Amended in Senate August 15, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 197

Introduced by Assembly Members Gatto and Holden

June 16, 2016

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 197—Relative to the Jackie Robinson Memorial Highway.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 197, as amended, Gatto. Jackie Robinson Memorial begin delete Highway end delete begin insert Highway. end insert

This measure would designate a specified portion of Interstate 210 from begin delete California State Route 2 end delete begin insert Gould Avenue end insert to Orange Grove Boulevard in the County of Los Angeles as the Jackie Robinson Memorial Highway. The measure also would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.

Fiscal committee: yes.

WHEREAS, Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson was born on
January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia, to a family of sharecroppers.
Jackie Robinson and his four brothers were raised by a single
mother who in 1920 managed to move the family to Pasadena,
California, and they became the first and only black family on
their block; and

WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson was a natural athlete and
succeeded at John Muir High School and attended Pasadena City
College where he continued his athletic career by succeeding in
basketball, football, baseball, and track in 1938 when he was named
the region’s Most Valuable Player; and

WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson transferred to the University of
California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1939 where he became the
first Bruin to letter in four sports: baseball, basketball, football,
and track; and

WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson served as a second lieutenant in
the United States Army from 1942 to 1944 and was arrested and
court martialed during boot camp for refusing to move to the back
of a bus. He was later acquitted of all charges and received an
honorable discharge; and

WHEREAS, In early 1945, the Kansas City Monarchs sent him
a written offer to play professional baseball in the Negro leagues.
In all, Jackie Robinson played 47 games for the Monarchs, hitting
.387 with five home runs and registering 13 stolen bases; and

WHEREAS, In 1946, Jackie Robinson arrived at Daytona Beach,
Florida, for spring training with the all-white Montreal Royals of
the Class Triple-A International League and farm team for the
Brooklyn Dodgers; and

WHEREAS, On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson made his major
league debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field before a
crowd of 26,623 spectators, including more than 14,000 black
patrons, marking the first time ever that an African American
athlete played in major league baseball. Jackie Robinson faced the
constant onslaught from the public and from players objecting to
playing with him; and

WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson stood firm and focused on beating
the critics on the field, despite the umpires who were supposed to
protect all the players, including Jackie Robinson, turning a blind
eye to the abuse and pitches aimed at his head that he endured,
putting his life in danger; and

WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson finished the 1947 season having
played in 151 games for the Dodgers with a batting average of
.297, an on-base percentage of .383, and a .427 slugging
percentage. He had 175 hits, scoring 125 runs, including 31
doubles, 5 triples, and 12 home runs, driving in 48 runs for the
year. He led the league with 28 sacrifice hits and 29 stolen bases.
His cumulative performance earned him the inaugural Major
League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award; and

WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson retired on January 5, 1957, from
professional baseball with an impressive career batting average of
.311; and

WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson became a vocal champion for
African American athletes, civil rights, and other social and
political causes, so that, after baseball, he became active in business
and continued his work as an activist for social change and served
on the board of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) until 1967; and

WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson was the first African American
to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1972,
the Dodgers retired his uniform number of 42. His number, 42, is
the only number to be retired by all of baseball in honor of his
accomplishments, including being the first African American to
break the color barrier; and

WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson died from heart problems and
diabetes complications on October 24, 1972, in Stamford,
Connecticut. He is survived by his wife, Rachel Isum Robinson,
a nursing student whom he met at UCLA, and two of his three
children, Sharon and David; his oldest child, Jackie Jr., died in an
automobile accident in 1971; and

WHEREAS, Jackie Robinson’s life and legacy will be
remembered as one of the most important in American history. In
1997, the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of his breaking
major league baseball’s color barrier, and in doing so, honored the
man who stood defiantly against those who would work against
racial equality and acknowledged the profound influence of one
man’s life on American culture; and

WHEREAS, Every year on the anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s
historic debut, all major league baseball teams across the nation
celebrate this milestone by wearing jerseys with only “42” on the
back; and

WHEREAS, To this day Jackie Robinson is regarded as an
inspiring example of how to combat hate and discrimination in the
world; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the
portion of Interstate 210 from begin delete California State Route 2 end delete begin insert Gould
Avenue end insert to Orange Grove Boulevard in the County of Los Angeles
near where Jackie Robinson grew up as the Jackie Robinson
Memorial Highway; and be it further

Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested
to determine the cost of appropriate signs consistent with the
signing requirements for the state highway system showing this
special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author
for appropriate distribution.