Long Before Avalon, There Was the Martyr Santa Catalina

Some 25 miles off the coast of sunny Southern California is Santa Catalina Island.

It’s another part of the Golden State named after a saint.

And it’s another part of California whose name comes from Spanish General Sebastian Vizcaino’s 1602 to 1603 voyage along the coast to find good moorings for Spanish galleons returning from the Philippines and headed toward final port in Acapulco.    Read more »

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More About the All Too Often-Overlooked Sebastian Vizcaino

Spanish explorer Sebastian Vizcaino sure got around. Not only did he give the city of Santa Barbara its name but he also discovered the Carmel River in 1603.

As was Vizcaino’s frequent custom, he chose a religious name for the stream — Rio del Carmelo. Carmelo is Spanish for Mount Carmel near Jerusalem, which, in turn, comes from the Hebrew karmel, meaning “orchard.”    Read more »

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How Some California Cities Got Their Names: Santa Barbara

Numerous California cities are named for saints, a leftover from the missionary zeal of the 17th and 18th centuries.

San Francisco is Spanish for St. Francis and San Jose is St. Joseph, the father of Jesus. Santa Maria, his mother. San Bernardino is St. Bernard of Menthon, he of the cask-carrying rescue dogs.    Read more »

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The Last State Senator to Die in Office Before Dave Cox Was…

Prior to Dave Cox’s death July 13 from prostate cancer, the last state senator to die in office was Pete Knight in May 2004.

A former Air Force test pilot who in 1967 made the fastest airplane voyage in history, Knight was also the author of Proposition 22, the 2000 ballot measure defining marriage as solely between a man and woman.    Read more »

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California Chief Justice Ron George Will Leave High Court

By PAUL ELIAS

Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO — California Chief Justice Ron George announced on Wednesday that he is stepping down.

The state’s top jurist said he won’t seek re-election in November. His last day in office will be Jan. 2.

GOP Gov. Pete Wilson appointed George chief justice in 1996.    Read more »

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Republican State Senator Dave Cox of Fair Oaks Dead at 72

 

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press Writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Republican state Sen. Dave Cox died Tuesday after what his family described as a 13-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 72.

Cox’s spokeswoman Nghia Demovic said the lawmaker died peacefully at his home in the Sacramento suburb of Fair Oaks.

Cox represented the sprawling 1st Senate District, a heavily Republican district that encompasses parts of 12 Sierra and foothill counties from the northeastern tip of California at the Oregon border to Mammoth Lakes in Mono County.    Read more »

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Fair Political Practices Commission Chair Ross Johnson Quits

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today issued the following statement regarding the resignation of Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) Chairman Ross Johnson:

“As chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission, Ross has worked tirelessly to promote and protect the integrity of representative government in California. He has demonstrated true talent and commitment to the people of California during his long and distinguished public service career and I wish him the absolute best for the future.    Read more »

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Another Name to Consider for the Legislative Office Building

The Assembly has named the Speaker’s Office of Majority Services conference room within the Legislative Office Building at 1020 N St. after the late, long-time Capitol staffer Bill Cavala.

That action makes it unlikely Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg, a Sacramento Democrat, will proceed with his resolution, SCR 62, to name the entire building after Cavala, a mentor to many current legislative employees.    Read more »

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Guest Post: Two (Senate) Officers and a Gentleman

By Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Tony Beard and Greg Schmidt, Secretary of the Senate.

The day started with the usual grey West Coast beach overcast which, as the bagpiper played, soon began to break. The morning sunlight gradually crept through the stained glass windows, filling the sanctuary of the American Martyrs Catholic Church with a sense of warmth and welcome.    Read more »

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Long-Time South Bay Senator Bob Beverly Dead at 84

Robert G. Beverly, a Manhattan Beach Republican who represented the South Bay in the state Senate for 20 years died October 16 after a long fight with Parkinson’s Disease. He was 84.

His stentorian voice, courtly demeanor and silver-white hair would have made him Central Casting’s choice to portray a senator were he not one from 1976 until forced out by term limits in 1996.    Read more »

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