BILL NUMBER: SCR 3	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER  102
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  JULY 16, 2007
	ADOPTED IN SENATE  MAY 7, 2007
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  JULY 12, 2007

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Cedillo

                        DECEMBER 19, 2006

   Relative to The Wall Las Memorias Project AIDS monument.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 3, Cedillo. The Wall Las Memorias Project AIDS monument:
highway signs.
   This measure would request the Department of Transportation to
erect informational signs on a specified portion of State Highway
Route 5, in the County of Los Angeles, upon receiving donations from
nonstate sources covering that cost, directing motorists to The Wall
Las Memorias Project AIDS monument.



   WHEREAS, In Los Angeles, unprotected sex with an HIV positive male
is the most common method of infection with HIV; and
   WHEREAS, In Los Angeles, more than 52,000 people are living with
HIV or AIDS; and
   WHEREAS, In Los Angeles, over half of the newborns with HIV are
African-American and nearly half of the newborns with HIV are
Latinos; and
   WHEREAS, In Los Angeles, one out of five people with HIV does not
know they are infected; and
   WHEREAS, In the United States, AIDS kills more African-American
and Latino men 25 to 44 years of age than any other disease; and
   WHEREAS, In the United States, AIDS is the number one killer of
African-American women 25 to 34 years of age; and
   WHEREAS, In the United States, more Latina women 25 to 34 years of
age die from AIDS than from diabetes, cancer, or heart disease; and
   WHEREAS, In the United States, one of every four people infected
this year with HIV is younger than 21 years of age; and
   WHEREAS, In a recent study, three out of four young gay men with
HIV did not know they were infected; and
   WHEREAS, More Americans have died from AIDS than in World War I,
World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf Wars
combined; and
   WHEREAS, The Wall Las Memorias Project was selected to receive the
Stoney Award for its significant contributions in raising awareness
in the Latino community about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and its impact on
countless families throughout the State of California; and
   WHEREAS, The Wall Las Memorias Project was founded in 1993 with
the mission of educating the Latino community about the HIV/AIDS
epidemic and building an eternal monument to honor loved ones who
have died from that disease; and
   WHEREAS, The AIDS monument was envisioned by local community
activist, Richard Zaldivar, who believed that a public symbol would
create a focal point for discussion and healing among those impacted
by the HIV/AIDS epidemic; and
   WHEREAS, Over the past decade, The Wall Las Memorias Project has
built support for the AIDS monument through innovative prevention
programs, leadership training, and grassroots community organizing,
which have led to a coalition of elected officials, community-based
organizations, churches, schools, entertainers, union leaders, and
community members; and
   WHEREAS, The AIDS monument, designed by architect David Angelo and
public artist Robin Brailsford, is located at Lincoln Park in the
historic community of Lincoln Heights, northeast of downtown Los
Angeles; and
   WHEREAS, The AIDS monument is designed as a Quetzalcoatl serpent,
an Aztec symbol for rebirth, and it consists of eight wall panels,
six murals depicting life with AIDS in the Latino community and two
granite panels containing the names of individuals who have died from
AIDS, and includes a serene park setting for personal meditation;
and
   WHEREAS, The Wall Las Memorias Project remains in the forefront of
the battle to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, and the AIDS monument has
significantly helped raise awareness about the epidemic and remind
the community that the need for education remains vital to the
success of its future generations; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the contributions
of The Wall Las Memorias Project to the people of California and
requests the Department of Transportation to erect informational
signs, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway
system and upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient
to cover the cost, on the southbound portion of State Highway Route
5 between exit 135 and 136 and the northbound portion of State
Highway Route 5 between Plaza de la Raza and the Main Street sign, in
the County of Los Angeles, directing motorists to The Wall Las
Memorias Project AIDS monument; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the author for
appropriate distribution.