This concurrent resolution names the stretch of State Highway Route 43 within the City of Selma—the segment from East Mountain View Avenue (postmile 7.340) to the SR‑99 junction (postmile 9.308)—the "Officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr., Memorial Highway." The text memorializes Officer Carrasco’s service and sacrifice and sets the geographic limits of the designation.
The resolution asks the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to calculate the cost of appropriate signage consistent with state highway signing requirements and to erect those signs only after receiving nonstate donations sufficient to cover the cost. It also directs the Chief Clerk of the Assembly to send copies of the resolution to the Director of Transportation and the author for distribution.
At a Glance
What It Does
The resolution formally designates a defined portion of SR‑43 in Selma as the Officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr. Memorial Highway and requests Caltrans to determine sign costs and install signs upon receipt of nonstate donations covering those costs.
Who It Affects
Primary actors are Caltrans (for cost estimates and sign installation), nonstate donors who would fund the signs, and the City of Selma and Selma Police Department as the local stakeholders whose community will host the memorial signage.
Why It Matters
It creates an official, named memorial on a state highway and uses a pay‑for‑sign model that avoids using state construction funds; that approach affects how future commemorative namings are implemented and who bears upfront expenses.
More articles like this one.
A weekly email with all the latest developments on this topic.
What This Bill Actually Does
The resolution creates a commemorative name for a short, precisely described stretch of State Route 43 in the City of Selma and records factual findings about Officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr.’s service and death. Those findings establish the legislature’s reason for the designation but do not by themselves change traffic rules or highway ownership.
Rather than appropriating state money, the measure directs Caltrans to calculate what the signs will cost and instructs the agency to install the plaques or markers only if private, nonstate donations fully cover the cost. The language ties the signs to existing signing standards for the state highway system, which means any plaques or markers must meet Caltrans’ policy and, by extension, applicable federal or state traffic control manuals.Operationally, Caltrans will be asked to produce a cost estimate, and the erection of signs depends on donors coming forward.
The resolution also directs administrative transmission: the Chief Clerk of the Assembly must send copies to the Director of Transportation and to the author. Because this is a concurrent resolution, it functions as the Legislature’s formal expression and a request to Caltrans rather than creating an independent enforceable entitlement to state-funded signs or altering legal roadway names for addressing or property‑law purposes.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The resolution names SR‑43 from postmile 7.340 (East Mountain View Avenue) to postmile 9.308 (junction with SR‑99) the "Officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr.
Memorial Highway.", It requires Caltrans to determine the cost of signage that complies with state highway signing requirements before any signs are installed.
Caltrans may only erect the memorial signs after receiving nonstate donations sufficient to cover the full cost of the signs.
The resolution contains legislative findings memorializing Officer Carrasco’s service and death but does not appropriate state funds or create a maintenance funding mechanism.
The Chief Clerk of the Assembly must transmit copies of the resolution to the Director of Transportation and the author for further distribution and action.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Legislative findings and reasons for the memorial
The preamble recounts Officer Gonzalo Carrasco Jr.’s biography, service history, and death in the line of duty; it documents why the Legislature considers a memorial naming appropriate. These findings do the political and symbolic work that justifies the designation but do not themselves impose obligations on state agencies beyond the subsequent requests made in the resolution.
Defines the exact stretch of SR‑43 to be named
This clause sets the geographic scope: a precise portion of State Highway Route 43 within Selma identified by postmiles (7.340 to 9.308). That specificity matters for implementation because sign placement, permitting, and any associated map references will be tied to those postmiles rather than a vague description.
Requests Caltrans to estimate costs and erect signs upon private funding
The resolution asks the Department of Transportation to calculate the cost of "appropriate signs" consistent with state signing rules and to erect them only after receiving nonstate donations that cover the cost. Practically, this directs Caltrans to (1) apply its design standards and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices as relevant; (2) produce a cost estimate; and (3) condition installation on donor funding—avoiding use of state construction funds while leaving open administrative work by Caltrans.
Directs clerical transmission to Caltrans and the author
The final clause requires the Chief Clerk of the Assembly to send copies of the resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author for distribution. That creates the paper trail for Caltrans to receive notice and for the author and local parties to begin external fundraising or coordination.
This bill is one of many.
Codify tracks hundreds of bills on Transportation across all five countries.
Explore Transportation in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Officer Carrasco’s family and friends — the formal naming gives the family a public, lasting acknowledgment on a state highway and a focal point for community remembrance.
- Selma Police Department and local community — the memorial provides public recognition of the officer’s service that can support local mourning, community relations, and ceremonial events.
- City of Selma and local civic organizations — the signage can increase local visibility and may be used in civic ceremonies or community outreach tied to public safety remembrance.
Who Bears the Cost
- Nonstate donors — the resolution explicitly conditions sign installation on donations from nonstate sources, so private funders (individuals, local governments, nonprofit groups, or businesses) must cover the upfront cost of signs.
- Caltrans — while the agency is asked only to determine costs and install signs after donations, it will incur staff time for design review, cost estimation, permitting, and installation logistics; those administrative costs are not explicitly funded in the resolution.
- Local agencies and the author’s office — local government and the sponsoring legislator will likely be expected to coordinate fundraising and logistics, taking on outreach and administrative effort that the resolution does not fund explicitly.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is honoring a fallen officer through a visible, public memorial while avoiding new demands on limited state transportation funds and preserving traffic‑safety and maintenance priorities: the bill defers costs to private donors to protect public budgets, but that deferral raises timing, equity, and long‑term maintenance questions that have no tidy administrative solution.
The resolution uses a donation‑driven model to avoid committing state construction funds, but it leaves open who is responsible for long‑term maintenance, replacement, or removal. Caltrans’ obligation is framed as a request contingent on donations, not as a funded mandate; the agency’s actual actions will depend on internal priorities, available staff, and whether donors step forward.
That creates practical uncertainty about timing: a cost estimate alone does not trigger installation unless and until a donor covers the full amount.
Sign placement must comply with state signing requirements and traffic‑safety standards, which can constrain design, size, and location—factors that affect cost and visibility. The resolution does not address whether the memorial name will be recognized in official databases, mapping systems, or address elements, nor does it provide for ongoing maintenance funding; those follow‑on questions are typical in commemorative namings and can create friction between honoring objectives and roadway safety, maintenance budgets, and precedent for future namings.
Try it yourself.
Ask a question in plain English, or pick a topic below. Results in seconds.