ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the rapid growth of the Consumers Co-operative of Berkeley (CCB) during the 1960s. The growth was assisted by expansion into new areas such as Marin County. The second aspect of growth involved the taking over of private stores such as the five Sids chain stores in 1962, which provoked controversy within the CCB. The White population in Berkeley continued to decline from 73.8 percent to 66.7 percent, while the African American population grew from 19.8 percent to 23.5 percent. Berkeley students also protested the San Francisco meetings of the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1960. The Free Speech Movement, led by philosophy student Mario Savio, started protesting an administrative decision to ban political activity on Sproul Plaza at UCB in September 1964. The conflict within the CCB Board of Directors over politics reflected widespread distrust of professionalism and leadership in Berkeley during the 1960s, which placed further pressure on CCB managers.
