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California legislature passes Harvey Milk Day resolution

“Both houses of our Legislature have now honored Harvey Milk’s important civil rights legacy, and I am hopeful the governor will sign this bill so that California officially recognizes the message of hope and pride his life inspired,” said Assemblymember Leno.

The May 22, non-fiscal state holiday would not impact the state budget because it would not be considered a paid holiday, but has caused controversy amongst conservatives because the bill calls for public schools to engage in “commemorative exercises.”

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) said the bill by Assemblyman Leno was appropriate to honor a man who, in 1977, became the first openly gay elected official of any large city in the United States and later made the cover of Time Magazine.

“His legacy as a civil rights leader is still felt today,” she said.

Not one Republican voted for the bill, which also says the day shall have special significance in public school and other educational institutions and “encourages those entities to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on that date.”

Sen. Dave Cox (R-Fair Oaks) said his vote against the measure had nothing to do with who was involved. “In school, we ought to concentrate on writing, reading and arithmetic,” he said, adding that the schools don’t need other requirements placed on them by the Legislature.