BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: acr 126
SENATOR ALAN LOWENTHAL, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: davis
VERSION: 8/2/10
Analysis by: Jennifer Gress FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: August 10, 2010
SUBJECT:
El Salvador Community Corridor
DESCRIPTION:
This resolution recognizes a portion of Vermont Avenue in the
City of Los Angeles as the El Salvador Community Corridor and
requests the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
to erect appropriate signs on State Highway Route 10.
ANALYSIS:
Caltrans is the agency responsible for the state highway system,
including the regulation and erection of signs within the
highway right-of-way.
Existing law, enacted by AB 2823 (Benoit), Chapter 238, Statutes
of 2004, allows Caltrans to place and maintain signs on state
highways directing motorists to communities within the
geographical boundaries of a city, county, or city and county if
all of the following conditions are satisfied:
The name of the community is culturally unique and
historically significant.
The name of the community has resulted from the influence of a
culture over a significant period of time.
The general public and media commonly recognize the name of
the community.
The community is located within a city, county, or city and
county.
ACR 126 (DAVIS) Page 2
Signs are consistent with the signing requirements for the
state highway system.
The geographical boundary of the community is within three
miles of the state highway exit.
Trailblazing signs are installed on the appropriate streets or
roads leading to the community prior to installation of signs
on the state highway.
The city, county, or city and county provides funds from
nonstate sources that cover all costs for the placement and
maintenance of signs.
The governing body of the city, county, or city and county in
which the community is located adopts a resolution that does
the following:
o Designates the name of the community that is to be used
on directional signs.
o Defines the geographical boundaries of the community.
o Requests Caltrans to post signs on state highways.
This resolution :
Recognizes the area of Vermont Avenue between Adams Boulevard
and 11th Street in the City of Los Angeles as the "El Salvador
Community Corridor."
Requests Caltrans to determine the cost of erecting
appropriate signs, consistent with the signing requirements
for the state highway system, and, upon receiving donations
from nonstate sources sufficient to cover that cost and
determining that all of the conditions established by AB 2823
have been met, to erect those signs at the eastbound and
westbound exits to Vermont Avenue on SR 10.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . According to the author, this resolution is needed
"to help the Salvadoran Community provide existing and future
property owners with an assortment of community services that
will help increase its economic livelihood, improve its social
cultural well-being, and encourage community pride."
The author notes that Los Angeles is one of only two cities in
ACR 126 (DAVIS) Page 3
the United States without a majority population. People from
140 countries, who speak approximately 86 languages, currently
call Los Angeles home. There are over 500,000 El Salvadorans
living in Los Angeles, a large majority of which live in the
Pico Union area of the city, where the El Salvador Community
Corridor is at least partly situated.
2.Related legislation . This resolution is modeled after AB 516
(Cedillo), Chapter 100, Statutes of 2001. AB 516 required
Caltrans to erect signs on SR 10 recognizing the
"Byzantine-Latino Quarter," which is also located in the Pico
Union neighborhood and appears to overlap with a portion of
the El Salvador Community Corridor.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 71-0
Appr: 16-0
Trans: 13-0
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
Wednesday,
August 4, 2010)
SUPPORT: None received.
OPPOSED: None received.