Adam Gray

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my good friend, Dr. Steve M. Tietjen, who is retiring as Merced County Superintendent of Schools after 45 years of service to students and their families.

Dr. Tietjen earned his Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Administration from the California State University, Fresno, and his Doctor of Education, Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Southern California.

In 1980, Dr. Tietjen started his career in education as a history teacher in Visalia. Just 12 years later, he became the Superintendent of Woodlake Public Schools in Tulare County, where he served for 15 years before moving to Los Banos Unified School District to serve as Superintendent from 2009 to 2016.

He came to the Merced County Office of Education as the Deputy Superintendent in 2016, and in less than a year, he was elected to serve as the Merced County Superintendent of Schools, where he leads the 1,400 employees of the County Office of Education.

During the COVID pandemic, Dr. Tietjen oversaw countywide efforts to keep students learning, a time he calls the ``most challenging period of his tenure.'' He also expanded the Virginia Smith Trust scholarship program to award more than $500,000 annually to Merced County students and acquired two downtown Merced buildings to make services for families, mental-health support, and employment programs more accessible to all.

He has always made the needs of students his top priority in all matters and empowered those he worked with to do the same.

It is my privilege to thank Dr. Steve M. Tietjen for his support and friendship as well as for his 45 years in education where he has tirelessly worked to educate, elevate, and empower the students and families he served.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the City of Kerman as it celebrates 80 years as an incorporated city on July 3, 2026.

The site of Kerman was first established by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company as a train station in 1891. It was at this site in 1892 that the famous Sontag and Evans gang held up the San Francisco- Los Angeles passenger train, one of the last train robberies in the country.

Settlement and cultivation of the Kerman area began and continued through the turn of the century as irrigation projects brought water to the area, primarily from the Kings River to the south. In 1900, William G. Kerckhoff and Jacob Mansar purchased around 3,027 acres of land and formed the Fresno Irrigated Farms Company.

In 1906, the town was renamed Kerman by combining the names Kerckhoff and Mansar. By 1914, Kerman had an estimated population of 400 people surrounded by 29,000 acres of producing cropland. The Kerman Creamery was a significant business and produced about 1,600 pounds of butter daily. In 1921, Madera Avenue was paved from the Southern Pacific railroad tracks north to the San Joaquin River, and streetlights were installed from the tracks to Whitesbridge Road.

In 1946, the 1,050 residents of Kerman voted to incorporate. Sitting at the crossroads of State Route 145 and 180, Kerman has seen waves of residential and business growth that have expanded the city.

Today, Kerman has a population nearing 20,000 and is the largest city in West Fresno County. Still surrounded by agriculture, Kerman has also become a popular bedroom community to Fresno through its continued growth, family atmosphere, and supportive local businesses and employers.

Please join me in honoring the 80th Anniversary of the City of Kerman, where community comes first.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Louis E. ``Louie'' Parreira, longtime Central Valley agricultural leader and almond industry pioneer, on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

Mr. Parreira is best known as a founder of Parreira Almond Processing Company (PAPC/RPAC Almonds), a multi-generation family

farming and almond processing operation based near Los Banos in California's San Joaquin Valley.

Louie began his agriculture career as a dairy farmer, and over his lifetime, he was a Merced County Sheriff Posse member, a gravel truck driver, an irrigation equipment installer, a cotton harvester equipment educator, and, after retiring from RPAC's daily operations, an Agricultural Ambassador for State Fairs throughout the United States.

Mr. Parreira helped build one of the early large-scale almond hulling and shelling operations in California during the 1970s alongside his wife Barbara and sons David and Paul Parreira. The company evolved into RPAC Almonds, which is now a major almond processor and exporter serving growers throughout California.

Besides almonds, Louie and his wife Barbara grew cotton, fruit, row crops, and grains. He has been married to the love of his life for 77 years. Louie and Barbara founded the Little Hands on the Farm experience at the Los Banos Fair and were both honored by the Los Banos Downtown Association as the 2021 Farm/Ag Leaders of the Year. Louie is also a graduate of Los Banos' Westside Union High School, and a member of the Future Farmers of America.

It is my privilege to recognize Louie, who has spent 100 years guiding, nurturing, and advancing California agriculture and the Los Banos community. Please join me in honoring Louie E. Parreira on his centennial birthday.