BILL NUMBER: ACR 146 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 91
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE AUGUST 17, 2010
ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 9, 2010
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 26, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hayashi
MARCH 16, 2010
Relative to the Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and
Officer John Hege Memorial Bridge.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 146, Hayashi. Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans,
and Officer John Hege Memorial Bridge.
This measure would designate the Keller Avenue Bridge that crosses
State Highway Route 580 in the City of Oakland as the Sergeant Mark
Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and Officer John Hege Memorial
Bridge. The measure would also request the Department of
Transportation to determine the cost for appropriate signs showing
this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.
WHEREAS, Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and Officer
John Hege proudly served the Oakland Police Department for 18 years,
13 years, and 10 years, respectively; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Dunakin began his career with the department in
May 1991. During his career, he was assigned to several units of the
department, including the Patrol Division, the Crime Prevention Unit,
the Robbery Section, and the Homicide Unit; and
WHEREAS, In 1999, Sergeant Dunakin was promoted to the rank of
Sergeant of Police; and
WHEREAS, While serving in the Homicide Unit, Sergeant Dunakin
acted as one of the lead investigators of the "Nut Cases" gang, a
group that terrorized Oakland in a 10-week crime wave in 2002 and
2003. Sergeant Dunakin's tireless work paid off when the gang was
successfully arrested; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Dunakin lived in Tracy with his wife, Angela,
and three children, ages 15, 13, and 8; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Ervin Romans started his career with the Oakland
Police Department in 1996; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Romans' sense of duty and commitment to the
department never wavered; in 1999, he received the Medal of Valor,
the department's highest honor, for evacuating endangered residents
from a fire in West Oakland; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Romans' expertise and attention to detail served
the City of Oakland well when he become a Departmental Range Master,
a position in which he trained hundreds of officers in the ethical
and proper use of firearms and less lethal weapons; and
WHEREAS, In 2005, Sergeant Romans was promoted to the rank of
Sergeant of Police. As a sergeant, he supervised one of Oakland's
crime reduction teams and served as the entry team leader on the
department's Tactical Operations Team; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Romans was a father of six. He lived with his
wife and two of his children in Danville; and
WHEREAS, Officer John Hege started his career with the department
as a volunteer reserve police officer in 1993. He was hired as a
full-time police officer in 1999. Upon graduating from the Oakland
Police Academy, he was assigned to the Bureau of Field Operations;
and
WHEREAS, After patrolling the streets of Oakland for 10 years,
Officer Hege fulfilled a lifelong dream when he was transferred to
the Traffic Operations Section and assigned as a motorcycle officer;
and
WHEREAS, Officer Hege gave his heart, soul, and a seemingly
limitless amount of time to the Oakland Police Department, yet he
always made time for his family and friends; and
WHEREAS, Sergeant Dunakin, Sergeant Romans, and Officer Hege
dedicated their lives to the pursuit of safety and justice; and
WHEREAS, On March 21, 2009, Sergeant Dunakin was shot and killed
and Officer Hege was mortally wounded during a traffic stop. Efforts
to apprehend the suspect resulted in the death of Sergeant Romans;
now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the Keller
Avenue Bridge that crosses State Highway Route 580 in the City of
Oakland as the Sergeant Mark Dunakin, Sergeant Ervin Romans, and
Officer John Hege Memorial Bridge; and be it further
Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested 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 that cost, to erect those signs; and be it
further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the author
for appropriate distribution.