SCR 13, as amended, Nielsen. Redding Police Officer Owen “Ted” Lyon Memorial Bridge.
This measure would designate thebegin delete North Market Street Bridgeend deletebegin insert Sacramento River Bridge (#6-14)end insert located on State Highway Route 273 as it crosses the Sacramento River into downtown in the City of Redding as the Redding Police Officer Owen “Ted” Lyon Memorial Bridge. The measure would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost for appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.
Fiscal committee: yes.
P1 1WHEREAS, Police Officer Owen “Ted” Lyon was born on June
26, 1931, in Socorro, New Mexico. He graduated from Red Bluff
3High School in 1949 and went on to junior college for one and
4one-half years to study electrical engineering. He worked for the
5Paul Bunyan Lumber Company in Anderson, California, from
6April 1957 to September 1961, inclusive. On September 7, 1961,
7he joined the Redding Police Department; and
8WHEREAS, Officer Ted Lyon was killed in the line of duty on
9May 18, 1967. He and his partner, Jon Kelbaugh, had responded
P2 1to the address of 1047 Gilbert Street in the City of Redding on a
2domestic violence incident where it had been reported that a drunk
3man had been fighting with his wife in an apartment and had
4threatened her with a gun; and
5WHEREAS, As both officers approached the front door on foot,
6a man stepped out from behind the door firing a .32 caliber
7handgun and Officer Lyon was shot in thebegin delete chestend deletebegin insert abdomenend insert by the
8suspect and fell to the ground still holding his service weapon and
9Officer Kelbaugh was also shot in the abdomen and the back; and
10WHEREAS, After retreating, Officer Kelbaugh, who survived
11the assault engaged the suspect in a gun battle using a shotgun and
12the suspect was killed. Officer Kelbaugh loaded Officer Lyon into
13a police unit and drove him to the Redding Medical Center where
14he died approximately 24 hours later; and
15WHEREAS, Officer Lyon was 35 years of age, had six years
16of service with the Redding Police Department, and was survived
17bybegin delete his brother, Herbert Lyon, his nephew, Curtis Lyon, and his begin insert his wife, Joanne Gifford, his mother, Alice
18daughter, Tina Combsend delete
19Lyon, his daughter, Tina Combs, his two stepsons, John and Jim
20Hunt, his three brothers, Herbert, Terry, and Jerry Lyon, his sister,
21Roena Callison, and his end insertbegin insertnephew, Curtis Lyonend insert; and
22WHEREAS, Many officers from the Redding Police Department
23and the Shasta County Sheriff’s Department responded to the
24hospital to donate blood and nearly 60 pints of blood were collected
25in an effort to save the life of Officer Lyon; and
26WHEREAS, On September 18, 2012, the Redding City Council
27unanimously approved authorization for the Redding Police
28Department to proceed with this request to create the Redding
29Police Officer Owen “Ted” Lyon Memorial Bridge; and
30WHEREAS, Officer Lyon made the ultimate sacrifice in the
31performance of his duties protecting his fellow citizens, and
32because his dedication to duty is in the highest tradition of law
33enforcement and the Redding Police Department; now, therefore,
34be it
35Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
36thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates thebegin delete North begin insert Sacramento River Bridge (#6-14)end insert in Redding
37Market Street Bridgeend delete
38as the Redding Police Officer Owen “Ted” Lyon Memorial Bridge
39as a fitting tribute to his memory, service, and sacrifice; and be it
40further
P3 1Resolved, That the Department of Transportation install signs
2onbegin insert theend insert Sacramento River Bridge begin insert(end insert#6-14begin insert)end insert, located on State Highway
3Route 273 where it crosses the Sacramento River into downtown
4in the City of Redding, with one sign to be located on the
5northbound side of the bridge at milepost 17.08 and the second
6sign to be located on the southbound side of the bridge at milepost
717.23; and be it further
8Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested
9to determine the cost of erecting the appropriate signs, consistent
10with the signing requirements for the state highway system,
11showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations
12from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs; and
13be it further
14Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
15this resolution to thebegin delete Departmentend deletebegin insert Directorend insert of Transportation and
16to the author for appropriate distribution.
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