This document traces the history of adult education (AE) in California from the 1850s through the present. Chapter 1 traces AE in California from the 1850s through the 1940s, and chapter 2 summarizes AE governance, finance, and programming in the 1950s. Chapter 3 focuses on the new federal role in AE and AE program growth in the 1960s, with special attention to the following: federal adult basic education initiatives, growth of vocational education, separation of community colleges, and AE funding and program characteristics. Changes in AE governance and finance in the 1970s are outlined in chapter 4. Discussed in chapters 5-6 are competency-based education's birth in the 1970s and institutionalization in the early 1980s. Chapters 7-8 examine the response of AE in California to social, economic, and political changes in the 1980s and California's AE strategy for the 1990s. Appendixes contain the following: lists of various AE administrators, consultants, and practitioners in California; list of federal AE projects; enrollment statistics; and timeline of significant events in AE in California. Lists of 101 works cited and 225 recommended references are included. (MN)