WHEREAS, The tenure of the Honorable Patricia C. Bates with the California State Assembly is drawing to a close following six years of exemplary service, and it is appropriate at this time to highlight the many achievements of her illustrious tenure and to extend to her the highest commendations of the people of the state; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Member Patricia Bates was first elected to the California State Assembly in 1998 as representative of the 73rd District, which includes parts of South Orange County and North San Diego County; and

WHEREAS, She serves as Chairwoman of the Republican Women’s Caucus and as a member of the Appropriations, Budget, Judiciary, and Transportation committees, and she was appointed to the Select Committee on Small Business; and

WHEREAS, Assembly Member Bates began her career as a Social Caseworker in South Central Los Angeles and served as a supervisor and a Deputy Director in the Aged, Blind and Disabled categorical aid programs for the Los Angeles Department of Social Services; and

WHEREAS, Her political career sprang from her service as the driving force behind the “Citizens for Cityhood” committee which organized the incorporation of the City of Laguna Niguel; and

WHEREAS, Patricia Bates distinguished herself as Laguna Niguel’s first mayor upon incorporation in 1989 and she served four terms in that office and continued her service on the City Council until her election to the California State Assembly in 1998; and

WHEREAS, A fierce advocate for California, Patricia Bates has committed her career to serving women, small business, seniors, children, and local government, and to protecting the future quality of life for all Californians; and

WHEREAS, Working across party lines, Patricia Bates has done much to make communities more safe and livable, and her legislative accomplishments include measures that require sex offenders to register with campus police when they enroll or work at a college campus, provide greater protections against child abduction and domestic violence, and call for fair and reasonable rulemaking in homeowner associations; and

WHEREAS, Additionally, Patricia Bates has tirelessly championed granting public institutions of higher education the authority to authorize and oversee new charter schools, toughening penalties for the sale and use of the club drug ecstasy, and expanding criminal background checks of in-home caregivers to better protect senior citizens and the disabled; and

WHEREAS, From her early days as a social worker to her current fight for small business issues, Patricia Bates has remained a strong voice for both businesses and families in California; and

WHEREAS, In recent years, Patricia Bates has been named “Legislator of the Year” by a range of organizations, including the Republican Party of Orange County, Orange County Division of the League of Cities, BIOCOM trade association for the life sciences industry, California Campus Police Chiefs’ Association, Crime Victims United, and Orange County Republican Women Federated; and

WHEREAS, In addition, she has been nominated as “Legislator of the Year” by other organizations, such as the California Small Business Association, and has topped report cards issued by the California Chamber of Commerce, and she has been featured as one of San Diego’s “Women Who Mean Business”; recently, Patricia Bates was honored with the “Spotlight Award” by the Regional Center of Orange County for her dedication to the disabled community; and

WHEREAS, Born and raised in Southern California, Patricia Bates is married to architect John Bates, and they are the proud parents of two adult children, Jason and J’Amy; and

WHEREAS, Through her public service activities, Patricia Bates has made a significant impact on the people of the 73rd Assembly District and throughout the state, and she will be greatly missed by those individuals with whom she has been associated; now, therefore, be it