BILL NUMBER: SCR 45	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Berryhill
   (Coauthors: Senators Cannella and Vidak)
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Patterson and Perea)

                        APRIL 21, 2015

   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.