CA ACR282

Recognizes October 2018 as Filipino American History Month and commemorates the 431st anniversary of Filipinos' first presence in continental United States, dating to October 18, 1587, when Filipino sailors arrived in Morro Bay, California.

Documents Filipino American contributions to California and the United States including participation in the mission system, agricultural labor movements, World War II service (approximately 200,000 soldiers), and establishment of communities in San Francisco, Stockton, Vallejo, and Los Angeles.

Highlights major Filipino American achievements including leadership in the 1965 Delano Grape Strike with César Chávez, founding of the first College of Ethnic Studies at California State University San Francisco in 1968, and the International Hotel tenants' rights campaign from 1968-1977.

Notes that Filipino Americans are currently the largest Asian American and Pacific Islander group in California and the third largest in the United States, with nine recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and numerous public officials including a Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court.

Expresses concern that many Filipino American historic sites and ethnic neighborhoods have been destroyed or remain in danger from redevelopment projects and calls for preservation of Filipino communities and cultural heritage throughout the state.