Assembly Concurrent Resolution 118 records a legislative finding about the history and contributions of Korean Americans in California and proclaims January 13, 2026, as Korean American Day. The resolution narrates the 1903 arrival of the first large Korean immigrant group, subsequent migration and community-building in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and modern cultural influence including Hallyu.
The measure is ceremonial: it contains no regulatory language or funding directives. Its practical value lies in formal recognition—giving schools, cities, cultural organizations, and the Korean American community an official state-level reference point for programming, commemoration, and awareness-raising.
At a Glance
What It Does
ACR 118 is a concurrent resolution containing historical 'whereas' findings and a short 'resolved' clause that proclaims January 13, 2026, as Korean American Day and directs the Chief Clerk to transmit copies to the author. The enrolled measure was chaptered as Chapter 9 and, per the file stamp in the bill text, approved and filed on February 25, 2026.
Who It Affects
Directly affected are Korean American communities and civic groups across California, plus schools and cultural institutions that may use the designation for events or curriculum. The resolution also creates minor administrative tasks for legislative clerks and the Secretary of State's office for filing and distribution.
Why It Matters
Formal recognition raises visibility and provides a state-level anchor for programming and outreach without creating new legal rights or funding. For professionals working in education, philanthropy, or local government, this resolution is a clean reference to cite when planning commemorations, outreach, or culturally specific initiatives.
More articles like this one.
A weekly email with all the latest developments on this topic.
What This Bill Actually Does
ACR 118 is a concise, ceremonial legislative document. It collects a series of historical findings—beginning with the arrival of 102 Koreans aboard the S.S.
Gaelic in 1903—traces early community formation in San Francisco and the later growth of Korean American populations in Los Angeles and Orange County, and recalls milestones such as the founding of the National Association of Korean Americans and the U.S. Senate’s 2002 resolution recognizing the centennial of Korean immigration. Those findings form the factual basis the Legislature uses to justify the proclamation.
The operative language is short: the Legislature 'proclaims January 13, 2026, as Korean American Day.' The resolution does not create an ongoing administrative mandate, nor does it appropriate funds or change existing law. It does, however, include a ministerial instruction that the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of the resolution to the author for distribution, a standard step to facilitate community notice and use.Although the text is symbolic, the document is chaptered and stamped as an official legislative act (Chapter 9) and was filed with the Secretary of State on the same day the Governor’s approval appears on the document.
Practically speaking, organizations that plan commemorative events, school districts designing lessons on immigration and cultural history, and local governments can cite this chaptered resolution as state recognition when promoting programs or seeking local partnerships. Because the measure contains no fiscal provisions and the Legislative Counsel’s Digest indicates no fiscal committee action, it imposes no specified state spending obligations.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The resolution’s factual preamble highlights the 1903 arrival of 102 Koreans on the S.S. Gaelic and traces subsequent migration through San Francisco to Southern California.
The Legislature resolves that January 13, 2026, is Korean American Day; the text contains no continuing statutory duties or funding authorizations.
ACR 118 is chaptered as Chapter 9 and bears file stamps indicating approval by the Governor and filing with the Secretary of State on February 25, 2026.
The resolution directs the Chief Clerk of the Assembly to transmit copies to the author for distribution, a ministerial step to ensure community notice.
The measure cites federal milestones (the 1965 Immigration Act and U.S. Senate Resolution 185/2002) and the founding of the National Association of Korean Americans as part of its legislative findings.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Historical findings and reasons for recognition
This section compiles a sequence of historical and demographic statements: the 1903 arrival in Hawaii, early immigration to San Francisco between 1904–1907, the growth of Los Angeles and Orange County Korean communities, contributions across professions, the 1965 federal immigration changes, the founding of NAKA in 1994, and federal recognition in 2002. These findings supply the factual rationale the Legislature relies on to justify the proclamation; they are narrative and commemorative rather than regulatory.
Proclamation of Korean American Day
The operative text contains a single legislative act: the formal proclamation that January 13, 2026, is Korean American Day. That language is declarative and ceremonial—there are no implementation details, no mandates for state agencies, and no appropriation of funds. Its legal effect is symbolic recognition by the Legislature.
Clerical transmission for distribution
The resolution instructs the Chief Clerk of the Assembly to transmit copies to the author for appropriate distribution. This is a practical, low-cost administrative step intended to get the resolution into the hands of community groups, media, and local governments that will use it for events or publicity.
Chaptering and filing with executive and state offices
The enrolled bill is identified as Chapter 9 and the document includes file stamps indicating approval by the Governor and filing with the Secretary of State on February 25, 2026. Those entries create an official record and make the resolution easy to locate in state archives; they do not convert the ceremonial proclamation into enforceable law.
This bill is one of many.
Codify tracks hundreds of bills on Culture across all five countries.
Explore Culture 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
- Korean American community organizations — The resolution gives community groups an official state reference they can cite when organizing commemorations, applying for grants, or seeking media attention.
- K–12 educators and cultural institutions — Schools and museums can point to the chaptered resolution when incorporating Korean American history into curricula or public programs without needing additional legislative authorization.
- Municipal governments in Los Angeles and Orange County — Cities and counties with large Korean populations can use the state-level proclamation as justification for local proclamations, events, and intergovernmental partnerships.
Who Bears the Cost
- Legislative and executive clerical offices — The Assembly Chief Clerk, Secretary of State, and Governor’s office incur small administrative costs to transmit, file, and archive the resolution.
- Local governments and schools that choose to act — Any costs tied to programming, ceremonies, or curricular materials will fall to local entities unless they secure outside funding; the resolution does not provide money.
- Community groups with outreach expectations — The resolution raises expectations for observance; volunteer-run organizations may face pressure to organize events without additional resources.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The core tension is between symbolic recognition and material change: the Legislature provides visibility and an official platform for celebration, but the resolution deliberately stops short of allocating resources or creating enforceable duties—so it honors a community without creating the means to address practical needs often associated with recognition.
The resolution is explicitly symbolic: it recognizes history and encourages commemoration but does not establish obligations, funding, or services. That creates a predictable implementation gap—recognition often leads communities to expect more (programs, funding, policy attention) even though the document creates no pathway for those outcomes.
Practically, the only enforceable action is ministerial (clerk transmission and filing), so any follow-up—school curricula, municipal proclamations, cultural programming—relies entirely on voluntary actors or separate funding sources.
Another tension arises from the resolution’s selection of historical touchstones. By anchoring the observance to the 1903 S.S.
Gaelic arrival and citing federal milestones, the text privileges certain migration narratives and national-level organizations. The bill does not, for example, address the diversity within the Korean American population (different migration waves, language variations, or refugee experiences), leaving room for debate about inclusivity in commemorations.
Finally, the document’s file stamps show approval and filing with executive offices; that creates an official record but may also blur public understanding about what a concurrent resolution achieves versus what statute or appropriation would do.
Try it yourself.
Ask a question in plain English, or pick a topic below. Results in seconds.