[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 90 (Monday, July 8, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           CITY OF SANTA CLARA'S SESQUICENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, July 8, 2002

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the City of Santa 
Clara, California, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary as an 
incorporated city. The sesquicentennial celebration for this ``All-
America City'' gives us the chance to honor the past, enjoy the 
present, and look towards a bright future.
  Santa Clara is a city where tourists love to explore, students love 
to learn, and locals love to live. What was once a land of wide-open 
spaces and orchards is now the home of over 100,000 people and several 
globally-recognized technology companies. Santa Clara's evolution has 
been an exciting one, but even as the community has become fertile 
ground where the high tech industry can flourish, it has continued to 
embrace the human touch.
  The region's history started long before the city's incorporation, 
dating back 6000 years to the time of the Ohlone Indians. Thousands of 
years passed before the next settlers arrived, drawn to the area by the 
scenic landscape and the abundant water resources. These settlers, 
mostly missionaries and military explorers, chose the area that is now 
the City of Santa Clara to build a new mission, and in 1777 the Mission 
Santa Clara de Asis was established. This Franciscan mission, the 
eighth-oldest of California's 21 original missions, still stands on the 
campus of Santa Clara University, and is a living tribute to the legacy 
of Father Junipero Serra and to the work of Father Francisco Palou, 
founder of the mission.
  After Santa Clara's incorporation in 1852, the allure of the region's 
natural resources attracted ranchers and farmers from the Eastern 
United States, Mexico, and Europe. Stores were opened and soil was 
cultivated, and by 1900 Santa Clara boasted a population of 3,650. The 
city suffered through and survived the historic San Francisco 
Earthquake of 1906, and later sent many brave women and men to serve in 
the World Wars.
  Following World War II, Santa Clara experienced another population 
boom thanks to a growing number of manufacturing concerns such as the 
Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corporation. The growing population of almost 
60,000 began to fill the suburbs developing around the city, a 
precursor to the population boom that would accompany a skyrocketing 
new industry arriving just a few decades later.
  The arrival and rapid expansion of the technology industry would 
quickly bring Santa Clara and the whole of Silicon Valley to worldwide 
prominence. The technology industry has seen incredible growth in the 
past twenty years, and the City of Santa Clara has permanently 
established itself at the forefront of this phenomenon. Some of the 
most powerful names in the industry, names like Sun Microsystems, 
Applied Materials, and Intel are all headquartered here. Santa Clara's 
entire history is full of originality and opportunity, recent history 
being no exception.
  The most important aspect of the relationship between the technology 
sector and the City of Santa Clara is that it is built on a foundation 
of reciprocity and mutual respect. The city's two major challenges--
providing affordable housing and reusing state surplus land--are being 
addressed in a collaborative effort by the city and leading high-tech 
firms. The Intel Teacher Housing Fund, for example, will provide $500 a 
month for eligible teachers' mortgage payments, and Sun Microsystems 
set aside part of the land occupied by their headquarters for the 
preservation of historic buildings and for use by the public. The city, 
of course, provides a willing and able workforce, and has done a 
tremendous job of accommodating the large inflow of tech-savvy job 
hunters and entrepreneurs.
  The mutually beneficial relationship between the city and the tech 
industry is just one of the many reasons why Santa Clara is a special 
place, and those of us who live in the area aren't the only ones 
noticing. Last year, the City of Santa Clara won an All-America City 
award from the National Civic League, one of only 10 cities to receive 
the award. We who know the city have always believed that Santa Clara 
is a special place, but the 54-member delegation representing Santa 
Clara at the competition last June did an exceptional job of ensuring 
that the panel of judges understood Santa Clara as well. The 
delegation, consisting of community groups, government officials, 
business leaders, and private citizens outlined the ways in which Santa 
Clara goes above and beyond meeting the requirements for the award, 
from the symbiotic relationship between the city and industry, to the 
contributions of Santa Clara's volunteer work force, to the city's 
commitment towards improving the lives of local youths. These factors, 
combined with the intangible qualities that only a native can describe, 
helped the City of Santa Clara bring home this prestigious award.
  I believe that the words of the All-America City delegation put it 
best: ``Santa Clara blends the best of a modern, urban metropolis with 
the comfortable charm of Small Town, USA.'' Santa Clara is a perfect 
place to raise a family, pursue a career, and fulfill lifelong dreams. 
It is the home of California's oldest institution of higher learning--
Santa Clara University--and other fine schools like Mission College and 
the Santa Clara, Wilcox, and Wilson High Schools. The weather is 
beautiful, and the best that California has to offer is right around 
every corner. I am proud to represent this city as a Member of 
Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join me in honoring the history and celebrating the achievements of 
Santa Clara, California, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary. The 
city is an example for all others, and I look forward to being a part 
of its bright future.

                          ____________________