ACR 228

Introduced by Assembly Member Wilson
Relative to the Parole Agent Joshua L. Byrd Memorial Highway.
the Parole Agent Joshua L. Byrd Memorial Highway
The Parole Agent Joshua L. Byrd Memorial Highway.
This measure would designate a specified portion of State Highway Route 80 in the County of Solano as the Parole Agent Joshua L. Byrd Memorial Highway. The measure would request that the Department of Transportation determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs.
WHEREAS, Joshua Lemont Byrd was born August 26, 1984, in the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, to his parents Zina Clark Byrd and Leamos Byrd; and
WHEREAS, Joshua Byrd was raised in Louisiana, attended Oakland Baptist Church in the City of Kenner, Louisiana, and played football at Baker High School in the City of Baker, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, After high school, Joshua Byrd served in the United States Navy for more than nine years and received several awards and an honorable discharge in 2011; and
WHEREAS, In June 2014, Joshua Byrd began his career at the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as a cadet at the Basic Correctional Officer Academy in the City of Galt; and
WHEREAS, Joshua Byrd continued to serve the department as a correctional officer and became a correctional sergeant in 2020; and
WHEREAS, In October 2024, Joshua Byrd joined the Division of Adult Parole Operations as a parole agent assigned to the Oakland Parole Unit; and
WHEREAS, On July 17, 2025, Joshua Byrd was shot while on duty inside the Oakland Parole Office and died; and
WHEREAS, Joshua Byrd is the first parole agent to have been killed in the line of duty since the enactment of the state’s parole law in 1893; and
WHEREAS, Joshua Byrd leaves behind his wife, Jessica, and three daughters, Claire, Jaylynn, and Nevaeha; and
WHEREAS, Joshua Byrd was devoted to his family and career; and
WHEREAS, This state highway dedication will serve as a fitting tribute to Joshua Byrd’s commitment to public safety, and to his heroism and sacrifice, and will ensure that he is remembered by all who travel on the designated route; now, therefore, be it
 Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring,  That the Legislature hereby designates the portion of State Route 80, from the Sweeney Creek Bridge 23-83, at postmile 32.898, to the Pitt School Road Overcrossing 23-152, at postmile 36.901, in the County of Solano as the Parole Agent Joshua L. Byrd Memorial Highway; and be it further
 Resolved,  That the Department of Transportation is requested to determine the cost of appropriate signs, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost, to erect those signs; and be it further
 Resolved,  That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author for appropriate distribution.