Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 45

Introduced by Senator Berryhill

(Coauthors: Senators Cannella and Vidak)

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Patterson and Perea)

April 21, 2015

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 45—Relative to the Joe Levy Memorial Highway.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SCR 45, as introduced, Berryhill. Joe Levy Memorial Highway.

This measure would designate a portion of State Highway Route 41 in the County of Fresno as the Joe Levy Memorial Highway. The measure would request the Department of Transportation to determine the costs of erecting the appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.

Fiscal committee: yes.

WHEREAS, Joe Levy was a prominent Fresno businessman
and civic leader, whose commitment to the Fresno area created an
enduring legacy of community and humanitarian service. His
contributions include championing women’s professional
advancement and active involvement in local organizations such
as the Boy Scouts of America, the American Red Cross, the Fresno
Arts Council, and the Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce; and

WHEREAS, Joe Levy was born on January 30, 1932, in Fresno,
and died on February 10, 2014. He is survived by his wife, Sharon,
his children, Felicia Weston, Dr. Jody Schlesinger, and Bret Levy,
and his nine grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Joe Levy graduated from Fresno High School in
1950, and he attended the University of Southern California,
Marshall School of Business, where he graduated in 1954; and

WHEREAS, Joe Levy began his career with Gottschalks as an
Assistant Merchandise Manager in 1956, became a Merchandise
Manager in 1960, and became Executive Vice President in 1972.
He was named CEO and Chairman in 1982, and was the third
generation of the Gottschalk family to hold a top executive post;
and

WHEREAS, When Joe Levy returned to Fresno and began his
career with Gottschalks, Gottschalks had one store in downtown
Fresno. Under his watch, he helped the independent store expand
across Central California and the West Coast, growing to about
80 stores and 29 specialty stores in six western states; and

WHEREAS, Under Joe Levy’s guidance and personal
involvement, the company became renowned for its outstanding
community service and steadfast commitment to customer service
and high business ethics; and

WHEREAS, Joe Levy strongly supported civic participation
among Gottschalk employees to support an array of local
organizations and programs, including, but not limited to, the
annual “Coats for Kids” campaign; and

WHEREAS, Joe Levy’s list of leadership positions and
accolades is lengthy. He won the Leon S. Peters Award in 1989,
the top honor for service to the community recognized by the
Fresno Chamber of Commerce. A former president of the Fresno
Chamber of Commerce, he was active in the Downtown
Association of Fresno, the Boys Club of Fresno County, the Fresno
Arts Museum, the Fresno Metropolitan Museum, and the Craig
School of Business at Fresno State. He received other awards
including the City of Hope’s Spirit of Life Award and the Fresno
Advertising Federation Foundation’s J.U. Berry Lifetime
Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Clovis Hall of
Fame and in 1990 was voted third in the Fresno Bee’s Top 10
Guiding Forces in Fresno with the headline “Joe Levy loves sales
but reveres highways.” Leadership positions he held include
serving on the Board of Trustees during the founding of the
University of California, Merced, the Business Advisor Council
for the Craig School of Business at Fresno State, the Executive
Committee for the Fresno Business Council, as a board member
for the Fresno Economic Development Corporation, a board
member for the San Joaquin Political Academy, a cofounder and
sustaining sponsor of the annual Central California Women’s
Conference, a Trustee and Secretary of Community Hospitals of
Central California, a leader in successfully obtaining
“All-American City” designation for Fresno in 1967, a board
member of the National Retail Federation, a board member of the
Fresno County Transportation Authority, and as past president of
the Fresno Host Lions Club; and

WHEREAS, Joe Levy dedicated his life to serving the
community as the notable head of Gottschalks and continued his
commitment to the community upon being appointed by Governor
George Deukmejian to the California Transportation Commission.
He served on the California Transportation Commission from
March 9, 1983, to February 1, 1991, and was its Chairman in 1986.
With his constant vision for the future, Joe Levy was a driving
force for successfully securing funding for the expanding freeway
system in Fresno and he aided in the development of Highways
168 and 180 that serve as integral transportation lines in Fresno
County; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the
portion of State Highway 41 from Bullard Avenue to Herndon
Avenue in the County of Fresno as the Joe Levy Memorial
Highway; and be it further

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

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author
for appropriate distribution.