James R. Mills

Mills was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1960 to replace George G. Crawford, who had resigned the 79th District seat on February 15, 1960, to become a San Diego Municipal Court judge and George J. Lapthorne, who won the special election for the seat, but did not seek re-election later that year.

[3] Mills ran for California State Senate in 1966 and won the recently redistricted 40th District seat.

In arguing for the bill, which was later approved by voters, Mills said that a full-time legislature would be able to respond more quickly to the needs of a fast-growing state.

[2] During his time in the legislature, Mills was also a champion for the preservation of historic buildings and for public transportation authoring several laws that would create lasting changes in the state of California.

[2] In 1972, he authored a state law that would come to be known as the Mills Act, which allowed cities to reduce property tax for owners of a historic building in exchange for its continued preservation.

[4] Mills was inspired to write the law when a developer proposed demolishing the historic Hotel del Coronado in his district.

[2][4] Mills was the curator of the San Diego History Center's Junípero Serra Museum, from 1955 to 1960, when he left to run for the state assembly.

Mills during the opening of Richmond station in 1977.