BILL ANALYSIS
Bill No: AB
1757
SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
Senator Edward Vincent, Chair
2001-2002 Regular Session
Staff Analysis
AB 1757 Author: Leslie
As Amended: April 29, 2002
Hearing Date: June 11, 2002
Consultant: Art Terzakis
SUBJECT
Official State Ghost Town: Bodie
DESCRIPTION
AB 1757 designates "Bodie" as the official "state ghost
town." Specifically, this measure:
1. Makes various findings and declarations with respect to
the town of Bodie, one of the largest and best preserved
ghost towns in the West, named after Waterman S. Body who
discovered gold there in 1859.
2. States legislative intent to commemorate the 120th
anniversary of the decline of the town of Bodie - from
boomtown to ghost town - and acknowledge the importance
that Bodie played in California's history.
3. Names Bodie the official state ghost town.
EXISTING LAW
Existing law designates the following as official state
insignia:
State Flower - "Golden Poppy" (Added by Stats.1903, c.
69)
State Bird - "California Valley Quail" (Added by
Stats.1931, c. 777)
State Tree - "California Redwood" includes both the coast
redwood (Sequoia empervirens) and the Sierra big tree
AB 1757 (Leslie) continued
Page 2
(Sequoia gigantea) - (Added by Stats.1943, c. 134;
Amended by Stats.1953, c. 1140)
State Theatre - "Pasadena Playhouse" (Added by
Stats.1937, Resolution Chapter 45)
State Fish - "California Golden Trout" (Added by
Stats.1947, Resolution Chapter 90)
State Song - "I Love You California" (Added by
Stats.1951, Resolution Chapter 87)
State Animal - "California Grizzly" (Added by Stats.1953,
c. 1140)
State Motto - "Eureka" (Added by Stats.1963, c. 1237)
State Rock - "Serpentine" (Added by Stats.1965, c. 89)
State Mineral - "Native Gold" (Added by Stats.1965, c.
89)
State Nickname - "Golden State" (Added by Stats.1968, c.
66)
State Reptile - "Desert Tortoise" (Added by Stats.1972,
c. 683)
State Insect - "California Dogface Butterfly" (Added by
Stats.1972, c. 521)
State Fossil - "Sabre-Tooth Cat" (Added by Stats.1973, c.
792)
State Historical Society - "California Historical
Society" (Added by Stats.1979, c. 52)
State Marine Mammal - "California Gray Whale" (Added by
Stats.1975, c. 328)
State Gemstone - "Benitoite" (Added by Stats.1985, c.
1365)
State Folk Dance - "Square Dance" (Added by Stats.1988,
c. 1645)
State Dance - "West Coast Swing" (Added by Stats.1988, c.
1645)
State Prehistoric Artifact - "Chipped Stone Bear" (Added
by Stats.1991, c. 73)
State Marine Fish - "Garibaldi" (Added by Stats.1995, c.
948)
State Soil - "San Joaquin Soil" (Added by Stats.1997, c.
331)
State Fife and Drum Band - "California Consolidated Drum
Band" (Added by Stats.1997, c. 58)
State Tartan - "Based on the family tartan of the revered
John Muir" (blue and green with red, gold, and blue
seams) - (Added by Stats.2001, c. 100)
BACKGROUND
AB 1757 (Leslie) continued
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History of Bodie: The town of Bodie was named after
Waterman S. Body (also known as William S. Bodey) who
discovered gold there in 1859. The change in spelling of
the town's name has often been attributed to an illiterate
sign painter, but was a deliberate change by the citizenry
to insure proper pronunciation.
The town of Bodie rose to prominence with the decline of
mining along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada.
Prospectors crossing the eastern slope in 1859 to search
for gold discovered what was to be the Comstock Lode at
Virginia City and started a wild rush to the surrounding
high desert country.
Bodie became a boom town in 1877 and by 1879 had a
population of approximately 10,000 with 2,000 buildings.
The town became more known for its wild living than for its
big gold resources - numerous saloons and breweries dotted
the mile long main street. By 1882 the town was in the
grips of decline - the rich mines were playing out and
mining companies were going bankrupt. Two fires, one in
1892 and the other in 1932 ravaged the business district
and Bodie faded into a ghost town in the 1940's.
Today, Bodie stands just as time, fire and the elements
have left it - a genuine California gold-mining ghost town.
Designated a state historic park in 1962, approximately
170 buildings are protected in a state of "arrested decay"
on more than 1,000 remote acres, administered by the
California Department of Parks and Recreation. Bodie State
Historic Park, situated at 8,400 feet, is open year round -
the park is northeast of Yosemite, 13 miles east of Highway
395 on Bodie Road, seven miles south of Bridgeport.
Purpose of Bill: The author maintains that the designation
of Bodie as our state ghost town will demonstrate the
state's rich Gold Rush history for all Californian's and
tourists. This measure is a product of a "Write-a-Bill
Challenge," sponsored by the author to encourage junior
high school students in Assembly District 4 to participate
in the legislative process. The idea for this measure
originated from the students and teachers of Lee Vining
Junior High School.
Arguments in Support: Writing in support of this measure,
Doug Brodie and Jim Watson, authors of "Big Bad Bodie: high
sierra ghost town," note:
AB 1757 (Leslie) continued
Page 4
"Bodie is without a doubt the most historic and
certainly the
best-preserved Old West community in the Nation and
already
hosts over 200,000 visitors each year in perhaps its
unofficial
capacity as State Ghost Town. A visit to Bodie is
extremely
worthwhile and educational, with all who visit
coming away
with a special insight into the Gold Rush days in
California."
"On any given day one can wander the streets of
Bodie, along
with visitors from around the world, all deeply
immersed in a new
found appreciation for those days long since past.
Bodie, its
citizenry long ago departed, still welcomes all who
come to walk
its streets, peer into its buildings, feel what it
was like to live in a
town so important to California's past."
Arguments in Opposition: The County of San Bernardino,
home to "Calico Ghost Town" - a popular tourist
destination, has expressed concern that if Bodie is
designated as the official state ghost town, it may create
a competitive disadvantage when rivaling for state and
federal grants.
Calico is located off I-15, north of Barstow. The County
notes that "Calico, founded in 1881, could boast boomtown
status, producing $86 million in silver, $45 million in
borax, and a town population of 1,200 with 22 saloons,
China Town, mercantile stores, and a red light district.
Over 500 mines, including the legendary Silver King,
Oriental and Bismarck were the engines that drove Calico's
great wealth between the years of 1881 and 1907. Like most
towns of the early West, when the price of silver dropped
from $1.31 an ounce to $.63, Calico became a ghost of its
former self. Today, Calico is one of the few remaining
original and historical mining towns of the western United
States. Calico is home of Tumbleweed Harris and the
AB 1757 (Leslie) continued
Page 5
legendary 1885 Mail Dog Dorsey."
Today, Calico operates as a county regional park, situated
on 480 acres adjacent to federal lands administered by the
Bureau of Land Management.
The County points out that it would support AB 1757 if it
were amended to make Bodie "a" official state ghost town
rather than "the" official ghost town.
SUPPORT: As of June 7, 2002:
Lee Vining Junior High School
Mono Basin Historical Society
Mono County Historical Society
Descendants of the owners of the DeChambeau Hotel in Bodie
Doug Brodie/Jim Watson, authors of "Big Bad Bodie: high
sierra ghost town"
And, several private individuals
OPPOSE: As of June 7, 2002:
County of San Bernardino
FISCAL COMMITTEE: No.
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