Bill Text: CA ACR138 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Senator Sharon Runner Memorial Highway and the Larry
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2016-09-01 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 160, Statutes of 2016. [ACR138 Detail]
Download: California-2015-ACR138-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: ACR 138 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 160
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 1, 2016
ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 19, 2016
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 24, 2016
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 9, 2016
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 2, 2016
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 29, 2016
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 23, 2016
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Lackey and Wilk
FEBRUARY 16, 2016
Relative to the Senator Sharon Runner Memorial Highway and the
Larry Chimbole Memorial Highway.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 138, Lackey. Senator Sharon Runner Memorial Highway and the
Larry Chimbole Memorial Highway.
This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway
Route 14 in the City of Lancaster as the Senator Sharon Runner
Memorial Highway and a specified portion of State Route 138 in the
County of Los Angeles as the Larry Chimbole Memorial Highway. The
measure would also request the Department of Transportation to
determine the cost of appropriate signs showing these special
designations and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources
covering the cost, to erect those signs.
WHEREAS, The honorable Sharon Runner was born on May 17, 1954, in
the City of Los Angeles; and
WHEREAS, She was a lifelong resident of the City of Lancaster,
California; and
WHEREAS, Before embarking on her political career, Ms. Runner
cofounded Desert Christian Schools, which has grown to three campuses
with nearly 1,700 students; and
WHEREAS, She was a conservative who served in the California State
Assembly from 2002 to 2008; and
WHEREAS, She was elected to the California State Senate in 2011;
and
WHEREAS, Senator Runner coauthored California's version of Jessica'
s Law, approved by voters in 2006, to restrict sex offenders from
living near parks, schools, and other places where children
congregate; and
WHEREAS, Senator Runner served on the board of California Women
Lead, a bipartisan organization that encourages and empowers women to
run for public office; and
WHEREAS, In 1998, she was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to
serve on the Antelope Valley Fair Board of Directors, where she
oversaw the operations of the 50th Agriculture District; and
WHEREAS, In 2009, she was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger to
the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board; and
WHEREAS, Throughout her life, Senator Runner volunteered her time
on several boards and committees, including the United Way, Antelope
Valley Hospital Gift Foundation, Antelope Valley Crime Task Force,
Healthy Homes Advisory Council, and Care Net; and
WHEREAS, She was diagnosed with limited scleroderma, also known as
CREST syndrome, in 1984 at the age of 30; and
WHEREAS, She received a double-lung transplant in 2012; and
WHEREAS, Following her high-profile illness and recovery, Senator
Runner volunteered with organizations committed to increasing organ
donations; and
WHEREAS, She was reelected to the California State Senate in 2015;
and
WHEREAS, Senator Sharon Runner passed away on July 14, 2016, after
experiencing respiratory complications; and
WHEREAS, Lawrence "Larry" Chimbole was born in New Haven,
Connecticut, on May 22, 1919, and graduated from Stamford High School
in 1937. During World War II, Chimbole served as a B-29 radio
operator in the Army Air Corps on the Pacific Island of Tinian. After
World War II, he moved to California and settled in the City of
Glendale, before migrating west to the San Fernando Valley, and then
moving to the community of Palmdale in 1957; and
WHEREAS, When Larry arrived in the Palmdale area, the population
was approximately 7,100 people. There was no incorporated City of
Palmdale or City of Lancaster, no Antelope Valley Freeway, no
California Aqueduct, no Antelope Valley, Crystalaire, or Rancho Vista
country clubs, no mall, no high schools, no courthouse, no Board of
Trade, no county library, no hospital, no Palmdale Amphitheater, no
DryTown Water Park, no Poncitlán Square, and no Palmdale Auto Mall;
and
WHEREAS, Larry became the owner of a hardware store in Palmdale
and almost immediately became involved in Palmdale's civic affairs as
president of the Palmdale Kiwanis Club, and then as president of the
Palmdale Chamber of Commerce in 1961; and
WHEREAS, Larry was instrumental in leading the City of Palmdale
into incorporation as one of the "50 Grand Men," who each donated
money to fund the process. After the city was successfully
incorporated in 1962, he was elected as the city's first mayor. He
helped bring the Lockheed assembly plant to the Antelope Valley and
was instrumental in the development of the Antelope Valley and its
freeway system; and
WHEREAS, After serving as mayor, Larry Chimbole ran as a Democrat
in a highly Republican area, went on to serve two consecutive terms
in the California State Assembly from 1974 to 1978, and was the first
Antelope Valley resident to ever be elected to the State
Legislature. He then served a total of 12 years on the Palmdale City
Council, where he represented the city as the president of the
California Contract Cities Association and as president of the Los
Angeles County Division of the League of California Cities. In 1974,
Larry was responsible for arranging the National Guard Armory to be
located in the City of Palmdale instead of the City of Lancaster; and
WHEREAS, After serving in the Assembly, Larry Chimbole continued
to serve his community by serving as a member of the State Board of
Landscape Architects, the Antelope Valley Healthcare District Board
of Directors, and the Antelope Valley Fair Board of Directors; and
WHEREAS, In 1996, the Desert Mailer had the front page headline,
"Chimbole just keeps on tickin'." In the article, when asked how he
would like to be remembered, Larry Chimbole stated that his legacy
would be how active he was in 1960 and that he remained just as
active for the rest of his life; and
WHEREAS, Former Mayor Chimbole continued to be active in his
community. In 1999, he served as campaign chair of the United Way
Antelope Valley Region; and
WHEREAS, In 2006, city officials immortalized the "50 Grand Men"
when they formally presented a beautiful plaque that is currently on
display at the Chimbole Cultural Center; and
WHEREAS, On August 24, 2012, Larry Chimbole was a featured guest
at the City of Palmdale's 50th anniversary celebration held at
Poncitlán Square that was attended by thousands. In 2013, more than
100 friends and family members gathered to celebrate his 94th
birthday at the Chimbole Cultural Center that bears his name. At 94,
Larry Chimbole was still very active in the community, where he
attended many local community events; and
WHEREAS, In 2014, a committee was formed to raise funds to create
a series of bronze statues called "Legendary Locals." The first
statue in the series was to be of Larry Chimbole. The statue was
dedicated on October 8, 2015, across from the Palmdale City Hall on a
bench in Poncitlán Square. More than 200 people witnessed the
unveiling of the statue entitled "The First Mayor," which depicts
Chimbole seated on a bench with one arm resting atop the back of the
bench to encourage visitors to sit and visit with a "local legend";
now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates the portion of
State Highway Route 14 in the County of Los Angeles from West Avenue
H to West Avenue K in the City of Lancaster as the Senator Sharon
Runner Memorial Highway; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature designates the portion of State
Route 138 in the County of Los Angeles from the interchange at State
Route 14 to 40th Street East in the City of Palmdale as the Larry
Chimbole Memorial Highway; and be it further
Resolved, That the sign posted to commemorate the Larry Chimbole
Memorial Highway additionally state "Larry Chimbole Memorial Highway:
First Mayor of Palmdale"; and be it further
Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to
determine the cost of appropriate signs consistent with the signing
requirements for the state highway system showing each of these
special designations and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
sources sufficient to cover the cost of the signs for which the
donations are made, to erect those signs; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author
for appropriate distribution.
