WHEREAS, September 9, 2000, marks the 150th anniversary of California’s statehood; and

WHEREAS, California’s history began long before its admission into the Union; and

WHEREAS, A mythical, exotic island named “California” first appeared in the 16th century Spanish novel, Las Sergas de Esplandian; and

WHEREAS, Explorers sought out this beautiful “island” close to the “Terrestrial Paradise” near the Indies; and

WHEREAS, On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese navigator sailing under the Spanish flag, entered what is now San Diego Bay, and was followed in later years by numerous other explorers, including Sir Francis Drake, Sebastian Rodriguez Cermeno, and Sebastian Vizcaino, exploring what is now the coastline of California; and

WHEREAS, The rich resources, fair climate, and natural beauty of the region lured subsequent exploration and colonization attempts; and

WHEREAS, For thousands of years, the area had been the exclusive domain of numerous indigenous tribes with rich cultures and belief systems, and unique languages and customs; and

WHEREAS, After years of colonization, most of these tribes were decimated by disease or subjugation; and

WHEREAS, Spain colonized California in the 1760’s and under the leadership of Gaspar de Portola and Father Junipero Serra established presidios, missions, and pueblos; and

WHEREAS, In 1822 Mexico gained independence from Spain, making California a Mexican province; and

WHEREAS, The province’s remoteness from Mexico helped foster political, civil, and military instability in California; and

WHEREAS, On May 13, 1846, the United States went to war with Mexico over border disputes; and

WHEREAS, At Sonoma in June of 1846, a group of American settlers, led by William B. Ide, staged the “Bear Flag Rebellion,” declaring California to be a republic independent of Mexico; and

WHEREAS, In July 1846, the American flag was raised at Monterey by Commodore John D. Sloat, and at San Francisco by Commander John B. Montgomery; in Sonoma, Lieutenant Joseph Warren Revere ended the brief Bear Flag Rebellion by unfurling Old Glory in its stead; and

WHEREAS, The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed on February 2, 1848, formally ceding California to the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma on January 24, 1848, prompting the famous California Gold Rush, which hastened the migration of thousands of people from all over the world; and

WHEREAS, In 1849, while Californians were waiting for Congress to vote on an Act for Admission, citizens wasted no time in forming their own government; and

WHEREAS, On June 3, 1849, General Bennett Riley, acting as Governor, called for a Constitutional Convention to be held on September 1, 1849, to form a government; and

WHEREAS, Most of the delegates were United States citizens and native-born Californians, but there were also five foreign-born members from Switzerland, Scotland, France, Spain, and Ireland; and

WHEREAS, Forty-eight delegates met at the Constitutional Convention at Colton Hall in Monterey, and finished their work on October 13, 1849; and

WHEREAS, The Constitution of the State of California was adopted by the people on November 13, 1849, by a vote of 12,872 to 811; and

WHEREAS, The Constitution, among other things, set forth the Bill of Rights, prohibited slavery, provided for a public school system, limited state indebtedness, gave married women the right to own property, required publishing of laws in English and Spanish, and designated Pueblo de San Jose as the state capital; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature convened at San Jose on December 15, 1849, and proceeded to divide the state into 25 counties and provide for taxation, courts, city incorporation, and criminal and civil procedures; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 10 months after the state Constitution was adopted, President Millard Fillmore signed the Act for Admission admitting California into the Union, on September 9, 1850; and

WHEREAS, In the early years of statehood, several cities maneuvered successfully, if only temporarily, to relocate the state capital to their locales, including Vallejo, Benicia, and San Francisco; and

WHEREAS, Sacramento was chosen to be the permanent capital on February 25, 1854; and

WHEREAS, A magnificent Capitol building, designed by M.F. Butler and Reuben Clark, has housed the Legislature since 1869, and later the building was methodically restored from 1976 to 1981; and

WHEREAS, Previous Legislatures exhibited great foresight and courage throughout California’s 150 years as a state, establishing public schools, colleges and universities, granting property rights to women, instituting the direct primary system, giving voters the power to recall government officials, building the state highway system, giving women the right to vote prior to passage of the 19th Amendment, imposing limits on child labor, establishing a state parks system, allowing state assistance to the disabled, mandating construction standards for schools, authorizing the State Water Project, establishing a state civil service system, ending school segregation before passage of similar federal laws, and passing open meeting laws, fair housing laws, environmental protections, and many other laws; and

WHEREAS, California has become the world leader in many areas, including, among others, computer technology, agriculture, movie production, aerospace, and medicine; and

WHEREAS, California’s reputation as the Golden State attracts tourists and immigrants from all over the globe, establishing California as the most ethnically diverse and the most populous state in the Union; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature recognizes the important contributions made by California citizens of all ethnic backgrounds; now, therefore, be it