SCR 55, as amended, Pan. Centennial of the founding of Locke, California.
This measure would commemorate the centennial of the founding of Locke, California, would recognize and honor Locke, California, as the last remaining Chinatown in North America, and would urge all Californians to learn about the important history of Locke, California, and its inhabitants.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, The yearbegin delete 2015,end deletebegin insert 2015end insert marks the centennial of the
2founding of Locke, California; and
3WHEREAS, Locke, California, is the only town in the United
4States of America built exclusively by the Chinese for the Chinese,
5and is the last remaining Chinatown in North America, as all other
6Chinatowns are connected to, or lay adjacent to, an existing town
7or city; and
8WHEREAS, Locke, California, was found in 1915 after the
9Chinese section of Walnut Grove, California, was destroyed by a
P2 1fire and the Chinese inhabitants decided that it was time to establish
2a town of their own; and
3WHEREAS, The inhabitants of Locke, California, have made
4tremendous contributions to farming methods that spearheaded
5California’s leadership in agriculture, especially as it pertained to
6pear orchards and asparagus fields; and
7WHEREAS, Locke, California, was instrumental in reclaiming
8swamps along the Sacramento River Delta and turning them into
9rich arable farmlands; and
10WHEREAS, Levee construction originally brought the Chinese
11to the area, but by the time Locke, California, was built most of
12the jobs in the area were inbegin delete farming and thisend deletebegin insert farming, whichend insert
13 resulted in Locke,begin delete California.end deletebegin insert California,end insert having many businesses
14that catered to the farm workers and residents of the region; and
15WHEREAS, From the 1920s through the 1940s, Locke,
16California, had a permanent population of 600, which swelled to
171,000 during the harvest season; and
18WHEREAS, In 1970, Locke, California, was added to the
19Registry of National Historic Places by the Sacramento County
20Historical Society; and
21WHEREAS, In 1990, Locke, California, was named as a
22National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of
23the Interior; now, therefore, be it
24Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
25thereof concurring, That the Legislature commemorates the
26centennial of the founding of Locke, California, and urges all
27Californians to learn about the important history of Locke,
28California, and its inhabitants; and be it further
29Resolved, That the Legislature recognizes and honors Locke,
30California, as the last remaining Chinatown in North America; and
31be it further
32Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
33this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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