BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó






           SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE       BILL NO: SCR 53
          SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN              AUTHOR:  Gaines
                                                         VERSION: 8/13/13
          Analysis by:  Eric Thronson                    FISCAL:  yes
          Hearing date:  August 20, 2013



          SUBJECT:

          Shawn Baker and Robert Jones Memorial Highways

          DESCRIPTION:

          This resolution names two separate segments of State Route 5 in  
          Siskiyou County as the Shawn Baker and Robert Jones Memorial  
          Highways, respectively.

          ANALYSIS:

          The committee has adopted a policy regarding the naming of state  
          highways or structures.  Under the policy, the committee will  
          consider only those resolutions that meet all of the following  
          criteria:

           The 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.

           The person being honored must be deceased.

           The naming must be done without cost to the state.  Costs for  
            signs and plaques must be paid by local or private sources.

           The author or 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.

           The segment of highway being named must not exceed five miles  
            in length.

           The proposed designation must reflect a community consensus  
            and be without local opposition.





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           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.

           This resolution  designates the segment of State Route (SR) 5 in  
          Siskiyou County between mile markers 35.7 and 39.5 as the "Shawn  
          Baker Memorial Highway" and the segment of SR 5 in Siskiyou  
          County between mile markers 41.5 and 43.5 as the "Robert Jones  
          Memorial Highway."  The resolution further requests that the  
          Department of Transportation (Caltrans) erect appropriate signs  
          upon receiving donations from non-state sources to cover the  
          costs.  

          COMMENTS:

           1.Purpose  .  The author introduced this resolution as a tribute  
            to the lives of Shawn Baker and Robert Jones, two dedicated  
            Caltrans workers who lost their lives while working to make  
            California's transportation system safe for others.

           2.Background on Shawn Baker  .  Shawn Baker grew up in New Mexico  
            and Alaska, served in the United States Navy for five years,  
            and moved to Siskiyou County in 1999.  Mr. Baker began working  
            in the Caltrans maintenance division in 2001, transferring to  
            the Yreka Special Projects crew in 2004.  From that time on,  
            Mr. Baker took extraordinary risks to mitigate dangerous  
            situations along the state's transportation network, such as  
            clearing potential rock slides over state highways.  During  
            his time off, Mr. Baker enjoyed camping, fishing, climbing,  
            water sports, and working with wood.

            Mr. Baker died on April 24, 2013, while performing rock  
            scaling operations to remove loose material from a rocky  
            hillside above SR 96 near Happy Camp in Siskiyou County.  He  
            is survived by his wife of 26 years, four children, and a host  
            of other extended family members and friends.

           3.Background on Robert Jones  .  Robert Jones was born on April  
            15, 1973, in Yreka and attended schools in northern California  
            through high school graduation.  In 1994, Mr. Jones met the  
            love of his life and they were married on June 15, 1996.  Mr.  
            Jones began his Caltrans career in 2005 as a temporary  
            employee for the Mt. Shasta maintenance crew, later  
            transferring to the Yreka Special Projects crew in 2010.  In  
            his free time, Mr. Jones deeply enjoyed his time as a  




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            volunteer firefighter at the Mayten Fire Department.
             
             Mr. Jones died on April 24, 2013, in the same tragic accident  
            as Mr. Baker, working to clear loose material along SR 96.  He  
            is survived by his wife and three children, as well as other  
            extended family members and friends.

           4.Consistent with the committee's policy  .  This resolution is  
            consistent with the committee's policy on highway  
            designations.  
          
          POSITIONS:  (Communicated to the Committee before noon on  
          Wednesday,                                             August  
          14, 2013.)

               SUPPORT:  None received.
          
               OPPOSED:  None received.