Jerry Garcia, Ruth Asawa among California Hall of Fame inductees

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Ruth Asawa and Jerry Garcia were a few Bay Area legends inducted into the California Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

Jerry Garcia was one of the most accomplished musicians of his era. Best known as the lead guitarist and primary singer for the Grateful Dead, he had an eclectic musical career that started in the psychedelic Sixties and his style ranged from folk to rock to bluegrass. 

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Jerry Garcia (1942 - 1995) of American rock band The Grateful Dead, London, 4th April 1972. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Internationally recognized for her distinctive wire sculptures, artist Ruth Asawa left her mark on the landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area through public commissions and activism for arts education. Her Origami Fountain in the Japantown mall is one of her most recognizable works, but there are several examples of her distinctive style in plazas around San Francisco.

Andrea�s Fountain, featuring mermaids created by famed sculptor Ruth Asawa, remains a centerpiece at Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. (Photo by Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

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Labor activist Larry Itliong, LGBTQ advocates Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, and rock musician Ritchie Valens were a few others honored.

Governor Newsom and Jennifer Siebel Newsom announced the inductees, all of them posthumous recipients, in a livestream hosted by the California Museum in Sacramento.

"When we look at the lives and legacies of the lives of those who have helped make California, you can see why California leads," said Newsom. 

The annual event to recognize Golden State icons was canceled last year due to the pandemic.

The California Hall of Fame was established in 2006 by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is housed at the California Museum in Sacramento.