Bill Text: CA SCR61 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

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

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Bill Title: Sister state relationships with Ethiopian regional states.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-09-01 - Ordered to inactive file. [SCR61 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SCR61-Introduced.html

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Concurrent Resolution

No. 61

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Introduced by Senator Skinner
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Bloom)
(Coauthors: Senators Beall, Dodd, Hill, and Wieckowski)
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Chu)

June 17, 2019

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Relative to a sister state relationship with Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SCR 61, as introduced, Skinner. Sister state relationship with Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This measure would express the Legislature’s support of efforts to launch a sister state relationship between Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and California.

Digest Key

Fiscal Committee: NO  

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Bill Text

WHEREAS, With the April 2018 election of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, new interest and opportunities exist to build a relationship with Ethiopia, through the approximately 150,000 Ethiopians and Ethiopian Americans living in California, that promotes education, trade, and investment; and

WHEREAS, Through a letter from the Ethiopian embassy, Prime Minister Ali has indicated a desire to connect with the Silicon Valley to strengthen the economy; and

WHEREAS, Ethiopia has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. In 2015, the World Bank highlighted that Ethiopia had witnessed rapid economic growth with real gross domestic product growth averaging 10.3 percent between 2004 and 2014; and

WHEREAS, EDGET, the Ethiopian Diaspora Group in Silicon Valley, whose leaders represent large constituencies in the South Bay, the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, formed to promote and facilitate investment, trade, and educational exchange; and

WHEREAS, In September 2018, Ethiopian Vice Consul Abebe Nigusu received a commendation on behalf of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali for Ethiopian New Year from the State Senate; and

WHEREAS, Timket is an Orthodox Tewahedo celebration of Epiphany, marking the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. On January 19, 2019, the City of Oakland joined with 13 Ethiopian Orthodox churches from the San Francisco Bay area in celebrating Timket, the first time that all of these churches have come together in 27 years. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf declared January 19 to be Ethiopian Orthodox Day in the City of Oakland; and

WHEREAS, Ethiopia’s agricultural market constitutes 85 percent of the labor force. Principal crops of Ethiopia include coffee, legumes, oilseeds, cereals, potatoes, sugarcane, and vegetables. Ethiopian exports are almost entirely composed of agricultural commodities, paramount among them coffee; and

WHEREAS, The capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, has a diverse economic portfolio similar to that of California. Its labor force is situated primarily in the trade and commerce, transport and communication, and agricultural industries; and

WHEREAS, Similar to the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, Addis Ababa has a complex, efficient light rail system for public transportation. Future expansion of this system is planned to link the entire province; and

WHEREAS, President Sahle-Work Zewde, the first female president of Ethiopia, was elected unanimously by the Federal Parliamentary Assembly. She is currently the only female head of state in Africa; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature expresses its support to launch a sister state relationship between Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and California; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.