California Tartan Honors John Muir

Bil Analysis of AB 614 by California Legislative Counsel

Bear on California Tartan
  BILL ANALYSIS                                                   
                     
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                                 THIRD READING

Bill No:  AB 614
Author:   Thomson (D) and Bill Campbell (R), et al
Amended:  6/19/01 in Senate
Vote:     21

       
SENATE RULES COMMITTEE  :  5-0, 6/25/01
AYES:  Karnette, Knight, Romero, Johnson, Burton

ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  76-0, 5/21/01 - See last page for vote 

SUBJECT  :    State of California:  official State Tartan

SOURCE  :     Saint Andrews Society of Los Angeles

DIGEST  :    This bill designates an official State Tartan, and 
describes its pattern or sett, colors, and weave code.

ANALYSIS  :    Existing law designates the following state symbols:

          FLAG:  Bear Flag
          MOTTO:  Eureka
          NICKNAME: The Golden State
          FLOWER:  Golden Poppy
          DANCE:  West Coast Swing
          FOLK DANCE:  Square Dance
          SONG:  "I Love You, California"
          TREE:  California Redwood
          REPTILE:  California desert tortoise
          BIRD:  California Valley Quail
          COLORS:  Blue and gold
          INSECT:  California Dog-face butterfly
          ANIMAL:  California Grizzly Bear
          MINERAL:  Native gold
          ROCK:  Serpentine
          GEMSTONE:  Benitoite
          MARINE MAMMAL:  California gray whale
          MARINE FISH:  Garibaldi
          FOSSIL:  Saber-toothed cat
          PREHISTORIC ARTIFACT:  Chipped Stone Bear
          SOIL:  San Joaquin Soil
          HISTORICAL SOCIETY:  California Historical Society
          STATE THEATRE:  Pasadena Community Playhouse

          This bill finds and declares that many
Californians of Scottish, Irish, and other Celtic descent have
made major contributions to the development of California,
and the state's natural splendor and history have been
symbolized  by the pattern and colors of a "sett" based on
the family tartan of John Muir, but with sufficient
originality as to be independently recordable with the Scottish
Tartan  Authority as a unique tartan.

          What is a tartan?  According to World Book
Encyclopedia, a tartan is a plaid cloth pattern developed chiefly
in Scotland.  The design consists of stripes of
various widths and colors.  The stripes cross at right angles
against a solid color background.  The principal clans in
Scotland, especially the clans in the Highlands, have their
own tartans.  In the United States, the word tartan
also means a cloth or a garment with a tartan design.  The
cloth that is used to make a tartan is usually wool.  A
tartan design is called a sett.

COMMENTS	 : 

          According to the author, there is currently no
California designated day for honoring the cultural
enrichment  resulting from the immigration of the Scottish
people.

          ACR 93 (McClintock), Resolution Chapter 19,
Statutes of 1998, declared April 6, 1998, and every April 6th 
thereafter as Scottish Tartan Day.

          States with Tartans that have either been
recognized by the Legislature (first four), Governor's
Proclamation, Centennial Committees, or other processes:
Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Washington, Arizona,  
Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, New
Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Oregon, Kansas, North Caroline, South Carolina,
Colorado, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania.

FISCAL EFFECT  :    
		Appropriation:  No   
		Fiscal Com.:  No    
        Local:  No

SUPPORT  :   (Verified  6/25/01)

          Saint Andrew's Society of Los Angeles (source)
          Dixon Scottish Cultural Association
          St. Andrew's Society of Southern California
          City of Upland
          Clan MacLeod Society, USA, Inc., Pacific Region
          The Scottish Society of Central California
          House of Gordon, United States Branch and
			California Division
          Scottish Clan and Tartan Information Center
          United Scottish Society, Inc.
          Caledonian Club of Sacramento, Inc.
          Caledonian Club of San Francisco, Inc.
          Clan Steward Society
          Clan Morrison Society of North America
          Several individual letters and a petition
          representing approximately 7500 individuals

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT  :    The Saint Andrews
Society of Los Angeles, Inc., writes in support that the tartan
design is based on the Muir Family tartan as a measure of
respect for California's most revered American-Scot, John
Muir.  As a  "distinct" tartan, the society states that it may
be claimed and worn by any resident of the state.

ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :
          AYES:  Aanestad, Alquist, Ashburn, Bates, Bogh,
Briggs, Calderon, Bill Campbell, John Campbell,
Canciamilla,  Cardenas, Cedillo, Chan, Chavez, Chu, Cogdill,
Cohn, Corbett, Correa, Cox, Daucher, Diaz, Dickerson,
Dutra, Firebaugh, Frommer, Goldberg, Harman, Havice,  
 Hollingsworth, Jackson, Keeley, Kehoe, Kelley,
Koretz, La Suer, Leach, Leonard, Leslie, Liu, Longville,
Lowenthal, Maddox, Maldonado, Matthews, Migden, Mountjoy,
Nakano, Nation, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, Robert
Pacheco, Rod  Pacheco, Papan, Pavley, Pescetti, Reyes,
Richman, Runner, Salinas, Shelley, Simitian, Steinberg,
Strickland, Strom-Martin, Thomson, Vargas, Washington,
Wayne, Wesson, Wiggins, Wright, Wyland, Wyman, Zettel,
Hertzberg


DLW:sl  6/27/01   Senate Floor Analyses 

             SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  SEE ABOVE

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