BILL NUMBER: ACR 50	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Garrick

                        APRIL 7, 2011

   Relative to the Ronald Reagan Coronado Bridge.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 50, as introduced, Garrick. Ronald Reagan Coronado Bridge.
   This measure would redesignate the San Diego-Coronado Bridge as
the Ronald Reagan Coronado Bridge. The measure would also request the
Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate
signs showing the designation and, upon receiving donations from
nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.
   Fiscal committee: yes.



   WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois in 1911 to
John Edward "Jack" Reagan and Nelle Wilson Reagan, and arrived in
Hollywood in 1937. In December 1941, right after the United States
entered into World War II, Reagan was drafted into the army. His
nearsightedness kept him from the front line so he spent three years
working for the motion picture army unit making training and
propaganda films. Over the next three decades, he starred in 53 films
and was the host of General Electric Theater; and
   WHEREAS, During his time in the entertainment industry, Ronald
Reagan served as President of the Screen Actors Guild from 1947
through 1952 and again in 1959. In 1957, the film "Hellcats of the
Navy," which featured Ronald Reagan and his future wife Nancy David,
was filmed in San Diego. It was the only film that starred both
Ronald and Nancy; and
   WHEREAS, Ronald Reagan was elected Governor of California in 1966,
serving two terms until 1975. In 1980, he was elected President of
the United States and was reelected in 1984. Ronald Reagan won the
majority of votes in San Diego County in the 1966 and 1970
gubernatorial elections, as well as the 1980 and 1984 presidential
elections. He ended both of his presidential campaigns in San Diego.
With these victories, Ronald Reagan became the first and only person
to serve as Governor of California and President of the United
States; and
   WHEREAS, Dealing skillfully with Congress, President Reagan
pursued legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation,
increase employment, and strengthen national defense. He embarked
upon a course of cutting taxes and government expenditures. During
his two terms as President, he successfully moved a nation, whose
national spirit had been low, toward greater prosperity and a sense
that better times were ahead; and
   WHEREAS, The excellent speech delivered by President Reagan in
Berlin on June 12, 1987, was not only the most important speech of
the entire Cold War, but also a turning moment for the East German
and Eastern European opposition. His message, a straightforward call
for freedom and democracy along with a proposal for several more
initiatives that should not be forgotten, encouraged all those behind
the Iron Curtain who hoped for a better future. The Berlin Wall came
down 10 months after President Reagan left the White House, but his
boldness in calling for its demolition two years earlier plainly
deserves much of the credit; and
   WHEREAS, San Diego has played host to many of the significant
events that marked the life of Ronald Regan, including events at the
El Cortez Hotel, University of California, San Diego, the
Embarcadero, and the San Diego Concourse. On August 2, 1969, Governor
Reagan gave the dedication speech for the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.
He was quoted in 1988 stating that when he was in San Diego, he felt
he was with family and friends and that he loved San Diego; and
   WHEREAS, It is appropriate to redesignate the San Diego-Coronado
Bridge for Governor and President Ronald Reagan to commemorate his
deep-rooted connection with San Diego; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the San Diego-Coronado Bridge is hereby
designated as the Ronald Reagan Coronado Bridge; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is hereby
requested to determine the cost for appropriate signs showing the
designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources
covering that cost, to erect those signs; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit a copy of
this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author
for appropriate distribution.