BILL NUMBER: ACR 102 AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 13, 2002 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 18, 2002 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Florez(Principal coauthor: Senator Costa)AUGUST 21, 2001 Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 102--Relative to theKirk J. Schafer Memorial IntersectionSenator Jim Costa Highway . LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 102, as amended, Florez.Kirk J. Schafer Memorial IntersectionSenator Jim Costa Highway . This measure would dedicatethe intersection of State Highway 180 and State Highway 145 to the memory of firefighter Engineer Kirk J. Schafer and would specify that the intersection shall be known as the "Kirk J. Schafer Memorial Intersection."a portion of State Highway Route 180 in the County of Fresno as the "Senator Jim Costa Highway." The measure also would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate plaques and markers showing that special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect appropriate plaques and markers. Fiscal committee: yes.WHEREAS, Fire Engineer Kirk J. Schafer died from injuriesWHEREAS, The Honorable Jim Costa, California State Senator, is departing the California State Legislature after 24 years of dedicated public elected service, having represented the 16th State Senate District since 1994 and, prior to that tenure, represented the 30th Assembly District from 1978 to 1994, and upon this occasion, he is deserving of the special honors and highest commendations of the people of the State of California; and WHEREAS, Jim Costa was elected to the California State Assembly in 1978 at the age of 25, and his reason for wanting to be elected to office was to help people, make a difference in determining public policy, and deal with issues that affect people's daily lives; and WHEREAS, His background in farming was an asset as a Legislator, and the issues on which he focused most intently were water, agriculture, transportation, housing, and problems of the San Joaquin Valley; and he also devoted a great deal of time and energy to the National Conference of State Legislatures, of which he served as president in the years 2000 and 2001; and WHEREAS, During his tenure in the Assembly, he served as Chair of the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee and the Subcommittee for the Assembly Ways and Means Committee; and WHEREAS, Since his election to represent the 16th Senatorial District in 1994, Senator Jim Costa has served the Senate admirably as Chairman of the Agriculture and Water Resources Committee, the Banking, Commerce and International Trade Committee, the Housing and Community Development Committee, and the Transportation Committee; and WHEREAS, Senator Costa's major legislative accomplishments include spearheading the effort that obtained $26 million for a UCSF-Fresno Medical Education and Research Center to help train new doctors and ease the San Joaquin Valley's shortage of physicians; forging historic agreements that became Proposition 204, the Safe, Clean, Reliable Water Supply Act of 1996 and Proposition 13, the Safe Drinking Water, Clean Water, Watershed Protection, and Flood Protection Bond Act in 2000; moving California's primary election to the first Tuesday in March of even-numbered years; writing the law to help child protective services and improve response to abuse complaints; writing the 1998 and 1999 agricultural land conservation laws; helping enact tax cuts, welfare reform, and class size reduction; authoring "Three Strikes, You're Out," America's toughest standard against violent crime; authoring major reform of the Endangered Species Act to encourage retention of wildlife habitat; coauthoring legislation that equalized special education funding and support for county offices of education; authoring landmark legislation which requires local agencies to give greater consideration to the availability of water when considering major new development; advocating for reduction of Bay Area smog blowing into the San Joaquin Valley and working to switch San Joaquin Valley truck fleets to cleaner fuels by gaining approval of a first-of-its-kind program to create LNG terminals; creating the San Joaquin River Conservancy to establish a parkway along the San Joaquin River; authoring legislation which encourages investment in construction of affordable housing for low and moderate income families; leading the effort to save and improve Amtrak passenger rail service in California and to create the California High Speed Rail Authority; and bringing to fruition the construction of eight prisons built in local communities which requested them, providing over 10,000 permanent jobs; and WHEREAS, Jim Costa, a third-generation American, grew up in a farming family of Portuguese descent and was raised on his family's farm in western Fresno County, and he and his family have farmed in the San Joaquin Valley since the early 1900s in Tulare, Kings, and Fresno Counties; and WHEREAS, Through his public service activities Senator Jim Costa has made a significant impact on the people of the 16th Senate District and throughout the state; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED BY THE ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, THE SENATE THEREOF CONCURRING, That the Honorable Jim Costa be commended on his illustrious record of dedicated and highly effective public elected service, applauded on the leadership he has provided during his tenure in the State Legislature, and extended best wishes for every continued success in his future pursuits; and be it further RESOLVED, That the portion of State Highway Route 180 between State Highway Route 99 and Chestnut Avenue, and any future freeway extension between Chestnut Avenue and Clovis Avenue, in the County of Fresno, be officially dedicated as the "Senator Jim Costa Highway"; and be it further RESOLVED, That the Department of Transportation is requested to determine the cost of appropriate plaques and markers, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing this special designation, and upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover that cost, to erect those plaques and markers; 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.sustained while on duty on July 26, 2001; and WHEREAS, Kirk J. Schafer joined the North Central Fire Protection District in Kerman on an oncall basis in May of 1994 and was hired as a full-time firefighter on June 17, 1996; and WHEREAS, Kirk J. Schafer was promoted to Engineer on April 1, 2000; and WHEREAS, Fire Engineer Kirk J. Schafer was a second-generation firefighter, his father Leroy Schafer having worked for the North Central Fire Protection District prior to transferring to the Fresno City Fire Department, from which he retired; and WHEREAS, Fire Engineer Kirk J. Schafer loved being a firefighter and enjoyed the camaraderie of his fellow firefighters; and WHEREAS, Kirk J. Schafer will be deeply missed by his fellow firefighters who were shocked and saddened by the sudden loss of their fellow firefighter; and WHEREAS, Kirk J. Schafer is survived by his wife, Lilly, and his son, Kaleb; and WHEREAS, It is a fitting tribute to Fire Engineer Kirk J. Schafer for the intersection of State Highway 180 and State Highway 145 to be named the Kirk J. Schafer Memorial Intersection; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby dedicates the intersection of State Highway 180 and State Highway 145 in the City of Kerman, to the memory of Fire Engineer Kirk J. Schafer; and be it further Resolved, That the intersection of State Highway 180 and State Highway 145 be officially dedicated the "Kirk J. Schafer Memorial Intersection;" and be it further Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to determine the cost of appropriate plaques and markers, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing this special designation, and upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover that cost, to erect those plaques and markers; 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.