Bill Text: CA SCR103 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: California and El Salvador: election.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 53-17)
Status: (Passed) 2014-08-11 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 108, Statutes of 2014. [SCR103 Detail]
Download: California-2013-SCR103-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: SCR 103 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 108
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE AUGUST 11, 2014
ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 7, 2014
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 30, 2014
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 30, 2014
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 18, 2014
INTRODUCED BY Senator De León
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Brown, Fong, Fox, Medina, Achadjian,
Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonta,
Bradford, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro,
Conway, Cooley, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Frazier,
Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Hall,
Harkey, Roger Hernández, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue,
Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi,
Nazarian, Nestande, Pan, Perea, John A. Pérez, V. Manuel Pérez,
Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Skinner, Stone,
Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Wieckowski, Wilk, and Yamada)
MARCH 27, 2014
Relative to California/El Salvador relations.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 103, De León. California and El Salvador: election.
This measure would commend the government of El Salvador on its
handling of the recent election and would recognize the efforts of
the United Nations, the Organization of American States, and other
institutions in assisting with the election in the spirit of the
Chapultepec Peace Accords.
WHEREAS, The Legislature of the State of California is committed
to recognizing democratic governments in their efforts to develop
policies that support the rule of law and the long-term economic
growth and shared prosperity of all members of society; and
WHEREAS, El Salvador and California have long shared common
interests and each stand to benefit from increased trade, investment,
and tourism, as well as cultural, educational, and scientific
exchanges; and
WHEREAS, The 12-year Salvadoran Civil War, which began in the
early 1980s, took the lives of over 75,000 Salvadorans, resulted in a
displacement of over 500,000 people, and was concluded with the
signing of the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City in 1992; and
WHEREAS, El Salvador's peace settlement, as summarized by the
United States Institute of Peace, provided for a cease-fire, the
demobilization of military and guerrilla forces, the establishment of
the rebel Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) as a
political party, and the reintegration of its combatants into
society. The Chapultepec Peace Accords further committed the
government to making changes in the nature, responsibilities, and
size of the country's Armed Forces, creating a new national civilian
police force and an intelligence service separate from the military,
implementing human rights measures, adopting electoral and judicial
reforms, and providing limited social and economic programs primarily
benefiting members of the demobilized forces and war-ravaged
communities; and
WHEREAS, A majority of Salvadorans fleeing the civil war came to
the United States, with most coming to Los Angeles and San Francisco;
and
WHEREAS, The City of Los Angeles, a sister city to San Salvador,
is home to the largest concentration of Salvadoran nationals in the
United States, making it inextricably linked to the nation of El
Salvador; and
WHEREAS, Of the 1.6 million Salvadorans who live in the United
States, more than 500,000 call California home. Salvadorans
constitute the second largest Latino community in California, and
live in major cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles; and
WHEREAS, The state's 22nd Senate District encompasses the
neighborhoods of Pico-Union and Westlake, where many Salvadoran
refugees settled during the Salvadoran Civil War and is also home to
a plaza and statue in commemoration of the humanitarian Monsignor
Oscar A. Romero in MacArthur Park; and
WHEREAS, The California Legislature supports actions that would
strengthen and facilitate mutually beneficial exchanges in cities
like sister cities Los Angeles and San Salvador; and
WHEREAS, March 24, 2014, was a special occasion, as it marked the
34th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Monsignor Oscar A. Romero, whose
tomb President Obama visited on March 23, 2011; and
WHEREAS, Monsignor Romero is a historical icon of the Salvadoran
people, and in that spirit, the State of California joins President
Obama, the City of Los Angeles, the Salvadoran community, the
government of El Salvador, and millions of followers in El Salvador
and around the world, in paying tribute to his life and teachings;
and
WHEREAS, El Salvador recently held a presidential election on
March 9, 2014, that according to international observers, including
the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations, and
hundreds of United States citizens, was free and democratic, and for
which the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) was praised, for the
election's transparency and professionalism; and
WHEREAS, The State of California joins the United Nations,
international observers, the OAS, and many civil and religious
organizations in recognizing the work of the TSE, the commitment of
the two major political parties to respect the will of the people as
demonstrated by the March 9th election, and the final outcome
announced by the TSE as the legal mandate under the Salvadoran
Constitution; and
WHEREAS, Addressing the socioeconomic issues that long fomented
civil unrest in El Salvador prior to the civil war, and which were
again brought to the forefront in the global recession in 2009, will
take time and a consistent commitment by the Salvadoran government to
build an equitable economic environment that supports the efforts of
workers and the middle class to prosper and benefit from the nation'
s economic growth. To this end, the State of California can serve as
an important economic partner with the newly democratically elected
government of El Salvador, and President Salvador Sánchez Cerén, in
promoting trade and private investment in both El Salvador and
California; and
WHEREAS, The United States prospered from a $692.6 million trade
surplus with El Salvador in 2013; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature, on behalf of the people of
the State of California, commends the Salvadoran people for their
high turnout in the election, as well as the state institutions for
their professional handling of the election process. California looks
forward to a positive and cooperative relationship with Salvadorans
living in California and with President Sánchez Cerén and his
government as they continue to forge new policies and take actions
that promote democratic institutions, the rule of law, and economic
opportunity and growth for all Salvadorans, in the spirit of the
Chapultepec Peace Accords; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the President of El Salvador, to the Governor of
California, and to the author for appropriate distribution.
