BILL NUMBER: ACR 97	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Perea

                        FEBRUARY 2, 2012

   Relative to Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 97, as introduced, Perea. Sikh American Awareness and
Appreciation Month.
   This measure would designate November 2012 as California Sikh
American Awareness and Appreciation Month. It would recognize and
acknowledge the significant contributions made by Californians of
Sikh heritage to the state and afford all Californians the
opportunity to understand, recognize, and appreciate the rich history
and shared principles of Sikh Americans.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, California and our nation are at once blessed and
enriched by the unparalleled diversity of our residents; and
   WHEREAS, Among this unprecedented diversity in California, there
reside an estimated 250,000 Americans of Sikh origin, comprising
nearly 40 percent of the nation's estimated Sikh population; and
   WHEREAS, Sikh immigrants have resided in California for more than
a century, with the first Sikh immigrants having labored on railroad
construction projects, in lumber mills, and in the agricultural
heartlands of the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Imperial valleys; and
   WHEREAS, The first Sikh temple (Gurdwara) in California was
established in Stockton in 1912, and Sikh temples have since been
established in communities throughout California, especially in the
central valley, with more than a dozen in Fresno alone; and
   WHEREAS, While Sikh Americans have distinguished themselves in
numerous areas of endeavor, they have demonstrated particular success
in the areas of agriculture, trucking, medicine, and in the creation
of small, family-owned businesses; and
   WHEREAS, Yuba City boasts the largest population of Sikh and
Punjabi Americans in the nation and the central valley boasts the
second largest population; and
   WHEREAS, Representative Dalip Singh Saund of California, born in
Amritsar, India, was a lettuce farmer in the Imperial Valley and an
elected judge of the Justice Court in the Westmoreland Judicial
District before becoming the first Sikh American and Asian American
member of the United States Congress, where he served from 1957 to
1963; and
   WHEREAS, Dr. Bhagat Singh Thind, born in Taragarh, India, was a
soldier, scholar, and activist who served in the United States Army
during World War I, studied at University of California, Berkeley,
and struggled and fought for Asian Indians to be allowed to become
American citizens; and
   WHEREAS, Dr. Narinder Singh Kapany of Palo Alto, born in Moga,
India, is an accomplished scientist and inventor who has been awarded
over 100 patents, spurring advancements in lasers, biomedical
instrumentation, solar energy, and pollution monitoring, and is
widely acknowledged to be the father of fiber optics, a technology
that has allowed for high-speed, digital communication; and
   WHEREAS, Sikh Americans have served as mayors of California
cities, including David Dhillon in El Centro, Gurpal Samra in
Livingston, Amarpreet "Ruby" Dhaliwal in San Joaquin, and Kashmir
Singh Gill in Yuba City, and numerous Sikh Americans have served as
council members of California cities; and
   WHEREAS, The Sikh and Punjabi American communities of California
continue to make important contributions to our state and nation; and

   WHEREAS, Sikh Americans throughout California celebrate the
coronation day of Sikh Scripture as Guru Gaddi Divas, along with
parades in cities across California, the largest being held in Yuba
City on the first Sunday of every November followed by the second
largest in Selma, California; and
   WHEREAS, The Sikh Council of Central California, representing a
dozen main Sikh temples in the Fresno County area, actively takes
part in the Multifaith Exchange and Interfaith Alliance meetings and
seminars to share their monotheistic religion and the tenets of their
faith, and the important role that Sikh Americans play in furthering
mutual understanding and respect among all peoples; now, therefore,
be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the month
of November 2012 to be California Sikh American Awareness and
Appreciation Month; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Legislature recognizes and acknowledges the
significant contributions made by Californians of Sikh heritage to
our state, and by adoption of this resolution, seeks to afford all
Californians the opportunity to better understand, recognize, and
appreciate the rich history and shared principles of Sikh Americans;
and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution to the
Members of the Legislature, members of the California Sikh American
community, and other interested organizations or persons.