1955
- Howl, by Allen Ginsberg (signature pictured), is written, then recited at the Six Gallery reading in San Francisco
- The California Medical Facility, a state prison in Vacaville, opens
- Cazadero Performing Arts Camp is established in western Sonoma County
- The city of Cupertino (flag pictured) is incorporated in Santa Clara County
- Daughters of Bilitis, the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States, is formed in San Francisco
- Newark is incorporated in Alameda County