CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

97

CHAPTER 152

Statutes of 2025

Introduced by Assembly Member Ta

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Ahrens, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, DeMaio, Dixon, Elhawary, Ellis, Fong, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lowenthal, Macedo, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Rivas, Celeste Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Wicks, Wilson, and Zbur)

March 17, 2025

Relative to Huell Howser Day.

Fiscal committee: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

This measure would designate October 18, 2025, as Huell Howser Day, to commemorate his impact on the history, culture, and people of California.

WHEREAS, Huell Howser was born on October 18, 1945, in the City of Gallatin, Tennessee; and

WHEREAS, Howser graduated from the University School of Nashville in 1963, then studied history and political science at the University of Tennessee, where he served as student body president; and

WHEREAS, After serving in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and on the staff of United States Senator Howard Henry Baker, Jr., Howser began his television career at WSMV-TV in the City of Nashville, Tennessee, where he produced shows focused on human interest stories, such as “Happy Features” and “The Happy World of Huell Howser”; and

WHEREAS, Howser moved to the City of Los Angeles in 1981 to work as a reporter for KCBS-TV, and over the next couple of years, served as weekend host and correspondent for “Entertainment Tonight”; and

WHEREAS, In 1991, after spending his vacation driving across the state and visiting with all 13 PBS stations in California, “California’s Gold” premiered in April of that year; and

WHEREAS, “California’s Gold” highlighted small towns, landmarks, events, or places of interest throughout the state that were not well known to the general public; and

WHEREAS, Howser also produced shows such as “California’s Communities,” “California’s Golden Fairs,” “Downtown,” “California’s Water,” “California’s Green,” “California’s Golden Coast,” “California’s Golden Parks,” “Road Trip,” “Visiting... with Huell Howser,” “California Missions,” “Palm Springs,” “Our Neighborhoods,” “The Bench,” and other various specials; and

WHEREAS, Howser donated his videotaped collection of “California’s Gold” episodes, as well as those of his other series, to Chapman University in 2011, along with his personal papers and large collection of books on California history; and

WHEREAS, Chapman University established the Huell Howser Archives, which offers the public free access to the entire digitized collection of his life’s work; and

WHEREAS, On January 7, 2013, Howser passed away at the age of 67 after a long battle with cancer; and

WHEREAS, Howser’s entire body of work helped to shape the history, culture, and people of California; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That October 18, 2025, is hereby designated Huell Howser Day, to commemorate his impact on the history, culture, and people of California; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.