BILL NUMBER: ACR 48 CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 80 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JULY 17, 2009 ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 29, 2009 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 4, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Gilmore (Coauthor: Assembly Member Fuller) (Coauthors: Senators Ashburn and Florez) MARCH 5, 2009 Relative to the Deputy James Throne Memorial Highway. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 48, Gilmore. Deputy James Throne Memorial Highway. This measure would designate State Highway Route 184, also known as Weedpatch Highway, in Kern County as the Deputy James Throne Memorial Highway. This measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering those costs, to erect those signs. WHEREAS, Deputy James Throne was born on September 6, 1978, and grew up in the small central valley town of Shafter with his parents Diane and Richard Throne, Sr., and his sister and two brothers; and WHEREAS, Deputy Throne graduated from Shafter High School where he played football; and WHEREAS, Following his high school graduation, Deputy Throne worked in the Kern County oilfields; and WHEREAS, Deputy Throne and his wife Amanda, married on June 17, 2000, lived in Bakersfield; and WHEREAS, One of the greatest joys of Deputy Throne's life were his children Joshua, Alexandra, and Brandon; and WHEREAS, Deputy Throne put himself through the Kern County Sheriff' s Department Academy, graduating in 2002, because he wanted more out of his life; and WHEREAS, Deputy Throne joined the Kern County Sheriff's Department on February 8, 2002, as an extra help deputy; and WHEREAS, Deputy Throne joined the Taft Police Department in August 2003, where, within less than one year, he was assigned to CAL-MMET, a multijurisdictional, specialized unit targeted at street-level methamphetamine use and sales; and WHEREAS, Deputy Throne's desire to excel, innate abilities, and work ethic made him a very successful, trusted, and well-liked member of the team; and WHEREAS, Deputy Throne rejoined the Kern County Sheriff's Department fulltime on September 10, 2005, where he was initially assigned to the Court Services Division; and WHEREAS, After completing a field training program on June 24, 2006, he was assigned to a patrol position at the Lamont Substation, where he would spend the rest of his career and was well liked and respected; and WHEREAS, Because of Deputy Throne's prior experience, he was able to assist his colleagues with their narcotics investigations; and WHEREAS, He was a team player who cared much more about achieving goals than receiving credit for accomplishments; and WHEREAS, Deputy Throne also served the department through teaching in-service classes and defensive tactics, and as an involved member of the Sheriff's Activity League; and WHEREAS, He often read to children in afterschool programs and presented classes on drug and gang awareness; and WHEREAS, In recognition of his law enforcement capabilities and contributions to his colleagues and community, the Bakersfield Optimist Club honored Deputy Throne as the 2007 Officer of the Year; and WHEREAS, On May 23, 2008, while assisting another deputy in pursuit of a suspect, Deputy Throne's patrol car was struck by another deputy's patrol car; and WHEREAS, Deputy Throne died at the accident scene; and WHEREAS, In recognition of Deputy Throne's contributions and sacrifice in serving and protecting the residents of Kern County, it would be a fitting tribute to designate State Highway Route 184 in Kern County as the Deputy James Throne Memorial Highway; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates State Highway Route 184, also known as Weedpatch Highway, in Kern County as the Deputy James Throne 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, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the author for appropriate distribution.