Pacific Scene

Fresno, CA: George Ballis, 1965. First printing. 23 pp., 8.5 x 11 inches. Stapled into printed wrappers. The Liberal democrat, launched in 1960, was an alternative magazine covering politics from a California perspective. With this issue (and a new editor/publisher), the name was changed to Pacific Scene, to emphasize its independence, and counter the mistaken impression (despite the deliberately lower-case “d” in its original name) that the magazine was somehow connected to the Democratic Party. Five more issues followed before the magazine ceased publication in June of 1965. Contents of this issue include: “Moses of Mississippi raises some universal questions” by Bob Moses of SNCC; “Emperor of the Sequoias Shows How to Fire a Union Teacher” by the editor George Ballis; editorials, reviews, and correspondence; other short articles with California focus; and, especially notable, the “Web of Financial Power,” a two-page chart that occupies the centerfold position, visualizing the dense and complex relationships between the Regents of the University of California (and their associates) and a long list of major corporations and financial institutions. Centerfold spread loose from one of the staples (which have a touch of rust), otherwise very good.