[Filed with Secretary of State February 3, 2014.]
SCR 53, Gaines. Shawn Baker and Robert Jones Memorial Highways.
This measure would designate 2 specified portions of State Highway Route 5 in Siskiyou County as the Shawn Baker and 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.
WHEREAS, Shawn Baker was born on April 4, 1963, and grew up in New Mexico and Alaska; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Baker served his country in the United States Navy for five years; and
WHEREAS, In 1999, Mr. Baker and his family moved to Siskiyou County and eventually settled in Weed, California; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Baker enjoyed camping, fishing, traveling, riding his quad bike, climbing, playing water sports, working with wood, and renovating his home, and could always be found in the middle of a project; and
WHEREAS, On January 31, 2001, Mr. Baker began his career with the Department of Transportation as a permanent-intermittent equipment operator in Yreka, California, and then transferred to the Yreka special projects crew in April 2004; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Baker was hired as a permanent full-time equipment operator in November 2004, then transferred to the Grass Lake maintenance crew in December 2004 and the Yreka special projects crew in April 2006; and
WHEREAS, Robert Jones was born on April 15, 1973, in Yreka, California, to Marty Mangrum and Jim Jones; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Jones attended schools in Yreka and Montague up until his junior year in high school, when he transferred to South Fork High School in Humboldt County, from which he graduated in 1991; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Transportation hired Mr. Jones in November 2005 as a temporary employee for the Mount Shasta maintenance crew; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Jones became a permanent-intermittent equipment operator for the Mount Shasta maintenance crew in November 2006, and then transferred to the Yreka special projects crew in December 2006; and
WHEREAS, In June 2008, Mr. Jones was hired as a permanent full-time equipment operator for the Grass Lake maintenance crew, then transferred to the Yreka special projects crew in December 2010; and
WHEREAS, In his spare time, Mr. Jones deeply enjoyed his time as a volunteer firefighter at the Mayten Fire Department; and
WHEREAS, On April 24, 2013, a group of eight Caltrans District 2 employees was performing rock scaling operations to remove loose material from a rocky hillside on State Highway Route 96 near Happy Camp in Siskiyou County when a rock slide occurred, tragically killing Mr. Baker and Mr. Jones, and injuring a third employee; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Baker is survived by his wife of 26 years, Tammie, his daughters, Hilary and Mariah, and his sons, Weston and Quinton; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Jones is survived by his wife of 16 years, Shannon, his stepson, Stephen, his son, Parker, and his daughter, Michael-La; and
WHEREAS, Both men gave their lives working selflessly to protect motorists on the highway from future rock slides propelling rocks onto the highway; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the portions of State Highway Route 5 in Siskiyou County from PM 35.7 to PM 39.5, inclusive, and PM 41.5 to PM 43.5, inclusive, as the Shawn Baker and Robert Jones Memorial Highways, respectively, to honor these two selfless employees of the Department of Transportation; 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.
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