Westminster City Council
SUBJECT
Title
Letter of Support for State Assembly Bill (AB) 1805 (Ta) Regarding Incorporation of Landmark Mendez v. Westminster Case in State’s Education Curriculum.
End
publichearing
End
From: Christine Cordon, City Manager
Requested by: Administration
Prepared by: Christine Cordon, City Manager
____________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Recommendation
Consider the draft letter in support of AB 1805 and provide direction to execute and transmit the letter.
end
BACKGROUND
On January 8, 2024, California Assembly Bill 1805 was introduced by Assembly Member Tri Ta (District 70) with principal coauthor Senator Tom Umberg (District 34). Titled “Academic content standards: history-social science: Mendez v. Westminster School District of Orange County” (Attachment 1), the bill would require the Mendez v. Westminster School District case be incorporated into the state’s education curriculum:
(excerpt) “This bill would require the state board and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, on or before December 31, 2028, to revise a specific academic content standard from the History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, as adopted by the state board on October 9, 1998, to incorporate the case of Mendez v. Westminster School District of Orange County…”
In 1943, Sylvia Mendez and her brothers Gonzalo Jr. and Jerome arrived at then-Westminster 17th Street School to enroll for school; they had recently moved to Westminster and this was the closest school to their home. Instead of being allowed to enroll, they were turned away and told they had to attend Hoover School - a “Mexican school” - because of their Mexican heritage, despite being American-born U.S. citizens.
Parents Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez and other families of children who had been turned away from other Orange County schools joined together to challenge school segregation. In 1946, the presiding judge ordered discriminatory practices against students of Mexican descent to end, but the ruling was appealed. On April 14, 1947, however, the ruling was upheld, which made California the first state to end school segregation.
The Mendez v. Westminster School District of Orange County case, which started in Westminster, was the precursor to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case that ultimately ended educational segregation.
In 2017, the City Council committed to creating a monument and historic trail to honor the Mendez case. Since then, the City has received approximately $5.3 million in funding from the California Natural Resources Agency (Urban Greening Program), Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), and Senator Umberg.
The City has also completed the construction and development of the Mendez Tribute Monument Park -- a one-of-kind interactive park that uses augmented reality and technology to provide visitors of all ages an educational experience focused on the Mendez case and civil rights.
Since the Mendez Park’s dedication and opening on December 1, 2022, thousands of students of all ages have visited the park to learn about Mendez v. Westminster. Sylvia Mendez herself has frequently visited the park to provide her first-hand experiences to students and educators.
The curriculum for the park and the upcoming trail was developed in partnership with the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE). The trail is currently in the pre-construction phase and will break ground in early summer 2024.
The Mendez v. Westminster case represents an important part of civil rights history and particularly California’s role in the civil rights movements. The City continues to move forward with the priorities set by the City Council to continue pursuing opportunities to honor Mendez v. Westminster and fulfilling the Mendez projects.
Despite the significance of the Mendez v. Westminster case to the civil rights movement in California and to the Latino community generally, the case is often overlooked or overshadowed by Brown v. Education.
If AB 1805 passes, Mendez v. Westminster would become a part of the social science-history core curriculum alongside Brown v. Board of Education. This would provide the opportunity for students to learn about Mendez v. Westminster case, its significance in California and local Orange County history, and how Westminster has been impacted by this civil rights milestone. AB 1805 also enhances the City’s and OCDE’s current practices and efforts to encourage visitors to learn about Mendez v. Westminster by visiting Mendez Tribute Monument Park and future trail.
AB 1805 is currently referred to the Committee on Education. As the epicenter of school desegregation with the landmark ruling in 1947, the City of Westminster’s support of AB 1805 provides special consideration as the City Council continues to move forward with embracing the significance of Mendez v. Westminster and its profound effects on society.
FISCAL IMPACT
There will be no fiscal impact.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed as to form.
CONCLUSION
The City Council is requested to consider support of AB 1805. If supported, a letter of support (Attachment 2) would be signed and transmitted on behalf of the City Council.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Bill
2. Draft Letter of Support
REVIEWED BY
Erin Backs, Finance Director
Christian Bettenhausen, City Attorney
Christine Cordon, City Manager