BILL NUMBER: ACR 184	ENROLLED
	BILL TEXT

	ADOPTED IN SENATE  JUNE 30, 2016
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 6, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 6, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 16, 2016

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Salas
   (Principal coauthor: Senator Vidak)
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Arambula, Gray, Olsen, Achadjian,
Atkins, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chau,
Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Dahle, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines,
Gallagher, Gatto, Gipson, Gonzalez, Gordon, Grove, Hadley, Roger
Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine,
Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, Medina, Melendez,
Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, Patterson, Quirk, Rendon, Rodriguez,
Mark Stone, Ting, Weber, Wilk, and Wood)
   (Coauthors: Senators Berryhill, Cannella, Fuller, Galgiani, and
Mendoza)

                        MAY 10, 2016

   Relative to Portuguese National Heritage Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 184, Salas. Portuguese National Heritage Month.
   This bill would recognize the month of June 2016 as Portuguese
National Heritage Month.



   WHEREAS, In September of 1542, Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez
Cabrillo sailed a ship into San Diego Bay and became the first
European to explore the land now known as California. Cabrillo
explored the California coast, and is credited with numerous coastal
discoveries; and
   WHEREAS, The first Portuguese settlers came to California from the
Azores Islands in the early 19th century. The largest wave of
Azorean immigrants moved to California just before and after the turn
of the 20th century. Each wave contributed substantially to setting
up agricultural operations, especially dairy, vegetable, and fruit
farms; and
   WHEREAS, Throughout most of the 20th century, as many as one-half
of all Portuguese Californians owned or operated a dairy farm, worked
on a dairy farm, or worked in a dairy-related industry. Applying the
Portuguese belief in hard work and thriftiness, along with
additional labor from family members, a Portuguese settler could earn
enough to reinvest in his business, and buy more land and cattle;
and
   WHEREAS, Historically, California has been a popular destination
for immigrants from the Azores Islands, creating strong cultural ties
between the two regions; currently there are more than 381,000
persons of Portuguese heritage living in California, approximately 90
percent of whom have either come directly from the Azores Islands or
are of Azorean parentage; and
   WHEREAS, In 1979, the Center for Portuguese Studies at the
University of California, Santa Barbara, was founded for the purpose
of promoting and developing Portuguese studies in California and in
the United States; and
   WHEREAS, In 1994, the University of California, Berkeley,
established the Portuguese Studies Program. Included among the many
goals of the program is the goal "to spotlight the crucial and
complex but often overlooked experience and contributions of the
Portuguese-American community"; and
   WHEREAS, In 1999, the Center for Portuguese Studies at the
California State University, Stanislaus, was established to promote
the study of the Portuguese-speaking world's language, history,
culture, and influence. The center works to enrich the connections
among the local Portuguese community and its cultural and linguistic
heritage and to forge new connections between countries of the
Portuguese-speaking world and California's central valley; and
   WHEREAS, Among the great Portuguese Americans who have contributed
significantly to this country are: composer John Philip Sousa, best
known for composing "Stars and Stripes Forever"; poet Emma Lazarus,
best known for her sonnet about the Statue of Liberty, "The New
Colossus"; architect William L. Pereira, best known for designing the
Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco; and singer and actress Carmen
Miranda. Many Portuguese Americans have also served with distinction
in local, state, and federal office, and have served proudly in this
country's military; and
   WHEREAS, Portuguese Americans have made valuable and substantial
contributions to every facet of California life including the
entertainment industry, the most notable of whom are Mary Astor, Tom
Hanks, Joe Perry, and James Franco; and
   WHEREAS, Portuguese Americans continue to thrive in agricultural
communities of the San Joaquin Valley, including Hanford and Lemoore
in Kings County and Shafter, Wasco, and Bakersfield in Kern County;
they have contributed greatly to making market milk the leading
agricultural product by value in both the Counties of Kings and Kern;
and
   WHEREAS, The Portuguese Heritage Society of California built the
Portuguese Historical Museum to serve as a center for the display of
Portuguese heritage and culture. In addition to its permanent
exhibits, it will house and host exhibits and cultural programs from
various organizations and the many Portuguese communities in the
United States and around the world; and
   WHEREAS, The Portuguese Heritage Society of California designated
the second Saturday of June as a day to celebrate Portuguese culture
through music, dance, art, cooking, parades, and other festivities;
now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares the month of
June 2016 as Portuguese National Heritage Month; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.