SCR 103 Senate Concurrent Resolution

BILL NUMBER: SCR 103	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 18, 2014

INTRODUCED BY   Senator De León
    (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members 
 Brown,   Fong,   Fox,   and Medina
  ) 

                        MARCH 27, 2014

   Relative to California/El Salvador relations.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 103, as amended, De León. California and El Salvador: 
partnership.   election. 
   This measure would  extend an invitation to  
commend  the government of El Salvador  to partner with
California to promote democratic institutions, the rule of law, and
economic opportunity and growth, and to foster international
understanding through increased trade and investment and mutually
beneficial educational, economic, and cultural exchanges between
California's and El Salvador's institutions   on its
handling of the recent electio   n and would recognize the
efforts of the United Nations, the Organization of American States,
and other institutions in assisting with the election in the spirit
of the Chapultepec Peace Accords  .
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, The Legislature of the State of California is committed
to  encouraging relationships and exchanges between
California and other regions of the world in order to promote better
economic ties, understanding, and cultural relations  
  recognizing democratic governments in their efforts to
develop policies that support the rule of law and the long-term
economic growth and shared prosperity of all members of society 
; and
   WHEREAS, El Salvador and California have long shared common
interests and each stand to benefit from increased trade, investment,
and tourism, as well as cultural, educational, and scientific
exchanges; and
   WHEREAS, The 12-year Salvadoran Civil War, which began in the
early  1980's and   1980s,  took the lives
of over 75,000 Salvadorans, resulted in a  massive influx of
refugees to California, specifically to Los Angeles and San Francisco
  displacement of over 500,000 people, and was
concluded with the signing of the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico
City in 1992  ; and 
   WHEREAS, El Salvador's peace settlement, as summarized by the
United States Institute of Peace, provided for a cease-fire, the
demobilization of military and guerrilla forces, the establishment of
the rebel Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) as a
political party, and the reintegration of its combatants into
society. The Chapultepec Peace Accords further committed the
government to making changes in the nature, responsibilities, and
size of the country's armed forces, creating a new national civilian
police force and an intelligence service separate from the military,
implementing human rights measures, adopting electoral and judicial
reforms, and providing limited social and economic programs primarily
benefiting members of the demobilized forces and war-ravaged
communities; and  
   WHEREAS, A majority of Salvadorans fleeing the civil war came to
the United States, with most coming to Los Angeles and San Francisco;
and 
   WHEREAS, The City of Los Angeles, a sister city to San Salvador,
is home to the largest concentration of Salvadoran nationals in the
United States, making it inextricably linked to the nation of El
Salvador; and
   WHEREAS, Of the 1.6 million Salvadorans who live in the United
States, more than 500,000 call California home. Salvadorans
constitute the second largest Latino community in California, and
live in major cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles; and
   WHEREAS, The state's 22nd Senate District encompasses the
neighborhoods of Pico-Union and Westlake, where many Salvadoran
refugees settled during the Salvadoran Civil War and is also home to
a plaza and statue in commemoration of the humanitarian Monsignor
Oscar A. Romero in MacArthur Park; and 
   WHEREAS, El Salvador and California are committed by the historic
cultural relations between their people, which represents an
important opportunity to promote economic, commercial, cultural, and
business relations; and 
   WHEREAS,  Establishing a formal relationship between El
Salvador and California would help achieve important goals, and
  The California Legislature supports actions that 
would strengthen and facilitate  additional 
mutually beneficial exchanges in cities like sister cities Los
Angeles and San Salvador; and
   WHEREAS, March 24,  2014   2014, 
 is   was  a special occasion, as it
 will   mark   marked  the
34th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Monsignor Oscar A. Romero,
whose tomb President Obama visited on March 23, 2011; and
   WHEREAS, Monsignor Romero is a historical icon of the Salvadoran
people, and in that spirit, the State of California joins President
Obama, the City of Los Angeles, the Salvadoran community, the
government of El Salvador, and millions of followers in El Salvador
and around the world, in paying tribute to his life and teachings;
and
   WHEREAS, El Salvador recently held a presidential election on
March 9, 2014, that according to international observers, including
the Organization of American States (OAS), the United Nations, and
hundreds of United States citizens, was free and democratic, and for
which the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) was praised, for the
election's transparency and professionalism; and
   WHEREAS, The State of California joins the United Nations,
international observers, the OAS, and many civil and religious
organizations in recognizing the work of the TSE,  and calls
upon   the commitment of  the two major political
parties to respect the will of the people as demonstrated by the
March 9th election, and  to respect  the final
outcome announced by the  TSE, which has   TSE
as  the legal mandate under the Salvadoran Constitution; and
   WHEREAS,  The   Addressing the socio-economic
issues that long fomented civil unrest in El Salvador prior to the
civil war, and which were again brought to the forefront in the
global recession in 2009, will take time and a consistent commitment
by the Salvadoran government to build an equitable economic
environment that supports the efforts of workers and the middle class
to prosper and benefit from the nation   's economic
growth. To this end, the State of California  will work
closely   can serve as an important economic partner
 with the newly democratically elected government of El
Salvador, and  President-elect   President 
Salvador Sánchez Cerén,  to promote   in
promoting trade and  private investment in both El Salvador and
 California, and encourage Californian private companies to
invest in El Salvador  California  ; and
   WHEREAS, The United States prospered from a $692.6 million trade
surplus with El Salvador in 2013; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature, on behalf of the people of
the State of California,  hereby extends an invitation to the
government of El Salvador to partner with California to 
 commends the Salvadoran people for their high turnout in the
election, as well as the state institutions for their professional
handling of the election process. California looks forward to a
positive and cooperative relationship with Salvadorans living in
California and with President Sánchez Cerén and his government as
they continue to forge new policies and take actions that 
promote democratic institutions, the rule of law, and economic
opportunity and  growth, and to foster international
understanding through increased trade and investment and mutually
beneficial educational, economic, and cultural exchanges between
California's and El Salvador's institutions   growth for
all Salvadorans, in the spirit of the Chapultepec Peace Accords
 ; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the President of El Salvador, to the Governor of
California, and to the author for appropriate distribution.