For Immediate Release: July 29, 2022

Media Contact: Marisol.Ibarra@sen.ca.gov

HURTADO RELEASES STATEMENT REGARDING THE UNVEILING OF HIGHWAY NAMING MEMORIAL SIGNS FOR PORTERVILLE FIREFIGHTERS

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) released the following statement regarding the unveiling of highway naming signs which memorialize the Porterville firefighters who died in the February 2020 fire that destroyed the Porterville Public Library.

“The signs we are unveiling today will serve as a permanent reminder of the selfless sacrifices of Captain Ramon ‘Ray’ Figueroa and Firefighter Patrick Jones. They represent a fitting tribute to the bravery of these men who left an indelible mark on the community of Porterville,” said Senator Hurtado. “This recognition is long overdue for these men and their families. I am thankful we were able to come together today to properly acknowledge their service and commitment to protecting the public.”

On February 18, 2020, around 4:00 P.M., a fire erupted at the Porterville Public Library. Figueroa and Jones rushed into the building to make sure everyone had gotten out safely, but tragically did not make it out themselves.

In 2021, Senator Hurtado carried SCR 14, the resolution that officially designated a portion of Highway 65 within Porterville as the Fire Captain Ramon Figueroa and Firefighter Patrick Jones Memorial Highway. The resolution was signed into law July of that year.

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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