California Senate Bill SCR102 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SCR 102AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 7, 2016 INTRODUCED BY Senator Nguyen (Coauthors: Senators Hall and Lara) (Coauthor: Assembly Member O'Donnell) JANUARY 27, 2016 Relative to the Joan Lind Van Blom Memorial Bridge. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 102, as amended, Nguyen. Joan Lind Van Blom Memorial Bridge. This measure would designate a specified bridge on State Highway Route 1 in the City of Long Beach as the Joan Lind Van Blom Memorial Bridge. The measure would 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. Fiscal committee: yes. WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom was the first woman to win an Olympic medal for the United States in rowing, winning a silver medal in the single sculls at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and in the quadruple sculls at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and was a member of the team that boycotted the 1980  Moscow  Olympic  Games;   Games in Moscow;  and WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom won 14 national titles during her career, holds 11 world records on the indoor ergometer, and medaled internationally as a coach in the Pan American Games; and WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom motivated students to live healthy and active lives; and WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom had a 35-year career, retiring in 2012, with the Long Beach Unified School District as a physical education teacher and curriculum leader, and was instrumental in securing a million-dollar grant for rowing machines in each of the school district's nine high schools; and WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom taught educators how to teach students to enjoy an active lifestyle and her Facebook page has countless entries from fellow competitors, educators, and friends sharing their appreciation for her gentle guidance over the years; and WHEREAS, On August 21, 2013, at the Pete Archer Rowing Center, Joan Lind Van Blom collapsed after an indoor rowing session and was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive form of brain cancer; and WHEREAS, While fighting the disease, she continued to be a role model of grace and style by sharing memories with friends and expressing gratitude to those she teamed with, taught, and came in contact with; and WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom died the morning of Friday, August 28, 2015; and WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom was inducted  in   into  the Wilson High School, Long Beach State 49er, Century Club, and National Rowing halls of fame and was declared a lifetime member of the Long Beach Rowing Association, marking her never-ending achievement in advocacy for the sport and healthy living; and WHEREAS, For all her accomplishments, dedication to rowing, and contributions to the sport's growth, in December 2014, at the USRowing Annual Awards Reception in Jacksonville, Florida, Joan Lind Van Blom was named the recipient of the 2014 USRowing Ernestine Bayer Award, formerly Woman of the Year, which recognizes outstanding contributions to women's rowing or to an outstanding woman in rowing; and WHEREAS, On March 7, 2015, the Beach Crew Alumni Association dedicated a women's Resolute 8+ racing shell as the Joan Lind Van Blom; and WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom is survived by her husband of 30 years, Long Beach State 49er hall of fame member John Van Blom; their son, John Jr.; and her  sisters   sisters,  Loretta Madsen and Carol Hansen; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the  bridge   Los Alamitos Bay Bridge (bridge number 53-0064), and any suc   cessor bridge,  on State Highway Route 1 south of Loynes Drive and north of East 2nd Street, in the City of Long  Beach   Beach,  as the Joan Lind Van Blom Memorial Bridge; and be it further Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to determine the cost of erecting appropriate signs, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author for appropriate distribution.