Bill Text: CA AB1782 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Surfing.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-4)
Status: (Passed) 2018-08-20 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 162, Statutes of 2018. [AB1782 Detail]
Download: California-2017-AB1782-Chaptered.html
| Assembly Bill No. 1782 |
| CHAPTER 162 |
An act to add Section 424.7 to the Government Code, relating to state government.
[
Approved by
Governor
August 20, 2018.
Filed with
Secretary of State
August 20, 2018.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1782, Muratsuchi.
Surfing.
Existing law establishes the state flag and the state’s emblems, including, among other things, the golden poppy as the official state flower and the California redwood as the official state tree.
This bill would establish surfing as the official state sport.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) Surfing is an iconic California sport.
(b) It is important to recognize that surfing traces its origins to the Polynesian people and was imported into California from indigenous Hawaii. Since its arrival in California, surfing has been embraced by the state and many Californians have made important contributions to the sport as we know it today.
(c) California is home to a number of world-famous surf breaks like Malibu, Trestles, Mavericks, Rincon, Steamer Lane,
and Huntington, which are destinations for both domestic and international surfers. It is important to remember that California’s coastline is not only home to these surf breaks, but is also the ancestral homeland to indigenous peoples like the Chumash in Malibu, known as “Humaliwu” in the Chumash language, and Rincon, the Acjachemen in Trestles, known as “Panhe” in the Acjachemen language, the Amah Mutsun in Steamer Lane, the Ohlone in Mavericks, and the Acjachemen and Tongva shared territory in Huntington Beach, known as “Lukupangma” in the Tongva and Acjachemen language. These indigenous people continue to live in these ancestral homelands today and have embraced the sport of surfing in these areas.
(d) It is important to acknowledge that the Acjachemen were instrumental in saving Trestles from potential destruction by a proposed
toll road in 2008, due to Panhe’s recognition as an ancient Acjachemen village site by the California Coastal Commission.
(e) Every year, California surf breaks host numerous domestic and international surf events, including the International Surf Festival in the Cities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Torrance, the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, the Mavericks Big Wave Surf Contest in Half Moon Bay, and the Founders’ Cup of Surfing in Lemoore.
(f) California is home to the Surfers’ Hall of Fame, the International Surfing Museum, and the California Surf Museum.
(g) California’s coastline spans 1,100 miles and its beaches and coastal areas generate $1.15 trillion in economic activity annually.
(h) California is the heart of the surfboard building industry, which has innovated surfboard technology and pioneered sustainable manufacturing practices and techniques.
(i) The world’s first neoprene wetsuit, a modern staple of surfing, was invented in California’s San Francisco Bay area.
(j) California pioneered the science of surf forecasting at the University
of California’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Surf forecasting allows surfers around the world to predict when and where to go surfing.
(k) California’s surfing culture is taking a national and global leadership role in promoting sustainability as a core value, while also placing a high value on environmental protection and stewardship, in order to preserve the ocean, waves, coastline, and wildlife that make the state such a unique place to surf, live, and visit.
