BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: ACR 130
SENATOR ALAN LOWENTHAL, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: De La torre
VERSION: 2/18/10
Analysis by: Jennifer Gress FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: June 22, 2010
SUBJECT:
Arnold C. Garcia Memorial Highway
DESCRIPTION:
This resolution designates a portion of State Highway Route (SR)
5 in the City of Commerce as the "Arnold C. Garcia 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 person being honored must be deceased.
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 segment of highway being named must not exceed five miles
in length.
ACR 130 (DE LA TORRE) Page 2
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.
This resolution :
Designates the portion of SR 5 between East Olympic Boulevard
and South Atlantic Boulevard in the City of Commerce as the
"Arnold C. Garcia Memorial Highway."
Requests the California Department of Transportation
(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, to erect those signs.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . The purpose of this resolution is to honor the
dedication and sacrifice of Arnold C. Garcia, who was the
first Los Angeles County Probation Department employee to be
killed in the line of duty.
2.Background on Mr. Garcia . For nearly two decades, Arnold C.
Garcia, a Los Angeles County Probation Department group
supervisor, worked the graveyard shift at the Dorothy E. Kirby
Center, supervising locked cottages that house some of Los
Angeles County's youngest and most troubled offenders.
Although department guidelines recommend one guard for every
10 juveniles in custody, Mr. Garcia was charged with watching
over a 20-bed cottage. As with all employees of the county's
probation department, Mr. Garcia was equipped with only two
weapons: muscle and guile.
During night shifts at the center, Mr. Garcia frequently bent
the rules, bringing candy and videos for the most well-behaved
wards. According to coworkers, he always had his Bible in
hand, passing the lonely hours by praying for the wards.
On April 4, 1994, Mr. Garcia heard a knock from inside one of
ACR 130 (DE LA TORRE) Page 3
the bedroom doors. The ward inside, who was serving time for
burglary and possession of a concealed weapon, asked for
permission to use the restroom. After opening the door, Mr.
Garcia was struck in the head with a metal object from a
disassembled desk in the room. The alleged assailant fled
along with another ward, but was captured a short time later.
Mr. Garcia is survived by his wife, Alma, and 11 children.
The death of Arnold C. Garcia serves as a symbol of the
increasingly hazardous mission faced by employees at Los
Angeles County's three juvenile halls and 20 probation camps.
3.Mostly consistent with committee policy . This resolution is
consistent with all of the provisions of the committee's
policy on highway naming, except that the segment being named
is not wholly contained in the author's district. A small
portion of the highway segment being designated is not within
the author's district.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 73-0
Appr: 15-0
Trans: 13-0
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
Wednesday,
June 16, 2010)
SUPPORT: Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs
Los Angeles County Chicano Employees
AssociationLos Angeles County Probation Officers' Union
Los Angeles Police Protective League
Riverside Sheriffs' Association
OPPOSED: None received.