BILL NUMBER: SCR 6	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Alquist

                        DECEMBER 17, 2008

   Relative to the Prefecture of Athens.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 6, as introduced, Alquist. Prefecture of Athens: sister state
relationship.
   This measure would extend, on behalf of the people of the state,
an invitation to the people of the Prefecture of Athens, Greece, to
join in a sister state relationship.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, The sister city-state concept was inaugurated by the
President of the United States in 1956 to establish greater
friendship and understanding between the people of the United States
and other nations through the medium of direct personal contact; and
   WHEREAS, All succeeding Presidents have endorsed this program
conducted for the broad purpose of exchanging ideas between the
citizens of the United States, including this state, and the peoples
of other nations; and
   WHEREAS, The Greek Prefecture of Athens, including the Greek
capital and its surrounding region, and the State of California share
many geographic, agricultural, academic, artistic, and economic
similarities, such as moderate climates, beautiful landscapes, active
seismic belts, important agricultural sectors, strong levels of
tourism, and world-class winemaking; and
   WHEREAS, California and the Greek Prefecture of Athens share a
keen interest in educational excellence and a history of academic
excellence dating back to the ancient Greek philosophers of Athens
who have inspired centuries of academic inquiry that continues today
at the University of Athens and in the California State University
and the University of California systems, two of the largest and most
renowned public higher education systems in the United States; and
   WHEREAS, A sister state relationship between California and the
Greek Prefecture of Athens would facilitate the exchange of
environmental protection information and other scientific and
technical knowledge, especially in the field of earthquake
preparedness, and would provide a forum for sharing legislative
solutions; and
   WHEREAS, The people of California have a longstanding admiration
for the grand history of Greek culture and mythology, having selected
in 1849 the Goddess Athena to be included on the California State
Seal as a representation of California's strength, independence, and
wisdom; and
   WHEREAS, Athens is widely considered the cradle of western
civilization and fostered the ideals of democratic citizenship
embraced by the people of California; and
   WHEREAS, The Greeks pioneered the first means for the transport of
water dating back to the first known aqueduct, the Eupalinian
aqueduct in the sixth century B.C.E. This technology has evolved over
the ages, and today the California aqueduct system allows for
California's vast agricultural network and civilization; and
   WHEREAS, Strong commercial ties now exist between the citizens of
the Prefecture of Athens and the residents of this state; and
   WHEREAS, The people-to-people program initiated by President
Eisenhower in 1956 and endorsed by President Kennedy in 1961, was
designed to bring the people of the world closer together in the
interest of peace and prosperity; and
   WHEREAS, A sister state relationship between Athens and California
is in the best interest of a cooperative relationship between the
two states involved; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California,
on behalf of the people of the state, extends an invitation to the
people of the Prefecture of Athens to join in a sister state
relationship in order to encourage and facilitate mutually beneficial
educational, economic, and cultural exchanges and programs to lead
to a more indelible and lasting friendship; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to Ioannis Sgouros, Prefect of Athens, to Kefalidou
Haroula, Subprefect of Athens, to the Governor of California, to each
member of Congress from the State of California, and to the
presiding officers of the legislative houses of the other states of
the United States.