AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 19, 2025

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

96

CHAPTER 4

Statutes of 2026

Introduced by Assembly Member Kalra

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ahrens, Nguyen, Addis, Aguiar-Curry, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, 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, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Krell, Lackey, Lowenthal, Macedo, Muratsuchi, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Rivas, Celeste Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallis, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, and Zbur)

April 28, 2025

Relative to the Little Saigon Freeway.

Fiscal committee: yes

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

This measure would designate the portion of State Route 101 in the County of Santa Clara from Story Road to the junction with State Highway Route 280 and State Highway Route 680 as the Little Saigon Freeway. The measure also would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing that special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs.

WHEREAS, Since April 1975, when the capital of South Vietnam fell, approximately 2,300,000 people of Vietnamese origin have become permanent residents or citizens of the United States, 140,000 of whom are residents of the County of Santa Clara, with the City of San Jose claiming home to the highest population of people of Vietnamese origin per area outside of Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, In 2007, the City of San Jose recognized the importance of Little Saigon as a major cultural, social, and commercial center for the Vietnamese community and officially designated the area along Story Road as “Little Saigon”; and

WHEREAS, “Little Saigon” recalls the name of the South Vietnamese capital decades after it was renamed; and

WHEREAS, Little Saigon is a destination for tourists and refugees from all over the world; and

WHEREAS, One can find all types of services and businesses in Little Saigon, including restaurants, supermarkets, shopping malls, banks, and jewelry stores serving the Vietnamese American community, as well as other local and surrounding area residents in the City of San Jose; and

WHEREAS, Tết festivals and parades in Little Saigon celebrating the Vietnamese lunar new year have attracted thousands of participants; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates the portion of State Route 101, from Story Road, at postmile 34.224, to the junction with State Highway Route 280 and State Highway Route 680, at postmile 34.873, in the County of Santa Clara, as the Little Saigon Freeway; 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 Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the Department of Transportation and to the author for appropriate distribution.