We’re two years out from the 250th anniversary of America’s founding — and state legislators are working on California’s involvement in the upcoming party.
The federal government in 2016 tasked federal lawmakers and states with planning for the semiquincentennial, and in the years since, 43 states and U.S. territories have formed official commissions dedicated to the effort.
So far, California has not.
But could that change two years out from the celebration?
That’s the hope of Sen. Janet Nguyen, R-Huntington Beach, who is behind a bill to set up a state commission to commemorate the semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of America’s founding as well as the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Under the legislation, California’s commission would be required to “plan and coordinate commemorations and observances of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution,” the bill said.
The state archivist would head the commission, and it would include two assemblymembers, two state senators, one individual proposed by the California Historical Society and five from the general public.
While California is without an official semiquincentennial commission, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office is in the early planning phase for the commemoration in 2026, according to a spokesperson. Legislation is not needed to establish a commission, according to the governor’s office.
In New Mexico, which most recently joined the effort to celebrate the semiquincentennial, the state commission is tasked with planning, promoting and implementing public celebrations of the 250th anniversary, similar to what Nguyen has…
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