BILL ANALYSIS �
SCR 85
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Date of Hearing: June 9, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
SCR 85 (Correa) - As Amended: March 19, 2014
SENATE VOTE : 35-0
SUBJECT : Viet Dzung Human Rights Memorial Highway
SUMMARY : Designates a specific portion of State Route (SR) 39
in Orange County as the "Viet Dzung Human Rights Memorial
Highway." Specifically, this bill :
1)Recounts the lifetime accomplishments of community activists
Viet Dzung.
2)Designates a portion of SR 39 between Interstate 405 and
Talbert Avenue in Orange County as the Viet Dzung Human Rights
Memorial Highway.
3)Requests that the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) determine the cost of appropriate signs, consistent
with the signing requirements for the state highway system,
showing the special designation and, upon receiving donations
from non-state sources covering that 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 : Costs to make and erect the appropriate signs
are covered by donations.
COMMENTS : Born in Saigon in South Vietnam in 1958, Nguyen Ngoc
Hung Dung, as he was named, left his native country at the end
of the Vietnam war. As a child Viet Dzung suffered a bout of
polio that resulted in his using crutches for much of his life.
When he arrived in the United States in 1976, Nguyen Ngoc Hung
Dung made his home in Orange County, where he became a pillar of
the Vietnamese-American community. Using the name Viet Dzung,
"Hero of Vietnam," he succeeded as a musician, radio
personality, and well-known advocate for Vietnamese civil
rights. Additionally, Mr. Dzung worked to encourage the
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Vietnamese American community to become involved in their
community and be engaged in local politics. For example, Mr.
Dzung helped organize a "Rock the Vote" event in 1999 to
encourage Vietnamese Americans to register and vote in elections
- the campaign ultimately registered over 10,000 individuals.
Mr. Dzung died in December of last year at the age of 55 as the
result of heart disease. This bill designating a specific
portion of SR 39 in honor of Viet Dzung acknowledges the
significant role Mr. Dzung played in his local community.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME)
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093