Elton Gallegly: “I rise to celebrate the sesquicentennial of California and the 23rd Congressional District of California's role in the…”

“I rise to celebrate the sesquicentennial of California and the 23rd Congressional District of California's role in the Golden State's past, present and future. Long before California was admitted as the 31st state of the Union, Ventura County was home to Native Americans and Europeans. Father Junipero Serra founded one of his missions in Ventura, an area already known to the Chumash for its great fishing and abundant flora. As California progressed through the 1800s and early 20th Century, so did Ventura County. First the stage coaches and then the railroad connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco came over and through the Santa Susana Pass, snaking along the Simi Valley, and on out to the coast. Many who passed through Ventura County were captured by the golden hills and lush soil. They stayed and raised cattle, planted apricots and walnuts, citrus trees and avocados. Or, they harvested the soil in other ways. Black gold is also among Ventura County's riches, and you can actually see oil seeping out of the soil today as you drive up Highway 150 between Santa Paula and Ojai, and in other parts of the county. When Hollywood began to blossom in the Los Angeles hills, Ventura County became a prime film location.”