SCR 53, as introduced, Gaines. Shawn Baker and Joseph “Robert” Jones Memorial Highways.
This measure would designate 2 specified portions of State Highway Route 96 in Siskiyou County as the Shawn Baker and Joseph “Robert” Jones Memorial Highways, respectively. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing these special designations and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering the cost, to erect those signs.
Fiscal committee: yes.
P1 1WHEREAS, Shawn Baker was born on April 4, 1963, and grew
2up in New Mexico and Alaska; and
3WHEREAS, Mr. Baker served his country in the United States
4Navy for five years; and
5WHEREAS, In 1999, Mr. Baker and his family moved to
6Siskiyou County and eventually settled in Weed, California; and
7WHEREAS, Mr. Baker enjoyed camping, fishing, traveling,
8riding his quad bike, climbing, playing water sports, working with
9wood, and renovating his home, and could always be found in the
10middle of a project; and
11WHEREAS, On January 1, 2004, Mr. Baker began his career
12with the Department of Transportation as a permanent-intermittent
P2 1equipment operator in Yreka, California, and then transferred to
2the Yreka special projects crew in April 2004; and
3WHEREAS, Mr. Baker was hired as a permanent full-time
4equipment operator in November 2004, and then in December
52004, transferred to the Grass Lake maintenance crew; and
6WHEREAS, Joseph “Robert” Jones was born on April 15, 1973,
7in Yreka, California, to Marty Mangrum and Jim Jones; and
8WHEREAS, Mr. Jones attended schools in Yreka and Montague
9up until his junior year in high school, when he transferred to South
10Fork High School in Humboldt County, from which he graduated
11in 1991; and
12WHEREAS, The Department of Transportation hired Mr. Jones
13in November 2005 as a temporary employee for the Mount Shasta
14maintenance crew; and
15WHEREAS, Mr. Jones became a permanent-intermittent
16equipment operator for the Mount Shasta crew in November 2006,
17and then transferred to the Yreka crew in December 2006; and
18WHEREAS, In June 2008, Mr. Jones was hired as a permanent
19full-time equipment operator for the Grass Lake special projects
20crew, then transferred to the Yreka crew in December 2010; and
21WHEREAS, In his spare time, Mr. Jones deeply enjoyed his
22time as a volunteer firefighter at the Mayten Fire Department; and
23WHEREAS, On April 24, 2013, a group of eight Caltrans
24District 2 employees was performing rock scaling operations to
25remove loose material from a rocky hillside on State Route 96 near
26Happy Camp in Siskiyou County when a rock slide occurred,
27tragically killing Mr. Baker and Mr. Jones, and injuring a third
28employee; and
29WHEREAS, Mr. Baker is survived by his wife of 26 years,
30Tammie, his daughters, Hilary and Mariah, and his sons, Weston
31and Quinton; and
32WHEREAS, Mr. Jones is survived by his wife, of 16 years
33Shannon, his stepson, Stephen, his son, Parker, and his daughter,
34Michael-La; and
35WHEREAS, Both men gave their lives working selflessly to
36protect motorists on the highway from future rock slides propelling
37rocks onto the highway; now, therefore, be it
38Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
39thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the
40portions of State Highway 96 from PM 35.7 to PM 39.5, inclusive,
P3 1and PM 41.5 to PM 43.5, inclusive, as the Shawn Baker and Joseph
2“Robert” Jones Memorial Highways, respectively, to honor these
3two selfless employees of the Department of Transportation; and
4be it further
5Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested
6to determine the cost of appropriate signs, consistent with the
7signing requirements for the state highway system, showing this
8special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
9sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it
10further
11Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
12this resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the
13author for appropriate distribution.
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