SR 120

Introduced by Senator Cabaldon
 Relative to Filipino American History Month.
Filipino American History Month
WHEREAS, Filipinos and Filipino Americans have been contributing to California and the United States for hundreds of years, ever since October 18, 1587, when the first “Indios Luzones” set foot in Morro Bay, California, on board the Nuestra Señora de Buena Esperanza, a Manila-built galleon ship captained by Pedro de Unamuno of Spain; and
WHEREAS, In 1898, after the Philippines was taken by the United States following the Treaty of Paris, Filipino manongs, those who were the first wave of Filipinos coming to the United States, started immigrating to the City and County of San Francisco. There, they contributed as military personnel and service workers, including bellhops, dishwashers, servants, and cooks. During the 1920s, Filipinos in California also worked as laborers in the shipyards of Vallejo, where they established a Filipino American community and business center and became so successful that there were thousands of Filipinos working as shipbuilders by the start of World War II; and
WHEREAS, During World War II, approximately 200,000 Filipino soldiers battled under the command of the United States Armed Forces to defend the United States and the Philippines against the aggression of the Japanese occupation; and
WHEREAS, After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, thousands of Filipinos were prevented from joining the United States military due to being denied citizenship, yet they still campaigned relentlessly to fight in the war. On January 2, 1942, the Selective Service Act was revised and they were given the opportunity to fight in the war. The influx of Filipino Americans seeking to serve was so great that the 1st Filipino Battalion transformed into the larger First and Second Filipino Regiment; and
WHEREAS, In the aftermath of World War II, the second wave of Filipino immigration to the United States began, as nurses, students, “war brides” and fiancées of World War II military personnel and veterans, tourists, and Filipino members of the United States Navy came to the United States. They established a vibrant community known as “Manilatown” in the City and County of San Francisco and settled in districts such as Fillmore, South of Market, and Excelsior; and
WHEREAS, Due to demand for low-wage labor in the agricultural industry, sakadas were recruited from the Philippines to work in Hawaii, Alaska, and throughout California. By 1930, over 30,000 Filipino men worked on farms and in canneries, picking fruits and vegetables across farms in the Cities of Salinas, Watsonville, Modesto, and Delano, creating ethnic enclaves, and with the City of Stockton becoming a hub for Filipino workers, which gave rise to Little Manila. They faced harsh working conditions, brutal discrimination, and race riots. Antimiscegenation laws prevented them from marrying outside their race, and many remained single until their twilight years; and
WHEREAS, The history of labor rights in California intersects inextricably with Filipinos, where in the first decades of the 20th century, thousands of Filipinos worked in agricultural fields throughout California. They worked in cities and regions such as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the central coast, the City of Salinas, the Imperial Valley, the County of Orange, the Inland Empire, the Cities of Delano and Bakersfield, the Coachella Valley, and the San Francisco Bay area. They played a vital role in California’s growth and economy, often facing tough working conditions and low wages. Despite these struggles, they demonstrated resilience and built a legacy of mutual support, organization, and strikes to establish farmworker union rights; and
WHEREAS, Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz were crucial in the farmworkers’ movement, helping organize with the manongs through the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), a predominantly Filipino union, who were instrumental in kickstarting the farm labor movement; and
WHEREAS, On September 8, 1965, Filipino American agricultural labor leaders, including Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, organized more than 1,500 farmworkers from the AWOC in the Delano Grape Strike of 1965, with a breakthrough being made as Mexican American labor leaders of the National Farm Workers Association and AWOC created a powerful bond across ethnic lines, sparking one of the greatest social, economic, and racial justice movements in the history of California and the United States, and leading to the establishment of the United Farm Workers of America; and
WHEREAS, These agricultural workers, along with other volunteers, also built Agbayani Village, a retirement facility for elderly Filipino farmworkers located at The Forty Acres in the City of Delano in the County of Kern; and
WHEREAS, Filipinos have long stood on the front lines of labor and civil rights struggles, demanding to be recognized as human beings, not second-class labor. These moments show that history is not written by presidents or lawmakers alone. It is built from the ground up by workers, veterans, and communities who refuse to be silent; and
WHEREAS, From 1968 to 1977, Filipino American activists and residents of San Francisco’s International Hotel organized a widely supported multiracial campaign that challenged local authorities and private development to place people and the public good ahead of profit and support affordable housing for Filipino and Chinese immigrants and community members; and
WHEREAS, From 1972 to 1986, Filipino American activists organized massive educational and political campaigns to restore civil liberties in the Philippines during the period of martial law in that country, creating dynamic local responses to international politics and placing pressure on the United States government to end its support of the Marcos dictatorship; and
WHEREAS, In 1973, the fourth wave of Filipino immigration to the United States began, as political exiles and refugees from the Marcos era, intellectuals, tourists, students, student activists, professionals, semiprofessionals, and families came to the United States; and
WHEREAS, On November 8, 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Super Typhoon Yolanda, one of the strongest storms ever recorded, struck the Philippines, displacing over 4,000,000 Filipinos and affecting countless communities across Asia through tropical storms in its aftermath; and
WHEREAS, The Filipino American population is currently the second largest Asian American and Pacific Islander group in California and the third largest Asian American and Pacific Islander group in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Filipino Americans have served the public in appointed and elected capacities, including, but not limited to, Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, representatives to the United States Congress, Assembly Members and Senators in the California State Legislature and other states, and other city, state, and federal agencies in the United States. Notable figures include Tani Cantil Sakauye, Rob Bonta, Mona Pasquil Rogers, and Gonzalo Monty Manibog; and
WHEREAS, The year 2026 commemorates the 80th anniversary of United States-Philippines relations; and
WHEREAS, While migration has always involved movement across borders, it also involves movement toward justice, dignity, and belonging. When communities come together and when historically marginalized groups work collaboratively, they have the power to challenge unjust systems, reshape national policy, and expand opportunities for future generations; and
WHEREAS, As debates and injustices over immigration continue to shape the national landscape, particularly as governmental entities continue to unlawfully arrest, detain, and deport undocumented and documented migrants, it is more important than ever to celebrate the history, humanity, contributions, and power of immigrants; and
WHEREAS, Like other immigrant groups, Filipino American immigrants have transformed the United States through social justice, health care, education, technology, arts, and community care. Filipino American immigrants have also contributed significantly to building communities, strengthening the United States economy, enriching the nation’s cultural fabric, and advancing movements for labor rights, racial justice, and immigrant equity; now, therefore, be it
 Resolved by the Senate of the State of California,  That the Senate recognizes the month of October 2026 as Filipino American History Month; and be it further
 Resolved,  That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.