BILL NUMBER: ACR 78 ENROLLED BILL TEXT PASSED THE SENATE SEPTEMBER 13, 1997 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 10, 1997 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Bordonaro SEPTEMBER 10, 1997 Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 78--Relative to highways. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 78, Bordonaro. Highways: Willard H. Murray Freeway: Jack O' Connell Highway. This measure would designate a portion of State Highway Route 91 the Willard H. Murray Freeway and a portion of State Highway Route 46 the Jack O'Connell Highway. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate plaques and markers showing those special designations and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those plaques and markers. WHEREAS, Former Assemblyman Willard H. Murray was first elected to the California State Assembly on November 7, 1988, and due to his popularity and untiring service to the communities that he represented, including Compton, Long Beach, Lynwood, and Paramount, he was overwhelmingly reelected to four consecutive terms, ending with his retirement in 1996; and WHEREAS, Willard H. Murray was born on January 1, 1931, in Los Angeles, California, where he spent his youth; and WHEREAS, Willard H. Murray joined the United States Air Force in 1951 and was stationed in Korea until 1958, and, following his release from the Air Force, he worked as an engineer in the Aerospace Division of the TRW Corporation until 1963; and WHEREAS, He dedicated more than 25 years to government service, including working with Congressman Mervyn Dymally, the Los Angeles City Council, and the Los Angeles Mayor's office; and WHEREAS, Willard H. Murray and his son, Kevin Murray, were the first father and son to contemporaneously serve in the Assembly during the same term; and WHEREAS, Willard H. Murray is a past chair of the Legislative Black Caucus; and WHEREAS, His greatest passions are family values, education, employment development, and crime prevention, and included among his outstanding legislative efforts are promoting diversity policies and quality enhancements at our educational institutions; and WHEREAS, Willard H. Murray established the first Institute on the Preservation of Jazz as an Art Form at California State University, Long Beach, and, through his tireless efforts, he garnered millions of dollars in funding for improvements in district schools, including the Compton Unified School District where he fought for many years to improve conditions; and WHEREAS, In recognition of his contributions to his constituents in the City of Compton and all of the surrounding areas, it is appropriate to designate the portion of State Highway Route 91 in the City of Compton from Alameda Road to Central Avenue the Willard H. Murray Freeway; and WHEREAS, In 1995, State Highway Routes 41 and 46 from the intersection with Interstate Highway Route 101 to the intersection with Interstate Highway Route 5 saw a significant increase in the number of vehicle accidents involving serious and fatal injuries; and WHEREAS, Local citizens along this highway segment expressed concern and outrage over the increasing number of fatal accidents; and WHEREAS, Senator Jack O'Connell initiated action and offered solutions to the highway accidents in a letter to California Highway Patrol Commissioner Dwight Helmick dated November 28, 1995; and WHEREAS, As a result of Senator O'Connell's letter and subsequent contacts, along with other local constituent actions through the "Fix 46 Committee," grant funding was requested by the California Highway Patrol for a special corridor project; and WHEREAS, Because of the local concern and the grant request of the California Highway Patrol, the Office of Traffic Safety provided $100,000 to fund a Highway 41 and 46 Corridor Task Force, and provide educational material and enforcement efforts; and WHEREAS, As part of the safety and enforcement improvements along this dangerous highway segment, Senator Jack O'Connell authored, in 1996, SB 1367 (Chapter 488 of the Statutes of 1996), which designated Highway Route 46, between the intersection with Interstate Highway Route 101 and the junction with State Highway Route 41, a Safety Enhancement-Double Fine Zone; and WHEREAS, Due to the implementation of the Highway 41 and 46 Corridor Task Force's recommendations, there have been no fatal collisions on this stretch of highway since overall completion of the project on July 16, 1996; and WHEREAS, In recognition of Senator Jack O'Connell's leadership, guidance, and efforts on behalf of his constituents in addressing the vehicle safety issues along State Highway Route 46, it is appropriate to designate the portion of State Highway Route 46 from the intersection with Interstate Highway Route 101 in Paso Robles to the junction of State Highway Route 41 at Cholame as the Jack O' Connell Highway; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the portion of State Highway Route 91 from Alameda Road to Central Avenue in the City of Compton is hereby officially designated the Willard H. Murray Freeway; and be it further Resolved, That the portion of State Highway Route 46 from the intersection with Interstate Highway Route 101 in Paso Robles to the junction of State Highway Route 41 at Cholame is hereby officially designated the Jack O'Connell Highway; and be it further Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to determine the cost of appropriate plaques and markers, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing those special designations and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover those costs, to erect those plaques and markers; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit a copy of this resolution to the Director of Transportation.