Local legislator takes initiative to update county's Capitol display.

Fresno County's display in the state Capitol -- part of a collection of window-box exhibits highlighting California's 58 counties -- got a new look in time for the county's sesquicentennial celebration.

Assembly Member Juan Arambula, D-Fresno, pushed for an updated display because the old one wasn't being kept up and "didn't seem truly representative of who we are." With the tag line, "Celebrating our 150th anniversary," the exhibit features the work of Claude C. "Pop" Laval, a legendary photographer who chronicled Fresno from 1911 to 1966.

The centerpiece photos are of the old Fresno County courthouse and an aerial view of California State University, Fresno, in the 1950s. Another shows a Sanger train station.

The unveiling came as Fresno County prepares for its 150th year. The celebration kicked off Wednesday when schoolteacher Bill Coate began a 13-day wagon trek across Fresno County. The Capitol exhibit, which officials said cost the county about $4,500, "will let people know how important Fresno County is to California," said Phil Larson, chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

The display will be replaced in the fall with a permanent exhibit.

With the county displays such a popular sight on visits to the Capitol by tourists and schoolchildren, our Valley's elected representatives -- who work in the Capitol and walk past the displays often -- must ensure that the permanent exhibit doesn't fall into disrepair, as the last one did.