BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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Date of Hearing: March 19, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
Richard Gordon, Chair
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(Gray) - As Introduced February 27, 2015
SUBJECT: Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month.
SUMMARY: Designates November 2015 as California Sikh American
Awareness and Appreciation Month and would recognize and
acknowledge the significant contributions Californians of Sikh
heritage have made to the state. Specifically, this resolution
makes the following findings:
1)California and our nation are blessed and enriched by the
unparalleled diversity of our residents; and, the Sikhs, who
originated in Punjab, India first entered California in 1899
legally through the Angel Island Immigration Station in San
Francisco, California.
2)Sikh pioneers initially worked on railroad construction
projects, and in lumber mills, but by 1910, these pioneers
turned to farming in the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Imperial
valleys.
3)In 1912, the first Sikh temple (Gurdwara) in the United
States, the Sikh Temple of Stockton, was founded by Professor
Teja Singh of the Pacific Coast Khalso Diwan Society and now
there are more than 100 Gurdwaras in the United States.
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4)The Ghadar Party was organized and formed by Jawala Singh and
Wasakha Singh, who migrated to California through Angel Island
in 1908, to overthrow the British colonial rulers of the
Indian subcontinent; and the Ghadar Party sent 616 of its
members to India, of whom 86 percent for Sikhs.
5)Sikh history and culture is represented in the Asian Art
Museum in San Francisco, in the Smithsonian Museum in
Washington D.C., in the Community Memorial Museum of Sutter
County, and the Museum at the Sikh Temple Stockton.
6)Sikh farmers contribute abundantly towards production of
peaches, raisins, pistachios, and okra. Sikhs have also
excelled in security services and transportation services, and
as doctors, attorneys, engineers, teachers, and other notable
capacities including small business owners.
7)The faithful service of the Sikh American community to this
state and country merits appreciation as an integral thread in
the fabric of American plurality.
FISCAL EFFECT: None
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on file
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Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Nicole Willis / RLS. / (916) 319-2800