"total_component_count_is":475,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z"}]}}],"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-8"}},{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-11","type":"Undefined","attributes":{"title":"1964, .","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-11#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":[{"ref_ssi":"aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-11","ref_ssm":["aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-11","aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-11"],"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-11","title_filing_ssi":"1964, .","title_ssm":["1964, ."],"title_tesim":["1964, ."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1964, ."],"text":["1964, .","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","FARM WORKERS","Correspondence","/repositories/2/archival_objects/2413","Box 4","Folder 2"],"component_level_isim":[3],"parent_ids_ssim":["8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c01-1-8-6-2-2","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-2-2"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","FARM WORKERS","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","FARM WORKERS","Correspondence"],"parent_levels_ssm":["collection","Series","Subseries"],"unitid_ssm":["/repositories/2/archival_objects/2413"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Undefined"],"level_ssim":["Undefined"],"sort_isi":39,"containers_ssim":["Box 4","Folder 2"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#0/components#9","_nest_parent_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-2-2","_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"ead_ssi":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","unitdate_ssm":["1945-1994"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1945-1994"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"text":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. ","Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.","Lyrasis Special Collections","These materials are written in  English"],"unitid_tesim":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1945-1994"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"repository_ssm":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"extent_tesim":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAt the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAlthough Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["BIOGRAPHY"],"bioghist_tesim":["Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. "],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["ABSTRACT"],"odd_tesim":["Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBecause of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 2: FARM WORKERS\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAround 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eAccession Processed in 1997.\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/scopecontent\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["SCOPE AND CONTENT","Accession Processed in 1997."],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_4daaeb965e441c44361e6101b0c557d4\"\u003eFor current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog."],"names_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"corpname_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"language_ssim":["These materials are written in  English"],"total_component_count_is":475,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z"}]}}],"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-11"}},{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-9","type":"Undefined","attributes":{"title":"1964, January - May, .","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-9#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":[{"ref_ssi":"aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-9","ref_ssm":["aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-9","aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-9"],"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-9","title_filing_ssi":"1964, January - May, .","title_ssm":["1964, January - May, ."],"title_tesim":["1964, January - May, ."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1964, January - May, ."],"text":["1964, January - May, .","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence","/repositories/2/archival_objects/2467","Box 8","Folder 4"],"component_level_isim":[3],"parent_ids_ssim":["8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c01-1-8-6-2-3","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-3-2"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence"],"parent_levels_ssm":["collection","Series","Subseries"],"unitid_ssm":["/repositories/2/archival_objects/2467"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Undefined"],"level_ssim":["Undefined"],"sort_isi":97,"containers_ssim":["Box 8","Folder 4"],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#0/components#7","_nest_parent_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-3-2","_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"ead_ssi":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","unitdate_ssm":["1945-1994"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1945-1994"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"text":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. ","Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.","Lyrasis Special Collections","These materials are written in  English"],"unitid_tesim":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1945-1994"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"repository_ssm":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"extent_tesim":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAt the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAlthough Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["BIOGRAPHY"],"bioghist_tesim":["Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. "],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["ABSTRACT"],"odd_tesim":["Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBecause of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 2: FARM WORKERS\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAround 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eAccession Processed in 1997.\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/scopecontent\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["SCOPE AND CONTENT","Accession Processed in 1997."],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_4daaeb965e441c44361e6101b0c557d4\"\u003eFor current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog."],"names_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"corpname_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"language_ssim":["These materials are written in  English"],"total_component_count_is":475,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z"}]}}],"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-9"}},{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-10","type":"Undefined","attributes":{"title":"1964, June - December, .","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-10#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":[{"ref_ssi":"aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-10","ref_ssm":["aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-10","aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-10"],"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-10","title_filing_ssi":"1964, June - December, .","title_ssm":["1964, June - December, ."],"title_tesim":["1964, June - December, ."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1964, June - December, ."],"text":["1964, June - December, .","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence","/repositories/2/archival_objects/2468","Box 8","Folder 5"],"component_level_isim":[3],"parent_ids_ssim":["8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c01-1-8-6-2-3","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-3-2"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence"],"parent_levels_ssm":["collection","Series","Subseries"],"unitid_ssm":["/repositories/2/archival_objects/2468"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Undefined"],"level_ssim":["Undefined"],"sort_isi":98,"containers_ssim":["Box 8","Folder 5"],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#0/components#8","_nest_parent_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-3-2","_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"ead_ssi":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","unitdate_ssm":["1945-1994"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1945-1994"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"text":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. ","Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.","Lyrasis Special Collections","These materials are written in  English"],"unitid_tesim":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1945-1994"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"repository_ssm":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"extent_tesim":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAt the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAlthough Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["BIOGRAPHY"],"bioghist_tesim":["Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. "],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["ABSTRACT"],"odd_tesim":["Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBecause of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 2: FARM WORKERS\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAround 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eAccession Processed in 1997.\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/scopecontent\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["SCOPE AND CONTENT","Accession Processed in 1997."],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_4daaeb965e441c44361e6101b0c557d4\"\u003eFor current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog."],"names_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"corpname_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"language_ssim":["These materials are written in  English"],"total_component_count_is":475,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z"}]}}],"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-10"}},{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-9","type":"Undefined","attributes":{"title":"1965, .","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-9#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":[{"ref_ssi":"aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-9","ref_ssm":["aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-9","aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-9"],"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-9","title_filing_ssi":"1965, .","title_ssm":["1965, ."],"title_tesim":["1965, ."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1965, ."],"text":["1965, .","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","Yellowsheets","/repositories/2/archival_objects/2387","Box 1","Folder 8"],"component_level_isim":[3],"parent_ids_ssim":["8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_a6dcf9942e69e6c2Mc","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-1-2"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","Yellowsheets"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","Yellowsheets"],"parent_levels_ssm":["collection","Series","Subseries"],"unitid_ssm":["/repositories/2/archival_objects/2387"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Undefined"],"level_ssim":["Undefined"],"sort_isi":10,"containers_ssim":["Box 1","Folder 8"],"_nest_path_":"/components#0/components#0/components#7","_nest_parent_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-1-2","_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"ead_ssi":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","unitdate_ssm":["1945-1994"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1945-1994"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"text":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. ","Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.","Lyrasis Special Collections","These materials are written in  English"],"unitid_tesim":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1945-1994"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"repository_ssm":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"extent_tesim":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAt the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAlthough Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["BIOGRAPHY"],"bioghist_tesim":["Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. "],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["ABSTRACT"],"odd_tesim":["Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBecause of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 2: FARM WORKERS\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAround 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eAccession Processed in 1997.\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/scopecontent\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["SCOPE AND CONTENT","Accession Processed in 1997."],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_4daaeb965e441c44361e6101b0c557d4\"\u003eFor current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog."],"names_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"corpname_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"language_ssim":["These materials are written in  English"],"total_component_count_is":475,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z"}]}}],"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-9"}},{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-13","type":"Undefined","attributes":{"title":"1965, August-December, .","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-13#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":[{"ref_ssi":"aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-13","ref_ssm":["aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-13","aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-13"],"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-13","title_filing_ssi":"1965, August-December, .","title_ssm":["1965, August-December, ."],"title_tesim":["1965, August-December, ."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1965, August-December, ."],"text":["1965, August-December, .","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","FARM WORKERS","Correspondence","/repositories/2/archival_objects/2415","Box 4","Folder 4"],"component_level_isim":[3],"parent_ids_ssim":["8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c01-1-8-6-2-2","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-2-2"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","FARM WORKERS","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","FARM WORKERS","Correspondence"],"parent_levels_ssm":["collection","Series","Subseries"],"unitid_ssm":["/repositories/2/archival_objects/2415"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Undefined"],"level_ssim":["Undefined"],"sort_isi":41,"containers_ssim":["Box 4","Folder 4"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#0/components#11","_nest_parent_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-2-2","_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"ead_ssi":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","unitdate_ssm":["1945-1994"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1945-1994"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"text":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. ","Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.","Lyrasis Special Collections","These materials are written in  English"],"unitid_tesim":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1945-1994"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"repository_ssm":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"extent_tesim":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAt the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAlthough Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["BIOGRAPHY"],"bioghist_tesim":["Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. "],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["ABSTRACT"],"odd_tesim":["Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBecause of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 2: FARM WORKERS\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAround 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eAccession Processed in 1997.\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/scopecontent\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["SCOPE AND CONTENT","Accession Processed in 1997."],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_4daaeb965e441c44361e6101b0c557d4\"\u003eFor current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog."],"names_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"corpname_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"language_ssim":["These materials are written in  English"],"total_component_count_is":475,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z"}]}}],"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-13"}},{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-12","type":"Undefined","attributes":{"title":"1965, January-July, .","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-12#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":[{"ref_ssi":"aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-12","ref_ssm":["aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-12","aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-12"],"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-12","title_filing_ssi":"1965, January-July, .","title_ssm":["1965, January-July, ."],"title_tesim":["1965, January-July, ."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1965, January-July, ."],"text":["1965, January-July, .","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","FARM WORKERS","Correspondence","/repositories/2/archival_objects/2414","Box 4","Folder 3"],"component_level_isim":[3],"parent_ids_ssim":["8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c01-1-8-6-2-2","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-2-2"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","FARM WORKERS","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","FARM WORKERS","Correspondence"],"parent_levels_ssm":["collection","Series","Subseries"],"unitid_ssm":["/repositories/2/archival_objects/2414"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Undefined"],"level_ssim":["Undefined"],"sort_isi":40,"containers_ssim":["Box 4","Folder 3"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#0/components#10","_nest_parent_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-2-2","_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"ead_ssi":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","unitdate_ssm":["1945-1994"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1945-1994"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"text":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. ","Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.","Lyrasis Special Collections","These materials are written in  English"],"unitid_tesim":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1945-1994"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"repository_ssm":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"extent_tesim":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAt the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAlthough Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["BIOGRAPHY"],"bioghist_tesim":["Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. "],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["ABSTRACT"],"odd_tesim":["Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBecause of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 2: FARM WORKERS\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAround 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eAccession Processed in 1997.\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/scopecontent\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["SCOPE AND CONTENT","Accession Processed in 1997."],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_4daaeb965e441c44361e6101b0c557d4\"\u003eFor current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog."],"names_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"corpname_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"language_ssim":["These materials are written in  English"],"total_component_count_is":475,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z"}]}}],"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-2-2-12"}},{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-11","type":"Undefined","attributes":{"title":"1965, January - September, .","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-11#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":[{"ref_ssi":"aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-11","ref_ssm":["aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-11","aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-11"],"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-11","title_filing_ssi":"1965, January - September, .","title_ssm":["1965, January - September, ."],"title_tesim":["1965, January - September, ."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1965, January - September, ."],"text":["1965, January - September, .","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence","/repositories/2/archival_objects/2469","Box 8","Folder 6"],"component_level_isim":[3],"parent_ids_ssim":["8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c01-1-8-6-2-3","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-3-2"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence"],"parent_levels_ssm":["collection","Series","Subseries"],"unitid_ssm":["/repositories/2/archival_objects/2469"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Undefined"],"level_ssim":["Undefined"],"sort_isi":99,"containers_ssim":["Box 8","Folder 6"],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#0/components#9","_nest_parent_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-3-2","_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"ead_ssi":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","unitdate_ssm":["1945-1994"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1945-1994"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"text":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. ","Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.","Lyrasis Special Collections","These materials are written in  English"],"unitid_tesim":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1945-1994"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"repository_ssm":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"extent_tesim":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAt the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAlthough Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["BIOGRAPHY"],"bioghist_tesim":["Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. "],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["ABSTRACT"],"odd_tesim":["Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBecause of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 2: FARM WORKERS\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAround 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eAccession Processed in 1997.\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/scopecontent\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["SCOPE AND CONTENT","Accession Processed in 1997."],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_4daaeb965e441c44361e6101b0c557d4\"\u003eFor current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog."],"names_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"corpname_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"language_ssim":["These materials are written in  English"],"total_component_count_is":475,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z"}]}}],"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-11"}},{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-12","type":"Undefined","attributes":{"title":"1965, October - December, .","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-12#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":[{"ref_ssi":"aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-12","ref_ssm":["aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-12","aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-12"],"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-12","title_filing_ssi":"1965, October - December, .","title_ssm":["1965, October - December, ."],"title_tesim":["1965, October - December, ."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1965, October - December, ."],"text":["1965, October - December, .","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence","/repositories/2/archival_objects/2470","Box 8","Folder 7"],"component_level_isim":[3],"parent_ids_ssim":["8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c01-1-8-6-2-3","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-3-2"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","Correspondence"],"parent_levels_ssm":["collection","Series","Subseries"],"unitid_ssm":["/repositories/2/archival_objects/2470"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Undefined"],"level_ssim":["Undefined"],"sort_isi":100,"containers_ssim":["Box 8","Folder 7"],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#0/components#10","_nest_parent_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-3-2","_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"ead_ssi":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","unitdate_ssm":["1945-1994"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1945-1994"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"text":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. ","Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.","Lyrasis Special Collections","These materials are written in  English"],"unitid_tesim":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1945-1994"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"repository_ssm":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"extent_tesim":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAt the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAlthough Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["BIOGRAPHY"],"bioghist_tesim":["Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. "],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["ABSTRACT"],"odd_tesim":["Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBecause of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 2: FARM WORKERS\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAround 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eAccession Processed in 1997.\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/scopecontent\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["SCOPE AND CONTENT","Accession Processed in 1997."],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_4daaeb965e441c44361e6101b0c557d4\"\u003eFor current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog."],"names_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"corpname_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"language_ssim":["These materials are written in  English"],"total_component_count_is":475,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z"}]}}],"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-3-2-12"}},{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-10","type":"Undefined","attributes":{"title":"1966, .","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-10#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":[{"ref_ssi":"aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-10","ref_ssm":["aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-10","aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-10"],"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-10","title_filing_ssi":"1966, .","title_ssm":["1966, ."],"title_tesim":["1966, ."],"normalized_title_ssm":["1966, ."],"text":["1966, .","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","Yellowsheets","/repositories/2/archival_objects/2388","Box 1","Folder 9"],"component_level_isim":[3],"parent_ids_ssim":["8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_a6dcf9942e69e6c2Mc","8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-1-2"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","Yellowsheets"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","Yellowsheets"],"parent_levels_ssm":["collection","Series","Subseries"],"unitid_ssm":["/repositories/2/archival_objects/2388"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Undefined"],"level_ssim":["Undefined"],"sort_isi":11,"containers_ssim":["Box 1","Folder 9"],"_nest_path_":"/components#0/components#0/components#8","_nest_parent_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c02-1-8-6-2-1-2","_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers"],"ead_ssi":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","unitdate_ssm":["1945-1994"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1945-1994"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"text":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7","Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994","Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. ","Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.","Lyrasis Special Collections","These materials are written in  English"],"unitid_tesim":["MSS 0193","/repositories/2/resources/7"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1945-1994"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_title_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"collection_ssim":["Ben Yellen Papers, 1945-1994"],"repository_ssm":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"repository_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"extent_tesim":["14.40 Electronic file","14.40 linear feet (37 archives boxes)"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAt the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAlthough Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["BIOGRAPHY"],"bioghist_tesim":["Ben Yellen was born on July 2, 1907, in Brooklyn, New York, to Jake and Annie Yellen. He\nattended Boy's High School in Brooklyn, Columbia University and he graduated from Long\nIsland College of Medicine, now called The University of the State of New York Medical\nSchool, in 1931. Given the economic conditions prevalent during the Depression, Yellen\nturned to the government for employment. For the next decade he worked as a physician for\nthe Civilian Conservation Corps and served as a doctor in the Army. In 1942 he settled\npermanently in the town of Brawley in Imperial County, California. He chose Brawley\nlargely for its warm, dry climate, which he thought would be beneficial for his health.\nOnce settled in Imperial Valley Yellen found himself in one of the richest and most\nproductive agricultural regions in the United States. Roughly a decade and a half after\nhis arrival in Brawley Yellen initiated a protracted battle against the large-scale\ngrowers who dominated the region's economy and their representative institutions,\nincluding the Desert Growers Association and, especially, the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict.","At the time of his arrival in Brawley, Yellen joined the local medical society and\nestablished his own practice. He drew his patients primarily from the lower segments of\nImperial Valley's economic system. His treatment of braceros (i.e., Mexican migrant farm\nworkers) led him into the political activities that would occupy the last four decades of\nhis life. In 1956, at the age of 49, Yellen began agitating against the big growers and\nbrought suit against them and the Continental Life Insurance Company for defrauding\nmigrant workers of their medical insurance benefits. This activity led to his expulsion\nfrom the Imperial Valley Medical Society in 1959 on the charges that his early morning\naddresses to migrant workers informing them of their insurance benefits were unethical\nattempts to build his own practice at the cost of the physicians hired to treat the\nbraceros. Yellen continued to practice medicine independently, but his relationship with\nBrawley's Pioneer Memorial Hospital remained strained for the rest of his lifetime.\nAround 1959 or 1960 Yellen's attitude towards the braceros shifted, and he focused his\nwritings and attentions on the domestic farm workers displaced by Mexican immigrants. ","Although Yellen never abandoned his concern for farm workers, in 1961 his interests\nshifted as he expanded his attack on the big growers. At this time he embarked on the\ncrusade for which he is most well known--the lawsuits to enforce the Reclamation Law of\n1902. The central case in this effort was the United States vs the Imperial Irrigation\nDistrict in which Ben Yellen and 123 other citizens of Imperial County acted as amicus\ncuriae, pushing the case through the legal system. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in\nthis case that the Reclamation Law did apply in Imperial Valley and that all growers\nreceiving federal irrigation water were restricted to 160 acres per person in the\nhousehold. Before this ruling could take effect however, California Senator Alan Cranston\npassed an amendment in the last days of the session that year exempting Imperial Valley\nfrom the Reclamation Law, thereby nullifying the Supreme Court decision and Yellen's\ngreatest victory. ","In addition to his legal activities, Yellen actively engaged in local electoral politics\nbeginning in the 1960s and continuing into the 1990s. Throughout these three decades,\nYellen ran for almost every conceivable local office, always on a platform of restricting\nthe power and influence of the big growers for the benefit of the \"little guy.\" In 1964,\nin his only electoral success, Yellen won a four-year term as a Brawley city councilman.\nTo get his views across to the public, Yellen distributed thousands of his own\nmimeographed newsletters, locally termed \"yellowsheets\" because of the yellow paper he\nused. With a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder, Yellen paced the streets of Imperial\nValley placing thousands of yellowsheets on car seats or under windshield wipers.\nYellen's pamphleteering lessened in the 1970s as his health and mobility declined; as a\nresult he increasingly relied on local newspapers to publish his \"letters to the editor\"\nto disseminate his political ideas.","During the final decade of his life, Yellen found himself in a new battle as the result\nof a malpractice suit following the death of a two-year old boy he injected with a\ncompounded prescription. Although he was ultimately cleared of wrong doing in the boy's\ndeath, his medical license was revoked by the state of California on November 16, 1983.\nHe spent the remainder of his life trying to regain his license. In 1987 he succeeded,\nbut the Board of Medical Quality Assurance placed so many restrictions on his return to\nmedicine that he never resumed an active practice.","In 1993 farm workers reappeared as the focus of Yellen's attention when he initiated a\nlawsuit against Attorney General Janet Reno to stop the flow of illegal Mexican\nimmigrants who took jobs from domestic farm workers. The suit never amounted to anything\ndue to Yellen's death the following year.","Yellen died in his home in Brawley on July 1, 1994, one day before he would have turned\n87. "],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003ePapers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["ABSTRACT"],"odd_tesim":["Papers of Benjamin L. Yellen (1907-1994), physician and political activist in Brawley,\nCalifornia. Most materials date from 1948 to 1994 and pertain to water, farming and\nmedical issues in Southern California. Typewritten correspondence forms the core of the\ncollection, while newspaper clippings, newsletters and published and government documents\ncompose the supporting materials. The collection is organized into five series: 1)\nYELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL\nACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and 5) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Ben Yellen Papers, MSS 0193. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBen Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBecause of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 2: FARM WORKERS\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAround 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eYellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cscopecontent\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eAccession Processed in 1997.\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/scopecontent\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["SCOPE AND CONTENT","Accession Processed in 1997."],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Ben Yellen Papers document grassroots social and political activism in the arenas of\nwestern farm labor and water policy. Yellen's correspondence dates from 1948 to 1994 and\nencompasses a variety of topics: migrant farm workers, water policy, tax assessment,\nelectricity rates, local politics, the law, medical malpractice, and the compounding of\nprescriptions. The correspondence in each series is supported by an array of published\nmaterials, as well as documents from the Brawley city government and newsletters from a\nvariety of small organizations. ","Ben Yellen was a loud voice of protest against the entrenched power of California's\ncommercial farmers. Although his primary lawsuit to compel the federal government to\nenforce the 1902 Reclamation Law did not ultimately lead to the redistribution of land in\nImperial Valley, he brought the issue to national attention and caused the big growers\nsignificant discomfort and sizable legal bills. His correspondence and lawsuits allege\nhow the politically and economically powerful interests of Imperial Valley sought to\nsilence him by attacking his medical practice and his personal integrity. His incomplete\nand idiosyncratic collection of newsletters and small publications reveals a web of\nsmall, liberal organizations fighting for the rights of the poor. His crusades against\nthe tax and electricity \"swindles\" illustrate the extent to which the special privileges\nand power of the big growers affected the lives of citizens of Imperial Valley. Finally,\nYellen represented a style of liberalism that mixed a strong desire to do good with a\ndose of paternalism and a powerful sense of individual importance and empowerment.","Because of the scattered way in which Yellen gathered and disseminated information, much\nof the documentation gathered here is incomplete. For example, Yellen acquired the annual\nreports of the Imperial Irrigation District for the years between 1963 and 1990; however,\nnine of the twenty-seven years are missing. Additionally, Yellen solicited information\nabout major water projects in California, Arizona, and Colorado. As a result, the\ncollection contains snippets of data about projects such as the Salt River and Boulder\nCanyon, but not enough information for a coherent study of either topic. Generally\nspeaking, Yellen's correspondence is marred by his rambling prose style and his tendency\nto blur issues together in one letter. His letters are also highly repetitive because\nYellen remained focused on water and related issues for three decades and his ideas about\nthese topics changed little over time.","The collection is organized into five series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR;\n2) FARM WORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; and, 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS.","SERIES 1: YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series provides an overview of Yellen's ideas\nand activities. The series is arranged into two chronological subseries: A) Yellowsheets\nand B) Letters to the Editor. ","The \"Yellowsheets,\" or newsletters, were distributed by hand in the Imperial Valley and\nmailed to people throughout the country. The bulkdates from the 1960s and diminishes\nthrough the 1970s and 1980s. Yellen used the yellowsheets to present his views directly\nto the people of the Imperial Valley and to explain how he thought they were all being\nexploited by the big growers.","As the frequency of yellowsheets declined through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, Yellen\nincreasingly relied on \"Letters to the Editor\" to express his views in public. The\nIMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS and the BRAWLEY NEWS published Yellen's letters beginning in 1960\nand continued to do so until 1992. The majority of this subseries comprises copies of\nprinted letters; however, originals for which we do not have a printed copy and originals\nwhich differ from the printed version are also held.","SERIES 2: FARM WORKERS","The FARM WORKERS series deals with the issue that first drew Yellen into social and\npolitical activism --the plight of Mexican migrant farm laborers. The series is organized\ninto three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and C) Supporting Materials. In the\nlate 1950s, Yellen formed the Committee for the Protection of Mexican Workers when he\nrealized that growers deducted medical insurance premiums from the paychecks of braceros,\nbut the workers themselves received inadequate health care and the Continental Life\nInsurance Company denied them benefits following injury. In addition to the \"insurance\nswindle,\" Yellen pointed out that growers charged workers exorbitant rates for room and\nboard while providing substandard food. Additionally, the growers restricted the number\nof hours braceros worked and thereby severely limited the amount of money they earned.","Around 1960 Yellen shifted his emphasis away from fighting for the rights of Mexican\nworkers to excluding them in favor of domestic farm workers. Yellen maintained both that\ngrowers imported Mexican migrants at the expense of domestic farm workers and that\nImperial Valley's economy suffered because Mexican workers sent their wages home and did\nnot buy goods in local stores.","The \"Correspondence\" subseries (1957-1994) is arranged chronologically and documents both\nthe ill treatment of Mexican workers and Yellen's philosophical shift away from their\ncause. The letters are mainly outgoing of government agencies and individuals, the\nDepartment of Labor, state and national senators, the California Department of\nEmployment, the National Advisory Committee on Farm Labor, and the Immigration and\nNaturalization Service.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries is also arranged chronologically and documents lawsuit and small\nclaims court appeals filed by workers to gain wages and benefits from the big growers who\nhad cheated them. Yellen initiated, or was in some way involved with, all of these cases.\nThe affidavits and claims contained within these lawsuits provide a glimpse of working\nconditions for farm workers in the late 1950s. ","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries includes financial statements; publications and\nnewsletters by small groups interested in the rights of farm workers, including the\nNational Advisory Committee on Farm Labor and Citizens for Farm Labor; and essays and\nreports about the conditions of farm work in California, including Grace Weist's\ndissertation HEALTH INSURANCE FOR BRACEROS: A STUDY OF ITS DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION\nUNDER PUBLIC LAW #78, for which Yellen helped gather data.","SERIES 3: WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES","The WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES series is the core and largest part of the\nYellen Papers. It is organized into three subseries: A) Correspondence, B) Lawsuits, and\nC) Supporting Material. Yellen discusses a variety of interrelated issues in his\ncorrespondence from 1959 to 1994; the enforcement of the 160 acres limitation; from the\nresidency requirement; the \"tax swindle;\" the \"electricity swindle,\" and electoral\npolitics in Brawley. Throughout his activist career, Yellen identified multiple levels on\nwhich the large land owners exploited the common people of Imperial Valley. He repeatedly\nargued that simple enforcement of the 160 acres limitation was insufficient to curtail\nthe power of the big growers. He doggedly maintained and propagated his beliefs through\nthree and a half decades of letter writing evidenced in this collection. He wrote letters\nto national political figures regularly in attempts to garner their attention to the\nlocal situation. For instance, he wrote to all the presidents, as well as senators and\nrepresentatives in key positions. He frequently wrote to people who were featured in\nnewspaper articles, as well as the authors of articles he found interesting. Running\nthroughout this correspondence are recurring solicitations to lawyers to work on his\nvarious cases, although he was largely unsuccessful and undertook many of his later\ncauses pro per. He also wrote continual solicitations to authors and television programs\nto visit Imperial Valley and publicize the story. In these letters, and others, he\nlamented what he saw as the persecution of his right to free speech by local authorities.\nHe maintained extended correspondence with a few private figures including George Ballis,\nCharles Smith, John Chappell, and his lawyer, Arthur Brunwasser.","The \"Lawsuits\" subseries contains legal documents from US vs Imperial Irrigation District\nand Ben Yellen vs Walter J. Hickel, as well as smaller related cases. The cases are\narranged chronologically by their beginning date and the folders are chronological within\neach case. This subseries also holds Ben Yellen vs Thomas Story, Ricky Macken, and the\nCity of Brawley, in its various manifestations. Yellen initiated this legal effort after\nhe was arrested while distributing his pamphlets at the 1984 Cattle Call Parade. This\nsuit marked the culmination of Yellen's struggle with the City of Brawley over his free\nspeech rights to distribute his pamphlets unmolested.","The \"Supporting Materials\" subseries contains a wide variety of material relating to\nYellen's interrelated interests, chiefly A) Western water, B) Electricity, C) Political\ncampaigns, D) the Imperial Irrigation District, and E) Imperial County and the City of\nBrawley. ","The \"Western water\" sub-subseries consists of reports and writings about western water\nissues. Much of the material is government documents and reports specifically related to\nthe Reclamation law and its applicability to the Imperial Valley. There is also a\ncollection of documents and pamphlets from different western water projects such as the\nPalo Verde Irrigation District, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley Salton Sea, the\nSan Joaquin Valley, the Metropolitan Water District, the Salt River Project and other\nArizona projects, and the Colorado River Dam. Yellen amassed notable, although\nincomplete, runs of WESTERN WATER NEWS (1960-1995) and the NATIONAL FARMERS UNION\nWASHINGTON NEWSLETTER (1964-1991). Likewise, Yellen saved newsletters and small\npublications from the California Agrarian Action Project (1980-1984), the CALIFORNIA FARM\nCONSUMER REPORTER (1965-1973), California Homeowner (1963-1971), National Land for People\n(1976-1985), SHARECROPPER (1972-1974), and the National Sharecropers' Fund (1971-1984).","The second sub-subseries deals with Yellen's enduring interest in \"Electricity.\" In\nparticular, it contains Imperial Irrigation District electricity rate schedules and\npamphlets (1962-1989), as well as similar information for the Tennessee Valley Authority\n(1967-1992).","The third sub-subseries, \"Political campaigns,\" holds examples of Yellen's political\nadvertisements, as well as advertisements from other local campaigns. Most of this\nmaterial is from the 1960s.","Yellen's nemesis in his political activism was the Imperial Irrigation District, which\ncontrolled the distribution of water and electricity in Imperial Valley and was in turn\ncontrolled by the large growers. The fourth sub-subseries is a collection of IID\ndocuments including audit reports (1960-1964), annual reports (1963-1990) and the IID\npublication DISTRICT NEWS (1960-1974). Also included in this area are publications made\nby other pro-big farmer groups, including pamphlets specifically attacking Yellen. ","The fifth and final sub-subseries is a sizable collection of material pertaining to\nImperial County and the City of Brawley, including descriptions of and fiscal data about\nImperial County; the minutes of the Brawley Town Council for the years he served as a\ncouncilman (1964-1968); correspondence internal to the city about a variety of matters\nsuch as promotions in the police and fire departments and planning projects. ","SERIES 4: MEDICAL ISSUES","The fourth series is tangential to the rest of the collection because it deals with\nYellen's medical philosophy and practice. This series is organized into two subseries: A)\nCorrespondence, and B) Medical Malpractice Suit. ","The first subseries is arranged chronologically and contains the earliest correspondence\nin the collection. Beginning in the 1940s, Yellen wrote numerous letters to medical\njournals and other doctors explaining and advocating his habit of compounding\nprescriptions, that is, writing complex prescriptions patients or pharmacists would put\ntogether as substitutes for more expensive packaged brand name drugs. In fact, his first\ncrusade was against the pharmaceutical manufacturers who charged high prices for drugs he\ncompounded cheaply. Within this subseries are letters reflecting the day to day nature of\nhis medical practice, as well as his relationship with other physicians in the area.","In December of 1981, Yellen's insistence on compounding drugs got him into trouble when a\ntwo-year old boy died in his care. The second subseries contains the correspondence,\narranged chronologically, surrounding the \"Medical Malpractice Suit,\" Travis Kavanaugh vs\nBen Yellen, and Yellen's subsequent countersuits. The legal documents relating to these\nproceedings are also included.","SERIES 5: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series contains select documents, such as a copy of Yellen's\nbirth certificate, photographs, a folder of personal correspondence, and a collection of\nsecondary articles about him including a transcript of his appearance on the television\nshow 60 MINUTES in 1973.","Accession Processed in 1997. The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image. The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO.  The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically. The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order. WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order. The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically. The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order. Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact. The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear.","The second accession contains materials that supplement those found in the first and\nlargest accession. Materials in this accession include: correspondence, legal documents,\nmedical records, personal ephemera, photographs, newspaper clippings, and audio tapes.\nThe series titles and arrangement mirror those of the first accession. The NEWSPAPER\nCLIPPINGS and AUDIO series are unique to the second accession and provide important\ndocumentation of Yellen's public role and image.","The accession is arranged into 7 series: 1) YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; 2)\nFARMWORKERS; 3) WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES; 4) MEDICAL ISSUES; 5)\nBIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS; 6) NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS and 7) AUDIO. ","The YELLOWSHEETS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR series offers a small sampling of the\npamphlets and letters Yellen produced for public consumption. They document the core of\nYellen's political beliefs and activities. They are particularly notable for the attacks\nYellen undertook against prominent politicians and residents of Imperial Valley. Both the\nyellowsheets and letters to the editor are arranged chronologically.","The second series on FARMWORKERS is also quite short containing primarily Yellen's\ncorrespondence on behalf of braceros in Imperial Valley, as well as a few medical\nrecords. The series is in alphabetical order.","WATER AND RELATED POLITICAL ACTIVITIES is a more extensive series holding samples of\nYellen's correspondence. Additionally, a sample of receipts provides a hint at the amount\nof money Yellen spent on such things as paper for printing yellowsheets and radio and\nnewspaper advertising during his campaigns for political office. This series is also in\nalphabetical order.","The fourth series, MEDICAL ISSUES, is the most extensive portion of the accession. It\nbegins with Yellen's General Medical Correspondence, pertaining mostly to his practice of\ncompounding prescriptions. The bulk of the series is made up of documents relating to his\nmedical malpractice suit which began in 1981. There is a subseries of notes and papers\nthat appear to have come from his lawyer's office. Another subseries is dedicated to\nAnnabelle Hillock's Notes about the case against Yellen and his hearing before the Board\nof Medical Quality Assurance. Hillock was a friend of Yellen who assisted him in his pro\nper actions to defend himself against the accusation of malpractice and subsequently to\nregain his license. The final subseries consists of Legal Documents filed in the\nmalpractice case. The series and subseries are all arranged alphabetically.","The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series offers a variety of materialsincluding personal\ncorrespondence, documentation of his death, as well as an extensive collection of\nphotographs taken primarily early in Yellen's life. Also included are ephemera such as\nmatchbook covers with Yellen's picture on them, rubber stamps with much used slogans, and\nYellen's Physician's diary from the 1950s. The materials in this collection are in\nalphabetical order.","Series six, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS, is made up of newspaper articles about Yellen collected\nbetween 1958 and 1994. These clippings provide a narrative to Yellen's life by\ndocumenting his public trials and triumphs. The clippings are a good place to begin to\nget a sense of the chronology of Yellen's life and his public impact.","The final series, AUDIO, consists of audio tapes of a few of Yellen's public appearances.\nThe most notable of which is his \"60 MINUTES\" appearance in 1973. These materials in are\nchronological order as their titles of sometimes unclear."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_4daaeb965e441c44361e6101b0c557d4\"\u003eFor current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["For current information on the location of these\nmaterials, please consult the Library's online catalog."],"names_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"corpname_ssim":["Lyrasis Special Collections"],"language_ssim":["These materials are written in  English"],"total_component_count_is":475,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"_root_":"8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d","timestamp":"2026-04-04T01:12:50.878Z"}]}}],"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arclight.lyrasistechnology.org/catalog/8a35f0553ff26b79965c963d_aspace_c03-1-8-6-2-1-2-10"}}],"included":[{"type":"facet","id":"collection_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Collection","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"Mayor Raymond L. 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