Bill Text: CA ACR31 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Assembly Concurrent Resolution 31 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sergeant Steven C. Owen Memorial Highway.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)

Status: (Passed) 2017-08-31 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 135, Statutes of 2017. [ACR31 Detail]

Download: California-2017-ACR31-Chaptered.html

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 31

CHAPTER 135

Relative to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sergeant Steven C. Owen Memorial Highway.

[ Filed with Secretary of State August 31, 2017. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

ACR 31, Lackey. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sergeant Steven C. Owen Memorial Highway.

This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway 14 in the City of Palmdale in Los Angeles County as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sergeant Steven C. Owen Memorial Highway. The measure would request that the Department of Transportation determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and the badge of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.

Fiscal Committee: YES

WHEREAS, The men and women of law enforcement have the unenviable task of guaranteeing the public’s safety, and it is as difficult and dangerous as it is important, as evidenced by the death of Sergeant Steven C. Owen of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, who was killed in the line of duty; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Owen was shot and killed in Lancaster, California on Wednesday, October 5, 2016, while responding to a residential burglary call that set off a manhunt for a gunman who tried to flee in the slain lawman’s cruiser and who held two teenagers hostage before he was captured; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Owen was only 53 years of age at the time of his passing, and he was a 29-year department veteran who began his career in law enforcement with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on March 11, 1987, as part of a class of 240; and

WHEREAS, Over the course of his career with the department, Sergeant Owen had the opportunity to serve as a deputy, school resource deputy, field training officer, and detective, providing expertise to the Custody Division’s East Facility, Lynwood Station, and to Transit Services in Field Ops Region II, and to the Antelope Valley and Lancaster stations in Field Ops Region I; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Owen was first assigned to the Lancaster Station in June 1996, where he was promoted to sergeant in 2011, and since that time he served the residents of Lancaster. He also served with the department’s mounted enforcement detail as both a deputy and sergeant, assisting with crowd control, parades, lost children, and various patrol activities from horseback; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Owen received numerous accolades for his efforts and achievements, including professional commendations from the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States Department of Justice, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the United States Marine Corps, the California Attorney General, and the Massachusetts State Police. In 2014, Sergeant Owen was awarded the Medal of Valor, the department’s highest honor; and

WHEREAS, In his private life, Sergeant Owen enjoyed camping, motorcycling, gardening, and spending time with his family. Upon his passing, he is survived by his beloved family, including his wife, Tania, a detective assigned to the department’s Arson/Explosives Detail, and their three children, Chadd, Brandon, and Shannon, as well as his extended family, his many dear friends and colleagues, and the countless others whose lives he touched; and

WHEREAS, We pause to honor Sheriff’s Sergeant Steven C. Owen, who made the ultimate sacrifice while performing his sworn duty, and pay tribute to him, a fallen hero, by recalling his devotion, celebrating his life, and honoring his service; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the portion of State Highway 14 in the City of Palmdale from E. Ave. R to E. Ave. S in Los Angeles County as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sergeant Steven C. Owen Memorial Highway; 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 this special designation and the badge of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover that cost, 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.