Ken Calvert: “I rise today with the whole of my delegation to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the great state of California…”

“I rise today with the whole of my delegation to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the great state of California joining the United States of America. As the 31st state to join the union, nobody at the time could have predicted the incredible breadth of agriculture, business, military prowess or diversity that California would and continues to contribute to the nation. My own small corner of California, anything but small really, encompasses western Riverside County, including the cities of Riverside, Corona, Norco, Lake Elsinore and Murrieta. In fact, Riverside County is the fourth largest county in the state, stretching nearly 200 miles across and comprising over 7,200 square miles of fertile river valleys, low deserts, mountains, foothills and rolling plains. Between 1980 and 1990, the number of residents grew by over 76%, making Riverside the fastest-growing County in California. By 1992, the County was 'home' to over 1.3 million residents--more than the entire population of 13 states, among them Maine, Nevada, Hawaii and New Hampshire.”