Amended in Senate April 1, 2013

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 23

Introduced by Senator Cannella

March 13, 2013

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 23—Relative to the Soledad Correctional Officers Memorial Highway.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SCR 23, as amended, Cannella. Soledad begin insert State Prison end insert Correctional Officers Memorial Highway.

This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 101 in the County of Monterey as the Soledad begin insert State Prison end insert Correctional Officers Memorial Highway to honor John V. Mills, William C. Shull, Robert J. McCarthy, and Kenneth E. Conant with their names included in the designation of the highway. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.

Fiscal committee: yes.

WHEREAS, Between January 1970 and May 1971, four
correctional officers were attacked and killed in the line of duty
at the begin delete Salinas Valley State Prison end delete begin insert California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation Correctional Training Facility end insert ,
formerly known as the Soledad State Prison, in a string of violent
inmate uprisings; and

WHEREAS, John V. Mills, born on July 19, 1944, in Riverside,
California, grew up in Fresno, attended Long Beach State College,
served two years in the Army, and had just been assigned to the
medium security Y-Wing in relief of another begin delete guard end delete begin insert officer end insert who
was on vacation; and

WHEREAS, On begin delete July 19 end delete begin insert January 16 end insert , 1970, Officer Mills was
locked in the cell block with 95 inmates, and was attacked and
beaten to death at approximately 6:30 p.m. by begin delete three end delete inmates in
retaliation for the shooting deaths of three other inmates at the
prison; and

WHEREAS, Officer Mills was a 14-month veteran correctional
officer of the prison and resident of Monterey, who left a widow,
Bernadette, and a son, Michael Lee; and

WHEREAS, William C. Shull, born on June 13, 1930, in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, attended Gettysburg High School, served
22 years in the Army, retiring with the rank of Master Sergeant,
and was awarded the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal;
and

WHEREAS, On July 23, 1970, Officer Shull was assigned to
the recreational building 1-Yard exercise area in relief of another
begin delete guard end delete begin insert officer end insert who was unable to work that day, and was found
lifeless at 9:30 a.m. by an inmate, having been beaten and stabbed
to death by inmates in retaliation for the shooting deaths of three
other inmates at the prison; and

WHEREAS, Officer Shull was a one-year veteran correctional
officer of the prison and resident of Seaside, who left a widow,
Kazuko, and four girls, Gracie, Sarah, Betty, and Rose; and

WHEREAS, Robert J. McCarthy, born on August 8, 1927, in
Oklahoma, served 21 years in the Army, retiring with the rank of
Sergeant; and

WHEREAS, On March 4, 1971, Officer McCarthy was
conducting a count of the inmates in X-Wing, at 11:15 p.m., when
an inmate, claiming he needed to mail a letter, lured Officer
McCarthy to his cell door and stabbed him; and

WHEREAS, Valiant efforts by hospital staff and an inmate in
the infirmary stabilized Officer McCarthy’s condition, but he died
after he was transferred to the military hospital at Fort Ord; and

WHEREAS, Officer McCarthy was a veteran correctional officer
of the prison since 1966 and a resident of the City of Marina, who
left a widow, Emily, and two children, Leon and Sylvia; and

WHEREAS, Kenneth E. Conant, born on December 6, 1921,
in Denver, Colorado, attended the University of Denver and the
University of Southern California; and

WHEREAS, On May 19, 1971, Mr. Conant, a correctional
employee begin insert , end insert was sitting at his desk preparing to conduct a
disciplinary committee hearing with begin delete several inmates and end delete begin insert two end insert prison
begin delete employees end delete begin insert officials end insert when they were attacked by two inmates begin insert who
entered the office end insert with handmade knives, and Mr. Conant was
fatally stabbed while the begin delete other end delete prison officials received minor
injuries; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Conant was a 20-year veteran of corrections
work and a resident of Salinas, who left a widow, Helen, and a
son, Donald; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the
portion of State Highway Route 101 between Exit 303 and Exit
310 in the County of Monterey as the Soledad begin insert State end insert Prison
Correctional Officers Memorial Highway to honor John V. Mills,
William C. Shull, Robert J. McCarthy, and Kenneth E. Conant,
whose names shall be included in the special designation of the
highway; and be it further

Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested
to determine the cost of appropriate signs consistent with the
signing requirements for the state highway system showing this
special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the
author for appropriate distribution.