Bill Text: CA SCR31 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Chaptered

California Senate Concurrent Resolution 31

Bill Title: Katcho Achadjian Memorial Highway.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 60-22)

Status: (Passed) 2023-08-23 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Res. Chapter 137, Statutes of 2023. [SCR31 Detail]

Download: California-2023-SCR31-Chaptered.html

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 31

CHAPTER 137

Relative to the Katcho Achadjian Memorial Highway.

[ Filed with Secretary of State August 23, 2023. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SCR 31, Laird. Katcho Achadjian Memorial Highway.

This measure would designate the portion of U.S. Route 101 in the County of San Luis Obispo, from postmile 13.173 to postmile 17.767, as the Katcho Achadjian Memorial Highway. The measure would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.

Fiscal Committee: YES

WHEREAS, On March 5, 2020, California lost one of its most regarded and renowned public officials ever to serve its people, the Honorable Katcho Achadjian, former Member of the California State Assembly, whose good deeds earned him the respect and admiration of his family, friends, and colleagues and the countless individuals whose lives he touched; and

WHEREAS, Distinguishing himself in life in various capacities, including as a business owner, legislator, community volunteer, and devoted family man, Katcho Achadjian was born to Armenian parents in Jalala, Lebanon, in 1951 and immigrated to the United States in 1971 to continue his education; and

WHEREAS, After settling in California’s central coast, Katcho Achadjian attended Cuesta Community College before transferring to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where he received his degree in business administration and later shared his experience and expertise teaching political science classes; and

WHEREAS, A pillar in the City of Arroyo Grande’s business community, Katcho Achadjian opened his first business, a Shell Gas Station on Grand Avenue, in 1978 and went on to operate three gas stations; and

WHEREAS, After obtaining his United States citizenship on December 17, 1982, Katcho Achadjian married his beloved wife, Araxie, two years later and was blessed with two adorable children, Hratch and Nyri, both of whom were taught the strong work ethic that had been instilled in him in his youth; and

WHEREAS, In 1998, Katcho Achadjian was elected to the County of San Luis Obispo’s Board of Supervisors, where he served as chair of the board in 2001 and 2006 and contributed to the passage of the county’s budget, balanced and on time for 12 consecutive years, during his three terms on the board; and

WHEREAS, In 2010, Katcho Achadjian made the jump to state government when he was elected to represent the 33rd Assembly District, later redrawn as the 35th Assembly District, in the California State Legislature; and

WHEREAS, While holding state office, Katcho Achadjian served on the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, the Committee on Banking and Finance, and the Committee on Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy in the Assembly, where his dedicated and diligent service helped shape some of the most important laws enacted in California; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure, Katcho Achadjian authored several bills, including Assembly Bill 65 in 2013 (Chapter 259 of the Statutes of 2013), which closed a loophole in the state’s definition of rape; and

WHEREAS, A true public servant renowned for his superb ability to broker compromises with diverse groups of people in order to forge solutions to the challenges that faced the community, Katcho Achadjian was a long-time supporter of civic, service, and nonprofit organizations, coastal ranching and farming, and protecting the California coastline; and

WHEREAS, Katcho Achadjian was a charter member of the San Luis Obispo Law Enforcement Assistance Foundation’s Board of Directors, served on the County of San Luis Obispo’s Sheriff’s Advisory Council, served on the Board of Directors of the Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, and provided leadership as chair of the County of San Luis Obispo’s First 5 Commission and the French Hospital Medical Center; and

WHEREAS, The high esteem in which Katcho Achadjian was held by his loving family, his numerous friends and colleagues, and those fortunate enough to have known him stands as a testament for others who strive for the best in every aspect of their life; and

WHEREAS, Katcho Achadjian’s memory will live forever in the hearts and minds of his beloved wife, Araxie, his children, Hratch and Nyri, and a host of other family members and many longtime friends; and

WHEREAS, This resolution updates Assembly Concurrent Resolution 126 of the 2021–22 Regular Session (Chapter 158 of the Resolutions of 2022) by changing the postmile endpoints for the portion of U.S. Route 101 in the County of San Luis Obispo intended for designation in honor of Katcho Achadjian; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the portion of U.S. Route 101 in the County of San Luis Obispo, from postmile 13.173 to postmile 17.767, as the Katcho Achadjian Memorial Highway; and be it further

Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to determine the cost of appropriate signs, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it further

Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested to remove the “the Katcho Achadjian Memorial Highway” designation from the portion of U.S. Route 101 in the County of San Luis Obispo, from postmile 19.812 to postmile 15.579; and be it further

Resolved, That this resolution changes the postmile endpoints for the Katcho Achadjian Memorial Highway in Assembly Concurrent Resolution 126 of the 2021–22 Regular Session (Chapter 158 of the Resolutions of 2022); and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.