BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 7
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
7 (Bonta)
As Amended April 7, 2015
Majority vote
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
|----------------+------+--------------------+--------------------|
|Education |7-0 |O'Donnell, Chávez, | |
| | |Kim, McCarty, | |
| | |Santiago, Thurmond, | |
| | |Weber | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Designates October 25th of each year as Larry Itliong
Day, and encourages public schools to recognize it as a day of
special significance. Specifically, this bill:
1)Makes finding and declarations relative to the life of Larry
Itliong and his contributions as a leader in the American farm
labor movement and in the Filipino American community.
2)Designates October 25th of each year as Larry Itliong Day, a day
of special significance, and requires the Governor to annually
proclaim October 25th of each year as Larry Itliong Day.
3)Encourages all public schools and educational institutions to
AB 7
Page 2
observe this day and conduct exercises remembering the life and
contributions of Larry Itliong.
EXISTING LAW: Designates a number of days as days of special
significance to the public schools and educational institutions,
and encourages them to observe that day and to conduct suitable
commemorative exercises. Those days recognizing individuals are
John Muir Day (April 21), Harvey Milk Day (May 22), Fred Korematsu
Day (January 30), Ronald Reagan Day (February 6), and Ed Roberts
Day (January 23).
FISCAL EFFECT: None. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS:
Need for the bill. The author notes, "The accomplishments and
contributions of Larry Itliong should be properly memorialized
within the history and culture of the United States because he is
a hero in the socioeconomic and racial justice movement. Although
his accomplishments have been recognized in smaller ways, such as
being acknowledged in part in the renaming of a Union City middle
school, he deserves to be recognized on a statewide level and
remembered for his contributions to our state and nation's
history."
Role of Larry Itliong in the farm labor movement. This bill
recognizes Larry Itliong as a prominent leader in the American
farm labor movement. In 1965, as a leader of the Agricultural
Workers Organizing Committee of the AFL-CIO, he organized a group
of 1,500 Filipinos in an eight day strike against Delano grape
growers. Itliong asked César Chávez and his followers to join the
strike, and the two leaders' organizations eventually combined,
establishing the United Farm Workers of America. Itliong later
AB 7
Page 3
became the President of the Filipino American Political
Association, the first national political Filipino American
organization. He was also instrumental in the founding of the
Pablo Agbayani Village, a retirement home built by volunteers for
retired Filipino Manongs.
A 2012 New York Times profile of Larry Itliong called him a
"forgotten hero" of the labor movement, and noted the achievement
of organizing two groups of workers (Filipino American and Mexican
American) who were "historically pitted against one another to
suppress wages or break strikes."
Analysis Prepared by:
Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN:
0000102