Exhibit 99 (a)(i)


                WINTHROP CALIFORNIA INVESTORS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
                          5 Cambridge Center, 9th Floor
                         Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142
                                 (617) 234-3000

                                                                December 9, 1999

Dear Limited Partner:

Sutter/Jamboree Acquisition Fund, LLC ("Sutter") is seeking to purchase in a
tender offer limited partnership units in Winthrop California Investors Limited
Partnership (the "Partnership") for a price of $1,500 per unit.

We believe that the Sutter offer violates certain provisions of applicable
Federal securities laws and in accordance with the provisions of the Partnership
Agreement will not process any assignment of units purported to be made under
the Sutter offer. Accordingly, we have not complied with Sutter's request to
supply it with a list of limited partners or mail the Sutter offer to limited
partners.

Our decision to restrict the transfers of units under the Sutter offer, as well
as other transfers, is also based on the absence of current financial
information on the Partnership sufficient to enable limited partners to make an
informed decision as to whether to transfer units.

The Partnership's most significant asset is a 25% limited partnership interest
in Crow Winthrop Development Limited Partnership (the "Development Partnership")
which owns a development parcel containing approximately 90 acres of land in
Orange County, California. We have previously informed you that the Partnership
has been involved in extensive litigation with the general partner of the
Development Partnership. As a result of our inability to obtain financial
information on the Development Partnership, since September 1997 we have been
unable to prepare financial statements for the Partnership. We have now obtained
additional information on the operations of the Development Partnership and
believe that within the next few weeks we will be able to deliver to you
financial statements of the Partnership for 1998 as well as the nine months
ended September 30, 1999. However, until such time as current financial
information is available we have suspended the processing of all transfers of
units other than transfers by operation of law. We will lift the transfer
restrictions once the foregoing financial information is available.

We also believe that the amount of the Sutter offer is substantially below the
value of your units. Thus, even if transfers of units were


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being processed, we would strongly recommend that limited partners reject the
Sutter offer.

You should also know that an affiliate of the General Partner of the Partnership
may be making an offer to purchase your units at a price substantially above the
price provided for in the Sutter offer. However, it is currently anticipated
that any such offer will not be consummated until such time as the current
financial information referred to above is publicly available.

We are enclosing for your information a copy of the Schedule 14D-9 which we have
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission which sets forth more detailed
information. If you have any questions or would like further information, please
contact us at (617) 234-3000.

                                        Sincerely,

                                        WINTHROP CALIFORNIA INVESTORS
                                        LIMITED PARTNERSHIP





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