[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15105-S15106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER (for herself and Mrs. Feinstein):
  S. 1990. A bill to designate the Federal building located at 501 I 
Street in Sacramento, California, as the ``Joe

[[Page S15106]]

Serna, Jr. United States Courthouse and Federal Building''; to the 
Committee on Environment and Public Works.


      joe serna, jr. united states courthouse and federal building

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation 
to honor one of the finest mayors to serve in California. My state, 
particularly my constituents in Sacramento lost a great Californian 
this fall with the passing of Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna.
  My bill will name the new Federal Courthouse at 501 I Street the 
``Joe Serna, Jr. United States Courthouse and Federal Building'' in 
honor of his contributions to Sacramento and the working men and women 
of California. Joe Serna was a man of great vision, courage, energy, 
warmth, and humor.
  He was also a living embodiment of the American Dream: a first-
generation American who helped to reshape the capital of our nation's 
largest state.
  Mayor Serna was born in 1939, the son of Mexican immigrants. As the 
oldest of four children, Joe grew up in a bunkhouse and worked with his 
family in the beet fields around Lodi.
  Mayor Serna never forgot his roots. After attending Sacramento City 
College and graduating from California State University, Sacramento, he 
served in the Peace Corps and went to work for the United Farm Workers, 
where Cesar Chavez became his mentor and role model.
  After serving on the city's redevelopment agency in the 1970s, Mayor 
Serna was elected to the Council himself in 1981. He was elected mayor 
in 1992 and re-elected in 1996, winning both races by wide margins. 
Throughout his terms in office, he continued to work as a professor of 
government and ethnic studies at his alma mater, Cal State Sacramento.
  Mayor Serna virtually rebuilt the city of Sacramento. He forged 
public-private partnerships to redevelop the downtown, revitalize the 
neighborhoods, and reform the public school system. He presided over an 
urban renaissance that transformed Sacramento into a dynamic modern 
metropolis. The new Sacramento Federal Building is a visible reminder 
of the redevelopment of Sacramento. Naming this building after Mayor 
Serna would be a fitting tribute.
  Mayor Serna died as he lived: with great strength and dignity. Last 
month, as he publicly discussed his impending death from cancer, he 
said, ``I was supposed to live and die as a farm worker, not as a mayor 
and a college professor. I have everything to be thankful for. I have 
the people to thank for allowing me to be their mayor. I have society 
to thank for the opportunity it has given me.''
  Mr. President, it is we who are thankful today for having had such a 
man serve the people of California, and I ask my colleagues to support 
this legislation to honor the legacy of Joe Serna, Jr.
  Mr. President, I ask that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  The bill follows:

                                S. 1990

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF JOE SERNA, JR. UNITED STATES 
                   COURTHOUSE AND FEDERAL BUILDING.

       The Federal building located at 501 I Street in Sacramento, 
     California, shall be known and designated as the ``Joe Serna, 
     Jr. United States Courthouse and Federal Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the Joe Serna, Jr. United States Courthouse and Federal 
     Building.
                                 ______