The U.S. is two years out from the 250th anniversary of its founding, and while legislation that aimed to create a California commission to commemorate the occasion recently failed, the state isn’t leaving the party just yet.
The newly formed Office of Service and Community Engagement is working with the California State Library to coordinate activities throughout the state related to the semiquincentennial, said Brandon Richards, a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The office, formed in June, “shall engage Californians in service, volunteering and civic action to tackle our state’s most pressing challenges,” according to state law.
Sen. Janet Nguyen, R-Huntington Beach, had introduced legislation to set up a state commission to celebrate the semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of America’s founding as well as the signing of the Declaration of Independence. However, that bill, her third time putting it forward, did not make it out of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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California “looks forward to using America’s 250th anniversary to highlight California’s innovation and ingenuity, and showcase California’s commitment to inclusion and equity,” Newsom said in a letter to the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission earlier this month.
“The (Office of Service and Community Engagement) and the State Library will engage with my office, state, federal, local and legislative partners, tribal nations, international partners, academic and historical institutions in California and everyday citizens to mark this milestone,” Newsom said.
While California will join efforts to plan for the semiquincentennial, the state so far has not set up a formal commission, as have the federal government and 47 states and U.S. territories.
Tori Richards, a spokesperson for Nguyen, said her staff was told Newsom would “handle this by executive order.” She said the office had not seen Newsom’s letter to the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission.
Brandon Richards, Newsom’s spokesperson, did not provide further details, including whether Newsom will establish a formal state commission to celebrate the semiquincentennial, what activities are planned and the possibility of Newsom’s office working with Nguyen. The governor’s office previously said that legislation is unnecessary to form a semiquincentennial commission.
The State Library, said spokesperson Alex Vassar, is involved with the celebration, but it is still in the early planning stages and no further details were available.
Under Nguyen’s bill, California’s commission would have been required to “plan and coordinate commemorations and observances of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution.” The commission would have been headed by the state archivist and included two assemblymembers, two state senators, one individual proposed by the California Historical Society and five from the general public.
The city of Huntington Beach, which hosted the California Bicentennial Fourth of July Parade in 1976, was a proponent of the legislation.
According to city archives, Huntington Beach’s annual Fourth of July parade has been a community staple since 1904, held every year except in the World War II era from 1942-1946.
After the state legislature established the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission in 1967, which promoted statewide and local celebrations of the country’s bicentennial, Huntington Beach formed a special committee in the early 1970s to plan a celebration parade. That parade, which was heavily attended, was adopted by the state legislature as the state’s official bicentennial parade.
Originally Published: September 3, 2024 at 8:09 a.m.
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Publish date : 2024-09-03 04:09:00
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