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
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|Author: |Roth |
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|Version: |4/9/2015 |
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|Urgency: | No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant|Christine Hochmuth |
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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
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