CA SR118

Recognizes October 2024 as Filipino American History Month and commemorates the 437th anniversary of Filipinos' first presence in continental United States, dating to October 18, 1587, when "Luzones Indios" arrived in Morro Bay, California.

Documents Filipino American contributions across centuries, including assistance establishing California's mission system in the late 1700s-early 1800s, agricultural labor in 20th-century California, and approximately 200,000 Filipino soldiers serving in World War II.

Highlights significant Filipino American community achievements including the 1965 Delano Grape Strike led by Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, establishment of the United Farm Workers of America, and leadership in founding the first College of Ethnic Studies at California State University, San Francisco in 1968.

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 representation in Congress and state legislatures.

Emphasizes need to preserve Filipino American historic sites and communities, many of which have been destroyed or threatened by redevelopment, highway construction, and urban development since World War II.