Bill Text: CA ACR70 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Portuguese National Heritage Month.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 46-22-1)
Status: (Passed) 2015-06-26 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 81, Statutes of 2015. [ACR70 Detail]
Download: California-2015-ACR70-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: ACR 70 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 81
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 26, 2015
ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 22, 2015
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 1, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 1, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Salas
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Atkins, Baker,
Bigelow, Bonilla, Bonta, Brown, Burke, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chávez,
Chiu, Chu, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Frazier, Gallagher,
Cristina Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove,
Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Kim, Lackey,
Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty,
Medina, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson,
Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Rodriguez, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone,
Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, and Wood)
MAY 13, 2015
Relative to Portuguese National Heritage Month.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 70, Salas. Portuguese National Heritage Month.
This bill would recognize the month of June 2015 as Portuguese
National Heritage Month.
WHEREAS, In September of 1542, Portuguese explorer Juan Rodrigues
Cabrillo (Joăo Rodrigues Cabrillo) sailed a ship into San Diego Bay
and became the first European to explore the land now known as
California. Cabrillo explored the California coast, and is credited
with numerous coastal discoveries; and
WHEREAS, The first Portuguese settlers came to California from the
Azores Islands in the early 19th century. The largest wave of
Azorean immigrants moved to California just before and after the turn
of the 20th century. Each wave contributed substantially to setting
up agricultural operations, especially dairy, vegetable, and fruit
farms; and
WHEREAS, Throughout most of the 20th century, as many as one-half
of all Portuguese Californians owned or operated a dairy farm, worked
on a dairy farm, or worked in a dairy-related industry. Applying the
Portuguese belief in hard work and thriftiness, along with
additional labor from family members, a Portuguese settler could earn
enough to reinvest in his business, and buy more land and cattle;
and
WHEREAS, Historically, California has been a popular destination
for immigrants from the Azores Islands, creating strong cultural ties
between the two regions; currently there are over 330,000 persons of
Portuguese heritage living in California, approximately 90 percent
of whom have either come directly from the Azores Islands or are of
Azorean parentage; and
WHEREAS, In 1994, the University of California, Berkeley,
established The Portuguese Studies Program. Included among the many
goals of the program is the goal "to spotlight the crucial and
complex but often overlooked experience and contributions of the
Portuguese American community"; and
WHEREAS, Among the great Portuguese Americans who have contributed
significantly to this country are: composer John Philip Sousa, best
known for composing "Stars and Stripes Forever"; poet Emma Lazarus,
best known for her sonnet about the Statue of Liberty, "The New
Colossus"; architect William L. Pereira, best known for designing the
Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco; and singer and actress Carmen
Miranda. Many Portuguese Americans have also served with distinction
in local, state, and federal office, and have served proudly in this
country's military; and
WHEREAS, Portuguese Americans have made valuable and substantial
contributions to every facet of California life including the
entertainment industry, the most notable of whom are Mary Astor, Tom
Hanks, Joe Perry, and James Franco; and
WHEREAS, Portuguese Americans continue to thrive in agricultural
communities of the San Joaquin Valley, including Hanford and Lemoore
in Kings County and Shafter, Wasco, and Bakersfield in Kern County;
they have contributed greatly to making market milk the leading
agricultural product by value in both Kings and Kern Counties; and
WHEREAS, The Portuguese Heritage Society of California designated
the second Saturday of June as a day to celebrate Portuguese culture
through music, dance, art, cooking, parades, and other festivities;
now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares the month of
June 2015 as Portuguese National Heritage Month; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
