Bill Text: CA AB501 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Chaptered

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Bill Title: State fabric.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-3)

Status: (Passed) 2016-09-30 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 873, Statutes of 2016. [AB501 Detail]

Download: California-2015-AB501-Chaptered.html

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BILL NUMBER: AB 501	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	CHAPTER  873
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  SEPTEMBER 30, 2016
	APPROVED BY GOVERNOR  SEPTEMBER 30, 2016
	PASSED THE SENATE  AUGUST 15, 2016
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 31, 2016
	AMENDED IN SENATE  AUGUST 1, 2016
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 21, 2016
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 15, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 25, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 22, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Levine
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Bigelow, Bloom, Chiu, Gallagher,
Gomez, Lopez, Olsen, Ting, and Wood)
   (Coauthor: Senator Leno)

                        FEBRUARY 23, 2015

   An act to add Section 423.6 to the Government Code, relating to
state emblems.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 501, Levine. State fabric.
   Existing law declares the official state animal, rock, mineral,
grass, insect, bird, and marine fish, among other things.
   This bill would make denim the official state fabric.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) Denim is a sturdy cotton twill fabric. To create denim fabric,
horizontal threads pass under two or more vertical threads. However,
denim is much more than just a fabric. Denim's history is interwoven
with California history from the 1850s through today.
   (b) Since the 17th century through the present day, denim has been
used to make upholstery, tents, blankets, wagon covers, and of
course, pants known as jeans.
   (c) Denim jeans were invented in San Francisco during the Gold
Rush Era, and in May 1873, the United States Patent and Trademark
Office approved patent number 139,121 for the invention of jeans.
   (d) The history of denim jeans parallels the history of
California. At first, jeans were designed as practical working
clothes. They eventually became a symbol of American culture. Jeans
have been worn by gold miners, cowboys, farm workers, rock stars,
beatniks, hippies, and people of all walks of life. Jeans were
featured in the first Hollywood silent films and became an iconic
costume in a variety of genres, especially westerns and war films.
   (e) Today, California is responsible for about 75 percent of the
premium denim jeans sold throughout the world. The industry employs
more than 200,000 people in southern California alone, making it the
largest fashion manufacturing hub in the United States. Denim jeans
can be found in the wardrobes of 96 percent of American consumers
who, on average, own seven pairs. Denim jeans represent an estimated
$60 billion global market for retailers.
   (f) Celebrities, music artists, models, business people, and
Californians of all ages continue to wear denim. Jeans have become
the uniform for several companies in the technology industry in
Silicon Valley. Prominent technology companies developed genius
innovations while working in a garage wearing comfortable denim
jeans.
   (g) The cotton industry is vital to the production of denim jeans.
In California, cotton is grown primarily in the San Joaquin Valley,
but there is acreage in both the Palos Verde and Sacramento Valleys.
During the 2015 crop year, over 800 California producers grew cotton
and 29 California gins ginned over 700,000 bales of cotton. One bale
of cotton can generate 325 pairs of denim jeans. In 2015 there were
743 cotton businesses operating in California, providing employment
to 10,049 California residents and generating revenues of $1.4
billion.
   (h) Through corporate social responsibility initiatives, companies
spread awareness about gender equality, climate change, fair trade,
workplace equality, and a variety of other contemporary issues.
   (i) Several denim companies are now looking into the future and
making sustainability a core principle of its business model.
California's denim industry has worked to shrink its carbon and water
footprints.
   (j) In order to supply denim companies with cotton, the cotton
growers are working to become more sustainable by using responsible
production methods on their farms. Some of the positive benefits of
these efforts include a decrease in soil erosion, irrigation water,
energy use, and greenhouse gas emission. Additionally, Cotton
Incorporated -- the research and promotion company for the upland
variety of cotton -- has a United States program called Blue Jeans Go
Green that recycles unwanted denim. Both denim and cotton companies
are conscious of their environmental impact, especially within the
State of California.
  SEC. 2.  Section 423.6 is added to the Government Code, to read:
   423.6.  Denim is the official state fabric.