SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) released the following statement after her bill, SCR 14, which will honor the lives of Captain Ramon “Ray” Figueroa and Firefighter Patrick Jones was approved by the Transportation Committee on consent:

“Fire Captain Figueroa and Firefighter Jones made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community,” said Senator Hurtado. “I am proud to honor their memory, by recognizing their heroic actions, and the sacrifice that they made on behalf of Porterville.”

SCR 14 will designate a portion of State Route 65 in the city of Porterville as “Fire Captain Ramon “Ray” Figueroa and Firefighter Patrick Jones Memorial Highway.” The two men were killed in the Porterville Library Fire on February 18, 2020 while conducting a search to ensure that there were no civilians still in the building. Unfortunately, the men succumbed to fatal injuries which were incurred during their search.  

Media Contact: Michelle.Sherwood@Sen.Ca.Gov

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 14th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website here or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado

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