BILL NUMBER: ACR 130CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 111 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE AUGUST 30, 2010 ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 18, 2010 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 19, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 24, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member De La Torre (Coauthor: Assembly Member Charles M. Calderon) FEBRUARY 18, 2010 Relative to the Arnold C. Garcia Memorial Highway. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 130, De La Torre. Arnold C. Garcia Memorial Highway. This measure would designate the portion of State Highway Route 5 between East Olympic Boulevard and South Atlantic Boulevard, in the City of Commerce, as the Arnold C. Garcia Memorial Highway. 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, For nearly two decades, Arnold C. Garcia, a Los Angeles County Probation Department group supervisor, worked the graveyard shift at the Dorothy E. Kirby Center, supervising locked cottages housing some of Los Angeles County's youngest and most troubled offenders; and WHEREAS, Like all Los Angeles County Probation Department employees, Arnold C. Garcia was equipped with only two weapons: muscle and guile; and WHEREAS, Although department guidelines recommend one guard for every 10 juveniles in custody, Arnold C. Garcia was charged with watching over a 20-bed cottage; and WHEREAS, During night shifts at the center, Arnold C. Garcia frequently bent the rules, bringing candy and videos for the most well-behaved wards. According to coworkers, he always had his Bible in hand, passing the lonely hours by praying for the wards; and WHEREAS, On April 4, 1994, Arnold C. Garcia heard a knock from inside one of the bedroom doors. The ward inside, who was serving time for burglary and possession of a concealed weapon, asked for permission to use the restroom. After opening the door, Arnold C. Garcia was struck in the head with a metal object from a disassembled desk in the room. The alleged assailant fled with another ward, but was captured a short time later; and WHEREAS, Arnold C. Garcia was the first Los Angeles County Probation Department employee killed in the line of duty since the department was formed in 1903; and WHEREAS, The tragic death of Arnold C. Garcia serves as a symbol of the increasingly hazardous mission faced by employees at Los Angeles County's three juvenile halls and 20 probation camps; and WHEREAS, Arnold C. Garcia is survived by his wife, Alma, and 11 children. His family remembers him as a devoted husband and father who dedicated himself to his wards as if they were his own blood; and WHEREAS, It is appropriate to recognize the dedication of, and sacrifice made by, Arnold C. Garcia; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates the portion of State Highway Route 5 between East Olympic Boulevard and South Atlantic Boulevard, in the City of Commerce, as the Arnold C. Garcia Memorial Highway; 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 that cost, to erect those signs; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the author for appropriate distribution.