BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING Senator Jim Beall, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Bill No: SCR 38 Hearing Date: 5/5/2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Author: |Roth | |----------+------------------------------------------------------| |Version: |4/9/2015 | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Urgency: | No |Fiscal: |Yes | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Consultant|Christine Hochmuth | |: | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUBJECT: Memorial highways DIGEST: This resolution designates a portion of State Highway Route (SR) 91 in the county of Riverside as the Staff Sergeant Salvador J. Lara, Staff Sergeant Ysmael R. Villegas, and Sergeant Jesus S. Duran Memorial Highway. ANALYSIS: The committee has adopted a policy regarding the naming of state highways or structures. Under the policy, the committee will consider only those resolutions that meet all of the following criteria: 1)The person being honored must have provided extraordinary public service or some exemplary contribution to the public good and have a connection to the community where the highway or structure is located. 2)The person being honored must be deceased. 3)The naming must be done without cost to the state. Costs for signs and plaques must be paid by local or private sources. 4)The author or co-author of the resolution must represent the district in which the facility is located, and the resolution must identify the specific highway segment or structure being named. SCR 38 (Roth) Page 2 of ? 5)The segment of highway being named must not exceed five miles in length. 6)The proposed designation must reflect a community consensus and be without local opposition. 7)The proposed designation may not supersede an existing designation unless the sponsor can document that a good faith effort has uncovered no opposition to rescinding the prior designation. This resolution designates the portion of SR 91 from Madison Street to the SR 60, Interstate 215 interchange in the County of Riverside as the Staff Sergeant Salvador J. Lara, Staff Sergeant Ysmael R. Villegas, and Sergeant Jesus S. Duran Memorial Highway. The resolution further requests that the Department of Transportation erect appropriate signs upon receiving donations from non-state sources to cover the costs. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. The author introduced this resolution to honor the life and service of three Medal of Honor recipients. 2)Background on Honorees. Staff Sergeant Salvador J. Lara was born in Riverside, California, in 1920. He achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (upgraded to the Medal of Honor on March 18, 2014), the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, the World War II Victory Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Honorable Service Lapel Button - World War II. Staff Sergeant Lara died on September 1, 1945, and is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Avold, Moselle, France. He is survived by his niece Vivian Hernandez and his brother Alfonzo, who accepted the Medal of Honor on his behalf from President Barack Obama on March 18, 2014. Staff Sergeant Ysmael "Smiley" R. Villegas was a Mexican-American who was born on March 21, 1924, and raised in the Casa Blanca neighborhood in the City of Riverside, California. Staff Sergeant Villegas was awarded the Silver Star for actions taken during the Battle of Luzon in the SCR 38 (Roth) Page 3 of ? Philippines on March 1, 1945. He was also a recipient of the Purple Heart, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Philippine Liberation Medal. On March 20, 1945, Staff Sergeant Villegas was leading his squad at Villa Verde Trail in Luzon in the Philippines and became mortally wounded during a sweep of a combatant enemy field. On October 19, 1945, President Harry S. Truman posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Villegas, presenting the medal to his surviving family, consisting of his mother and father, and five brothers and six sisters. Staff Sergeant Villegas was the first Riverside County resident to ever receive the Medal of Honor and the first veteran to be buried at the Riverside National Cemetery when it opened in 1978. Sergeant Jesus S. Duran was born on July 26, 1948, in Juarez, Mexico, and was the sixth of 12 siblings. Sergeant Duran joined the United States Army on May 13, 1968, and was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) to support Search and Destroy missions. During his service in the Vietnam War, Sergeant Duran distinguished himself during combat operations against an armed enemy in the Republic of Vietnam on April 10, 1969. For his service, Sergeant Duran received the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and many awards for marksmanship. Upon leaving the military, Sergeant Jesus S. Duran pursued a career as a corrections officer at a juvenile detention center in San Bernardino where he dedicated time to mentor youth and lead them on educational trips. Sergeant Duran married twice and had two beloved children. Sergeant Jesus S. Duran passed away on February 17, 1977, and is survived by his daughter Tina Duran-Ruvalcaba, who accepted the Medal of Honor on his behalf from President Barack Obama on March 18, 2014. She also received the Medal of Honor flag in a ceremony where Sergeant Duran was inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes. 3)Committee policy. In order for this resolution to be consistent with the provisions of the committee's policy on highway and interchange designations, the segment of highway SCR 38 (Roth) Page 4 of ? being named must not exceed five miles. 4)Technical amendments. The author has accepted amendments to designate the portion of State Highway Route 91 between Madison Street and 3rd Street as the Staff Sergeant Salvador J. Lara, Staff Sergeant Ysmael R. Villegas, and Sergeant Jesus S. Duran Memorial Highway. FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on Wednesday, April 29, 2015.) SUPPORT: American Legion, Department of California AMVETS, Department of California California Association of County Veterans Service Officers California State Commanders Veterans Council Military Officers Association of America, California Council of Chapters Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of California Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council OPPOSITION: None received -- END --