EMPEROR NORTON TUNNEL | SCR 193 Action Guide
SCR 193 Action Guide
[TO CALIFORNIA ORGANIZATIONS — The email-writing resources below apply to individual California residents who wish to urge their state Senators and Assemblypersons to support and co-author Senate Concurrent Resolution 193.
Do you represent a California organization that wishes to endorse SCR 193 by registering an official letter of support with the California state legislature? Please write for instructions to Emperor Norton Trust founder John Lumea at john@EmperorNortonTrust.org. Thank you!]
On 3 August 2026, California State Senator Scott Wiener took up The Emperor Norton Trust’s proposal that the state legislature pass a joint resolution designating the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge tunnel through Yerba Buena Island, S.F., as the “Emperor Norton Tunnel” and introduced this as
Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 193 “Relative to the Emperor Norton Tunnel”
You can find the text of the resolution — and follow its progress — by clicking here.
➡ ➡ ➡ THIRD VOTE — Assembly Transportation Comm. — pending
In order to succeed, SCR 193 must pass a series of four votes in the state legislature.
FIRST VOTE— Senate Transportation Committee (August 11) — PASSED 13–0
SECOND VOTE — Senator floor (August 20) — PASSED 39–0
The real challenge comes now: the tight timeline for scheduling votes from both the Assembly Transportation Committee and the full Assembly by the close of the legislative session on August 31.
To help advance SCR 193…
WRITE
IF YOU LIVE IN CALIFORNIA:
THE MOST IMPORTANT EMAIL YOU CAN SEND RIGHT NOW is a joint email to…
Robert Rivas — Speaker of the California State Assembly
Assemblymember Lori Wilson — Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee
…with a cc to Julius McIntyre, the Speaker’s policy analyst for transportation.
See just below for an email link with a pre-addressed sample email.
With the Senate’s passage of SCR 193 this week, it now heads next to the Assembly Transportation Committee.
But, SCR 193 may not reach Assembly Transportation for a vote until next week.
This will put SCR 193 on a VERY tight schedule to get the two more requisite Yes votes — a vote by Assembly Transportation followed by a final vote on the Assembly floor — to pass by the end of the legislative session on August 31.
So it's very important that both the Speaker and the Chair of Assembly Transportation hear EARLY and OFTEN about the support for SCR 193 — and that they be urged to schedule timely votes on the resolution that will make it possible for SCR 193 to pass in the current session.
➡ ➡ ➡ Click here for a pre-addressed sample joint email.
Also, of course…
SEND EMAILS OF SUPPORT urging your Assemblymember to support and vote for SCR 193. See below for letter writing tips.
FIND YOUR ASSEMBLYMEMBER with this tool.
If you are able to determine your Assemblymember’s lead staff as well — district director; legislative director; and chief of staff — it is helpful to cc these staffers, as they the ones most likely to see your letter of support first and bring it to the Assemblymember’s attention.
Lawmakers don’t always include email addresses on their official websites. But, the following standard formats usually work:
SENATE
Lawmaker — senator.lastname@senate.ca.gov
Staff — firstname.lastname@sen.ca.gov
ASSEMBLY
Lawmaker — assemblymember.lastname@assembly.ca.gov
Staff — firstname.lastname@asm.ca.gov
:: :: ::
SAN FRANCISCO HAS three state lawmakers. Two of them — Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Catherine Stefani — are, respectively, the lead author and co-author of SCR 193.
It would be most helpful to have a unified San Francisco front in support of this measure.
Here’s the full set of addresses for writing to Assemblymember Matt Haney urging him to publicly support and vote for SCR 193:
Assemblyperson Matt Haney
assemblymember.haney@assembly.ca.gov
MacKenzie Ewing — district director
mackenzie.ewing@asm.ca.gov
Laura Edwards — legislative director
laura.edwards@asm.ca.gov
Abigail Rivamonte Mesa — chief of staff
abigail.rivamontemesa@asm.ca.gov
:: :: ::
TIPS FOR WRITING EMAILS OF SUPPORT
Include your name and where you live.
Subject line: “Support for SCR 193 re the Emperor Norton Tunnel”
Text: A crisp 2-sentence statement along the lines:
“I strongly support Senate Concurrent Resolution 193 that would designate the officially unnamed Bay Bridge tunnel through Yerba Buena Island as the ‘Emperor Norton Tunnel’ — and that would do this in time for the 90th anniversary of the bridge and tunnel this coming November.“I urge you to publicly support and vote for SCR 193.”
Supplement this basic statement with a sentence that includes links to our proposal and endorsements.
Include a personal comment, if you wish — but make this brief.
When writing to a given lawmaker, be sure to cc their chief of staff; legislative director; and district director, if possible.
Please also cc Emperor Norton Trust founder John Lumea at john@EmperorNortonTrust.org.
:: :: ::
IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE CALIFORNIA:
Send emails of support to Emperor Norton Trust founder John Lumea at john@EmperorNortonTrust.
Be sure to let us know your name and where you are writing from.
SIGN
Our PETITION is at change.org/EmperorNortonTunnel
LEARN
1
Our original NAMING PROPOSAL is at EmperorNortonTrust.org/tunnel
The proposal also is accessible by clicking the Proposal button at EmperorNortonTunnel.org
2
Our ENDORSEMENTS are at EmperorNortonTrust.org/tunnel/endorsements
3
Our PRESS…
13 Aug 2026
J: The Jewish News of Northern California
The secret Jewish history of San Francisco folk hero Emperor Norton
Profile of the Emperor’s Jewishness, with a focus on SCR 193
6 Aug 2026
Axios
The Bay Bridge Tunnel Could Soon Bear Emperor Norton’s Name
Axios weighs in on “Emperor Norton Tunnel” naming resolution SCR 193
5 Aug 2026
SFist
Bay Bridge’s Yerba Buena Tunnel Might Get Named In Honor of Emperor Norton
Article from news site that broke the story of our “Emperor Norton Bridge” petition
13 years — nearly to the day — earlier, on 6 August 2013
5 Aug 2026
San Francisco Chronicle
Scott Wiener Wants to Name Yerba Buena Tunnel After This
Quirky S.F. Folk Hero
Article on SCR 193, “Emperor Norton Tunnel” naming resolution in the
California state legislature, that cites The Emperor Norton Trust as the
originator of the resolution
27 Jul 2026
Freethought Today
Update from SF Bay Chapter of Freedom From Religion Foundation
Lead “Chapter Updates” item in the August 2026 issue of the official
magazine of the Freedom From Religion Foundation
10 Jun 2026
Broke-Ass Stuart
There’s a Serious Movement to Create the “Emperor Norton Tunnel”
Invited op-ed by Emperor Norton Trust founder John Lumea — a good introduction
to the project that includes links to the proposal, petition, and endorsements
Thank you!!!
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Learn more!
See our full Naming Proposal and Endorsements.