Bill Text: CA SCR122 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Chinese Americans in California.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 64-22)
Status: (Passed) 2014-08-28 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 132, Statutes of 2014. [SCR122 Detail]
Download: California-2013-SCR122-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: SCR 122 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 132
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE AUGUST 28, 2014
ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 21, 2014
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 19, 2014
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 19, 2014
INTRODUCED BY Senators De León, Correa, Hernandez, Hueso, Huff,
Lara, Lieu, Liu, Steinberg, and Torres
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Fong)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano,
Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown,
Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway,
Cooley, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fox,
Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gonzalez, Gordon, Grove, Hagman,
Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Holden, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine,
Linder, Logue, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez,
Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea,
John A. Pérez, V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon,
Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner,
Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, and Yamada)
MAY 20, 2014
Relative to Chinese Americans in California.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 122, De León. Chinese Americans in California.
This measure would acknowledge the history of the Chinese in
California, recognize the contributions made to the State of
California by Chinese Americans and Chinese immigrants, and apologize
for past discriminatory laws and constitutional provisions that
resulted in the persecution of Chinese living in California.
WHEREAS, The California Gold Rush triggered one of the largest
mass migrations in world history and captured global imagination as
the destination for wealth and opportunity. That global migration
made California one of the world's most diverse states, which would
serve as the foundation for its economic, academic, and cultural
growth in the 20th century; and
WHEREAS, The California Gold Rush paved the way in funding and
manpower for the creation and building of the western leg of the
Transcontinental Railroad. The Transcontinental Railroad was
considered the greatest American technological feat of the 19th
century, was a dream of Abraham Lincoln's, and was what many
considered the most important aspect in strengthening the position of
the United States in the international spotlight. The track served
as a vital link for trade, commerce, and travel by joining east and
west, further transforming the population and economy of California;
and
WHEREAS, The Central Pacific portion of the Transcontinental
Railroad recruited the Chinese in America and later tens of thousands
of Chinese immigrants as a source of labor. Chinese in America and
Chinese immigrants were paid less than their white counterparts and
slept in tents while white laborers were provided both food and
shelter. The Chinese laborers worked under grueling and treacherous
conditions in order to lay thousands of miles of track. On May 10,
1868, alone, Chinese workers laid 10 miles of track in less than 12
hours in order to complete the last leg of the railroad. Without the
tremendous efforts and contributions of the Chinese in building the
Transcontinental Railroad, the development and progress of our nation
and California would have been delayed by years; and
WHEREAS, Once the Transcontinental Railroad was complete, Chinese
in California transitioned to other types of employment, making
considerable contributions to the progress and growth of our state.
Chinese in California built ships for fishing along our coast and
developed the abalone and shrimp industries. In the Delta and the
central valley, the Chinese in California helped to recover the tule
swamps, to build irrigation systems, and to harvest various fruits
and vegetables for California's agriculture industry; and
WHEREAS, The Legislature enacted discriminatory laws targeting
Chinese in America and Chinese immigrants in order to discourage
further immigration from China and sought to severely limit the
success of the Chinese laborers already here; and
WHEREAS, Among other things, these laws denied the Chinese in
California the right to own land or property, the right to vote, and
the right to marry a white person, denied children of Chinese descent
access to public schools, denied Chinese immigrants the right to
bear arms, unfairly targeted women of Chinese descent by imposing
special requirements in order for them to be allowed to immigrate
into the state, authorized the removal of Chinese immigrants to
outside town and city limits, denied Chinese laborers employment in
public works projects and through state agencies, prohibited the
issuance of licenses to Chinese in California, denied Chinese in
California the right to fish in California's waters, and unduly taxed
Chinese businesses and individuals who employed Chinese laborers;
and
WHEREAS, Chinese in California were denied the right to testify as
a witness in any action or proceeding in which a white person was a
party, pursuant to a state law that was upheld in People v. Hall
(1854) 4 Cal. 399. As a result of the decision to place Chinese in
California outside of the protection of the law, many Chinese in
California were left extremely vulnerable to violence and abuse; and
WHEREAS, Chinese in California faced further discrimination under
local ordinances that targeted traditional Chinese culture and
customs. Laws were enacted forcing Chinese men in San Francisco to
cut off their traditional queues, banning the Chinese traditional
style of transporting fruits and vegetables, unjustly raising taxes
on Chinese-owned laundromats, targeting the Chinese custom of
disinterring the remains of their deceased to send back to China for
proper burial, and forcing the Chinese in San Francisco to live
within an area that was considered unsanitary and unsafe to ordinary
individuals. These laws were enacted in order to impose shame and
humiliation on Chinese Americans and Chinese immigrants; and
WHEREAS, Former Article XIX of the California Constitution, which
was adopted in 1879 and unfairly targeted and discriminated against
Chinese living in California, remained in effect for 73 years until
it was repealed in 1952; and
WHEREAS, Despite decades of systematic, pervasive, and sustained
discrimination, Chinese living in California persevered and went on
to make significant contributions to the growth and success of our
state; and
WHEREAS, Today, Californians of Chinese descent occupy leading
roles in politics, business, and academia. The contributions of
Chinese Americans to the State of California are vast and
irreplaceable. They have played a central role in turning California'
s university system, technology industry, businesses, and agriculture
into a world power; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That diversity is one of our state's greatest
strengths, enabling California to thrive economically,
agriculturally, technologically, academically, and politically at an
international level. Our great state has relied on immigrants of all
backgrounds to build our infrastructure, and integrating them into
our society not only helps them prosper, but helps California prosper
as well; and be it further
Resolved, That while this nation was founded on the principle that
all men are created equal, and while we pay tribute to the great
American creed "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses
yearning to breathe free" that stands at the base of America's Statue
of Liberty, a symbol of hope for all who live, and all who wish to
live, in the United States of America, we recognize that the
practices of our state and its government have not always honored
that promise. Ours is a state with an imperfect history where
intolerance spurred the enactment of unjust discriminatory laws that
have too often denied minority groups access to the promise of
America, that all men are created equal. Today that struggle
continues, and learning from our past will help enable us to travel
further down the path toward building a more perfect union; and be it
further
Resolved, That the Legislature apologizes for the enactment of
past discriminatory laws and constitutional provisions that resulted
in the persecution of Chinese living in California, which forced them
to live in fear of unjust prosecutions on baseless charges, and that
unfairly prevented them from earning a living. The Legislature
apologizes for these acts and reaffirms its commitment to preserving
the rights of all people and celebrating the contributions that all
immigrants have made to this state and nation; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
