SCR 119 names a precise portion of State Route 20 in Sutter County as the Gordon Lee Bordsen Memorial Highway and asks the California Department of Transportation to estimate the cost of appropriate signs. The resolution requires that Caltrans erect the signs only after receiving sufficient donations from nonstate sources to cover the expense and directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit copies of the resolution to the Caltrans Director and the author.
The measure is an honorary designation: it does not appropriate state funds and instead relies on private donations to pay for signs that must comply with state highway signing rules. Practically, that creates a small administrative task for Caltrans (cost-estimating, procurement/installation coordination) and establishes who should be contacted if donors want to underwrite the signage.
At a Glance
What It Does
The resolution designates the segment of State Route 20 from Acacia Avenue (postmile 9.176) to Humphrey Road (postmile 10.672) in Sutter County as the Gordon Lee Bordsen Memorial Highway. It directs the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of signage consistent with state highway signing standards and to install those signs only after receiving nonstate donations sufficient to cover the cost.
Who It Affects
Primary actors are Caltrans (for cost estimates, procurement, and sign erection), Sutter County and nearby communities along SR‑20, local historical organizations and museums referenced in the resolution, and private donors willing to fund the signs. The Secretary of the Senate is named to transmit copies of the resolution.
Why It Matters
The resolution uses donor funding to avoid a state appropriation while still creating a permanent public commemoration; that pattern reduces immediate fiscal exposure but shifts logistical and long‑term maintenance questions to Caltrans and any private sponsors. For local stakeholders it creates a formal, state‑level recognition that can affect community branding and wayfinding.
More articles like this one.
A weekly email with all the latest developments on this topic.
What This Bill Actually Does
SCR 119 is an honorary concurrent resolution that formalizes a memorial name for a short stretch of State Route 20 in Sutter County. The text identifies the exact endpoints by postmile and recounts Gordon Lee Bordsen’s long local service and ties to state infrastructure projects as the rationale for the designation.
The naming itself does not change the legal status of the highway beyond the ceremonial title the Legislature confers.
Operationally, the resolution asks Caltrans to calculate how much compliant signage would cost and to erect the signs only if nonstate donations fully cover those costs. That means Caltrans must follow its usual sign design and placement standards, estimate unit and installation costs, and coordinate with the donor‑payment process the agency uses for nonstate funds.
The bill does not appropriate money from the state treasury.Because the resolution directs the Secretary of the Senate to send copies to the Caltrans Director and the author, it creates an explicit administrative path for the project to move forward if donors come forward. What the resolution leaves open are the details of how donations are solicited or accepted, who is responsible for future maintenance or replacement of the signs, and how the agency prioritizes this request relative to other signage obligations.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The resolution designates SR‑20 from Acacia Avenue (postmile 9.176) to Humphrey Road (postmile 10.672) in Sutter County as the Gordon Lee Bordsen Memorial Highway.
It requires the California Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs that comply with state highway signing requirements.
Caltrans is authorized to erect the signs only after receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the full cost.
The measure does not appropriate state funds and requests the Secretary of the Senate to transmit copies to the Director of Transportation and the author for follow‑up.
The Legislative Counsel’s digest flags a fiscal committee review (Fiscal Committee: YES), reflecting that even donor‑funded signage can trigger fiscal oversight or administrative review.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Background and reasons for the designation
The preamble catalogs Gordon Lee Bordsen’s public service—his work with the Department of Transportation and Department of Water Resources, community roles, and local ties—and explains why the Legislature chose this individual. For implementation purposes, the whereas language establishes the community and historical rationale that typically accompanies honorary namings and signals to local museums, civic groups, and potential donors why they might support the signage.
Specific segment designated and legal naming
This section supplies the precise legal description of the memorial highway by identifying both termini with postmile references. That precision is important for Caltrans’ mapping and for locating sign placements: procurement and installation will reference these postmiles rather than informal place names when planning work and ordering materials.
Cost estimate, signing standards, and donor funding condition
The resolution instructs Caltrans to calculate sign costs consistent with state highway signing rules and specifies that signs be erected only after Caltrans receives sufficient nonstate donations. Practically, this triggers Caltrans’ internal procedures for estimating sign fabrication and installation, and it invokes the agency’s processes for accepting and applying private contributions toward capital signage projects.
Transmission and next administrative steps
By directing the Secretary of the Senate to send copies to the Caltrans Director and the author, the resolution creates a formal notice mechanism. That transmittal is the conventional prompt for Caltrans to open a file, perform the cost estimate the resolution requests, and inform the author and potential donors of the estimated amount and next steps for donation and installation.
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
- Gordon Lee Bordsen’s family and descendants — the resolution provides formal, public recognition of his local and professional service, giving the family an enduring memorial on a state highway.
- Sutter County communities along SR‑20 (including the City of Sutter) — the named stretch increases local visibility and can be used in civic communications, ceremonies, and historical outreach.
- Local museums and historical groups referenced in the bill (Sutter County Museum, Sacramento Valley Museum) — the designation ties local infrastructure history to those institutions and may boost local interest or visitation related to the honoree’s contributions.
- Rotary District 5190 and other civic organizations tied to Bordsen — the memorial can reinforce organizational legacy and local fundraising or volunteer messaging.
Who Bears the Cost
- California Department of Transportation — Caltrans must perform cost estimates, administrative coordination, and sign installation planning; those tasks use staff time and project management resources even if donors pay fabrication and installation costs.
- Nonstate donors — the measure explicitly requires private donations sufficient to cover the sign costs, placing the financial burden for fabrication and erection on outside funders.
- Secretary of the Senate — administrative time to prepare and transmit copies and to process legislative paperwork falls to legislative staff.
- Local governments or civic groups hosting dedication ceremonies — while not required by the resolution, local entities that want to mark the naming may incur event, permitting, or publicity costs.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The core tension is between honoring a local figure publicly without using state funds and the practical burden that recognition still imposes on public agencies: the resolution minimizes immediate fiscal exposure by requiring private donations, but it leaves unresolved administrative, long‑term maintenance, and prioritization questions that still fall to Caltrans and local actors.
The resolution is narrowly targeted but leaves several implementation gaps. It does not explain how Caltrans will accept or hold donor funds, who solicits the donations, or whether there are minimum or maximum donation rules.
Caltrans has established procedures for private contributions toward signage, but the bill does not reference or modify those procedures, so donors and agency staff will need to reconcile this resolution with existing administrative rules.
Longer term, the resolution is silent on maintenance and replacement responsibilities. Once installed, signs age, get damaged, or require removal for construction; the bill does not assign responsibility for future upkeep or replacement costs, which creates an unresolved liability question for Caltrans and potential future donors.
Finally, while each single naming is modest, cumulative honorary namings can create competing demands on sign space and on Caltrans’ limited resources for non‑regulatory information signs.
Try it yourself.
Ask a question in plain English, or pick a topic below. Results in seconds.