BILL ANALYSIS �
AJR 16
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 29, 2011
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON RULES
Nancy Skinner, Chair
AJR 16 (Campos) - As Introduced: August 16, 2011
SUBJECT : McDonnell Hall: historic landmark
SUMMARY : Memorialize the National Park Service to declare
McDonnell Hall a national historic landmark and urges the City
of San Jose to similarly designate McDonnell Hall as a historic
landmark. Specifically, this resolution makes the following
legislative findings:
1)McDonnell Hall was originally established by Father Don
McDonnell in the Sal Si Puedes barrio of San Jose as a parish
of Our Lady of Guadalupe and played an integral role in the
life of Cesar Chavez during his time in San Jose.
2) Cesar Chavez was one of the first to attend the newly
established parish and became great friends with Father
McDonnell who became a mentor to Chavez teaching him how to
apply basic Catholic doctrine to help migrant workers and
others suffering from social injustice.
3)Father McDonnell introduced Fred Ross, a community service
organizer, to Cesar Chavez; and Ross taught Chavez the
principles of organizing, particularly organizing based in the
local Catholic church, which is believed to have lead Chavez
to create "La Causa" in San Jose and started the farm worker
movement.
4)In 2008, Congress directed the United States Department of
Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites in
California and Arizona that are significant to Cesar Chavez
and the farm labor movement, and to determine whether or not
any of those sites should be declared national historic
landmarks. The study is to be completed in November 2011.
5)The City of San Jose's planning department is currently
reviewing a proposal to designate McDonnell Hall as a historic
landmark.
FISCAL EFFECT : None.
AJR 16
Page 2
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file.
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Nicole Willis / RLS. / (916) 319-2800