Amended in Assembly June 9, 2015

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 62

Introduced by Senator Mendoza

May 13, 2015

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 62—Relative to Portugal Day.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SCR 62, as amended, Mendoza. Portugal Day.

This act would declare June 10, 2015, as Portugal Day to celebrate Portuguese national heritage.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, In September begin delete of end delete 1542, Portuguese explorer João
Rodrigues begin delete Cabrillo end delete begin insert Cabrilho end insert sailed a ship into San Diego Bay,
begin insert thereby end insert becoming the first European to explore the land now known
as California. begin delete Cabrillo explored end delete begin insert Cabrilho’s efforts included
exploring end insert the California coast, and begin insert he end insert is credited with numerous
coastal discoveries; and

WHEREAS, begin delete In 1870, end delete Portuguese immigrants began arriving in
the United States in relatively large begin delete numbers. The majority of these
Portuguese immigrants were end delete begin insert numbers beginning in 1870, with
most of these immigrants being end insert men from the Azores, begin delete who were
primarily end delete begin insert who, for the most part, had been end insert recruited to begin insert farm and
to end insert work on American whaling begin delete ships and to farm; end delete begin insert ships; end insert and

WHEREAS, Between 1900 and 1940, as much as one-half of
the Portuguese community in California owned or operated a dairy
farm, worked on a dairy farm, or worked in a dairy-supporting
industry. Applying the Portuguese belief in hard work and
thriftiness, begin delete along with additional labor from family members, a
Portuguese settler could earn enough to reinvest in his business,
buying land and more dairy cows; end delete begin insert these pioneering Portuguese
Americans were renowned for their work ethic and ingenuity, often
reinvesting in their own businesses by buying more land and dairy
cows; end insert and

WHEREAS, Among the great Portuguese Americans who have
contributed significantly to this country are: composer John Philip
Sousa, best known for composing “Stars and Stripes Forever”;
poet Emma Lazarus, best known for her sonnet about the Statue
of Liberty, “The New Colossus”; architect William L. Pereira, best
known for designing the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco;
and singer and actress Carmen begin delete Miranda. Many Portuguese
Americans have also served with distinction in local, state, and
federal office; end delete begin insert Miranda; end insert and

WHEREAS, Portuguese Americans have begin delete truly end delete made valuable
and substantial contributions to every facet of California begin delete life.
Portuguese Americans continue to thrive in end delete begin insert life, such as within the
thriving end insert agricultural communities of the Santa Clara and San
Joaquin Valleys begin insert and through service in local, state, and federal
office end insert . Today, over 350,000 Portuguese Americans reside in
begin delete California.; end delete begin insert California; end insert and

WHEREAS, Portuguese national literary icon Luís begin insert Vaz end insert de
Camões wrote Portugal’s national epic poem, Os Lusíadas,
celebrating the begin delete 15th-century end delete begin insert 15th century end insert Portuguese explorations
begin delete which end delete begin insert that end insert brought fame and fortune to the country. The poem,
considered one of the finest and most important works in
Portuguese literature, became a symbol for the great feats of the
Portuguese Empire; and

WHEREAS, Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades
Portuguesas, translated as “Day of Portugal, Camões, and the
Portuguese Communities,” commemorates the death of Luís begin insert Vaz end insert
de Camões on June 10, 1580; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares June 10,
2015, as Portugal Day, a day to celebrate Portuguese national
heritage; and be it further

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