California 2021-2022 Regular Session

California Assembly Bill ACR212 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20212022 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 212Introduced by Assembly Member Kalra(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Cooper, Gallagher, Quirk, and Villapudua)June 22, 2022Relative to Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTACR 212, as introduced, Kalra. Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month.This measure would designate the month of November 2022 to be Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. The measure would recognize and acknowledge the significant contributions made by Californians of Sikh heritage to our state and seeks to afford all Californians the opportunity to better understand, recognize, and appreciate the rich history and shared principles of Sikh Americans. The measure would condemn all hate crimes and bias incidents against Sikh Americans and would encourage all Sikhs to practice their faith freely and fearlessly.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Bill TextWHEREAS, California and our nation are at once blessed and enriched by the unparalleled diversity of our residents; andWHEREAS, Sikhs, who originated in Punjab, India, first entered California in 1899 through the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco, California; andWHEREAS, The Sikh pioneers initially worked on railroad construction projects and in lumber mills; andWHEREAS, By 1910, these pioneers turned to farming in the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Imperial Valleys; andWHEREAS, On October 14, 1912, the first Sikh house of worship (gurdwara) in the United States, the Stockton Sikh Temple, was founded by Jawala Singh and Wasakha Singh. The following year, the congregation formed the Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society; andWHEREAS, There are now more than 220 known gurdwaras in the United States, 58 of which are in California, including the Gurdwara Sahib of San Jose, the largest gurdwara in North America; andWHEREAS, The Stockton Record, dated November 22, 1915, quoted the gurdwaras elected leadership declaring, We do not permit our people to become charges on public charity. If a man is hungry and out of funds we feed him. Our dining room is open at all hours of the day and is closed only for a few hours during the night; andWHEREAS, Legislation to authorize Sikhs and other East Indian immigrants to naturalize as United States citizens was not enacted until 1946; andWHEREAS, On January 1, 1912, Jawala Singh and Wasakha Singh, who migrated to California through Angel Island in 1908 and served as the founding Granthis (religious leader) of the Stockton Sikh Temple, recognized the value of education and started six Guru Govind Singh Sahib Educational Scholarships at the University of California, Berkeley; andWHEREAS, These scholarships were awarded without regard to ethnicity or religion and the first awardees included three Hindus, one Christian, one Sikh, and one Muslim; andWHEREAS, Board and lodging was provided at the students home at 1731 Allston Way, Berkeley, where smoking and drinking were prohibited; andWHEREAS, On November 1, 1913, The Ghadar, the first Punjabi-language newspaper in the United States, was published by Kartar Singh Sarabha, who was then 17 years of age, with financial support from the Stockton Sikh Temple; andWHEREAS, On December 31, 1913, Jawala Singh and Wasakha Singh organized the Ghadri Conclave in Sacramento to form the Ghadar Party to overthrow the British colonial rulers of the Indian subcontinent; andWHEREAS, The Ghadar Party sent 616 of its members to India, of whom 86 percent were Sikhs; andWHEREAS, Homage is paid to them annually at a dozen different gatherings called melas from Sacramento, California, to Bakersfield, California; andWHEREAS, Sikh history and culture is represented in the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., in the Community Memorial Museum of Sutter County, and in the museum at the Stockton Sikh Temple; andWHEREAS, Sikh farmers contribute abundantly towards production of peaches, raisins, grapes, almonds, pistachios, okra, and other specialized crops of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; andWHEREAS, Sikhs have also excelled in security services and transportation services, as doctors, attorneys, engineers, teachers, and small business owners, and in other notable capacities; andWHEREAS, Dalip Singh Saund, a Sikh who was born in Punjab, India, earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1924, initially worked as a foreman of cotton pickers in the Imperial Valley, and later became a farmer, played a major role in raising the funds needed to lobby for the Luce-Celler Act of 1946 that enabled him and others to naturalize as citizens, and served as an elected judge in the Westmoreland County Judicial District from 1952 to 1956, before becoming the first Asian American elected to the United States Congress, wherein he served three terms from 1957 to 1963; andWHEREAS, Sikh Americans have served and continue to serve as mayors and council members of many California cities; andWHEREAS, Sikhs have served in all American wars since World War I, including Bhagat Singh Thind, a Sikh born in Punjab, India, who was a United States veteran of World War I and an Indian independence activist whose quest for naturalization has been a key part of the long struggle to remove racial barriers to United States citizenship by fighting his citizenship case in the United States Supreme Court in 1923; andWHEREAS, There are currently an estimated one hundred active Sikh service members in the United States Army and Air Force, and over recent years, progress over accommodations for Sikhs serving with turban and beard in the United States Air Force and United States Army have been granted while on ordinary duty; andWHEREAS, Staff Sargent Balreet Khaira and Sargent Jasleen Khaira, Sikh members of the California Army National Guard, encouraged understanding and comradery between the United States and Indian armies by serving as interpreters and cultural liaisons during the 2014 Yudh Abhyas military exercise; andWHEREAS, Narinder Singh Kapany of Palo Alto, a Sikh born in Punjab, India, is an accomplished scientist and inventor who has been awarded over 100 patents that spurred advances in lasers, biomedical instrumentation, pollution monitoring, and solar energy, and is widely acknowledged to be the father of fiber optics, a technology that has allowed for high-speed digital communication; andWHEREAS, Yuba City, often called Mini-Punjab because of its 10 percent Punjabi population, commemorates the inauguration of the holy Sikh scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, on the first Sunday of November, rain or shine, and this international event has in recent years attracted up to 100,000 participants from all over the United States, Canada, and even abroad; andWHEREAS, Sikh Americans throughout California celebrate the coronation of Sikh scripture and other Sikh festivals at the gurdwaras and through parades in cities across California and the United States; andWHEREAS, Various Sikh organizations, including the Sikh Council of Central California, the Sikh Coalition, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, United Sikhs, and the Jakara Movement, and individual gurdwaras participate in interfaith meetings, seminars, conferences, and functions and share the tenets of their monotheistic religion that respects other religions and welcomes all to their gurdwaras, and try to promote mutual understanding and respect among all peoples; andWHEREAS, Due to ignorance and hate, Sikhs have been the subject of hate crimes because of their articles of faith, including a turban and beard, which represent the Sikh religious commitment to justice, equality, and dignity for all; andWHEREAS, The faithful service of the Sikh American community to this state and country merits appreciation as an integral thread in the fabric of American plurality; now, therefore, be itResolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the month of November 2022 to be Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month; and be it furtherResolved, That the Legislature recognizes and acknowledges the significant contributions made by Californians of Sikh heritage to our state, and by adoption of this resolution, seeks to afford all Californians the opportunity to better understand, recognize, and appreciate the rich history, military service, and shared principles of Sikh Americans; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature condemns all hate crimes and bias incidents against Sikh Americans and encourages all Sikhs to practice their faith freely and fearlessly; and be it furtherResolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution to the Members of the Legislature, members of the California Sikh American community, and other interested organizations or persons.
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3	3	CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20212022 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 212Introduced by Assembly Member Kalra(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Cooper, Gallagher, Quirk, and Villapudua)June 22, 2022Relative to Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTACR 212, as introduced, Kalra. Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month.This measure would designate the month of November 2022 to be Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. The measure would recognize and acknowledge the significant contributions made by Californians of Sikh heritage to our state and seeks to afford all Californians the opportunity to better understand, recognize, and appreciate the rich history and shared principles of Sikh Americans. The measure would condemn all hate crimes and bias incidents against Sikh Americans and would encourage all Sikhs to practice their faith freely and fearlessly.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO
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9	9	CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20212022 REGULAR SESSION
10	10
11	11	Assembly Concurrent Resolution
12	12
13	13	No. 212
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15	15	Introduced by Assembly Member Kalra(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Cooper, Gallagher, Quirk, and Villapudua)June 22, 2022
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17	17	Introduced by Assembly Member Kalra(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Cooper, Gallagher, Quirk, and Villapudua)
18	18	June 22, 2022
19	19
20	20	Relative to Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month.
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22	22	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
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24	24	## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
25	25
26	26	ACR 212, as introduced, Kalra. Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month.
27	27
28	28	This measure would designate the month of November 2022 to be Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. The measure would recognize and acknowledge the significant contributions made by Californians of Sikh heritage to our state and seeks to afford all Californians the opportunity to better understand, recognize, and appreciate the rich history and shared principles of Sikh Americans. The measure would condemn all hate crimes and bias incidents against Sikh Americans and would encourage all Sikhs to practice their faith freely and fearlessly.
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30	30	This measure would designate the month of November 2022 to be Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. The measure would recognize and acknowledge the significant contributions made by Californians of Sikh heritage to our state and seeks to afford all Californians the opportunity to better understand, recognize, and appreciate the rich history and shared principles of Sikh Americans. The measure would condemn all hate crimes and bias incidents against Sikh Americans and would encourage all Sikhs to practice their faith freely and fearlessly.
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32	32	## Digest Key
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34	34	## Bill Text
35	35
36	36	WHEREAS, California and our nation are at once blessed and enriched by the unparalleled diversity of our residents; and
37	37
38	38	WHEREAS, Sikhs, who originated in Punjab, India, first entered California in 1899 through the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco, California; and
39	39
40	40	WHEREAS, The Sikh pioneers initially worked on railroad construction projects and in lumber mills; and
41	41
42	42	WHEREAS, By 1910, these pioneers turned to farming in the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Imperial Valleys; and
43	43
44	44	WHEREAS, On October 14, 1912, the first Sikh house of worship (gurdwara) in the United States, the Stockton Sikh Temple, was founded by Jawala Singh and Wasakha Singh. The following year, the congregation formed the Pacific Coast Khalsa Diwan Society; and
45	45
46	46	WHEREAS, There are now more than 220 known gurdwaras in the United States, 58 of which are in California, including the Gurdwara Sahib of San Jose, the largest gurdwara in North America; and
47	47
48	48	WHEREAS, The Stockton Record, dated November 22, 1915, quoted the gurdwaras elected leadership declaring, We do not permit our people to become charges on public charity. If a man is hungry and out of funds we feed him. Our dining room is open at all hours of the day and is closed only for a few hours during the night; and
49	49
50	50	WHEREAS, Legislation to authorize Sikhs and other East Indian immigrants to naturalize as United States citizens was not enacted until 1946; and
51	51
52	52	WHEREAS, On January 1, 1912, Jawala Singh and Wasakha Singh, who migrated to California through Angel Island in 1908 and served as the founding Granthis (religious leader) of the Stockton Sikh Temple, recognized the value of education and started six Guru Govind Singh Sahib Educational Scholarships at the University of California, Berkeley; and
53	53
54	54	WHEREAS, These scholarships were awarded without regard to ethnicity or religion and the first awardees included three Hindus, one Christian, one Sikh, and one Muslim; and
55	55
56	56	WHEREAS, Board and lodging was provided at the students home at 1731 Allston Way, Berkeley, where smoking and drinking were prohibited; and
57	57
58	58	WHEREAS, On November 1, 1913, The Ghadar, the first Punjabi-language newspaper in the United States, was published by Kartar Singh Sarabha, who was then 17 years of age, with financial support from the Stockton Sikh Temple; and
59	59
60	60	WHEREAS, On December 31, 1913, Jawala Singh and Wasakha Singh organized the Ghadri Conclave in Sacramento to form the Ghadar Party to overthrow the British colonial rulers of the Indian subcontinent; and
61	61
62	62	WHEREAS, The Ghadar Party sent 616 of its members to India, of whom 86 percent were Sikhs; and
63	63
64	64	WHEREAS, Homage is paid to them annually at a dozen different gatherings called melas from Sacramento, California, to Bakersfield, California; and
65	65
66	66	WHEREAS, Sikh history and culture is represented in the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., in the Community Memorial Museum of Sutter County, and in the museum at the Stockton Sikh Temple; and
67	67
68	68	WHEREAS, Sikh farmers contribute abundantly towards production of peaches, raisins, grapes, almonds, pistachios, okra, and other specialized crops of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; and
69	69
70	70	WHEREAS, Sikhs have also excelled in security services and transportation services, as doctors, attorneys, engineers, teachers, and small business owners, and in other notable capacities; and
71	71
72	72	WHEREAS, Dalip Singh Saund, a Sikh who was born in Punjab, India, earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1924, initially worked as a foreman of cotton pickers in the Imperial Valley, and later became a farmer, played a major role in raising the funds needed to lobby for the Luce-Celler Act of 1946 that enabled him and others to naturalize as citizens, and served as an elected judge in the Westmoreland County Judicial District from 1952 to 1956, before becoming the first Asian American elected to the United States Congress, wherein he served three terms from 1957 to 1963; and
73	73
74	74	WHEREAS, Sikh Americans have served and continue to serve as mayors and council members of many California cities; and
75	75
76	76	WHEREAS, Sikhs have served in all American wars since World War I, including Bhagat Singh Thind, a Sikh born in Punjab, India, who was a United States veteran of World War I and an Indian independence activist whose quest for naturalization has been a key part of the long struggle to remove racial barriers to United States citizenship by fighting his citizenship case in the United States Supreme Court in 1923; and
77	77
78	78	WHEREAS, There are currently an estimated one hundred active Sikh service members in the United States Army and Air Force, and over recent years, progress over accommodations for Sikhs serving with turban and beard in the United States Air Force and United States Army have been granted while on ordinary duty; and
79	79
80	80	WHEREAS, Staff Sargent Balreet Khaira and Sargent Jasleen Khaira, Sikh members of the California Army National Guard, encouraged understanding and comradery between the United States and Indian armies by serving as interpreters and cultural liaisons during the 2014 Yudh Abhyas military exercise; and
81	81
82	82	WHEREAS, Narinder Singh Kapany of Palo Alto, a Sikh born in Punjab, India, is an accomplished scientist and inventor who has been awarded over 100 patents that spurred advances in lasers, biomedical instrumentation, pollution monitoring, and solar energy, and is widely acknowledged to be the father of fiber optics, a technology that has allowed for high-speed digital communication; and
83	83
84	84	WHEREAS, Yuba City, often called Mini-Punjab because of its 10 percent Punjabi population, commemorates the inauguration of the holy Sikh scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, on the first Sunday of November, rain or shine, and this international event has in recent years attracted up to 100,000 participants from all over the United States, Canada, and even abroad; and
85	85
86	86	WHEREAS, Sikh Americans throughout California celebrate the coronation of Sikh scripture and other Sikh festivals at the gurdwaras and through parades in cities across California and the United States; and
87	87
88	88	WHEREAS, Various Sikh organizations, including the Sikh Council of Central California, the Sikh Coalition, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, United Sikhs, and the Jakara Movement, and individual gurdwaras participate in interfaith meetings, seminars, conferences, and functions and share the tenets of their monotheistic religion that respects other religions and welcomes all to their gurdwaras, and try to promote mutual understanding and respect among all peoples; and
89	89
90	90	WHEREAS, Due to ignorance and hate, Sikhs have been the subject of hate crimes because of their articles of faith, including a turban and beard, which represent the Sikh religious commitment to justice, equality, and dignity for all; and
91	91
92	92	WHEREAS, The faithful service of the Sikh American community to this state and country merits appreciation as an integral thread in the fabric of American plurality; now, therefore, be it
93	93
94	94	Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the month of November 2022 to be Californias Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month; and be it further
95	95
96	96	Resolved, That the Legislature recognizes and acknowledges the significant contributions made by Californians of Sikh heritage to our state, and by adoption of this resolution, seeks to afford all Californians the opportunity to better understand, recognize, and appreciate the rich history, military service, and shared principles of Sikh Americans; and be it further
97	97
98	98	Resolved, That the Legislature condemns all hate crimes and bias incidents against Sikh Americans and encourages all Sikhs to practice their faith freely and fearlessly; and be it further
99	99
100	100	Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution to the Members of the Legislature, members of the California Sikh American community, and other interested organizations or persons.