BILL ANALYSIS �
ACR 41
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 2, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
ACR 41 (Mitchell) - As Amended: April 14, 2011
SUBJECT : State Route 405
SUMMARY : Designates a segment of State Route (SR) 405 as the
CHP Officer Phillip Dennis Ortiz Memorial Highway.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Recounts the life and career of Phillip Dennis Ortiz, an
officer with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) who lost his
life in the line of duty.
2)Designates the segment of SR 405 south of National Boulevard
and north of Palms Overcrossing as the CHP Officer Philip
Dennis Ortiz Memorial Highway.
3)Requests the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to
determine the cost of erecting the appropriate signs,
consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway
system, showing this special designation, and upon receiving
donations from nonstate sources covering the cost, to erect
those signs.
EXISTING LAW : Assigns Caltrans the responsibility of operating
and maintaining state highways. This includes the installation
and maintenance of highway signs.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : Philip Dennis Ortiz worked for a local supermarket
after high school but always dreamed of becoming a CHP Officer.
In 1982, CHP Officer Philip Dennis Ortiz graduated from the CHP
Academy and was assigned to the central Los Angeles area office.
After more than seven years of service in the central Los
Angeles area, Officer Ortiz was transferred to the west Los
Angeles area, where he spent the remainder of his career.
ACR 41
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Officer Ortiz performed several duties over the course of his
career, some of which included a motorcycle officer, a
motorcycle officer in charge of training the officers who
successfully passed motor school, a weapons/range officer, a
physical methods of arrest (PMA) instructor, and protective
services detail (PSD.
On June 22, 2010, CHP Officer Philip Dennis Ortiz pulled a
vehicle over for a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane violation.
While approaching the vehicle, another car was driving along the
shoulder and struck Officer Ortiz and his motorcycle. Officer
Ortiz was transported to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
where he remained until his passing almost two weeks later. He
admired for his professionalism, dedication, honesty, loyalty,
respect, courage, and "espirit de corps." He consistently
represented the best of the CHP and was an outstanding role
model.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Association of Highway Patrolmen (sponsor)
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Howard Posner / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093