BILL ANALYSIS
Bill No: SCR
62
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Senator Roderick D. Wright, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
Staff Analysis
SCR 62 Author: Steinberg
As Introduced: January 11, 2010
Hearing Date: March 23, 2010
Consultant: Art Terzakis
SUBJECT
Legislative Office Building
DESCRIPTION
SCR 62 provides that the Legislative Office Building
located at 1020 N Street in Sacramento be named the William
L. Cavala Legislative Office Building.
EXISTING LAW
Existing law sets forth the duties of the Department of
General Services (DGS) in acquiring, developing, leasing,
managing and disposing of state property.
BACKGROUND
William Lester "Bill" Cavala, PhD (February 23, 1943 -
December 26, 2009): The author of SCR 62 notes that Bill
Cavala was a native Californian who was born in Sacramento
and raised in Oakland. Bill graduated from the University
of California, Berkeley with Bachelor of Arts, Master of
Arts, and Doctorate degrees focusing on voting behavior,
political parties and public law. Bill was a wizard on
reapportionment issues and voter patterns and taught
political science at UC Berkeley while at the same time
working for the Legislature.
His lifelong political career of public service began in
1971 when he joined the staff of Assembly Member Robert
Crown and he continued his service for Assembly Members Ken
Meade, John Miller and Bill Lockyer. From 1981 through
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1995, Bill distinguished himself as Senior Aide to Speaker
of the Assembly Willie Brown, Jr. and from then on for
various other Speakers of the Assembly, including Cruz
Bustamante, Antonio Villaraigosa, Robert Hertzberg, and
Herb Wesson. Dr. Cavala also served as Deputy Director and
Director in the Speaker's Office of Member Services (SOMS).
The author emphasizes that Bill Cavala was a precious asset
in the California Legislature who was respected by those on
both sides of the aisle - he was highly regarded for his
institutional knowledge and skill regarding legislative
issues, as well as his kindness, humility, and
professionalism. "May his memory be eternal!"
Staff Comments: Is it necessary that the Legislature
establish basic guidelines for naming buildings, hearing
rooms, and other outdoor and public areas to mitigate
questions or controversy in advance of legislative
consideration of such naming proposals?
Currently, neither the Legislature (Senate Committee on
Rules, Assembly Committee on Rules, or Joint Committee on
Rules) nor the Department of General Services has
policies/guidelines in place prescribing the procedure(s)
for naming a public building or other highly visible
property owned by the State in honor of some individual,
whether deceased or still living.
Over the years, both the Senate and the Assembly have named
various hearing rooms and other areas in the State Capitol
Building after former legislators, living and deceased
(e.g., Jesse M. Unruh hearing room, Willie Brown, Jr.
Conference Room, Kenneth L. Maddy Senate Lounge, the Rose
Ann Vuich hearing room, the John Burton hearing room and
the Ralph C. Dills Senate Podium). Additionally, various
plaques, benches, trees, etc. have been placed on the State
Capitol grounds in memory of various elected and
non-elected individuals.
It should be noted that the Assembly recently named a
conference room in the Speaker's Office of Member Services,
located in the Legislative Office Building, 1020 N Street
in Sacramento, in the memory of Bill Cavala.
Committee staff has not had any success in obtaining a
listing of state buildings throughout the State that have
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been named in honor of past presidents, governors, and
other public officials, both living and deceased.
Committee staff, is however familiar with the following
state-owned buildings: (1) the Ronald Reagan State Building
located at 300 South Spring Street in Los Angeles; (2) the
Public Utilities Commission Building, also known as the
Governor Edmund G "Pat" Brown Building located at 505 Van
Ness Avenue in San Francisco; (3) the Elihu M. Harris State
Building located at 1515 Clay Street in Oakland; (4) the
Jesse M. Unruh State Office Building (Treasurer's Office)
located in Sacramento; (5) the Judge Joseph A. Rattigan
Building located at 50 D Street in Santa Rosa; (6) the
Junipero Serra State Building located at 320 West 4th
Street in Los Angeles; (7) the San Francisco Civic Center,
also known as the Earl Warren/Hiram Johnson Building
located at the following locations: 350 McAllister Street
and 455 Golden Gate Avenue; (8) the Alfred E. Alquist State
Office Building in downtown San Jose; (9) the new Leo J.
Trombatore Caltrans Building in downtown Marysville; and
(10) the Paul R. Bonderson State Building located at 901 P
Street in Sacramento.
The University of California (UC) has a long-standing
tradition of naming University
properties, programs, and facilities in honor of persons or
entities that have made important contributions to enable
the teaching, research and public service mission of the
University. All naming in recognition of an honoree must
be consistent with the University's role as a public trust.
Accordingly, all such proposals must be reviewed and
approved in accordance with established policy, and with
related University policies and guidelines.
The policy delegates authority for naming to the President,
who in turn has assigned some authority to the Chancellors.
The President retains authority for naming University land
reserves, buildings, major centers of activities and other
highly visible properties, and major or multicampus
programs or facilities. The Chancellor may approve namings
of streets and roads, portions of buildings, small outdoor
areas and other minor properties, and campus programs. The
Chancellor also approves dedicated campus furnishings in
public areas (such as inscribed benches and the wording on
dedicatory plaques). Exterior wording on structures is
limited to the official name of the structure or
information concerning its dedication. Special review
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committees may be created, when necessary, in order to
provide recommendations to the Chancellor and President for
approval.
Each legislative session generates a number of legislative
measures proposing to name state highway segments or
structures in honor of some individual, group or historical
event. Many years ago, the California State Senate
Transportation Committee adopted a policy establishing
general criteria and guidelines for naming transportation
facilities and roadways. According to Senate
Transportation Committee staff, the established policy has
proven to be very successful. Specifically, the Committee
will not consider any measure proposing to name or
designate state highways or highway structures unless the
measure meets the following conditions:
a)Any 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;
b)The naming must be done without cost to the state. Costs
for signs and plaques must be paid by local or private
sources;
c)The author or co-author of the measure must represent the
district in which the facility is located and the measure
must identify the specific highway segment or structure
being named;
d)The proposed designation must reflect a community
consensus and be without local opposition; and
e) 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.
As noted above, Committee staff is unaware of any statutory
or legislative guidelines for the naming of state
structures, legislative hearing rooms or other portions of
buildings or public areas. Thus, the author of this
measure may wish to consider establishing such guidelines
in the future under the auspices of the Senate Committee on
Rules.
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SUPPORT: None on file.
OPPOSE: None on file.
FISCAL COMMITTEE: No
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