BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: SCR 84
SENATOR ALAN LOWENTHAL, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: Aanestad
VERSION: 3/4/10
Analysis by: Mark Stivers FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: April 6, 2010
SUBJECT:
Patricia Ann Weston Memorial Highway
DESCRIPTION:
This resolution names a portion of State Route (SR) 99 in Sutter
County as the Patricia Ann Weston 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 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 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 99 in Sutter County
SCR 84 (AANESTAD) Page 2
between mileposts 30.63 and 29.58 as the Patricia Ann Weston
Memorial Highway. The resolution further requests the
Department of Transportation to erect appropriate signs upon
receiving donations from non-state sources to cover the costs.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose of the resolution . By naming a segment of SR 99 for
Ms. Weston, this resolution seeks to memorialize her 30 years
of service to the state of California and her numerous
contributions to California's transportation network.
2.Ms. Weston's contributions . Patricia Ann Weston began her
career with the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) on
January 9, 1979, in the planning branch of the Marysville
District 3 Office. Ms. Weston later transferred to Caltrans
headquarters, first to the Division of Mass Transportation and
finally to the Division of Transportation Planning as the
Office Chief of the Advance System Planning and Economics
Office.
Ms. Weston was instrumental in the development of the
Transportation Development Act to provide funding to counties
and cities for transit projects. She also secured the initial
Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) grants that
provided funding to private and nonprofit groups for handicap
services. Ms. Weston wrote the 1998 Interregional Strategic
Plan, and later on she was instrumental in writing
GoCalifornia and the Governor's Strategic Growth Plan, which
established the framework for the subsequent Proposition 1B
Program.
Throughout her career, Ms. Weston was a champion and advocate
for rural agencies working to ensure that rural projects were
included in the State Transportation Improvement Program as
well as a mentor for generations of planners and engineers at
Caltrans, transportation planning agencies, and private
planning firms statewide.
On September 8, 2009, Patricia Ann Weston peacefully and
quietly passed away following a short illness.
3.Consistent with committee's policy . This resolution is
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consistent with all the provisions of the committee's policy
on highway designations.
4.Technical amendment . In keeping with the practice of limiting
the length of named highway segments to five miles or less,
the author is amenable to designating only the segment of
Highway 99 from milepost 36 to 40.
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
Wednesday,
March 31, 2010)
SUPPORT: None received.
OPPOSED: None received.