Bill Text: CA SB73 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Senate Bill 73 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Official state ship of exploration.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Failed) 2018-02-01 - Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [SB73 Detail]

Download: California-2017-SB73-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 73

Introduced by Senator Hueso

January 10, 2017

An act to add Section 423.4 to the Government Code, relating to state emblems.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 73, as introduced, Hueso. Official state ship of discovery.

Existing law establishes the state flag and the state’s emblems, including, among other things, “the Californian” as the official state tall ship.

This bill would establish the “San Salvador” as the official state ship of discovery.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

(a) On September 28, 1542, the original San Salvador, led by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, was the first European ship to sail and survey the waters off the State of California in search of new trade routes that would link Mexico to Asia and Europe.

(b) This voyage was the first time geographical information about the region which would later be identified as the State of California was available to the rest of the world, hence the designation of discovery, as until this voyage no territory referenced by the rest of the world as California was known to exist.

(c) The San Salvador has been presented throughout the state as the physical manifestation of California’s origin story for more than a century.

(d) The voyage of the San Salvador predates the Mayflower by 78 years and the Jamestown voyages by 65 years making California one of the places where America began.

(e) The San Diego Maritime Museum, whose primary goal is to preserve California’s precious maritime heritage, recently constructed a historically accurate replica of the San Salvador that was unveiled on September 4, 2015.

(f) The San Salvador replica functions as much more than just a static museum display as it sails along the coast of California, visiting its cities and towns as a floating education platform for California’s school children.

(g) The educational and cultural potential of the San Salvador replica as an embodiment of California’s discovery is enhanced through its membership in one of the world’s great institutional collections of historic ships. The San Diego Maritime Museum will operate the San Salvador replica as an educational vessel and historic asset to promote and encourage an appreciation of the maritime heritage and coastal resources of the State of California.

(h) The San Diego Maritime Museum will make the San Salvador replica available to the state for official functions to represent the state and will sail the San Salvador replica along the California coast to visit other ports and nautical museums so that all Californians may learn about the proud nautical heritage of California.

(i) The State of California has adopted numerous state emblems and with passage of this act the Legislature declares the San Salvador to be California’s official ship of discovery.