BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                       ACR 146|
          |Office of Senate Floor Analyses   |                              |
          |(916) 651-1520    Fax: (916)      |                              |
          |327-4478                          |                              |
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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  ACR 146
          Author:   Weber (D), et al.
          Amended:  4/7/16 in Assembly
          Vote:     21  

          ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  Read and adopted, 4/7/16

           SUBJECT:   Civil rights:  Roberto Alvarez v. Board of Trustees  
                     of the Lemon Grove School District


          SOURCE:    Author


          DIGEST:          This resolution commemorates March 30, 2016, as the  
          85th anniversary of the historic ruling in the case of Roberto  
          Alvarez v. Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District,  
          which invalidated that district's attempt to restrict its pupils  
          of Mexican heritage to an inferior, segregated educational  
          experience.
          ANALYSIS:   This resolution commemorates the 1931 San Diego  
          County Superior Court ruling that invalidated an attempt by the  
          Lemon Grove School District to segregate students of  
          Mexican-American descent.  Specifically, this resolution:  


          1)Makes findings and declarations detailing the historical  
            background to, and historical significance of, the decision in  
            the case of Roberto Alvarez v. Board of Trustees of the Lemon  
            Grove School District (Case No. 66625, San Diego County  
            Superior Court, March 30, 1951)












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          2)Finds that the Alvarez case is important because it was an  
            historic first, and because it was an example of a community  
            taking action and establishing the rights of their children to  
            equal education, despite the local, regional, and national  
            sentiment of that era that favored not just segregation, but  
            the actual deportation from the United States of persons of  
            Mexican heritage.





          3)Resolves that schools and community organizations throughout  
            the state are encouraged to acknowledge this historic  
            anniversary with appropriate activities. 


          This resolution commemorates March 30, 2016, as the 85th  
          anniversary of the historic ruling in the case of Roberto  
          Alvarez v. Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District,  
          which invalidated that district's attempt to restrict its pupils  
          of Mexican heritage to an inferior, segregated educational  
          experience.


          FISCAL EFFECT:   Appropriation:    No          Fiscal  
          Com.:NoLocal:    No


          SUPPORT:   (Verified4/27/16)


          Lemon Grove Historical Society
          Lemon Grove School District


          OPPOSITION:   (Verified4/27/16)


          None received









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                                                                    Page  3




          ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT:     The Lemon Grove Historical Society  
          writes, "This crucial court decision ended the school district's  
          attempt to segregate students of Mexican descent and set a  
          precedent for integrated, equal, public education that led  
          straight to Mendez v. Westminster (1946-74) and the great  
          landmark case, Brown v. Topeka School Board (1954).


          The Lemon Grove School District states that Alvarez "was the  
          first successful school desegregation court decision in the  
          United States.  It also helped establish the idea of equality in  
          education within California."





          Prepared by:  Melissa Ward / SFA / (916) 651-1520
          4/29/16 12:39:18


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