BILL ANALYSIS �
ACR 65
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 12, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
ACR 65 (Hall) - As Introduced: June 12, 2013
SUBJECT : The Willie L. Brown, Jr. Bridge
SUMMARY : Designates the western span of the San
Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge the "Willie L. Brown, Jr. Bridge."
Specifically, this bill :
1)Recounts the lifetime accomplishments of Willie L. Brown, Jr.
in California's public service.
2)Designates the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay
Bridge as the "Willie L. Brown, Jr. Bridge" to honor and
commemorate Mr. Brown's many contributions to California.
3)Requests that the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) determine the cost of the appropriate signs,
consistent with signing requirements for the state highway
system and, upon receiving donations from non-state sources
sufficient to cover the cost of the signs, to erect those
signs.
EXISTING LAW : Assigns Caltrans with responsibility to operate
and maintain state highways. This includes the installation and
maintenance of highway signs.
FISCAL EFFECT : Costs to Caltrans to erect the signs are to be
covered by non-state donations.
COMMENTS : Born on March 20, 1934, to Willie Lewis Brown, Sr.
and Minnie Collins Boyd in Mineola, Texas, Mr. Brown received a
Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State University in
1955 and a Juris Doctor from the University of California,
Hasting College of Law in 1958. Mr. Brown served in the
California Legislature as an Assembly Member for 30 years, from
1965 until 1995. He was the longest serving Speaker of the
Assembly in California history, serving from 1980 until 1995.
Subsequent to that, he served for two terms as Mayor of the City
and County of San Francisco. Mr. Brown is the father of four
children.
ACR 65
Page 2
Each legislative session produces a number of Senate and
Assembly resolutions proposing to name state highway segments or
structures in honor of some individual, group or historical
event. Over the years, an informal policy developed relative to
the criteria for approval of such designations and memorials.
The lack of firm legislative guidelines often resulted in
inconsistency or controversy over a proposed designation. In
response, the Committee adopted a resolution at the beginning of
this legislative session to provide guidelines for naming
highways and structures. The resolution is intended to promote
fairness in determining whether a particular facility or segment
is to be specially designated. Specific minimum criteria
identified in the Committee's resolution are:
1)Any person being honored must have provided extraordinary
public service or some exemplary contribution to the public
good and have a connection to the community where the highway
is located;
2)The author or a co-author of the resolution must represent the
district in which the facility is located and the resolution
must identify the specific highway segment or structure being
named;
3)The proposed designation must reflect a community consensus;
4)The proposed designation may not supersede an existing
designation unless the sponsor can document that a good faith
effort has uncovered no opposition to rescinding the prior
designation; and,
5)When a resolution names a highway or structure in honor of an
individual, the designee must have been deceased, except in
the instance of elected officials, in which case they must be
out of office.
ACR 65 fails to meet two of the criteria adopted by the
Committee: its author (or co-authors) does not represent the
district in which the bridge is located; and the proposed
designation arguably lacks community consensus, as demonstrated
via critical media editorials.
ACR 65
Page 3
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California State National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (sponsor)
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated
California Black Media
California Legislative Black Caucus (including Assembly Members
Mitchell, Bradford, Weber, Jones-Sawyer, Hall, Holden, and Brown
California State Conference of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
California Urban Partnership
Cestra Butner, President, Oakland Board of Pilot Commissioners
Compton Branch of the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People
Golden State Medical Association of California
Green Technical Education and Employment
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
Pasadena Branch of the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People
Ryan McCreary, President, Gamma Chi Lambda Chapter, Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce
San Gabriel Valley Branch of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
San Mateo Branch of the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093