Jim Jones

=== Focus on San Francisco ===
{{Main|Peoples Temple in San Francisco}}
[[File:Members of Peoples Temple attend an anti-eviction rally at the International Hotel, San Francisco - January 1977.jpg|thumb|Peoples Temple members attend an anti-[[eviction]] rally at the [[International Hotel (San Francisco)|International Hotel, San Francisco]], in January 1977.|alt=A smiling group of mostly African-American standing in the street in front of a building clapping their hands.]]

By the end of 1969, Peoples Temple was growing rapidly. Jones's message of economic socialism and racial equality, along with the integrated nature of Peoples Temple, proved attractive, especially to students and racial minorities.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|pp=111–114}} By 1970, the Temple opened branches in several cities including [[San Fernando, California|San Fernando]], [[San Francisco]], and [[Los Angeles]] as Jones began shifting his focus to major cities across California because of limited expansion opportunities in Ukiah. He eventually moved the Temple's headquarters to San Francisco, which was a major center for radical protest movements. By 1973, Peoples Temple reached 2,570 members,{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|p=126}} with 36,000 subscribers to its fundraising newsletter.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|p=133}}

Jones grew the Temple by purposefully targeting other churches. In 1970, Jones and 150 of his followers took a trip to San Francisco's Missionary Baptist Church. Jones held a faith healing revival meeting wherein he impressed the crowd by claiming to heal a man of cancer; his followers later admitted to helping him stage the "healing". At the end of the event, he began attacking and condemning Baptist teachings and encouraging the members to abandon their church and join him.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|pp=138–139}}

The event was successful, and Jones recruited about 200 new members for Peoples Temple.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|pp=138–139}} In a less successful attempt in 1971, Jones and a large number of his followers visited the tomb and shrine erected for Father Divine shortly after his death. Jones confronted Divine's wife and claimed to be the reincarnation of Father Divine.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|p=138}} At a banquet that evening, Jones's followers seized control of the event and Jones addressed Divine's followers, again claiming that he was Father Divine's successor. Divine's wife rose up and accused Jones of being the devil in disguise and demanded he leave. Jones managed to recruit only twelve followers through the event.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|p=140}}

Jones became active in San Francisco politics and was able to gain contact with prominent local and state politicians.<ref name=oxy>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-11 |title=The Jonestown Massacre: Everything to Know About the Deadly Cult and Its Leader |url=https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/jonestown-massacre-date-survivors-cult-guyana-jim-jones |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Oxygen Official Site |language=en-US}}</ref> Thanks to their growing numbers, Jones and Peoples Temple played an instrumental role in [[George Moscone]]'s election as [[Mayor of San Francisco|mayor]] in 1975. Moscone subsequently appointed Jones as the chairman of the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission.<ref name="pbs.org" />{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|pp=302–304}}<ref name = mondale>{{cite news|url= https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/650870272.html?dids=650870272:650870272&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+21%2C+1978&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(1886-Current+File)&edition=&startpage=B17&desc=MONDALE%2C+CALIFANO+ALSO+LISTED|title= First Lady Among Cult's References|location= Mondale, California|newspaper= [[Los Angeles Times]]|date= November 21, 1978|access-date= July 6, 2017|archive-date= November 7, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121107042254/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/650870272.html?dids=650870272:650870272&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+21,+1978&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(1886-Current+File)&edition=&startpage=B17&desc=MONDALE,+CALIFANO+ALSO+LISTED|url-status= dead}}</ref>

Jones hosted local political figures at his San Francisco apartment for discussions.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|p=369}} In September 1976, [[California State Assembly|Assemblyman]] [[Willie Brown (politician)|Willie Brown]] served as [[master of ceremonies]] at a large testimonial dinner for Jones attended by [[Governor of California|Governor]] [[Jerry Brown]] and [[Lieutenant Governor of California|Lieutenant Governor]] [[Mervyn Dymally]].{{sfn|Layton|1998|p=105}} At that dinner, Willie Brown touted Jones as "what you should see every day when you look in the mirror" and said he was a combination of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[Angela Davis]], [[Albert Einstein]], and Mao.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|p=308}} [[Harvey Milk]] spoke to audiences during political rallies held at the Temple,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919893-1,00.html|title= Another Day of Death|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date= December 11, 1978|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080603115639/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919893-1,00.html|access-date=June 30, 2008|archive-date= June 3, 2008}}</ref> and he wrote to Jones after one such visit:

<blockquote>Rev Jim, It may take me many a day to come back down from the high that I reach today. I found something dear today. I found a sense of being that makes up for all the hours and energy placed in a fight. I found what you wanted me to find. I shall be back. For I can never leave.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|p=369}}</blockquote>

Through his connections with California politicians, Jones was able to establish contacts with key national political figures.<ref name=oxy /> Jones and Moscone met privately with vice presidential candidate [[Walter Mondale]] on his campaign plane days before the [[United States presidential election, 1976|1976 election]], leading Mondale to publicly praise the Temple.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|pp=302–304}}<ref name = mondale/>
[[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Rosalynn Carter]] met with Jones on multiple occasions, corresponded with him about Cuba, and spoke with him at the grand opening of the San Francisco headquarters—where he received louder applause than she did.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|pp=302–304}}<ref>{{cite web|author=Jones, Jim. |url=http://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=27588| title=Transcript of Recovered FBI tape Q 799|website=Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple|publisher= San Diego State University}}</ref><ref name="kilduff">{{cite web|author1-link=Marshall Kilduff |author1=Kilduff, Marshall |author2=Phil Tracy|date= August 1, 1977|url=https://jonestown.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/newWestart.pdf|title= Inside Peoples Temple|work=New West magazine|access-date=November 12, 2021}}</ref> Jones forged alliances with key columnists and others at the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' and other press outlets that gave Jones favorable press during his early years in California.{{sfn|Reiterman|Jacobs|1982|pp=285, 306, 587}}