Historian Jules Tygiel, SFSU, will discuss "The Julian Petroleum Scandal & Its Effect on Depression-Era Southern California". In May, 1927, the Julian Petroleum Corp--which had some 40,000 investors--collapsed amidst charges of fraud and a stock overissuance. The company symbolized the speculative excesses of the roaring twenties. The aftermath--a merry-go-round of charges and countercharges involving many of the Los Angeles elite, murders, suicides, and exposes of deeper corruption--paved the way for the Great Depression. Professor Tygiel will discuss the ways in which this scandal reflected and impacted Southern California in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Reservations for all lectures are recommended, as space is limited. The $5 fee includes a light refreshments. Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site is located at 4600 Virginia Road, Long Beach, CA, 90807 (near the intersection of Long Beach Blvd & Virigina Road). Please phone (telephone number provided below) to make your reservation.