WHEREAS, The Honorable Jim Cunneen, who has represented the 24th Assembly District for the past six years, has announced his retirement as an Assembly Member and, upon this occasion, he is deserving of highest commendations for his record of dedicated service to his constituents and the State of California; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Member Jim Cunneen represents the 24th Assembly District, which is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and his district includes Cupertino, Saratoga, Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and portions of Los Altos, Sunnyvale, and the San Jose neighborhoods of Almaden Valley, Blossom Valley, Cambrian, Santa Teresa, and Willow Glen; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Member Cunneen was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1994 and was re-elected in 1996 and again in 1998; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Member Cunneen serves on the Assembly Education Committee, Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee, and the International Trade and Development Committee, and he also was appointed to serve on the Joint Committee to develop a new master plan for education that would include both K-12 and higher education; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure in the California State Assembly, he has served as Vice Chair of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, Assembly Revenue and Taxation, and the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Information Technology; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Member Cunneen was named Outstanding Legislator of the Year by the American Electronics Association for five years in a row: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999; he was honored as recipient of the 2000 American Electronics Association Lifetime Achievement Award; and he was named Legislator of the Year by the Girl Scouts, California Park and Recreation Society, California Council for Adult Education, and Planned Parenthood; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Member Cunneen also was recognized by the California Community College Faculty Members as First-Term Legislator of the Year and by the Boy Scouts of America as Distinguished Citizen of the Year, and he is also the recipient of the 1997 Tomas Rivera Leadership Award from the National Hispanic University; and

WHEREAS, He received the 1998 Appreciation Award from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Santa Clara Valley for his leadership on integration, the 1998 Visionary Award from the California Healthcare Institute, and in 1999, he was honored by the Legal Community Against Violence for his leadership on passing strong gun control legislation; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Member Cunneen is a former top aide for Congressman Tom Campbell, former State Senator Becky Morgan, and former Congressman Ed Zschau; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Member Cunneen has been active in the community, having served on the Great Schools Steering Committee which is part of Smart Valley, Inc., the Advisory Board of the Detwiler Computer for Kids Program, and the Advisory Board for Kids Voting, and he also served on the Advisory Board for CHARITech from 1992 to 1996; and

WHEREAS, During his distinguished tenure with the California State Assembly, he has personally authored and coauthored numerous laws on education, the environment, public safety, and campaign finance reform, and has provided legislative leadership on important high tech issues; and

WHEREAS, Through his professional, public, and community activities, he has made a significant impact on the people of the 24th Assembly District and throughout the state, and he will be sorely missed by those individuals with whom he has been associated; now, therefore, be it