BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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| SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER |
| Senator Fran Pavley, Chair |
| 2013-2014 Regular Session |
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BILL NO: AB 34 HEARING DATE: June 11, 2013
AUTHOR: Hernández URGENCY: No
VERSION: April 25, 2013 CONSULTANT: Leonardo Scherer
Alves
DUAL REFERRAL: No FISCAL: Yes
SUBJECT: State historical resources.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
Existing law requires the Department of Parks and Recreation
(department) to consider recommendations by the State Historical
Resources Commission (commission) for state historic landmark
registration. Existing law also establishes the Office of
Historic Preservation (office), within the department, and
requires the office to perform certain duties, including
recommending properties of historical significance for
nomination by the commission for, among other things, listing in
the California Register of Historic Resources (California
register). The department is required to register in the
California register as a state historical landmark those
buildings, structures, sites, or places that the department
deems to be important historical resources of various types,
including being associated with an individual or group having a
profound influence on the history of California. Applications
for landmark status must contain certain information and are
submitted to the office for review. Final approval of landmark
status is decided upon by the department's director.
In addition to the landmark program, existing law authorizes a
resource to be nominated for listing as a historical resource in
the California register in accordance with specified nominating
procedures. State and local agencies, private groups and
citizens can identify, evaluate, and register a resource with
the California's historical resources. The California register
program encourages public recognition and protection of
resources of architectural, historical, archeological, and
cultural significance. It identifies historical resources for
state and local planning purposes, determines eligibility for
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state historic preservation grant funding and affords certain
other benefits. A resource must meet numerous criteria to
qualify for the California register including:
§ Being associated with events that have made a
significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or
regional history or the cultural heritage of California or
the United States.
§ Being associated with the lives of persons important to
local, California or national history.
§ Embodying the distinctive characteristics of a type,
period, region or method of construction or represents the
work of a master or possesses high artistic values.
§ Yielding, or having the potential to yield, information
important to the prehistory or history of the local area,
California or the nation.
César E. Chávez was a union leader and union organizer who
employed nonviolent means to bring attention to farmworkers'
issues. In the 1950s he worked as a labor organizer, and later
founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. The
union joined the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee in
1965 and together both organizations participated in the first
strike against grape growers in California. Soon after the
strike, the unions merged forming the United Farm Workers. In
1968, Chávez organized a national boycott of California table
grape growers. As a result workers' conditions and compensation
improved. César Chávez led marches, called for boycotts and
went on hunger strikes. He also brought attention of the dangers
of pesticides to worker's health.
In 1970, the National Farm Workers Service Center Inc. acquired
the Nuestra Seńora Reina de la Paz (La Paz), a 187-acre farm in
Kern County east of Bakersfield. César Chávez relocated both the
United Farm Workers headquarters and his personal residence to
this site. In 2010 the Villa La Paz Conference & Education
Center was established and includes numerous features including
a visitor's center, conference and educational facilities, César
Chávez residence, and the Chávez Memorial Garden containing his
grave site. La Paz's current mission is to promote and preserve
the legacy of César Chávez.
In 2011 the commission included La Paz in the national register
of historic places at the national level of significance. In
2012 President Obama announced the establishment of the César E.
Chávez National Monument on the La Paz property which brought
additional federal protections and benefits.
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Existing California law provide that all sites on the national
register are automatically included on the California register.
La Paz, therefore, is currently a state and federal historic
site, but is not listed as a California historical landmark.
PROPOSED LAW
This bill would add Nuestra Seńora Reina de La Paz to the
California register as a state historical landmark. It would
also:
Require the office to educate the public on the process
to nominate a resource for listing in the California
register
Require that by January 1, 2015 at least five resources
associated with the labor or civil rights movement or the
state's modern history (since 1940) be recommended to the
commission for inclusion as historical resources in the
California register.
Make associated legislative findings and declare that La
Paz's unique historical, cultural and recreational
significance justify a special law
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
CAFÉ DE California states "AB 34 offers a unique opportunity to
recognize La Paz's historical role in advancing the labor, civil
rights, environmental protection, and farmworker movements.
From La Paz, the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) fought to
pass the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975.
Moreover, from the site, late civil rights leader César E.
Chávez met with industry leaders to serve as a voice for the
disenfranchised and poor."
According to the author, "this bill ensures in perpetuity the
distinctive modern history, civil rights and shared cultural
heritage of Nuestra Seńora Reina de La Paz."
COMMENTS
Positive goals . While it is true that relatively few sites
celebrating and honoring California's modern history have been
recognized as historical resources or landmarks. The Committee
may wish to set a positive goal for the recommendation of
additional resources and landmarks (Amendment 1). Numerous
organizations, including the National Park Service, have
recognized the need to make additional efforts to recognize
resources associated with California's modern history.
La Paz's existing status and the benefits of landmark
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designation . This site has the highest recognition possible in
the United States through its inclusion on the National Register
of Historic Places. La Paz is also recognized at the state and
national level as a historic resource. Designation as a
California landmark would provide automatic listing in the
California register, a bronze plaque at the site, a highway
direction sign to the site and certain additional benefits and
protections.
Given La Paz's truly distinguished history, it should readily
qualify to be recognized by the California landmark program
through the existing non-legislative process. No California
historical landmark or other resource has been established
through legislation to date.
SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS
AMENDMENT 1
Amend legislative finding (f) (page 2, lines 20-22,
inclusive) to read:
"(f) Further, there are relatively few sites and resources
listed in the California Register of Historical Resources
that are associated with California's labor and civil
rights movements and modern history".
SUPPORT
CAFÉ DE California
California Communities United Institute
California Conference Board of the Amalgamated Transit Union
California Conference of Machinists
California Teamsters Public Affairs Council
Cesar Chavez Foundation
Engineers and Scientists of California
International Longshore and Warehouse Union
League of United Latin Americans Citizens (LULAC)
National Parks Conservation Association
Professional & Technical Engineers, Local 21
Unite Here
United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Western State Council
Utility Workers Union of America, Local 132
OPPOSITION
None Received
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