BILL NUMBER: SCR 103	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator De León

                        MARCH 27, 2014

   Relative to California/El Salvador relations.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 103, as introduced, De León. California and El Salvador:
partnership.
   This measure would extend an invitation to the government of El
Salvador to partner with California to promote democratic
institutions, the rule of law, and economic opportunity and growth,
and to foster international understanding through increased trade and
investment and mutually beneficial educational, economic, and
cultural exchanges between California's and El Salvador's
institutions.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, The Legislature of the State of California is committed
to encouraging relationships and exchanges between California and
other regions of the world in order to promote better economic ties,
understanding, and cultural relations; and
   WHEREAS, El Salvador and California have long shared common
interests and each stand to benefit from increased trade, investment,
and tourism, as well as cultural, educational, and scientific
exchanges; and
   WHEREAS, The 12-year Salvadoran Civil War, which began in the
early 1980's and took the lives of over 75,000 Salvadorans, resulted
in a massive influx of refugees to California, specifically to Los
Angeles and San Francisco; and
   WHEREAS, The City of Los Angeles, a sister city to San Salvador,
is home to the largest concentration of Salvadoran nationals in the
United States, making it inextricably linked to the nation of El
Salvador; and
   WHEREAS, Of the 1.6 million Salvadorans who live in the United
States, more than 500,000 call California home. Salvadorans
constitute the second largest Latino community in California, and
live in major cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles; and
   WHEREAS, The state's 22nd Senate District encompasses the
neighborhoods of Pico-Union and Westlake, where many Salvadoran
refugees settled during the Salvadoran Civil War and is also home to
a plaza and statue in commemoration of the humanitarian Monsignor
Oscar A. Romero in MacArthur Park; and
   WHEREAS, El Salvador and California are committed by the historic
cultural relations between their people, which represents an
important opportunity to promote economic, commercial, cultural, and
business relations; and
   WHEREAS, Establishing a formal relationship between El Salvador
and California would help achieve important goals, and would
strengthen and facilitate additional mutually beneficial exchanges in
cities like sister cities Los Angeles and San Salvador; and
   WHEREAS, March 24, 2014 is a special occasion, as it will mark the
34th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Monsignor Oscar A. Romero,
whose tomb President Obama visited on March 23, 2011; and
   WHEREAS, Monsignor Romero is a historical icon of the Salvadoran
people, and in that spirit, the State of California joins President
Obama, the City of Los Angeles, the Salvadoran community, the
government of El Salvador, and millions of followers in El Salvador
and around the world, in paying tribute to his life and teachings;
and
   WHEREAS, El Salvador recently held a presidential election on
March 9, 2014, that according to international observers, including
the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations, and
hundreds of United States citizens, was free and democratic, and for
which the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) was praised, for the
election's transparency and professionalism; and
   WHEREAS, The State of California joins the United Nations,
international observers, the OAS, and many civil and religious
organizations in recognizing the work of the TSE, and calls upon the
two major political parties to respect the will of the people as
demonstrated by the March 9th election, and to respect the final
outcome announced by the TSE, which has the legal mandate under the
Salvadoran Constitution; and
   WHEREAS, The State of California will work closely with the newly
democratically elected government of El Salvador, and President-elect
Salvador Sánchez Cerén, to promote private investment in both El
Salvador and California, and encourage Californian private companies
to invest in El Salvador; and
   WHEREAS, The United States prospered from a $692.6 million trade
surplus with El Salvador in 2013; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature, on behalf of the people of
the State of California, hereby extends an invitation to the
government of El Salvador to partner with California to promote
democratic institutions, the rule of law, and economic opportunity
and growth, and to foster international understanding through
increased trade and investment and mutually beneficial educational,
economic, and cultural exchanges between California's and El Salvador'
s institutions; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the President of El Salvador, to the Governor of
California, and to the author for appropriate distribution.