SCR 64, as amended, Roth. Sergeant Gilbert Cortez and K-9 Mattie Memorial Highway.
This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 15 in the County of Riverside as the Sergeant Gilbert Cortez and K-9 Mattie Memorial Highway. The measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering the cost, to erect those signs.
Fiscal committee: yes.
P1 1WHEREAS, Gilbert Cortez was born on October 4, 1966; and
2WHEREAS, Mr. Cortez was raised in the City ofbegin delete Norcoend deletebegin insert Coronaend insert
3 and attended Norco High School, where he played baseball; and
4WHEREAS, On September 17, 1990, Mr. Cortez began his
5career with the California Department of Corrections and
6Rehabilitation; and
7WHEREAS, Mr. Cortez was first assigned to the California
8Institution for Men in Chino and then transferred to Calipatria
9State Prison on October 29, 1992, where he became part of the
10Investigative Services Unit; and
P2 1WHEREAS, While at Calipatria State Prison, Mr. Cortez was
2promoted to the rank of sergeant; and
3WHEREAS, Sergeant Cortez then transferred to the California
4Rehabilitation Center on October 29, 2001, to return to his
5hometown ofbegin delete Norcoend deletebegin insert Coronaend insert; and
6WHEREAS, Sergeant Cortez held various positions at the
7California Rehabilitation Center and was able to join the
8Investigative Services Unit once again as an investigator; and
9WHEREAS, In 2011, Sergeant Cortez became a part of the
10Southern Regional K-9 Unit, partnering with K-9 Mattie, who was
11certified to search for contraband and narcotics; and
12WHEREAS, K-9 Mattie was a Belgian Malinois who was
13donated by a private citizen in the San Diego area; and
14WHEREAS, Sergeant Cortez, at the age of 46, and K-9 Mattie
15were killed in an automobile accident on State Highway Route 79
16near San Felipe Road in the County of San Diego on March 25,
172013; and
18WHEREAS, K-9 Mattie died at the scene of the accident, while
19Sergeant Cortez succumbed to his injuries at a local fire station
20before an emergency services helicopter could transport him to a
21trauma center; and
22WHEREAS, At the time of the accident, Sergeant Cortez was
23part of a convoy of state corrections K-9 officers that was en route
24to inspect the La Cima Conservation Fire Camp, an inmate-staffed
25firefighting outpost in a rural part of the County of San Diego; and
26WHEREAS, Sergeant Cortez was well loved and respected in
27the Eastvalebegin insert, Corona,end insert and Norco communities; and
28WHEREAS, Sergeant Cortez is survived by his wife, two
29children, and parents; now, therefore, be it
30Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
31thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the
32portion of State Highway Route 15 from Second Street inbegin insert the City
33ofend insert Norco to Limonite Avenue inbegin insert the City ofend insert Eastvalebegin insert, in the County
34of Riverside,end insert as the Sergeant Gilbert Cortez and K-9 Mattie
35Memorial Highway; and be it further
36Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested
37to determine the cost of appropriate signs consistent with the
38signing requirements for the state highway system showing this
39special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate
P3 1sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it
2further
3Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
4this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author
5for appropriate distribution.
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