Bill Text: CA SCR107 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Chaptered

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Bill Title: Rudolph B. Davila Memorial Freeway.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2010-09-07 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 125, Statutes of 2010. [SCR107 Detail]

Download: California-2009-SCR107-Chaptered.html

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BILL NUMBER: SCR 107	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER  125
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
	ADOPTED IN SENATE  AUGUST 31, 2010
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 31, 2010
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 26, 2010
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 9, 2010

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Wright
   (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Furutani)

                        APRIL 26, 2010

   Relative to Rudolph B. Davila Memorial Freeway.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 107, Wright. Rudolph B. Davila Memorial Freeway.
   This measure would designate a portion of State Highway Route 91
in the City of Carson as the Rudolph B. Davila Memorial Freeway. The
measure would also request the Department of Transportation to
determine the cost for appropriate signs showing this special
designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources
covering that cost, to erect those signs.



   WHEREAS, Rudolph B. Davila was born in El Paso, Texas, and was
raised in Watts, California. As a young man during the Depression, he
worked in vineyards and helped restore the California missions as
part of the Civilian Conservation Corps; and
   WHEREAS, During World War II, Rudolph B. Davila helped take out
several machine gun nests and prevented a 130-man American rifle
company from being slaughtered in a German ambush in Italy; and
   WHEREAS, On June 21, 2000, 56 years later, Rudolph B. Davila, who
was of Filipino and Spanish descent, along with 20 other Asian
American World War II veterans, received a Medal of Honor from
President Bill Clinton at a White House ceremony after an army panel
reviewed their wartime actions and deemed them worthy of the nation's
highest commendation for battlefield bravery; and
   WHEREAS, Rudolph B. Davila earned the medal for his extraordinary
heroism during the offensive that broke through the German mountain
strongholds surrounding the Anzio beachhead in May 1944; and
   WHEREAS, When asked what made him rise to his knees with a machine
gun while his fellow soldiers hugged the ground, Rudolph B. Davila
said, "I knew what I was fighting for, and most of the kids didn't,"
he said, ascribing his self-assuredness to accounts he had read of
Hitler. "I had this fervour about the defense of freedom, even though
I couldn't define freedom. I just knew we were going to be enslaved
to Hitler if we didn't defeat him"; and
   WHEREAS, The war ended for Rudolph B. Davila in late 1944 when a
tank round exploded in a tree and shrapnel ripped into his right
shoulder; and
   WHEREAS, Over the next six years, he underwent 13 operations on
his arm and met his wife, Harriet, at a military hospital in San
Francisco, California; and
   WHEREAS, After the war, Rudolph B. Davila earned bachelor's and
master's degrees in sociology from the University of Southern
California, and spent 30 years as a teacher and counselor in the Los
Angeles City School District; and
   WHEREAS, Rudolph B. Davila was an excellent cook and gardener. He
terraced his hillside yard and built retaining walls. He also built
the family's house in Harbor City, California, and his retirement
home in Vista, California; and
   WHEREAS, Rudolph B. Davila died January 26, 2002, in Vista,
California, after a long illness and is survived by his children,
Jeffrey, Roland, Tana, Gregg, and Jill; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the heroism and
courage demonstrated by Rudolph B. Davila during World War II and
designates the westbound portion of State Highway Route 91 between
Central Avenue and Figueroa Street, in the City of Carson, as the
Rudolph B. Davila Memorial Freeway; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to
determine the cost of appropriate signs consistent with the signing
requirements for the state highway system showing this special
designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources
sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it further

   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the author for
appropriate distribution.