State gets set to celebrate Reagan's centennial

(07-04) 04:00 PDT Sacramento --

Ronald Reagan, or at least the legacy of the former president and California governor, is set to make a major return to the state and country next year.

February marks the 100th anniversary of Reagan's birth, and events are planned both nationally and internationally. Last week in the state Legislature, lawmakers passed a bill to permanently declare Feb. 6 Ronald Reagan Day in California. Schools would be encouraged to teach students about him on that day, Reagan's birth date.

Only two other Californians, naturalist John Muir and gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk, are commemorated with such a day.

The Legislature also passed a bill to create a special commission to coordinate events in the state to honor Reagan throughout the year.

"Certainly under the criteria that we have in trying to help young people in schools to understand the heritage and important contributions by people, ... Ronald Reagan as a Californian is at the top of the list," said Sen. George Runner, R-Lancaster (Los Angeles County), who sponsored the bill to create the state day.

Both bills are expected to be signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The commission, which would be known as the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission, would have five members appointed by legislative leaders and the governor along with two people that served in Reagan's administration in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., and a former governor.

It would be prohibited from spending any taxpayer dollars and would be privately funded.

'Exceptional career'

Assembly Republican Leader Martin Garrick of Carlsbad (San Diego County) wrote the bill to create the commission and said he envisions the state holding an elaborate dinner and other events.

In addition to raising a family here and a career in Hollywood, Reagan is "the first Californian ever to be elected president of the United States and governor of this great state," Garrick said. "Obviously (these are) exceptional career accomplishments."

He was governor from 1967 to 1975 and president from 1981 to 1989. Reagan died in 2004.

While the measures passed with unanimous and bipartisan support, some members of the Legislature criticized the proposals and abstained from voting.

Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, D-San Diego, said that while the commission would be privately funded, the state already has spent tens of thousands of dollars in staff time and other resources to pass the bill through the Legislature.

"He was a man who in his inaugural address in 1981 declared that in a time of crisis government is not the solution, government is the problem," said Saldana, who noted that Reagan was born in Illinois and said she didn't think Reagan himself would approve of the commission.

"We're in a financial crisis. We don't want to be expending resources on things that aren't absolutely necessary," she said.

Delicate issues

It is not clear whether or how controversial pieces of Reagan's legacy, including the Iran-contra scandal and his virtually ignoring the AIDS crisis as it ravaged gay communities and gained a foothold in the country, will be included in the events.

Beyond California, President Obama has set up a special commission to commemorate the anniversary, and the Ronald Reagan Foundation, which is part of Reagan's presidential library, is planning nationwide and even international events throughout 2011.

"We're doing something at every stop at just about every city and town in America," said Robert Bauer, spokesman for the Ronald Reagan Foundation in Simi Valley. Reagan's Feb. 6 birth date is the same day as the Super Bowl and - in addition to events at the library in the morning - Bauer said officials are trying to make that part of the celebration.

In addition to the United States, events throughout 2011 will take place in Berlin, London and some Eastern European cities. While 2011 will be a focus, Bauer said it also will serve as a launchpad for future work.

"The Reagan legacy will live on, but this is a special opportunity for Americans and others as well," he said.

For more information:

reagancentennial.com

ge.com/reagan

E-mail Wyatt Buchanan at wbuchanan@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle