BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  ACR 106
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   March 22, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
                               Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
                 ACR 106 (Caballero) - As Amended:  February 9, 2010
           
          SUBJECT  :  State Route 156

          SUMMARY:  Designates a segment of State Route (SR) 156 as the  
          CAL-FIRE Firefighter Matt Will Memorial Highway.  Specifically,  
           this bill  :  

          1)Recounts the life and career of Matt Will, who lost his life  
            in the line of duty on October 9, 2007, at the age of 30,  
            while battling a fire in Monterey County.  

          2)Designates the segment of 156 from SR 25 to SR 101 as the  
            CAL-FIRE Firefighter Matt Will Memorial Highway.  

          3)Requests the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to  
            determine the cost of appropriate signs, consistent with the  
            signing requirements for the state highway system, showing  
            this special designation and, upon receiving donations from  
            nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those  
            signs.  

           EXISTING LAW  :  Assigns Caltrans the responsibility to operate  
          and maintain state highways.  This includes the installation and  
          maintenance of highway signs.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  Unknown

           COMMENTS  :  Matt Will followed in his father's footsteps as he  
          pursued the career of his dreams as a Heavy Fire Equipment  
          Operator (HFEO) by applying his passions for heavy equipment and  
          fire fighting.  He was always charismatic and caring, and his  
          drive and motivation were displayed daily.  His leadership  
          skills carried him to reach his goals and to encourage others to  
          reach theirs.  

          Mr. Will was extremely knowledgeable, with abundant experience  
          and excellent judgment that enabled him to be on the fireline  
          operating alone.  On October 8, 2007, he tried to get another  
          bulldozer out of a precarious situation, placing himself in a  
          very dangerous location.  The ground of the steep terrain gave  








                                                                  ACR 106
                                                                  Page  2

          way causing Matt Will's bulldozer to roll 154 feet down a steep  
          drainage, where he sustained injuries that ultimately proved  
          fatal.  

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :  

           Support 
           
          CDF Firefighters Local 2881 (sponsor)
          California Department of Forestry Fire Fighters (CDF)
          California Professional Firefighters (CPF)

           Opposition 
           
          None received
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :   Howard Posner / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093