BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: ACR 48
SENATOR ALAN LOWENTHAL, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: Gilmore
VERSION: 3/5/09
Analysis by: Carrie Cornwell FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: June 9, 2009
SUBJECT:
Deputy James Throne Memorial Highway
DESCRIPTION:
This resolution designates State Highway Route (SR) 184 in Kern
County as the "Deputy James Throne Memorial Highway."
ANALYSIS:
The committee has adopted a policy regarding the naming of state
highways or structures. Under the policy, the committee will
consider only those resolutions that meet all of the following
criteria:
The person being honored must have provided extraordinary
public service or some exemplary contribution to the public
good and have a connection to the community where the highway
is located.
The naming must be done without cost to the state. Costs for
signs and plaques must be paid by local or private sources.
The author or co-author of the resolution must represent the
district in which the facility is located and the resolution
must identify the specific highway segment or structure being
named.
The proposed designation must reflect a community consensus
and be without local opposition.
The proposed designation may not supersede an existing
designation unless the sponsor can document that a good faith
effort has uncovered no opposition to rescinding the prior
designation.
ACR 48 (GILMORE) Page 2
This resolution designates SR 184 in Kern County, which is
approximately 14 miles in length, as the "Deputy James Throne
Memorial Highway." The resolution further requests the
Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to erect appropriate
signs upon receiving donations from non-state sources to cover
the costs.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . The author introduced this resolution to honor the
memory of Kern County Sheriff's Deputy James Throne, who died
in the line of duty.
2.Deputy James Throne's contributions . Born in 1978, James
Throne grew up in Shafter, California, where he graduated from
Shafter High School. In 2002, he graduated from the Kern
County's Sheriff's Department Academy and joined the sheriff's
department as an extra help deputy. The next year he joined
the Taft Police Department but returned to the Kern County
Sheriff's Department in 2005, when he became a full-time
deputy sheriff.
Deputy Throne was active in the community, leading classes on
drug and gang awareness, as well as teaching in-service
classes for his fellow deputies on defensive tactics and
helping his colleagues with their narcotics investigations. In
2007, the Bakersfield Optimist Club honored Deputy Throne as
its Officer of the Year. He married in 2000, and he and his
wife Amanda have three children.
On May 23, 2008, while pursuing a suspect, another deputy's
patrol car struck Deputy Throne's patrol car. Deputy Throne
died at the scene.
3.Consistent with committee's policy . This resolution is
consistent with all the provisions of the committee's policy
on highway designations.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 79 - 0
Appr: 16 - 0
Trans: 10 - 0
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
ACR 48 (GILMORE) Page 3
Wednesday,
June 3, 2009)
SUPPORT: None received.
OPPOSED: None received.