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.