WHEREAS, The tenure of the Honorable Manny Diaz with the California State Assembly is drawing to a close following four years of exemplary service, and it is appropriate at this time to highlight the many achievements of his illustrious tenure and to extend to him the highest commendations of the people of the state; and

WHEREAS, As the son of a single mother who worked two jobs to support her five children, Manny Diaz learned early in life the value and dignity of hard work, and he worked his way through college to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from San Francisco State University and worked as an engineering manager for 17 years; and

WHEREAS, Manny Diaz began a career in public service in 1986 as a San Jose Planning Commissioner and as an affordable housing development manager for a local community service agency; and

WHEREAS, Manny Diaz was elected to the San Jose City Council in 1994 and, while in office, focused on issues of community revitalization, strengthening the collaboration between cities and schools, and creating affordable housing, and he worked to establish the partnership between the City of San Jose and 19 school districts to create after-school homework centers--places where neighborhood kids could find a place to “drop-in” instead of “dropping out”; and

WHEREAS, His final and most proud achievement on the City Council was working to commit a portion of the city’s tobacco settlement funds to providing health care for children across the county, and, a champion from the outset, he committed himself to making this children’s health initiative a model for the state and expanding on this program statewide; and

WHEREAS, Since his election to the State Assembly in 2000, Manny Diaz has written and brought to passage laws that focus on the region’s most pressing issues: access to affordable health care and housing, improving public schools, and relieving the transportation problems that create gridlock on Silicon Valley’s roads; and

WHEREAS, In his first term, he authored a law that creates a state fund giving incentives for counties to create a Children’s Health Insurance Program, replicating the successful Santa Clara County Model--“Healthy Kids,” which has enrolled over 50,000 children to date; and

WHEREAS, As Chair of the Assembly’s Select Committee on Housing in the Silicon Valley, Manny Diaz worked with Silicon Valley leaders and community groups to successfully pass legislation establishing a state-funded matching grant program for low-income housing and development, and this funding goes directly to groups such as the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, which assists first-time homebuyers in making their dreams a reality; and

WHEREAS, Included among his key legislative issues in public education are improving low-performing schools for the High Priority Grant Program, increasing minority student access and opportunities in higher education institutions, English learning primary language testing, charter school reform, improving teacher and staff development opportunities, and expanding student financial aid opportunities; and

WHEREAS, He was instrumental in creating the Healthy Kids Program, expanding the Healthy Families Program, and in creating options for communities to save their local hospitals and emergency facilities from closing; and

WHEREAS, With regard to immigrants, he introduced legislation for the state to accept Mexican Consular ID cards, and he supported farm worker protections and benefits and more naturalization and immigration services in the budget process, and in the area of housing, he brought about the creation of the Housing Trust Fund for more affordable housing opportunities; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Member Diaz was recently honored as Legislator of the Year by the San Jose Chapter of ACORN for his work in creating more affordable housing, and he received Legislator of the Year awards from the Professional Engineers in California Government and the San Jose Chapter of the Peace Officers Research Association of California for 2002, and he also earned a 100% voting record from the Children’s Advocacy Institute, Planned Parenthood, and the Congress of California Seniors, and a 95% voting record from the California League of Conservation Voters; and

WHEREAS, Manny Diaz currently works on key Assembly fiscal and policy committees: Budget, Education, Insurance, and Utilities and Commerce, and he also serves as Chair of the Budget Subcommittee on Transportation and Information Technology; and

WHEREAS, In addition to chairing the Select Committee on Housing in the Silicon Valley and the Select Committee on Information Technology and the High-Tech Workforce, Manny Diaz serves on Assembly Select Committees on Bridging the Achievement Gap, California Children’s School Readiness and Health, Domestic Violence, High Priority Schools, Mobilehomes, Workforce Investment, and Language and Access to Government, and he also serves on the Joint Committee on Preparing California for the 21st Century; and

WHEREAS, He is a board member for the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, Las Isabelas breast cancer support network, and Silicon Valley Children’s Hospital, and he is also a founder of the East San Jose Youth Foundation; and

WHEREAS, Manny Diaz and his wife, Sandra Avila-Diaz, live in downtown San Jose, and he is the proud parent of three grown children, Lito, Raquel, and Marcos; and

WHEREAS, Through his public service activities, Manny Diaz has made a significant impact on the people of the 23rd Assembly District and throughout the state, and he will be greatly missed by those individuals with whom he has been associated; now, therefore, be it