Located in downtown San Diego. Sherman Foundation Library 614 Dahlia Ave. Records are devoted to California, Baja, and Sonora histories. LA Times from 1881 is available on film. Especially rich in Virginia and New England materials and military records.
Parking is on the street and a bit of a problem.
This is a new address as of July 1997. A good collection. Open some Sundays. I haven't been here, but I hear they have many very old books that may not be available anywhere else. This may be worth looking into.