Assembly Floor
- Chris Ward
Legislator
The assembly is now in session. Assembly member Flora notices the absence of a quorum. Sergeant Arms will prepare the chamber and bring in the absent members. The clerk will call the role.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Members, a quorum is present. We ask our guests and our visitors in the rear of the chamber and in the gallery to please stand for the prayer and the pledge. Today's prayer will be offered by our assembly chaplain, Imam Yasir Khan.
- Mohammad Khan
Person
In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful Almighty God, you have given us the freedom to choose between good and evil. Allow us to remain steadfast to choose good for California that tomorrow's generation may inherit from us the blessings of dignity and freedom, prosperity and peace. May this be God's will. Amin.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
We ask that you remain standing and join us in the nation's pledge. Please join Assembly Member Vince Fong as he leads us in the flag. Salute.
- Vince Fong
Person
Members, please join me in the pledge. Salute. Pledge. United States of America.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you. You may be seated. Reading of the previous day's journal.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Chamber Sacramento, Thursday, April 13, 2023 the assembly met at 09:00 a.m. The honorable
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Ms Reyes moves Mr. Flores seconds to the reading of the previous day's journal. Be dispensed with presentations and petitions. There are none. Introductions and references of bills will be deferred. Reports of committees will deem read and amendments deemed adopted. Messages from the Governor, there are none. Messages from the Senate, there are none. Moving to motions and resolutions, there are no absences for the day. All right, members, we're going to start to move to business on the Daily file. We're going to begin with file item three. This is AB 355.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Clerk will read assembly bill 355 by Assembly Member Alanis an act relating to Firearms.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And assembly member Alanis, you may open on the bill.
- Juan Alanis
Legislator
Thank you and good morning, Mr. Speaker and everyone else. I know it's a little early. AB 355 is a sensible approach in correcting oversight in current law by allowing peace officer cadets enrolled in basic training prescribed by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, or also known as POST, to use tactical rifles while engaged in firearm training and supervised by a firearms instructor. Current law exempts law enforcement from restrictions on possession of tactical weapons. However, those exemptions apply to only sworn peace officers, not cadets that are enrolled in a POST training.
- Juan Alanis
Legislator
This has caused logistical issues with getting cadets adequately trained and certified during the Academy in preparation for entry into the field training program. While cadets are required to train with handguns during the POST Academy, under existing law, they are not technically prohibited from going through the same training with tactical rifles. However, POST requires proficiency in the use of these firearms. So to resolve this conflict, agencies have to graduate cadets without completing their tactical rifle training and then send them back to receive their firearms training as sworn peace officers.
- Juan Alanis
Legislator
This delay and unnecessarily complicates cadet training and their entry into agency's staffing ranks. Let me be clear, AB 355 does not allow cadets to use or possess an assault rifle anywhere but under the supervision of instructors during firearms training. And I want to be clear that cadets will not be in personal possession of these firearms outside of their Academy grounds. AB 355 will ensure that cadets are properly trained on tactical assault rifles before they graduate.
- Juan Alanis
Legislator
Since the bill left Assembly Public Safety back in March, where it was unanimously supported, I have been following through with my promise to my colleagues in Public Safety Committee to work with the Brady Campaign on removing their opposition. I'm happy to report that as of yesterday, they have removed their opposition from this bill. The Brady Campaign and my office have negotiated an agreement in good faith for amendments to be introduced in the Senate which has removed their opposition to this bill. I am fully committed to upholding my end of this agreement, and I want to thank the Brady Campaign for their dedication in helping fine tune this bill and moving it forward through the process.
- Juan Alanis
Legislator
I also want to thank my colleagues on the Public Safety Committee for putting their trust in me to work on this bill in good faith to win the broadest support and deliver the best version of this bill. And I also especially want to thank my colleague from West Hollywood and his staff who have painstakingly taken the time and patience to work with me on this bill and with the Brady Campaign. So thank you. I ask for an Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Alanise. And as the member Zabur, you're recognized on the bill.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Alanis. And Assembly Member Zbur, you're recognized on the Bill.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
I rise in support of AB 355. I want to thank our colleague from Modesto for his hard work and good faith in working with the Brady Campaign and reaching a resolution. I think it's a good bill, and I strongly urge an Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Zabur. Seeing no other members wishing to address this Bill, sorry, Mr. Bryan, you're recognized on the bill.
- Isaac Bryan
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Colleagues. I also want to thank my colleague on the Public Safety Committee from Modesto for working through this bill and moving this policy, staying true to his word, my trust that those amends will be taken in the second House, but grateful for the work that's been put in respectfully ask for an Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Brian. And now, seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill, Mr. Alanis, anything further to close.
- Juan Alanis
Legislator
Just request an I vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Very good. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote, all those vote who desire to vote, clerk will close roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 50, No zero. The bill is passed. Next by Ms. McKinnor. This is file item six, AB 1028.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly bill 1028 by Assembly Member McKinnor and others in accolade in the reporting of crimes.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member McKinnor, you may open on the bill.
- Tina McKinnor
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise to present AB 1028, a bill to center domestic violence survivor safety and health by requiring that healthcare providers directly connect patients to domestic and sexual violence advocacy services if a patient is experiencing any kind of domestic or sexual violence, and by modernizing California's medical mandated reporting law, by limiting the injuries that healthcare providers are required to report.
- Tina McKinnor
Legislator
The bill is supported by the California Medical Association, the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, the California Nurses Association, the California Primary Care Association, and over 55 other domestic and sexual violence agencies, health organization, and gender justice groups. By limiting the mandated reporting to law enforcement to only adult injuries caused by a firearm, and also requiring an offer to connect survivors with victim services, we can increase survivors access to health care and connect survivors to the services they need for their safety and well being.
- Tina McKinnor
Legislator
Mandatory reporting laws create unintended barriers to patients ability to disclose abuse. In a survey by the national domestic violence hotline, callers reported avoiding health care because of mandatory reporting, and 83% of those who had experienced mandated reported stated it made the situation worse or no better. Recent studies also demonstrate that some populations, including LGBTQ and people of color, experience more unintended harms.
- Tina McKinnor
Legislator
Medical mandatory reporting also deters immigrant survivors from asking for seeking health care due to fear that law enforcement could detain or deport them or their family. When survivors are able to have an open, transparent conversation with their health care provider about the abuse, there are four times more likely to follow through on a safety intervention. I have heard countless stories about how our current mandated reporting laws have harmed survivors. Our survivors almost had a leg amputated because they delayed going to the hospital for injuries out of fear of law enforcement involvement and losing custody of their children.
- Tina McKinnor
Legislator
One trauma surgeon reported how she was providing care for a very seriously injured patient, and when the police officers entered the exam room, the patient became very scared and ultimately refused admission to the hospital, citing his fear of further interrogation. Survivors deserve to be able to access health care without fear and to be connected to trained advocates who can work with them to develop safety plans and support connections to resources including connection to law enforcement if the survivor wishes to engage with the criminal system.
- Tina McKinnor
Legislator
Amendments to be taken in the Senate will further strengthen the bill by maintaining the child and elder abuse reporting requirements ensuring that there is a robust documentation of adult violent injuries clarifying that health care providers can still report to law enforcement at the patient's request or if the providers are concerned for patient safety and clarifying liability protection for providers who are acting in good faith and in compliance with code section and HIPAA. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. McKinnor. And Assemblywoman Ortega, you're recognized on the bill.
- Liz Ortega
Legislator
Thank you. Speaker and Members, I rise in support of AB 1028 by Assembly Member McKinnor, which will ensure that adult survivors of domestic and sexual violence are connected with crucial community-based services and are provided options and pathways for seeking relief and safety from the criminal justice system. Unintended consequences of medical mandated reporting may include escalated retaliatory violence from the abuser, risk of immigrant detention and deportation, or loss of children to the child welfare system. Members, we want survivors to be able to report to law enforcement when it is physically safe for them to do so, not as a requirement, in order to receive crucial health care services. I strongly urge an Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Ortega and Assembly Member Wicks, you're recognized on the bill.
- Buffy Wicks
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise in support of my colleagues bill here from Los Angeles, AB 1028. This is a bill that was I know. I worked on this bill last year. I know she's working on this this year. It was brought to us by survivors who were asking for this change. So let's believe those survivors. Let's modernize this law. Other states are doing this. It's time for us to listen to the survivors. I know it's supported by the California Medical Association, by our OBs, by the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, and 55 other organizations who are calling for this change. It's an important bill. It makes sense. And again, let's believe the survivors and make the changes necessary. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Wicks. Seeing no other members wishing to be recognized on the bill. Ms. McKinnor, anything further to close?
- Tina McKinnor
Legislator
To be very clear, this bill is about removing barriers for survivors of abuse to access crucial health care services. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Ms. McKinnor moves the call. And Members, we have an announcement. Assembly Member Gabriel, you are recognized at your desk for your guest introductions.
- Jesse Gabriel
Legislator
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Please today to introduce some students from an institution that is very important, me Valley Best Shalom Day School. That is the synagogue where I go. And we have some wonderful fourth graders here, so please help me welcome them to the State Capitol.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Next, we are back on file with Mr. Zbur. This is file item seven, AB 1620. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 1620 by Assembly Member Zbur and others in accolading the real property.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Zbur, you are recognized to open this bill.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Today I'm proud to present AB 1620, which, despite being very narrowly crafted, will make a real difference in people's lives by reducing housing insecurity for people with physical disabilities and helping older Californians age in place with dignity. It allows people living in rent-controlled apartments and second floor units without access to an elevator to move to an available first floor unit without having their rent reset.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
I'm also proud that this bill is supported by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and sponsored by two cities in my district, the City of West Hollywood and the City of Santa Monica, all of which have made important strides in reducing housing insecurity and seek now to take this next step. This bill is still about keeping people in their homes and lifting up marginalized Californians in the face of longstanding social and systemic inequities.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
It's about doing everything we can to address our state's staggering homelessness crisis and finding solutions that are both practical and compassionate. Roughly 64% of low-income households are rent burdened, putting them at high risk of displacement due to an inability to afford basic needs. People with disabilities disproportionately experience poverty, homelessness, and housing discrimination.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
This inequity is compounded for people with disabilities who are also LGBTQ plus, from communities of color, or members of other marginalized populations. Older people and people with disabilities in rent-controlled areas need and deserve ways to remove the roadblocks they encounter to being rehoused in accessible and affordable housing units. AB 1620 removes one roadblock and retains local authority. This does not force communities to do anything.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
It merely authorizes them to take this approach at the local level and assures that owners will continue to receive a fair rate of return. It also increases housing security and gives tenants the flexibility to relocate to an available unit until they can access a reasonable rental rate they can afford. This bill is an important step towards empowering tenants with mobility challenges who are at higher risk of experiencing homelessness.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
I'm grateful for the engagement of stakeholders that have made this bill better, including the expert guidance we received from the team at Disability Rights California. I'd also like to thank the California Apartment Association for working with us. We incorporated their feedback to ensure this bill is fair and strikes the right balance, and they have moved from to a formal neutral position on the bill. I'm also grateful for the engagement of the California Association of Realtors for their drafting assistance with recent amendments, and we look forward to continuing our productive conversations as the bill progresses. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Zbur. And seeing no members wishing to address this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote all those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 42, Noes 16. The bill is passed. Next by Ms. Carrillo. This is file item nine, AB 1317.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
1317. Clerk will read.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Carrillo. You may open on the bill.
- Wendy Carrillo
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. I am proud to present AB 1317, which will require property owners of new multifamily apartments across ten counties to lease parking as a separate and optional expense. Commonly referred to as unbundling parking, AB 1317 will provide a powerful incentive to tenants to use alternative modes of transportation as they no longer need to pay for parking to rent an apartment. Additionally, this bill will encourage developers and property owners where parking demand is low to build fewer parking spaces, freeing up land for other uses such as housing. This bill is well tailored and cost effective approach to alleviating the state's dual housing and climate crisis, all while giving tenants greater flexibility. We are working diligently with the opposition to make sure that we address their concerns as this bill moves forward, and I respectfully request an aye vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Carrillo. Seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 41, no's 17. The bill is passed next by Mr. Kalra. This is file item ten, AB 1414.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly bill 1414 by Assembly Member Kalra, in accolade in the civil actions.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Member Kalra, you may open on the bill.
- Ash Kalra
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members, AB 1414 would protect consumers against predatory debt collection lawsuits by requiring debt collectors, debt buyers and original creditors to produce and sue on a contract for consumer debt cases rather than common counts. These pleadings have been subject to lesser evidence standards and have helped collectors evade modern consumer protection laws in tens of thousands of cases. According to the center for Responsible Lending, attorneys represent defendants in only 2% of debt cases, with two thirds of all cases resulting in default judgments that garnish wages or seize bank accounts. AB 1414 simply ensures the contract that gave rise to the consumer debt claim is produced and sued on in court. If a contract was not entered into, individuals can sue on an open book account, so long as they provide records of all debit and credit transactions that make up the alleged balance. This bill will close an exploitative loophole that has only driven people further into poverty and holds debt collectors, debt buyers and original creditors to the exact same evidentiary standards as every other business. Respectfully ask for your I vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you Mr. Kalra. And seeing no members wishing to address this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote, clerk will close the role. Tally the votes. Eyes 41 no. 17 bill is passed. Next. This is file item twelve AB 1136.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 1136 by Assembly Member Haney and others in accolade in the business and making an appropriation therefore.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Haney, you're recognized on the bill.
- Matt Haney
Legislator
Thank you Mr. Speaker and Members. Mixed martial arts, also known as MMA, is one of the most popular sports in the world. It's an over billion dollar industry worldwide, and it's also one of the most popular sports in California. We have more fights and more fighters in California than anywhere, any other place in the country. This brings tremendous revenue to our state. This is also a sport that is authorized and regulated by the California Athletic Commission. We have a responsibility to the safety and health of these fighters while they're in the ring and also when they finish, when they retire, they put their bodies on the line and they do it for a tremendous benefit and value to the fans. And our state regulates this sport and should do it effectively. We need to ensure that these licensed professional mixed martial arts fighters have access to a pension fund so they can retire with dignity when they finish fighting. This bill would ensure that they have access to a pension fund just like boxers do in our state. The pension fund would be financed through ticket sales, the sale of sports, paraphernalia and souvenirs, and would come at no cost to our state. This is necessary to provide much needed benefits and protection to athletes in the highly competitive and physically demanding sport of mixed martial arts. We already recognize this is necessary for boxing and this should be extended to MMA fighters as well. At 50 years old, they would automatically receive a pension. They would receive a notice that they're eligible. This bill has no opposition, it's received bipartisan support and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you Mr. Haney. And seeing no Members wishing to be addressed on this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote, all those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Aye's 58. No's zero. The bill is passed. We will pass temporarily on file item 13. Bringing us to Mr. Villapudua, file item 15, AB 476. Clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 476 by Assemblymember Villapudua and accolades to digital displays.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Support support. Mr. Villapudua, you may open on the bill.
- Carlos Villapudua
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members. AB 476 is a narrowly tailored bill that seeks to clarify that San Joaquin County is able to build a digital display in one location to display countywide public service announcements. This simple clarification will ensure San Joaquin County residents receive the utmost dated information, public information announcements in a timely fashion. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Villapudua. Seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Aye's 65. No's zero. The bill's passed. We will pass temporarily on file item 17, bringing us to Mr. Ta. This is file item 18, AB 1458. Clerk will read.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 1458 by Assemblymember Ta, accolade in Common Interest. Developments.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assemblymember Ta, you may open on the bill.
- Tri Ta
Legislator
Thank you Mr. Speaker and Members. I'm here this morning to present AB 1458. This bill seek to correct a recurring problem in Homeowners Association Board election. One third of California homes in Common Interest developments, also known as Homeowner Association or HOA. This HOA act like de facto governments in regulating their communities. Elected Board create policy, levy assessment, and punishment to homeowners. California laws spell out how HOA election are to be conducted, including current requirements. Unfortunately, many HOA are unable to hold election due to an inability to meet their minimum current requirements. This often result in board members in office for many years because HOA is unable to conduct an election. This is undemocratic and it's not how public elections are handled. There's no requirement that a minimum number of voters must participate before someone can be elected to public office, including the legislator. For example, only 14% of registered voters in Los Angeles County participate in 2022 primary election. AB 1458 seeks to remedy this problem by lowering the quorum requirement to 20% of homeowners for a subsequent board election in the event that a high quorum is not met the first time. This bill does not make any change to current requirement for election to change an HOA governing document. This bill does not raise any fees. I ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Ta. Seeing no members wishing to address this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close roll, tally the vote. Aye's 63. No's one. The bill is passed. Next, file item 19 for amendments. This is AB 1286. Clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 1286 with amendments by Assemblymember Haney.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assemblymember Haney, you may open on the amendments.
- Matt Haney
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. AB 1286 is an important patient and worker protection bill and these amendments will significantly narrow the conditions under which a pharmacist in charge, who is liable for health and safety within a pharmacy can close a part of a pharmacy while they address those conditions. Specifically, the amendments will specify the conditions must present an immediate risk of death, illness or irreparable harm to patients, personnel or pharmacy staff. It also removes the authority for the pharmacist on duty to make the decision to close a pharmacy if the pharmacist in charge is not available. Additionally, with these amendments, we are making it clear that the pharmacist in charge has to reopen the pharmacy immediately upon the abatement of the condition rather than as soon as reasonably possible. Lastly, among other things, amendments will make clear that this bill will only apply to large chain pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS. This is an important bill and these amendments will establish safeguards that will ensure there aren't frivolous shutdowns of pharmacies, but will protect patients and workers. I also want to say I'm open to working with the opposition in the Senate and refine this closure of peace fully. But these are very important narrowing amendments that will protect patients and workers. And I respectfully ask for your aye vote on these amendments.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Haney. Seeing no Members wishing to address these amendments. If there's no objection, we'll take a voice vote on the amendments. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed say nay. The ayes have it. Amendments are adopted. The bill is out to print and back on file. At this time, we're prepared to lift the call on file item six. Clerk will post. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Aye's 41. No's 15. The bill's passed. Back on file to Mr. Maienschein. This is file item 21, AB 1253.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 1253 by Assemblymember Maienschein, an accolade on hearsay
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assemblymember Maienschein, you may open on the bill.
- Brian Maienschein
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB 1253 protects victims of sexual assault from being forced to repeatedly relive their trauma in court. Because of the nature and tight timeline of SVP hearings, the victim is often forced to testify with minimal notice or preparation about crimes that happened years or decades prior. Thank you. And I respectfully request an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Maienschein. Seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Aye's 54. No's, zero. The bill's passed. Next to Mr. McCarty. This is file item 22, AB 1052.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly bill 1052 by Assemblymember McCarty, an accolade in Transportation.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assemblymember McCarty, you may open on the bill.
- Kevin McCarty
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is a district bill related to our transit district RT. You know, public transit is a lifeline for so many people who don't have the opportunities to have access to automobile. Plus, it helps us decongest our roads, clean our air, and tackle climate change. Too many of our transit districts are on a financial lifeline. This would allow our district here to narrow their taxing authority boundaries, to focus on transit improvements, focusing on where the ridership would appreciate and warrant the investments the most. Respectfully ask for your aye vote, thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. McCarty. And seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Aye's 44. No's 14. The bill's passed. Next, this is file item 23, AB 1259.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 1259 by Assembly Member Soria, an accolade in the local government.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assemblymember Soria, you may open on the bill.
- Esmeralda Soria
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. AB 1259 is a district bill that only applies to the City of Merced. The bill paves the way for the City of Merced to establish an enhanced infrastructure financing district to fund projects that will further the city's affordable housing goals and are in alignment with the state's priorities, such as transit-oriented development and respective rail projects. The EIFD will also fund necessary infrastructure improvements to support a growing UC Merced campus. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Soria. Seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Aye's 48. No's seven. The bill's passed. Next, this is file item 24, AB 374. Clerk will read.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Bill 374 by Assembly Member Haney, an accolade in Cannabis.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Haney, you may open on the bill.
- Matt Haney
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. AB 374 legalizes cannabis cafes by allowing the sale of non-cannabis foods and soft drinks at licensed cannabis retailers. The legal cannabis industry is struggling. Issues like an oversaturation, high taxes and thriving black market are hurting cannabis businesses who follow the rules and pay taxes. In 2021, California's legal cannabis sales reached 4 billion, while the state's illegal black market sales were projected to have exceeded 8 billion. Legal businesses are following the rules and paying taxes, but are being crowded out by illegal businesses who can do whatever they want. AB 374 allows local governments to authorize the preparation and sale of non cannabis foods and soft drinks at licensed cannabis consumption lounges. To be clear, this does not allow coffee shops to sell cannabis. It allows cannabis shops to sell coffee with preapproval from local governments. Ironically how the law is written now, we require cannabis shops to only sell drugs. We believe that if these businesses want to move away from that model and sell muffins and coffee, they should be able to do that. This will support our small businesses with local government autonomy. It enjoyed broad bipartisan support and policy committees. And I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Haney. And seeing no Members wishing to address this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Aye's 52. No's nine. The bill's passed. Next by Mr. Mike Fong, this is file item 26, AB 733.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Mike Fong
Legislator
Assembly Bill 733 by Assemblymember Mike Fong and others, in accolade in the Firearms.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assemblymember Fong, you may open on the bill.
- Mike Fong
Legislator
Good morning, Mr. Speaker and Members. Assembly Bill 733 will prohibit state and local government agencies and departments from selling firearms, firearm parts, ammunition and body armor. Days after the tragic mass shooting in Monterey Park, in my district, a local law enforcement agency attempted to sell surplus firearms in an online auction. This revealed a gap in our current system. There is no state law that prevents state and local government agencies and departments from selling surplus firearms back to the public. AB 733 will ensure that government entities are not playing a role in increasing access to deadly weapons in our communities. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Laura Friedman
Person
Thank you, Mr. Fong. Seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Aye's 42. No's 16. The bill's passed. Next by Ms. Friedman, this is file item 29, AB 1399.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 1399 by Assembly Member Friedman and others, in accolade of veterinary medicine.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Ms. Friedman, you may open on the bill.
- Laura Friedman
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. This bill would allow veterinarians who choose to to start to use TeleVet, telemedicine for their clients. This is a practice that we allow for medical doctors, that we can use for our own children if we like, but we don't allow under current law for animals. Now, during COVID, the COVID crisis, we did extend that type of care to allow vets to use. And what we found is that there are a lot of people out there who even pre-COVID didn't take their pets to the vet. Some of them have mobility issues. Some of them live really far away from a vet. Some of them are unable to pay for the vet bills for in-care. So we saw veterinary access actually increase dramatically when we allowed for telemedicine for animals. This bill allows vets who are licensed in the state of California to be able to opt into using this care for those patients who choose to use it. It doesn't force any vet to use it. But for many cases, for people who are on the fence about whether they have to take their animal in, who maybe who have animals who get really stressed out in the veterinary office and find that as a barrier, for people who may be ill themselves, this could really offer a lifeline. Now, is it optimal? Of course not. It's not optimal in the human set either. But is it important that we have that access in rural areas where people live far away for instance? For people with large animals like horses? We're bringing a vet out. I can tell you myself because I had this happen this weekend. My vet came out to see my horse and listened to them and gave them a little bit of medicine. It was a $700 vet bill. So at times to be able to say, hey, take a look at the behavior, take a look at this sore. Is it worth coming out? We think that the answer should be yes. We also have a veterinary workforce shortage, and so allowing this allows those vets to expand their practice. Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control, the US. Census Bureau, and the American Veterinary Medical Association, the state of California has a failing veterinary accessibility score of 47 out of 100. This is a proven, safe means of delivering care. We learned that through COVID-19 and through states that already allow this. I would respectfully request an aye vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Friedman. Seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Aye's 62. No's zero. The bill's passed. Next, this is file item 33 by Miss Boerner, AB 73. Clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 73 by Assemblymember Boerner and others, in accolade of vehicles.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assemblymember Boerner, you may open on the bill.
- Tasha Boerner
Legislator
Yes, Mr. Speaker and Members. AB 73 would make intersections safer for bicyclists drivers and pedestrians by allowing bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs when approaching an intersection. While this seems counterintuitive, in Delaware, they've done this exact bill, which has been narrowed from previous year's versions, to be just a two lane road with complete stop sign controlled intersections, and they've seen a 23% reduction in bike-car collisions because you make the behavior of the bicyclist predictable for drivers. Specifically, the bill would allow individuals 18 years of age and older to yield when approaching a stop sign at an intersection. Make it a six year pilot. And CHP needs enough data to evaluate the program, which is why it's a six year pilot. Limit the stop as yield to two lane roads with stop signs on all corners. Add that minors who fail the stop of the stop sign will get a warning ticket for the first offense. And Vehicle Code 21-804 already provides a clear legal definition and expectation for those required to yield at intersections. Under this code section, the driver of any vehicle, including bikes, approaching an intersection with the yield sign must yield the right of way to any vehicle and pedestrians that have entered the intersection. AB 73 uses this common understanding of a yield sign to allow bicyclists approaching an intersection to stop and slow down and allow to yield to any cars and pedestrians already in the intersection. So if a bike approaches an intersection and there's a pedestrian, there's another cyclist, there's a car, the bike still has to stop. It allows them to do the yield. If it's safe to do so, the bicyclists can then proceed through the intersection without making a complete stop. The goal of AV 73 is to make bicyclist behavior predictable for drivers when they approach an intersection. All roads need to be safe for all road users. And I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Just a reminder that Minnesota just passed the stop as yield last week, so there's now ten other states who already do this.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Boerner. And Assemblymember Lackey, you're recognized on the bill.
- Tom Lackey
Legislator
Yeah, thank you. Members, just think about this for a second. I will tell you, as someone who has dealt with traffic for almost 30 years, people already underemphasize the importance of stop signs. This will further that confusion. And I just could tell you that this is a very, very bad bill for public safety, and it will result in tragedy, maybe not in larger numbers that some of the advocates may use as justification. But I'm telling you, there will be loss of life. And any vote that leads to loss of life, in my opinion, is poorly crafted. So I hope that you'll at least think about that and please act in the interests of public safety.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Lackey. And seeing no other Members wishing to speak on the bill. Ms. Boerner, anything further to close?
- Tasha Boerner
Legislator
Yes, I want to just remind everybody that the data that came out of Delaware showed a 23% reduction in bike-car collisions. So if you want to keep people safe, you vote for AB 73. So I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Aye's 44. No's 13. The bill's passed.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Next we will move on to file item 34 AB 659 by Miss Aguiar Curry. Clerk will read
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly bill 659 by some Aguiar Curry and others an act relating to Human Papilloma Virus
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Aguiar Curry you may open on the bill.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
Good morning, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. In the United States, 337 thousand cases of cancer and 7000 deaths are caused by HPV. Every year. AB 659 will increase uptake of the cancer preventing HPV vaccine by guaranteeing that the vaccine is completely covered by all public and private health plans. Parents will be notified of the expectation for the HPV vaccination in the method already used at the choice of the school district in the statistically prevalent languages of the school population. Vaccination will also be an expectation of students entering UCs, CSU's and California community colleges. Out of respect for the impacts on school children of not attending school during the pandemic, I have removed the requirements that school districts and higher education institutions confirm or enforce vaccination, meaning those unvaccinated students can still attend school and higher ed. With the removal of the enforcement. AB 659 passed committee ten four. And Appropriations eleven four. It is supported by numerous public health advocates, including CMA and Planned Parenthood. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Aguiar Curry, and Assemblewoman Rubio, you're recognized on the bill.
- Blanca Rubio
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today as a coauthor of AB 659 and want to thank my colleague from Winters for authoring this measure. Members, this policy isn't complicated and it shouldn't be at all controversial. Over 30,000 cases of cancer were attributed to HPV infections just last year. A cancer of which we have a safe, proven and effective preventative medicine. 30,000 cases of cancer. We have had the tools to prevent the overwhelming majority of these cases for years, yet failed to fully utilize them. It is my hope in my lifetime we find a comprehensive cure for all cancers. In the meantime, this measure plays a critical role in reducing the number of families impacted by HPV and the cancer complications associated with it. Members, please join me in supporting AB 659 and I respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Ms. Rubio and Assemblywoman Ortega, you're recognized on the bill.
- Liz Ortega
Legislator
I also rise today as a proud coauthor of AB 659 and applaud the author's work on this important bill. I also rise as a mother of a teenage daughter, AB Six Five Nine, simply notifies families of 6th grade students that they are expected to receive this life saving HPV vaccine before they enter the 8th grade. This is a life saving bill, cancer preventing vaccine, and I urge your aye vote on AB 659.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Ortega and Assembly Member Joe Patterson, you're recognized on the bill.
- Joe Patterson
Legislator
Thank you so much. I rise regrettably to oppose this measure. I know that the author has worked very hard and I appreciate the amendments to take out the mandate. Right now, the language says that schools must notify parents and students about the expectation from the state that they receive the HPV vaccine. I think that conversation is much better had with a doctor on whether or not that should be something that's done. And also, I think that when adults are going to students and they're saying, hey, you're expected to do this by the time you reach 8th grade or before you go to high school or before you're 26 years old, what naturally are they going to think? They think it's something that they need to do. And finally, even though I already said that, I'm also concerned about exactly how this might potentially be interpreted by a judge someday, because we are developing right here a public policy that the state expects people to get vaccinated. And will a judge ultimately make a decision that, well, the expectation is of the state, the legislature has spoken, the governor signed the bill, and you need to get the vaccine. So with that, I ask for a no vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Patterson. And Assemblymember Freidman, you recognize all on the bill.
- Laura Friedman
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. The previous speaker mentioned that if a letter is sent home to parents that the people reading that might think that getting this vaccine is something that they're and I think the quote was expected to do, that's exactly right. I'm a co author of this bill. I'm also a cancer survivor. My grandmother also survived uterine cancer. And for years people have said, imagine, imagine if one day there's a simple shot you can take to prevent cancer. Well, you know what? That's now a reality. This is a simple, safe shot that's been used by tens of thousands of girls across the country, and the result has been only that numerous cancers were prevented. Now we're talking about children. We're talking about young adults here. Children are not, by law, allowed to make their own medical decisions. There is a limit to what children can decide. And we have also decided that it's in the public good that we as a society protect those children even if their parents are reluctant to do so. We don't allow parents to decide to withhold medical care from children. There are numerous court cases that say there's certain level of base care that you're expected to provide as a parent, whether you want to or not. You have to provide a level of nutrition. If your child has a serious disease, you have got to treat that disease. Even if your religious belief says you don't believe in science or you don't believe in medicine, we expect you to get vaccines that we know will save that child's life. And because of that, we don't have polio ravaging children. And in this case, we can prevent cancers. So, yes, parents have some rights, but when it comes to stopping a preventable cancer, they should be, we should, as a society do whatever we can to urge that family to take that preventative step. This bill doesn't force anybody to do it. It simply notifies them that's reasonable. We hope that they do what they should be doing for the sake of that child. Now, they may not believe in science. They may believe that their child deserves cancer if they engage in sex sexual activity, but that's not where we are as a society. We say we want to protect those girls from a purely preventable spreadable cancer. With that, I urge an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Friedman and Assemblyman Mathis you're recognized on the bill.
- Devon Mathis
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, members, I was actually happy to see the mandated language taken out of this. But I think the question today really comes down to is it the place for us as a state to have it in our schools that we're going to tell our kids, hey, you need to go do this, you need to go get a vaccination? Or is it the place for the parents, the families, the doctors to have that as a family conversation? Clearly, there's different beliefs as the previous member just spoke. What concerns me is that the idea that the state is going to be the parents is fundamentally wrong. The idea that the state is going to tell us as parents and take that right, the ability to be a parent, to have the conversation, the opportunity to actually figure that out away, is fundamentally wrong. Granted, some of you might think it's the job of the states too, and we've seen the tweets about it. Live in your green government home, go to your green government job. Send your kid to your green government school, ride green government transportation. And if you don't like that, we'll send you to our green government reeducation. That might be what you all believe. Thank God we live in a republic and not a democracy. I ask you for a no vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Mathis and assemblywoman Papan, and you're recognized on the bill.
- Diane Papan
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too rise as the mother of a teenager, and this bill is about prevention. And, my God, why wouldn't you take the opportunity to have prevention of things like cervical cancer? The world health organization says that cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer for women in this world. I can't understand why we wouldn't be voting for this bill. As HPV is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, most people are infected with HPV shortly after the onset of sexual activity. Moreover, HPV vaccines work best if administered prior to exposure to HPV. That's why providing a defense against HPV as early as possible is critical to preventing the potentially devastating effects of these cancers. This is particularly true for women and girls. This bill represents a compromise effort, and I thank the author for making those compromises along the way. Informing parents about the benefits of the HPV vaccines and establishing requirements for screening will be tremendous tools in the efforts to reduce the incidence of these many cancers. We have the knowledge, we have the tools, let's use them and let's save some lives.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Papan, and seeing if there are no other members wishing to speak on this bill. Ms. Aguiar. Curry, you may close.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
Colleagues. HPV cancer rates are at 37,000 every year, yet over 60% are eligible adolescents who have not received the HPV vaccination. In California, 135,000,000 doses of HPV vaccine have been distributed in the United States since the vaccine was introduced in 2006, giving ample time and exposure to prove its efficacy and safety. AB 659 fosters an uptake in HPV vaccination at the ideal age range for the vaccine and does not mandate or enforce vaccination at any education level. This bill ensures there is proper communication with parents in locally prevalent languages. Lastly, this bill removes cost barriers and guarantees that the HPV vaccine is completely covered, regardless of health insurance and status. It is my honest intent to set an expectation of students with this bill, and that is exactly what it states. There is nothing misleading about this. Remember, there's a similar practice of vaccination requirements without enforcement that is already in practice with Hepatitis B vaccine, where students at the 7th grade level are required to be vaccinated against hepatitis B, but no enforcement is done by schools. Members, I've been working on bringing this proposal forward for five years. During that time, over 203,000 Americans have developed cancer and more than 35,000 people have died from HPV related cancers. Members have a backbone, have a brass backbone. This is for women and men. This is not just a woman's problem. It's all of our problem. Whether it's cervical cancer, whether it's throat cancer, whether it's penal cancer, every one of those we need to take care of. So don't turn your back on this. Members, this is a very important bill. We've taken our amendments, we have listened. And quite frankly, I can't believe I don't have all of you up on this bill for a cancer prevention act. Thank you very much. I ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Aguiar Curry. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote, all those vote who desire to vote, clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. ayes 52. Noes twelve. The bill is passed. And Madam Majority Leader, did you have a brief motion?
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the request of the author, please move item 155 AB 984 McCarty to the inactive file.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will note we are going to go back to Miss Wicks. This is file item 17, AB 1394. Clerk will read
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 1394 by Assembly Member Wicks and others, an act relating to social media platforms.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Wicks, you may open on the bill.
- Buffy Wicks
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members, I rise today to present you AB 1394. A bill I'm doing with our minority floor leader, Mr. Heath Flora, who will also be discussing this bill today. An astonishing 65% of child sex trafficking victims were recruited through Facebook in 2020, while 14% were recruited through Instagram and 8% were recruited through Snapchat. Social media companies are aware that sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking of children are orienting on their platform. They know that child sexual abuse materials are being shared on their platform. And this bill holds social media companies liable for knowingly, recklessly, and negligently facilitating, aiding or abetting child sex trafficking and requires that platforms prevent revictimization of child survivors. This measure proposes to address these challenges in two ways. First, the bill would require social media platforms to provide a mechanism for users to report CSAM in which they are depicted. Second, the bill would provide victims of commercial sexual exploitation the right to sue social media platforms for deploying features that were a substantial factor in causing their exploitation. We have been taking amendments. I have been working very collaboratively with my colleague on the other side of the aisle to ensure that this bill is fair, that it provides safe harbor and a right to cure language that we are continuing to work on. This isn't about punishing social media platforms. It's about having them do the right thing. Our number one job as lawmakers is to keep our communities safe, specifically our children. And it's time that our companies do more or they will be held accountable in that process. This bill has received bipartisan support. It doesn't have any no votes, and I would respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Wicks. And Senator Flora, you're recognized on the bill.
- Heath Flora
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I just want to rise in strong support of AB 1394, and I want to just thank the author for continuing to work with me. As those have kids, there's nothing more special to us than our kids, and everything that we can do to protect them from exploitation is something that needs to be looked at very closely.
- Heath Flora
Legislator
With that being said, there's also some principles about protecting private businesses as well that we really continue to work on. I want to thank the author for her continued support of that and understanding that there is a fine line that we're trying to thread, and it's a very tough needle, and so I appreciate your continued work and look forward to working with you in the future.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Flora. And if there are no other Members wishing to speak on this bill, Ms. Wicks, anything further to close?
- Buffy Wicks
Legislator
Just appreciate the bipartisan support. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 63; noes: zero. The bill's pass. Next by Mr. Ting, this is File Item 35: AB 1033. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 1033 by Assembly Member Ting, an act relating to housing.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Member Ting, you may open on the bill.
- Philip Ting
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm rising to present AB 1033 which removes the state's prohibition on separately conveying ADUs and allows ADUs to be sold as condos if a local government decided to allow ADU condo conversions. This is a very simple process. It's a process that I've gone through as someone who's converted a duplex into condominiums.
- Philip Ting
Person
There are state laws that are already in place that currently allow duplexes to be sold as condominiums and converted. This would follow that process along. We've been working very closely with the California Bankers Association, the Mortgage Bankers Association, the California Credit League, and accepted all their policy recommendations. They asked to create a consumer protection disclosure, which we're doing.
- Philip Ting
Person
We also require that homeowners satisfy liens on properties or secure the consent of all lienholders prior to recording a condo map, and they also asked us to codify minimum elements of the lienholder consent form. The last remaining request is we're sending a letter to the Federal Housing Financing Agency to get their recommendation on this item as well. The amendments address every policy item that they've asked us to do. We respectfully ask for an aye vote for AB 1033.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Ting, and seeing no Members wishing to be addressed on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 42; noes: 13. The bill's passed. Next by Mr. Zbur, this is File Item 36: AB 1176. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 1176 by Assembly Member Zbur and others, an act relating to local government.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Zbur, you may open on the bill.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise to present AB 1176 which is sponsored by ClimatePlan, California, and supported by a wide range of groups invested in the environment and a clean energy future. Ensuring that EV charging and building electrification are available to those who are least able to access these, including lower income communities, renters, and people who live in multifamily housing, requires an on the ground knowledge of our local communities.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
1176 embraces local decision making and requires high-level planning and strategies at the local level to meet the electrification needs of all our communities, residents, visitors, employees, and businesses.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
I'd like to thank the American Planning Association, the League of Cities, the Rural County Representatives, and the California Building Industry Association for their collaboration and hard work on the amended version which gives cities and counties more flexibility to comply with the bill and reduce their costs, including options outside the General Plan process. The bill has been amended to incorporate their feedback and remove their opposition. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Zbur, and seeing no Members wishing to address this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 56; noes: four. The bill's passed. Next to Miss Waldron, this is File Item 38: AB 1741. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 1741 by Assembly Member Waldron, an act relating to healing arts.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assemblywoman Waldron, you may open on the bill.
- Marie Waldron
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise to present AB 1741, addressing the clinical laboratory workforce shortage and streamlining the process for licensure. The bill allows qualified, unlicensed personnel to conduct certain tasks under the supervision of a licensed professional in order for laboratories to meet high testing demand while maintaining access to accurate care.
- Marie Waldron
Person
The floor amendments adopted last week resolved all the opposition's final outstanding issues of concern, and we are happy to note that all opposition has been removed to this bill. Thank you, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Waldron, and seeing no Members wishing to address this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 56; noes: zero. The bill is passed. Next by Ms. Friedman, this is File Item 41: AB 7. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill Seven by Assembly Member Friedman, an act relating to transportation.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Friedman, you may open on the bill.
- Laura Friedman
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. AB 7 represents two years of work, including a robust stakeholder process, findings from administration reports, and yet, there remains work I'm committed to doing in order to address our state's climate, equity, jobs, and maintenance goals in the transportation sector.
- Laura Friedman
Person
Last week, we passed amendments that removed some of the opposition that this bill had had, and represent my dedication to continue to work with any remaining opposition. AB 7 codifies guiding principles of our state and federal transportation plans and funding.
- Laura Friedman
Person
This will not only help us achieve our stated goals, but also will make California more competitive for federal funding which is very important, because right now, our funding formulas are a bit out of alignment with federal funding goals, and in order to capture the maximum amount of federal money that we possibly can, it's imperative that moving forward, our transportation projects align with federal project goals and criteria.
- Laura Friedman
Person
California spent approximately 35 billion dollars annually on our transportation infrastructure and we're set to receive another 40 billion over the next five years from the federal government. AB 7 ensures that our goals are accounted for in the program's planning and project selection process as the implementing agents themselves see fit.
- Laura Friedman
Person
When I was in D.C--Washington D.C. a few weeks ago, federal Transportation Committee staff who wrote the Federal Investment Infrastructure and Jobs Act referenced their hope that California represents when it comes to achieving climate goals in the transportation sector and that we fully implement their goals in that funding.
- Laura Friedman
Person
We will not achieve these goals if our remaining plans and guidelines remain as they are now, and AB 7 would make those plans a reality. I would respectfully request an aye vote on AB 7. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Friedman, and seeing no Members wishing to address this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Ayes 41, Noes 15. The bills passed. Next by Mr. McCarthy. This is file item 44, AB 25. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 25 by Assembly Member McCarthy and others in accolade in the suit to financial aid..
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member McCarthy, you may open on the bill.
- Kevin McCarty
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have some of the most generous financial aid programs in the nation with our Cal Grant and Middle-Class Scholarship program. However, too many students graduate with debt for non-tuition costs, stuff like housing and books and food and transportation. This bill would expand financial aid to create a path to debt-free college in California, which, through our budget process, we're about a third of the way there and making sure that we augment our existing Middle Class Scholarship and Cal Grant programs to cover these non-tuition costs. Respectfully ask your Aye vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. McCarty. Seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 64, Noes, zero. Bill is passed. Next, this is file item 45, AB 45. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 45 by Assembly Member Boerner and accolade in coastal resources.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assemblywoman Boerner, you may open on the bill.
- Tasha Boerner
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. AB 45 would authorize the California Coastal Commission to add blue carbon demonstration projects to the suite of factors it considers for potential mitigation when approving coastal development permits where feasible. Research shows that blue carbon ecosystems, such as seagrasses and salt marshes, are more efficient at capturing and storing atmospheric carbon than most terrestrial forests. In fact, some blue carbon ecosystems can sequester five times more carbon than tropical rainforests and store 50 times more in the surrounding soil.
- Tasha Boerner
Legislator
Sadly, California has lost over 90% of its historical wetlands and their associated benefits they provide, such as protecting coastal communities from harmful impacts of climate change, such as sea level rise and flooding. This bill idea is a result of a transportation project in North County San Diego. I invite you to all come down and visit our San Elijo lagoon where they were widening the I-5 freeway lanes.
- Tasha Boerner
Legislator
And they addressed a number of environmental concerns expressed by residents in regard to the impact to the wildlife living in the six coastal lagoons, 32 acres of wetlands and 74 acres of coastal sage. And they basically happened to add salt marshes and blue carbon to this project, and we want to make that a best practice in the state. During the coastal permitting process, the Coastal Commission approved the project with improvements related to enhancing marine and environmentally sensitive habitat areas.
- Tasha Boerner
Legislator
This innovative approach to mitigating impacts to natural resources can be replicated to build or restore blue carbon sinks. Currently, federal law, the Nollan and Dolan decision requires a nexus between the projects and the permit conditions in addition to proportionality between impacts and mitigation levels, which put guardrails on what the Coastal Commission can require as mitigation.
- Tasha Boerner
Legislator
As an example, under federal law, the Commission could not require a housing project that does not impact a wetland, a lagoon or the ocean to account for any sort of terrestrial habitat to contribute to a blue carbon project. Really, it's an apples and oranges comparison if you've read the opposition letter. There has been a nexus between the blue carbon project and the required mitigation and if you'll notice, last week we took amendments on the floor that removed section four, which was the most controversial portion of the bill. And with that, I respectfully asked for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Boerner and Assembly Member Zbur you're recognized on the bill.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
Mr. Speaker, Members, I rise in support of AB 45, which authorizes blue carbon demonstration projects, which are important projects that both enhance sensitive coastal habitats and at the same time combat climate change. Originally, concerns had been raised that the bill would impose new requirements on a broad range of developments and housing in the coastal zone, which the author did not intend.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
I very much appreciate that the author has made amendments at section four that address these concerns and make clear that housing and affordable housing projects are not affected by the bill. And I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Zbur. And seeing no other members wishing to be recognized on the bill. Ms. Boerner, anything further to close?
- Tasha Boerner
Legislator
Respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote, all those vote who desire to vote clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 48, Noes eight. The bill is passed. Passed temporarily on file item 46, bringing us to Muratsuchi. Mr. Muratsuchi, this is file item 47, AB 67.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 67 by assembly Member Muratsuchi and accolades the courts.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And assembly mersuchi you may open on the bill.
- Al Muratsuchi
Legislator
Thank you very much, members. This bill proposes to create the Homeless Courts Pilot Program, which will allow unhoused criminal defendants, defendants for minor infractions and other minor crimes, to participate in diversion programs that will provide defendants with housing, navigation, counseling, mental health services, drug addiction treatment, and other services designed to address the root cause of why they are homeless. This program has proven to be extremely successful in my own district in the city of Redana Beach, which has succeeded in reducing its homeless count year to year by over 30%. This program is also recommended by the Chief Justice Work Group on Homelessness. We want to take this statewide. Upon appropriation, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Muratsuchi. And seeing no other members wishing to be addressed on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote, all those vote who desire to vote, clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Aye's 54. No's, zero. The bill is pass. Next by Miss Davies. This is file item 48, EV 76.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly bill 76 by Assembly Member Davies and accolade in the crimes.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assemblywoman Davies you may open on the bill.
- Laurie Davies
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I'm here to present AB 76. AB 76 is a common sense measure to close the digital asset loophole in California's anti-money laundering provisions by including blockchain-enabled transactions that involve virtual assets such as cryptocurrency.
- Laurie Davies
Legislator
As described by a 2021 Government Accountable Office, GAO, report, Porlus, a nonprofit organization knowledgeable about human trafficking, found that virtual currency was the second most commonly accepted payment method on 40 platforms in the online commercial sex market which has been used to facilitate sex trafficking. Amendments taken last week removed all opposition, and this bill has passed both committee unanimously. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Davies. And seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 60, Noes zero. The bill is passed. Next, file item 50, AB 86.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 86 by Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer, an act relating to homelessness.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer may open on the bill.
- Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to present AB 86 which will strengthen California's response to homelessness by establishing a statewide homeless coordinator as the lead entity for ending homelessness in California. Despite the billions of dollars invested in access to local government and support housing programs, we continue to have the nation's largest homeless population.
- Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer
Person
This is in part due to the state's disjointed approach to addressing homelessness. AB 86 will ensure intergovernmental coordination to end homelessness by requiring the Governor to appoint a statewide homeless coordinator. The coordinator will oversee homeless programs, services, data, and policies between state and local agencies. This bill is about putting a person in charge that people can look for guidance, not about creating a new bureaucracy. AB 86 has no no votes and no registered opposition. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Jones-Sawyer, and seeing no Members wishing to be addressed on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 59--apologize, Ms. Dixon--we'll do a vote change. Ayes: 59; noes: one. Clerk--the bill is passed. Next, this is File Item 51: AB 91.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly bill 91 by Assembly Member Alvarez and others in accolade in the community colleges.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Alvarez, you may open on the bill.
- David Alvarez
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, colleagues. I rise to present AB 91, a bill that will boost our binational skilled workforce by allowing low-income students in the border region to receive an exemption from the out of state tuition rate when enrolling in our local community colleges. Southern California and Northern Baja California operate as a mega region with over 150,000 people. Yes, 150,000 people crossing the border as part of their daily routine that's to work, to go to school, or to conduct business.
- David Alvarez
Legislator
Many of them live on one side while they work or study, like I said, on the other side. Like many other regions, we also suffer from a demand for skilled workers. In order to meet this demand, we need to educate more students. And the most effective way to do so is by reducing the most significant barrier, the cost of tuition. AB 91 will reduce barriers for these students to obtain their degrees and contribute to our region's economy. The bill is supported by a coalition of stakeholders, including the Community College Chancellor's office. Colleagues, I respectfully ask your Aye vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Alvarez. Seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 48, Noes six. The Bill is passed. Next by Assembly Member Lee. This is file item 53, AB 270.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 270 by Assembly Member Lee and others in accolade to the Political Reform Act of 1974
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Member Lee, you may open on the bill.
- Alex Lee
Legislator
Thank you, speaker, members, I rise to present AB 270. This bill provides voters the opportunity to remove the current prohibition on public financing of campaigns in California during the November 2024 ballot. Five charter cities actively have public financing campaigns. Berkeley, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco. In these charter cities, voters overwhelmingly approve public financing measures because they desire an alternative, more equitable fundraising system. Also of note is our companion measure in the Senate passed yesterday with a supermajority votes in the Senate as well. Public financing of campaigns is a way to empower voters and increase the diversity of candidates running for office. AB 270 provide local jurisdictions more autonomy and allows voters to decide whether we remove the prohibition on a campaign finance system that empowers everyday voters. Respectfully asking for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Lee. And seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 42, no's 14. The bill's passed next by Mr. Vince Fong. This is file item 54 EB 297.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 297 by Assembly Member Vince Fong and accolade in fire prevention.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Fong You may open on the bill.
- Vince Fong
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The last two years we have been, unfortunately all too familiar with devastating impacts of wildfires in our community. More needs to be done if the state is going to meet its annual goal of treating 500,000 acres and reducing fuels and properly managing the state's forest lands are proven methods of preventing future fires.
- Vince Fong
Person
The fire prevention grants program accomplishes this by funding wildfire prevention projects and activities in and near fire-threatened communities. To start these projects, communities must often use their own funds to buy critical equipment or supplies in advance, essentially taking a loan from Cal Fire until their fire prevention grant funding arrives. Advance payments from Cal Fire have provided flexibility to local agencies and organizations to implement critical wildfire prevention projects.
- Vince Fong
Person
However, this authorization is set to end in 2024. This bill bridges the wildfire prevention goals of the state with the readiness of locals to harden their communities by extending the sunset of this authority from 2024 to 2034. This bill has enjoyed unanimous support and has no opposition. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Fong. And seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 59, Noes zero. The bill is passed. Next this is file item 55, AB 303.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 303 by Assembly Member Davies, an act relating to firearms.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assemblywoman Davies, you may open on the bill.
- Laurie Davies
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I'm here to present AB 303. This measure is a common sense bill to ensure that in our fight to prevent more gun violence strategies, we have communication between our state agencies and local law enforcement as it relates to individuals on the APPS database.
- Laurie Davies
Legislator
AB 303 codifies what information shall be shared with local agencies in the jurisdiction, such as known firearms associated to the prohibited persons in the case status of the individual. This bill has no opposition and has received unanimous support. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Davies, and seeing no Members wishing to be addressed on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 61; noes: zero. The bill's passed. Next, this is File Item 57: AB 310.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly bill 310 by Assembly Member Arambula and accolade in the CalWORKs.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Dr. Arambula, you may open on the bill.
- Joaquin Arambula
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Today I rise to present AB 310, which will transform the CalWORKs program by changing its culture to one that empowers families through personal attention and support. We must do a better job of meaningfully connecting parents with support services to keep families whole, safe, healthy, housed and fed. We want parents to succeed in working towards a better life for themselves and their children. Thank you Members, and I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Assembly Member Arambula. Seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 42, Noes 14. The bill is passed. Next by Mr. Santiago. This is file item 58, AB 311.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 311 by Assembly Member Santiago and others accolade in the public social services.
- Reading Clerk
Person
An act relating to public social services.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Santiago, you may open on the bill.
- Miguel Santiago
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB 311 would finally provide food for all by expanding California's Food Assistance Program to all income eligible Californians regardless of the immigration status or age. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Santiago. Seeing no Members wishing to speak on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 44; noes: 11. The bill is passed. Next, this is File Item 59: AB 316 by Miss Aguiar-Curry.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 316 by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry and other in accolade in the vehicle.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Aguiar-Curry, you may open on the bill.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Members, the goal of this bill is simple. When an autonomous vehicle over 10,000 pounds is operated on public roads, it must be accompanied by qualified human safety operator until we are reassured that these trucks are safe around our constituents. There is nothing about a human safety operator that prevents the autonomous trucking industry from testing and deploying autonomous vehicles anywhere in California.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
The only conceivable motivation for moving forward without a human monitor in the cab is to cut costs at the expense of public safety and the livelihoods of our trained expert trucking workforce. The rollout of light-duty autonomous vehicles in San Francisco is a perfect example of why the legislature should be involved in the final decision making on personless 80,000 pound trucks. Over 92 incidents with driverless autonomous cars have prompted city officials to plead with the CPUC to rein in the deployment of driverless autonomous vehicles.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
In these incidents, driverless vehicles stop suddenly, impeding traffic and causing accidents. In others, they have blocked emergency vehicles driven through emergency scenes and into downed wires. Even one drove away from police officers during a vehicle stop. Meanwhile, the companies deploying the technology are pulling out all the stops, lobbying for expansion over the passionate objection of local officials. While I believe the technology has great, great potential, there is absolutely no reason to believe this experience won't be repeated in testing driverless trucks.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
And given the extraordinary amount of lobbying on this bill, there is no reason to believe all those resources won't be brought to bear to hasten the approval out of the public eye of vehicles weighing an extra 76,000 pounds, which drive at significantly higher speeds and present a greater threat to the public.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
This bill strikes a balance and lets companies take the first steps into testing and deploying autonomous trucks so that we can get more information about the technology's impacts and address any potential pitfalls before it's too late. And it triggers legislative consideration of the wisdom of allowing driverless operation after these companies have provided real data to the safety experts in the executive branch who will make recommendations to elected legislators over an oversight hearing at that time. Members, I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Aguiar-Curry and Assembly Member Friedman, you're recognized on the bill.
- Laura Friedman
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise as a proud joint author and also as Chair of the Transportation Committee to urge your support of AB 316. I want to start off by saying that I'm very excited about our autonomous vehicle future. I think, given how badly most people drive and what we're seeing in terms of traffic accidents in California, I'm really hoping that the robots take over sooner rather than later and give us increased safety. However, I have not been impressed with the DMV's actions with regard to regulating autonomous vehicles to this point.
- Laura Friedman
Person
Last year, the Department of Motor Vehicles held a workshop to consider regulations to authorize the testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles over 10,000 pounds, which is what we're talking about here. Unfortunately, DMV has failed to keep track of problems that are occurring right now with the autonomous vehicles that are on the road, whether that's vehicle retrieval events where cars just shut down in the middle of the street or instances where vehicles momentarily fled from police.
- Laura Friedman
Person
In San Francisco, the autonomous vehicles have run into construction sites, stopped in the middle of light rail tracks, operated against their own permits by going out in heavy rain, which they're not supposed to do right now under our regulations, and causing them to just stop functioning in the middle of their trips. Now, the only reason we know that that's happened is because of 911 calls or people filming these vehicles on their phones.
- Laura Friedman
Person
None of these instances were required to be reported to the DMV so that we can study how the vehicles are working or not working. The fact of the matter is, if a human was driving like some of these vehicles, they would probably have had their license suspended by now. And yet DMV continues to issue permits for them to keep operating, I believe for profit reasons rather than public safety reasons. So I don't think that the DMV alone is equipped right now to make the determination whether or not these very large trucks are safe to operate without a human operator.
- Laura Friedman
Person
I think that the legislature should make that decision when we're talking about a class of vehicles that has the potential to cause real destruction and death. At the same time, I do want to appreciate that large AVs can be lifesavers. This bill takes a very moderate and measured approach, saying, yes, you can go ahead and test them if DMV thinks you can test them, but let's have a driver behind the wheel just in case something continues to go wrong, and let's make sure that we collect data on the way that they perform. With that, I urge an Aye vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Friedman. And Assembly Member Lackey, you're recognized on the bill.
- Tom Lackey
Legislator
Well, members, I rise as a proud co-author of this bill, AB 316, which ensures that there'll be a human safety operator present to avoid catastrophic events associated with technical breakdowns in autonomous technology for larger vehicles. As a former California Highway Patrolman, I know that the conditions on the road can be complicated by a series of factors and eyewitnesses are actually a vital component of evaluating traffic behavior and its conditions and they are able to implement prevention strategies that ensure the public safety.
- Tom Lackey
Legislator
I find that there's parity with requirements for a pilot and co-pilot to be present when operating an airplane that is mostly operating with autonomous technology. These larger vehicles have the ability to halt traffic even if there was a major issue. Congested roadways, interrupt commuters and halt the flow of commercial goods. Relying on perfection in performance is unrealistic. Even more important than commerce is human life.
- Tom Lackey
Legislator
There are deaths associated with the development of this technology and I do not think it's too much to ask to have live individuals present to manage the risk. Let's avoid extreme transitions that put human lives at unnecessary risk. Let's proceed with a balanced perspective. I thank my colleague from Winters for bringing this bill to our attention and I strongly urge your support.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Lackey and Assemblyman Hoover, you are recognized on the bill.
- Josh Hoover
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Rise in regrettable opposition to this bill. I think I actually appreciate the comments from my colleague from Glendale. I am actually concerned that the most dangerous thing on our roads is the human operator. But it's clear that this technology still needs time. And so I appreciate the motivation behind this bill, but I think we could do a lot to improve this bill by adding a sunset date. I hope that the author will consider doing that and certainly happy to reconsider my position if we put some limitations on it. Without that, I do worry that this bill is going to have a chilling effect on the industry as a whole and the technology as a whole. And for those reasons, I urge a no vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Hoover. And seeing no other members wishing to be addressed on this bill. Ms. Aguiar-Curry, you may close.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
Thank you very much. Members, please join me and over 20 bipartisan co-authors of this bill, including U.S. Representatives Lee, Porter, Schiff and Mayor Breed of the San Francisco of San Francisco in protecting public safety and our workforce. Thank you very much. Ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Eyes 54, Noes four. The bill is passed. We're going to go back to Mr. Villapudua and pick up file item 56. AB 305. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 305 by Assembly Member Villapudua and others in accolade in a flood protection by providing the funds necessary, therefore, through an election for the issuance and sale of bonds of the State of California and the handling and disposition of those funds.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Villapudua, you may open on the bill.
- Carlos Villapudua
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB 305 is an important measure that will ensure that the state can adequately protect Californians from a catastrophic flooding by enacting the California Flood Protection Bond Act of 2024. Climate change in California is increasing water related events such as drought and mega floods like the ones we experienced recently. AB 305 would enact the California Flood Protection Bond Act of 2024, which, if approved by voters, would authorize the assurance of multibillion dollar bond for flood protection across the state. AB 305 will fund projects in rural urban areas of the state to ensure that we prevent the loss of life and infrastructure while increasing water supplies and restoring natural habitat. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Villapudua. And seeing no other members wishing to be addressed on the bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote all those vote who desire to vote requires 54 will close the roll. Tally the votes. Aye's 55. No's, zero. The bills pass. Next to Miss Addis. This is file item 60, AB 318. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 318 by Assembly Member Addis on Accolade and Mobile Homes.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Ms. Addis, you may open on the bill.
- Dawn Addis
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I'm here with you to present AB 318 which merely extends the deadline for Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program by three years and prevents a much-needed program from hastily expiring. I want to emphasize three points on this bill. The bill simply extends the deadline for the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program, a program which creates much-needed protections for mobile home residents.
- Dawn Addis
Legislator
By extending the sunset, we are following the original intent of the law to fully evaluate the success of this program for five years, of which many of you previously voted for and this House bipartisanly passed twice. With the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program solvent, we must do all we can to protect and preserve this type of housing for seniors, working families, veterans, and other community members on fixed incomes.
- Dawn Addis
Legislator
This three-year extension will allow for this. In my own district, I have witnessed the unique challenges that our residents face during storms and flooding. More than ever, we must ensure they are safe and that they have a process in the case they do not. I strongly ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Addis, and seeing no other Members wishing to be addressed on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 44; noes: 14. The bill's passed. Next by Mr. Mathis, this is File Item 61: AB 322.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 322 by assembly member Mathis and others backplate in the public post-secondary education.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Mr. Mathis, you may open on the bill.
- Devon Mathis
Person
Thank you. Members, what this bill does is we already have veteran service offices on campus, but they are currently without this are not required to actually show up when new students are there to say, "hey, we got a veteran service office over here. Come get your benefits." This bill makes sure that they do show up, that our veterans, that their dependents have that access to those services. Let's make sure that our veterans and their dependents are getting the services that they've more than earned. I ask you for an aye vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you. Senator Mathis. Seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote, all those vote who desire to vote, clerk will close the role. Tally the votes. Aye 62, no, zero. The bill has passed. Next. Miss Aguiar-Curry, this is file item 62, AB 338.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 338 by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry, an act relating to public works.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Ms. Aguiar-Curry, you may open on the bill.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. AB 338 expands the definition of public works to include the dangerous fuel reduction work performed as part of a wildfire mitigation project. To allow ample time for budgets and contracting practices to catch up, AB 338 first of all delays implementation by one year for all projects, delays implementation for two years for projects administered by nonprofits, specifies that the provisions of this bill only apply to apprentice crafts, exempts any work done on Tribal lands, and exempts projects less than 100,000 dollars.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
I also want to be clear; this bill will have no impact on volunteers or the Conservation Corps that do this type of work. Members, during my time here in the Assembly, every single county in my six county district--now five--has had devastating wildfires. The last thing I want to do is slow down mitigation projects, hence all the exemptions and delays.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
I've only recently been able to begin this year's discussions on this bill with the Administration so I'm only able to say, I am sure this bill will change substantially during those discussions as I move forward, but as we seek to triple the amount of these projects done annually in our state--and everyone agrees there is a shortage of workers to do them now--these same jobs are competing for workers from the same trades as the billions of dollars of state and federal infrastructure, and housing projects come online in the next few years.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
Not only should these workers be able to build a career and raise their families in their very communities they are working to protect, but we face a desperate workforce shortage for these projects in the coming years if we don't fund competitive wages for them.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
I'm not an economist, but I can simply can't buy the concept that paying people less in a competitive employment market while you're trying to triple the projects you're doing is a sustainable project delivery strategy. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Aguiar-Curry, and seeing no Members wishing to be addressed on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 52; noes: eight. The bill's passed. Next by Miss Quirk-Silva, this is File Item 63: AB 346.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 346 by assembly member Quirk-Silva and act late in the taxation.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Quirk-Silva, you may open on the bill.
- Sharon Quirk-Silva
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members, I rise to present AB 346. With the Governor's approval of AB 10, one of 2019, the state budget has increased its investment in the Low income Housing Tax Credit Program by $500 million per year. AB 346 provides a bigger bang for the buck and helps maximize our production of affordable homes by allowing the Tax Credit Allocation Committee to pair these state tax credits with either 4% or 9% federal tax credits as conditions best dictate. AB 346 does not increase taxes in any way, but because of the amounts of credit is fixed in the budget each year, AB 346 simply is more effective and impactful way for California to deploy its scarce affordable housing resources. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Quirk-Silva. And seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote, clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Aye's 61, no's zero. The bills pass. Next, this is file item 64, AB 353.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 353 by Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer and accolade in the corrections.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Mr. Jones-Sawyer, you may open on the bill.
- Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to present AB 353 with access as safeguard for the incarcerated population housing CDCR facilities to your basic right to use shower facilities. Despite the fact that there are laws requiring detained prisoners to have sufficient health care access and hence showers. Denying shower access is a blatant violation of fundamental rights. Lack of showers not only contributes to filthy and odorous conditions, but is also an issue of health and safety. This bill received unanimous consent and public safety, has support recommendations from both caucuses, and has no registered opposition. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Jones Sawyer. Seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Aye 63, Noes zero. Bill is passed. Final bill for the morning will be file item 65, AB 357. Clerk will read.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly bill 357 by Assembly Member Maienschein in accolade to animal testing.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Member Maienschein you may open on the bill.
- Brian Maienschein
Person
AB 357 would update California's outdated animal testing facilities laws to reflect current criteria and practices for validating alternative test methods. I've worked closely with the opposition to address their concerns and they have now taken a neutral position. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Maienschein. Seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill clerk will open the roll all those vote who desire to vote all those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Aye's 49, no's one. Bill is passed. Members, at this time we will be under recess until 12:45 or upon adjournment of our respective caucuses. The Democratic caucus will be meeting in the members lounge. The Republican caucus will be meeting in room 125. We are remaining under quorum call with the exception of Republican members who will be going to room 125 for their caucus. With that, we'll see you around 12:45.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Members, we are back on. We are going to start with file item number 68. AB 365. The clerk will read
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 365 By some member Aguiar Curry an act relating to MediCal
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly member Aguiar. Curry, you may open on your bill.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
Good afternoon, members. Diabetes is one of the most compelling public issues facing our state today. AB 365 will help our constituents battling this illness by providing greater access to continuous glucose monitors which can improve and even save their lives. This bill is a Latino caucus priority and pass the assembly health committee unanimously. I respectfully ask for your I vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Seeing others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll ayes 41, no, zero. The bills pass.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
We're going to jump to item number 70, AB 376. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 376 by Assembly Member Villapudua, an act relating to student financial aid.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Villapudua. You may open on your bill.
- Carlos Villapudua
Person
Thank you, Madam Speaker. AB 376. This bill seeks to address the truck driver shortage, impacting the nation's supply chain by extending the financial aid in a form of a Cal Grant C to eligible students enrolled in an entry-level driving training program. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing and others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open the roll. All those votes desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Ayes 46. Ayes 48, No zero. The bill is passed. We're going to jump to item number 71, AB 377. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 377 by Assembly Member Muratsuchi and others in accolade to career technical education.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Muratsuchi, you may open on your bill.
- Al Muratsuchi
Legislator
Thank you very much. This bill is to consolidate and cut down on the bureaucracy to apply for K-12 CTIG or career Technical Education Incentive Grants. This will increase ongoing funding for CETIG to provide more career technical education in our schools. It's received bipartisan support. No, no votes respectfully, as for you Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing any others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. I 50 no, zero. The bill is passed. We're going to go back to item number 66, AB three six six. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 363 by assembly member Bauer-Khan after laying to pesticides.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Bauer-Khan, you may open on your bill.
- Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker and members. This is a bill that is both good government and good for the bees. We are going to speed up the pace at which our agencies operate. Something we should be doing on the regular anyways, and have a win for biodiversity in California. This merely has the Department of Pesticide Regulation do the work they've already promised to do in an efficient manner. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye's 41, no's twelve. The bills pass. We are going to move to item number 72, AB three 80. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 380 by some Member Arambula and accolade to employment.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Dr. Rambla, you may open on your bill.
- Joaquin Arambula
Legislator
Thank you, Madam speaker and members, I rise today to present AB 380, which creates the labor trafficking unit within the Department of Industrial Relations. This bill bridges the collaboration between both DIR and the Department of Civil Rights to coordinate, investigate, and to enforce labor law violations, to respond appropriately to stop the abuse of workers. Thank you, members, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no there's wishing to speak on this bill. The Clerk will open the roll. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The Clerk will close a roll. Ayes 58, Noes zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 73, AB 384. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 384 by Samara Calderon and others, an act relating to school facilities.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Calderon, you may open on your bill.
- Lisa Calderon
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Assembly Bill 384 requires the Department of Education to conduct a research study on recommended indoor air temperature ranges for K-12 public school classrooms. A recent report by the Legislative Analyst Office revealed that the effects of climate change can lead to greater learning loss and poor academic outcomes for our students. With extreme weather events increasing, it is imperative students are provided a functional and comfortable learning environment. AB 384 addresses the lack of consensus regarding safe indoor temperature ranges and lack of data on heating and cooling interventions. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no those wishing to speak on this bill. The Clerk will open the roll. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes 60, Noes zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item 70, AB 393. The clerk will read. 75.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 393 by Assembly Member Luz Rivas and others, an act relating to childcare.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly member Luz Rivas, you may open on your bill.
- Luz Rivas
Person
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise to present AB 393, a Latino Caucus Priority bill that will ensure that dual language learners in childcare programs are properly identified so that we may connect them to the resources they need to succeed in school and beyond. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote. Thank you.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes 61, Noes, zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 77, AB 412. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 412 by Assembly Member Soria and others, an act relating to healthcare facilities, making appropriation, therefore, if in clearing urgency thereof and fact immediately.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Soria you may open on your bill.
- Esmeralda Soria
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members, I proudly present AB 412, also a Latino Caucus Priority bill which creates an emergency loan program to assist financially distressed hospitals. The bill has no opposition and has bipartisan support. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes 58, Noes zero on the urgency. Ayes 58, Noes zero on the urgency. The bill is passed. We are going to move on to item number 78, AB 420. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 420 by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry an act relating to cannabis.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry, you may open on your bill.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
Madam Speaker and Members, I rise to present AB 420, legislation that clarifies that a cannabis licensee can manufacture, distribute or sell products that contain industrial hemp or non-intoxic cannabinoids, like CBD. This bill will help provide enforcement against legal cannabis and adulterated hemp products. Further, this bill will create jobs and increase opportunities for legal manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of cannabis and hemp products. This bill has no opposition. Passed the Assembly Committee on Business and Professionals with an overwhelming bipartisan support. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The Clerk will open the roll. All those all those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes 59, Noes zero. The bill is passed. We're going to go back to item 67, AB 3. Excuse me. Item 69, AB 371. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 371 by Assembly Member Garcia and others an act relating to housing.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Garcia, you may open on your bill. We are going to pass temporary on item 69, AB 371. Moving on to item 80, AB 425. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 425 by Assembly Member Alvarez and others, an act relating to Medi-Cal.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Alvarez, you may open on your bill.
- David Alvarez
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Members, I rise to present AB 425 related to pharmacogenomics. This bill was inspired by one of my constituents, a young woman from Chula Vista who reached out to my office to share her story. Courageous story. She was suffering from mental health crisis, depression, and others, and since she was a young teenager and was taking medication which unfortunately was not helping to resolve her symptoms, so her family, her mom primarily, learned about pharmacogenomic testing and she brought this to my attention.
- David Alvarez
Legislator
The results of the pharmacogenomic or PGx testing helped her find the right medication for her and now she's on a mission to increase awareness and access to this test that she says saved her life. PGx is the science of how a person--our genes impact the way we metabolize medication. While Medicare and commercial insurers already cover this test, Medi-Cal does not. AB 425 closes this gap, opening up a huge opportunity for savings, improved conditions, and most importantly, better patient safety. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes: 60; noes: zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to Item Number 81: AB 432. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 432 by Assembly Member Mike Fong and others, an act relating to courts.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Mike Fong, you may open on your bill.
- Mike Fong
Legislator
Good afternoon, Madam Speaker and members. Assembly Bill 432 will create the California Court Interpreter Workforce Pilot Program to expand the state's pool of qualified court interpreters. In order to ensure equal access to justice, court interpreters must be available to serve those who need assistance. The pilot program will provide a training plan and cover the cost of training coursework and interpreter exams for participants. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open the roll all those votes, all those vote to desire to vote, all those vote to desire to vote, the clerk will close the roll. Ayes 45, no's, twelve, the bill is passed. Moving on to item 82, AB 434. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 434 by Assemblymember Grayson, actively in housing Assemblymember Grayson, you may open on your bill.
- Timothy Grayson
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker, Members. AB 434 provides greater accountability by authorizing the Department of Housing and Community Development to notify a city, county or the AG when a local entity fails to comply with state housing statutes. The legislature has passed many statutes to facilitate housing production. However, there have been some housing statutes where HCD and the AG's roles in enforcement have been unclear. AB 434 will clarify the roles in enforcing what is already current law. This bill has bipartisan support. No registered opposition. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote, all those vote to desire to vote, the clerk will close the roll. Aye's 43 .No's zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 84, AB 438. The clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 438 by Assembly Member Wendy Carrillo, an act relating to public contracts.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly member Blanca Rubio. You may open on your bill. The clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 438 by Assemblymember Blanca Rubio and others, and act relating to pupils and exceptional needs.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assemblymember Blanca Rubio, you may open on your bill.
- Blanca Rubio
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members, for the opportunity to present AB 438. This bill, starting in the 2025 academic year, will lower the age at which postsecondary transition planning for students with exceptional needs begins from age 16 to age 14. Under current law, transition planning to adulthood is not required to begin until age 16, when many students are in their junior year. As a result, the state is not providing students who have been identified as having a disability with the essential time needed to develop the appropriate skills for adult life and the time for school, parents and service providers to develop meaningful individualized transition plans. AB 438 will give students with exceptional needs the time they deserve to prepare and transition into adulthood. By implementing these strategies two years earlier, California will begin to see improved long term outcomes. Thank you, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye's 60. No's zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 84, AB 439. The clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 439 by Assembly Member Wendy Carrillo, an act relating to public contracts.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, you may open on your bill.
- Wendy Carrillo
Person
Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. Proud to present Assembly Bill 439. This is a regional district bill. Existing law establishes a pilot program allowing LAUSD to award task order procurement contracts for the repair and renovation of school buildings and grounds. AB 439 extends the sunset of this program until 2034 and allows LAUSD to fund task order procurement contracts with local school construction bonds and federal or state funds in its possession, in addition to the district's general fund. The bill has no registered opposition and has received bipartisan support. Respectfully request an aye vote. Thank you.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open the roll. All those vote desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye's 63. No's zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 85, AB 442. The clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 442 by Assemblymember Villapudua, an act relating to criminal records.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assemblymember Villapudua, you may open on your bill.
- Carlos Villapudua
Person
Thank you, Madam Speaker. AB 422. This bill provides a new avenue for attorneys helping clients and prospective clients to obtain the record of arrests and prosecution sheets prior to representation to have access if that the individual has case that they're eligible for post conviction relief. AB 422 specifically allows the attorney who is working for a nonprofit to be able to receive the rap sheet, this individual's written consent direct from the Department of Justice. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye's 64. No's zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 86, AB 443. The clerk will read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Assembly Bill 443 by Assemblymember Jackson, an act relating to peace officers.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Dr. Jackson, you may open on your bill.
- Corey Jackson
Legislator
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. AB 443, which addresses the systemic and problematic issue of biased conduct, unfortunately found within the ranks of California peace officers. In April of 2022, the state auditor completed their report, finding substantial evidence that some of our California peace officers had engaged in biased conduct. This biased conduct was found taking place either in their on duty interactions when making contact with the public, or online through their social media posts, among other things. The state auditor advised the state legislature to address this bias conduct by adopting a statewide and uniform definition of bias conduct and for protocols to be developed when screening officer applicants for any bias shown in online posts. AB 443 simply adopts both the auditors suggestions. This bill has received bipartisan support, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye's 50. No's zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 87, AB 448. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 448 by Assemblymember Juan Carrillo and others, an act relating to juveniles.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, you may open on your bill.
- Juan Carrillo
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today I rise to present AB 448, which seeks to strengthen existing requirements around social workers and probation officers documentation of family finding efforts for youth in foster care. Many children in foster care system have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or other reasons beyond their control. In fact, it is estimated that in California, there are nearly 60,000 children in foster care, and nearly 50% of them are Latino. Research has shown that children who maintain positive relationships with their family members while in foster care have better long term outcomes. With that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open the roll. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye's 68. No's zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 88, AB 455. The clerk will read.
- Sharon Quirk-Silva
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Chair and Members. Today, as we wear orange in remembrance of gun violence victims, I present AB 455, closing a critical loophole by restricting individuals who are undergoing mental health diversion from purchasing firearms. Mental health diversion allows individuals with diagnosed mental health disorders to participate in a mental health treatment program for up to two years in lieu of criminal prosecution. I want to be very clear. I understand the vast number of people who suffer from mental illness do not act out violently or commit crimes. However, individuals who have been charged with specified criminal offenses and choose to participate in a mental health diversion program should adhere to the same gun restrictions well in the program. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 455 by Assemblymember Quirk-Silva and others, an act relating to firearms.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Quirk-Silva, you may open on your bill.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no others wishing to speak on this bill. Assemblymember Papan, you're recognized.
- Diane Papan
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Chair. I rise as a proud co-author of AB 455 Our state has a history of protecting individuals who may be a danger to themselves or others by placing firearm restrictions on such individuals who have been convicted of serious crimes. AB 455 is straightforward and narrow in its scope, as most diversion programs already prohibit participants from processing firearms possessing firearms until successful completion. This bill is a step towards parity among restrictions opposed during diversion programs. Respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing and hearing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those votes, all those vote to desire to vote, all those vote to desire to vote, the clerk will close the roll. Aye's 68. No's zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 89, AB 459. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 459 by Assemblymember Haney, and act relating to Behavioral Health.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assemblymember Haney, you may open on your bill.
- Matt Haney
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. As we look to transform our system of care to better serve Californians living with mental illness and addiction issues, we must have accountability and transparency. AB 459 brings both by requiring counties and health plans to set ambitious treatment goals and the state to monitor and publicly report their progress towards these goals. This bill has received unanimous bipartisan support, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye's 72. No's zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 90, AB 468. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 468 by Assemblymember Quirk-Silva, an act relating to housing.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Quirk-Silva, you may open on your bill.
- Sharon Quirk-Silva
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. I rise to present AB 468, which broadens inspections and code enforcement to buildings used for human habitation, regardless of zoning, and enhances tenant protections when buildings are deemed unsafe. A problem exists where both warehouses and factory spaces are being converted to residential use without the knowledge of local officials and without the building being habitable. We must not forget the tragic Ghost Ship fire which killed 36 people in Oakland, as well as the recent shootings in Half Moon Bay that took the lives of seven farm workers living in shipping containers, casting light on the grim realities of unsafe housing conditions that hardworking Californians live with. Unhealthy and unsafe housing has served as affordable housing for far too many and for far too long. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye's 68. No's zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 91, AB 481. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 481 by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo and others, an act relating to dentistry.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, you may open on your bill.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye's 67. No's zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to item 92, AB 483. The clerk will read.
- Wendy Carrillo
Person
Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. I'm proud to present Assembly Bill 481, which will create new paths to becoming a registered dental assistant and expand the existing duties of dental assistance, both increasing access to care and making the career ladder more attractive. These new pathways will help diversify the dental workforce and reduce barriers to licensure without any compromises to quality of care as we address our workforce shortages. With that, I respectfully request an aye vote. Thank you.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 483 by Assemblymember Muratsuchi and others, an act relating to Medi-Cal.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Muratsuchi, you may open on your bill.
- Al Muratsuchi
Legislator
Thank you very much. California's Medi-Cal program authorizes schools to bill Medi-Cal for services, including student health and mental health services at our schools. However, California is drawing much too few federal dollars that could be going toward funding more mental health services, more healthcare services for our kids, our students on Medi-Cal. This bill will reform the billing process, which currently is administratively burdensome and excessively punitive. Bipartisan. No opposition. No no votes. Ask for your Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Ayes 70, Noes zero. The bill is passed. We are going to go back to item number 52, AB 268. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 268 by Assembly Member Weber and others, an act relating to the board of the state, community corrections.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Dr. Weber, you may open on your bill.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
Good afternoon, members. I rise to present AB 268, which seeks to address the deficiencies in California's local dissension facilities raised by the California State Auditor's Office, and raise the standard of care for incarcerated people. The 2022 state audit findings confirmed the already extensive public record documenting the tragic loss of lives, systemic failures, and inadequacy of oversight.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
The auditor noted that, quote, given the annual number of incarcerated individual deaths in county jails across the state increased from 2006 to 2020, improving the statewide standards is essential to ensuring the health and safety of individuals in custody in all counties. AB 268 codifies numerous recommendations to improve the health and safety of incarcerated individuals in all detention facilities outlined by the Auditor's Office. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Alvarez, you are recognized.
- David Alvarez
Legislator
Thank you. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak in support of my colleague from San Diego on this bill. As Chair of the Audit Committee, recognizing the information provided by the auditor in the report last year, this bill does exactly what the auditor is suggesting that we do is implement some recommendations to ensure that there's a better process to make sure that inmates are assessed and also make sure that they are treated in a way that can prevent unfortunate tragedies, as we've seen in San Diego. So for that, I ask for your Aye vote. Thank you.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open the roll. All those votes desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Ayes 54, Noes 11. The bill is passed. We are going to move on to item number 74, AB 391. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 391 by Assembly Jones-Sawyer, an act relating to crimes.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer, you may open on your bill.
- Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer
Person
Thank you, Madam Speaker. I present AB 391, which seeks to address the harassment enabled by the anonymous child abuse reporting system. Unfortunately, the anonymous reporting system has been weaponized and used against the very individuals it was meant to protect. This bill will address the problem by requiring anyone who makes a report of child abuse or neglect to leave their name and phone number. In doing so, it will deter those who seek intentionally make false reports.
- Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer
Person
All reporters personal information will be kept strictly confidential in order to protect both victims and reporters. This bill will allow Child Protective Services to focus their resources on actual cases of child abuse and neglect, and will protect the most vulnerable Californians from harassment and unnecessary suffering. This bill has received bipartisan support, has support recommendation from both caucuses, and has no registered opposition. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Ayes 66, Noes zero. The bill is passed. We're going to go back on the file to item number 94, AB 492. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 492 by Senator Pellerin and others, an act relating to Medi-Cal.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Pellerin, you may open on your bill.
- Gail Pellerin
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Speaker and members. Members, we are in a mental health crisis and AB 492 establishes two pilot programs within the Department of Healthcare Services to integrate the need for behavioral health with the accessibility of family planning and reproductive clinics. One program will support medical providers that are enrolled in the family planning, access care and treatment program that provide reproductive and behavioral health integration programs. The other program under this bill will provide grants to incentivize medical managed care plans to develop and implement reproductive and behavioral health integration programs. AB four nine two will help provide timely and quality screening, referrals and interventions for Californians at risk for mild to moderate mental and behavioral health conditions. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wish to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those votes to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote, the clerk will close the roll. Aye's 55, no's 14. Bill is passed. Moving on to item number 95, AB four nine four. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly bill 494 by Assembly Member Arambula and accolade to health care.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Dr. Arambula, you may open on your bill.
- Joaquin Arambula
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. Today I rise to present AB 494, which will extend the sunset on the Robert F. Kennedy medical plan and reaffirm our commitment to farm worker health. Thank you, Members. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye's 56. No's seven. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 96, AB 504. The clerk will read
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 504 by Assemblymember Reyes and others, an relating to public employment.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Reyes, you may open on your bill.
- Eloise Gómez Reyes
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. AB 504 will protect a public employee's right to honor a public a picket line and stand in solidarity with colleagues engaged in the strike. In California, public employees have to be forced to concede the right to sympathy strike in order to negotiate living wages and job security. Our workers should not have a fear of losing their job because they honor a picket line. AB 504 will ensure workers have their rights protected while they continue fighting for equity. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye's 48. No's twelve. The bill has passed. Moving on to item number 97, AB 506. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 506 by Assemblymember Mike Fong and others, an act relating to the California State University.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assemblymember Mike Fong, you may open on your bill.
- Mike Fong
Legislator
Good afternoon, Madam Speaker and Members. Assembly Bill 1460 by a former colleague, Assembly Shirley Weber, requires all CSU students, beginning with a graduating class of 2024-2025, to complete a course in Ethnic Studies as requirement for graduation. As a GE course, community college students who wish to transfer to a CSU must first complete the course at a community college. In the fall of 2020, after the adoption of core competencies as required by AB 1460, the CSU Chancellor's Office began the process of reviewing and approving community college courses that are transferable to the CSU.
- Mike Fong
Legislator
Referred from a number of community colleges who have experienced rejection rates on the courses that they were submitted and expressed some frustration on the criteria. Assembly Bill 506 is a vehicle to address the process for approving community college courses and moves the required date back by year. To give us more time to determine what clarifications are needed and to ensure that students are able to complete this course and avoid any delay in transferring to a CSU, I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Dr. Weber, you are recognized.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
Thank you, Speaker. I rise in support as a co-author of AB 506. This bill will require the CSU's to collaborate with the Community College Chancellor's Office, the Academic Senate of the CSU, the Academic Senate for Community Colleges, the Community College's Ethnic Studies Faculty Council, and the CSU Council on Ethnic Studies in order to develop a process for the CSU to approve eligible CCC ethnic studies courses. As we know, ethnic study courses help students truly understand themselves, their history, and appreciate the richness and diversity of this nation. And for that, I respectfully ask for your vote on AB 506. Thank you.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open the roll. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Ayes 69, Noes zero. The bill is passed. We are going to now jump to item 250, AB 472. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 472 by Assembly Member Wicks and others, an act relating to classified employees.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Wicks, you may open on your bill. We're going to pass temporary on item 250, AB 472.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
We're going to go to item 255, AB 573. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 573 by Assembly Member Garcia, an act relating to organic waste.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Garcia, you may open on your bill.
- Eduardo Garcia
Person
Thank you, Madam Speaker and colleagues. This bill will allow the Imperial County region of the State to be in compliance with SB 1383 requirements. Respectfully ask for you Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open the roll. All those votes to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Ayes 68, Noes zero. The bill is passed. We are now going to go back to item 250, AB 472. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 472 by Assembly Member Wicks and others an act relating to classified employees.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Wicks, you may open on your bill.
- Buffy Wicks
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker. AB 472 clarifies that regardless of merit or non-merit district status, districts must fully compensate employees who return to service after being displaced on involuntary leave. The bill also requires school districts to compensate classified employees who miss time due to administrative delays for necessary job-related administrative determinations.
- Buffy Wicks
Legislator
This bill is a parity bill. Classified employees already have these protections. Even probationary certified employees are protected. Classified employees deserve the same. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Aye: 55; no: eight. The bill is passed. We're going to move to Item Number 252: AB 552. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 552 by Assembly Member Bennett and others, an act relating to agriculture.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Bennett, you may open on your bill.
- Steve Bennett
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker, Members. This bill has no no votes. I won't repeat the comments I made yesterday for anybody that was listening. I respectfully asked for an Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open the roll. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. All those vote to desire to vote. The clerk will close the rolls. Ayes 69, Noes zero. The bill is passed. We're going to move to item 253, AB 560. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 560 by Assembly Member Bennett, an act relating to groundwater.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Bennett, you may open on your bill.
- Steve Bennett
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker, Members. AB 560 continues the Legislative's courageous moves back in 2014 to create groundwater sustainability agencies to stop the overdraft of the groundwater in California. We now have an important responsibility to tweak those bills to make sure the groundwater agencies continue to stay effective and not be overridden unknowingly with the judicial branch. So this simply asks for an advisory vote.
- Steve Bennett
Legislator
I mean an advisory opinion to be offered by the state Water Board that the courts can accept or reject at their pleasure. But to make sure at least we have that important piece of information, as the courts are making their decisions. I have committed to taking amendments that will make sure that the Water Board responds promptly and we don't stretch out the length of any of these court cases that are there and try to make sure that all of this moves at a timely fashion. So I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Ayes 43, Noes 19. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 255, AB 578. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 578 by Assembly Member Berman, an act relating to housing.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Berman, you may open on your bill.
- Marc Berman
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker and Colleagues. AB 578 would update the annual monitoring fee imposed by the Department of Housing and Community Development on affordable housing developers to be no more than 260 dollars per unit in the development. This reasonable and remarkably wonky update to the monitoring fee would unlock nearly 30,000,000 dollars that could be used to build more affordable housing which is desperately needed in California. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes: 68; noes: zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to Item Number 256: AB 581. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 581 by Assembly Member Wendy Carrillo, an act relating to corrections.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Wendy Carrillo, you may open on your bill.
- Wendy Carrillo
Person
Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. Proud to present AB 581, also known as the Path Act as it clears a path to healing and transformation inside California prisons. Security clearance processes are critical to facilitate entry for rehabilitation programs provided within CDCR and for providers to facilitate the interaction and programming for people who are currently justice-impacted.
- Wendy Carrillo
Person
This bill recognizes that clearances processes for entry into prisons are important and necessary functions and seeks to address the complicated and costly process currently in place. The bill has bipartisan support and no opposition. Respectfully request an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes: 68; noes: zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to Item Number 257: AB 585. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 585 by Assembly Member Robert Rivas and others, an act relating to greenhouse gases and declaring urgency thereof and take effect immediately.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Robert Rivas, you may open on your bill.
- Robert Rivas
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker. This legislation seeks to require the state to regularly assess the scale of clean infrastructure needed to meet our state's climate goals and identify areas where we are falling short in building that infrastructure. As we know, achieving our aggressive but necessary climate goals will require a massive buildout of clean infrastructure. Again, this legislation takes the first step towards solving this problem by requiring regular reporting of clean infrastructure needs as well as greater detail on the scale and pace at which new clean infrastructure is built. Respectfully ask for Aye vote. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill. The clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Al those vote who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Ayes 68, Noes zero on the urgency. Ayes 68, Noes zero on the urgency. The bill is passed. Moving on to item number 258, AB 589. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 589 by Assembly Member Boerner an act relating to homelessness.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Boerner, you may open on your bill.
- Tasha Boerner
Legislator
Good afternoon, Madam Speaker and Members. I rise to present AB 589 which would--upon appropriation by the Legislature--establish a three-year pilot project of the Unicorn Homes Transitional Housing for Homeless LGBTQ Youth Program in the counties of San Diego and Sacramento. LGBTQ centers within each county would administer the program, providing crisis and intervention with a trauma-informed approach to house eligible youth in LGBTQ-affirming host homes. This bill has received bipartisan support and has no opposition. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes: 55; noes: zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to Item Number 259: AB 607. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 607 by Assembly Member Kalra and others, an act relating to public postsecondary education.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Kalra, you may open on your bill.
- Ash Kalra
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker. AB 607 would close price transparency gaps by requiring the California State Universities and California Community Colleges and encouraging the University of California to display estimated course materials for 75 percent of courses offered on the online course schedule platform. AB 607 is a straightforward measure to enable students to make informed decisions for course registration in a manner that works best for them financially. The bill has received bipartisan support. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wish to speak on this bill, the Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes: 68; noes: zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to Item Number 260: AB 618. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 618 by Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan and others, an act relating to state parks.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan, you may open on your bill.
- Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. This is a bill that is incredibly important because it gives access to the outdoors for Californians. It will improve California's reservation system for the state parks, improving access, especially to those who work full time and can't be online at 8:00 a.m. to make reservations for a campsite. I want to thank my colleague from Orange County who started this fight years ago and is now my joint author on the bill. With that, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes: 69; noes: zero. The bill is passed. Moving on to Item Number 261: AB 715. The Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 715 by Assembly Member Megan Dahle, an act related to rural education.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Assembly Member Megan Dahle, you may open on your bill.
- Megan Dahle
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Speaker. AB 715 will ensure California's smallest rural school districts receive proper recognition, representation, and guidance from the creation of the Rural Education Task Force. As you know, Members, I represent one of the most rural districts in California. The needs of my constituents are unique from their urban counterparts and the education is no exception.
- Megan Dahle
Legislator
The Rural Education Task Force will appoint local, rural-dedicated experts to provide a space to share their expertise and allow for better connection and communication between the state's smallest school districts and the Department of Education. Creating the Rural Education Task Force will provide a critical voice to those living and educating in rural California. This bill has bipartisan support, received no no votes, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Stephanie Nguyen
Legislator
Seeing no others wishing to speak on this bill, the Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes: 69; noes: zero. The bill is passed.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
All right, Members. We are back on file with Dr. Weber. This is File Item 264: AB 796. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 796 by Assembly Member Weber, an act relating to athletic trainers.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Dr. Weber, you may open on the bill.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise to present AB 796. AB 796 will create the Athletic Trainer Licensure Committee within the Medical Board at the Department of Consumer Affairs to exercise registration, ensure national certification, and facilitate disciplinary functions related to athletic trainers.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
This bill would also prohibit a person from practicing as an athletic trainer or using certain titles or terms without being licensed by the committee, and it will define the practice of athletic training, specify requirements for registration and certification as an athletic trainer and will require certified and registered athletic trainer to practice only under the supervision of a physician or surgeon.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
Athletic trainers are educated and trained to specialize in the prevention, assessment, and intervention of emergency, acute and chronic issues such as concussions, heat, illness, and sudden cardiac arrest. The American Medical Association recognizes athletic trainers as allied health professionals and are classified as such by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
Athletic trainers are so important that 46 states have licensures for athletic trainers. Hawaii requires registration and New York and Carolina have certification and title protection, and then there's California that has absolutely nothing. As a parent of two athletes myself, I want to ensure that a person caring for them is educated in the proper techniques to minimize injury and is required to work with physicians and other health care professionals on follow-up care.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
There are currently 138 individuals being paid to act as athletic trainers in high school sports right now that are unqualified. These include chiropractors, people with suspended certifications from other states, and student athletic trainers who did not pass the exam or complete the program. We've worked with the opposition to address their concerns with the scope of practice in this bill, and as you know from other bills that I've spoken on this floor, I am a fierce protector of scope and will continue to work with them in the Senate.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
Requiring certification and registration for athletic trainers will ensure the safety of our most vulnerable Californians, and that is our youth. Parents should be able to trust that the athletic trainers are actually trained to do what they claim they can do, and for these reasons, I respectfully ask for your vote on AB 796. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Assembly Member Weber, and Mr. Gipson, you're recognized on the bill.
- Mike Gipson
Legislator
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and Members. Thank you for--I'm here to support Assembly Bill 796 which would create Athletic Trainer Licensing Committee. I think my colleague from San Diego did an outstanding job and I don't want to be redundant. I respectfully ask for an aye vote. She did a fantastic job in driving home the point why this is important.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Gipson, and seeing no other Members wishing to be recognized on this bill, Dr. Weber, nothing further to close?
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
Ask for your aye vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 64; noes: zero. The bill is passed. Next by Ms. Soria, this is File Item 265: AB 830. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 830 by Assembly Member Soria and others, an act relating to fish and wildlife.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Member Soria, you may open on the bill.
- Esmeralda Soria
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. With the heavy rains California has experienced this year, as we saw the atmospheric rivers, is now more important than ever that we do everything in our power to capture water during wet years to better position to endure the dry years. AB 830 seeks to do just that by streamlining the permitting process in support of Flood-MAR activities when diverting local flood water into regional groundwater basins.
- Esmeralda Soria
Legislator
Groundwater is an important resource in our region, both for drinking and for agricultural irrigation. AB 830 represents a common sense step forward to both fighting floods and recharging our groundwater, and will assist local government entities working to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, known as SGMA. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Soria. Seeing no other Members wishing to speak on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will--Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 68; noes: one. The bill is passed. Next, Ms. Bauer-Kahan. This is going to be File Item 267: AB 923. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 923 by Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan, an act relating to water.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Ms. Bauer-Kahan, you may open on the bill.
- Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Earlier today, you voted on a flood protection bond by our colleague from Stockton. This bill focuses on prioritizing the projects that will be done under that money, so ensuring that we do the most impactful projects first and get the biggest bang for our buck.
- Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Legislator
As we know we can't do it all at once, but we really want to get all this flood protection done, especially as it expands our floodplains and helps both our communities that could be destroyed by the flooding and help support the environment around the rivers and in the floodplains. With that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Bauer-Kahan, and seeing no Members wishing to speak on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. No. Ayes: 70; noes: zero. The bill's passed.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
We're going back on file to Ms. Schiavo. This is File Item 232: AB 911. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 911 by Assembly Member Schiavo, an act relating to real property.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Schiavo, you may open on the bill.
- Pilar Schiavo
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. AB 911 is a bipartisan cleanup measure to AB 721 which was done by Assembly Member Bloom in 2021 and provides confidence to affordable housing developers who want to purchase real estate for 100 percent affordable development. Thank you and respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Schiavo. Seeing no Members wishing to be recognized on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 52; noes: 11. The bill's passed. Next by Mr. Holden, this is File Item 233: AB 41. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 41 by Assembly Member Holden and others, an act relating to telecommunications.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Mr. Holden, you may open on the bill.
- Chris Holden
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Today I rise to present Assembly Bill 41, the Digital Equity and Video Franchising Act of 2023, or DEVFA. I want to thank my colleagues and key stakeholders for their willingness to work with my office. And I would like to also thank the Chair for communication and conveyance for her guidance and support along the way. AB 41 revises existing law pertaining to cable operators and state video franchising to create a fair and transparent renewal process at the California Public Utilities Commission. Specifically, AB 41 outlines the application and renewal timeline for franchise holders and includes an equity hearing to ensure every stakeholder has an equal opportunity to participate in the process. This Bill includes buildout standards to ensure that franchise holders have adequate time to expand their service to households in their service territory. Let me be clear, build out does not require franchise holders to expand their network to households outside their chosen service territories. Lastly, AB 41 antidiscrimination section sets strong requirements that are achievable and measurable standards. I urge your support of AB 41, which seeks to ensure equity and video franchising process while closing the digital divide. With that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Holden. And so, Member Hoover, you're recognized on the Bill.
- Josh Hoover
Legislator
Question of the author?
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Without objection.
- Josh Hoover
Legislator
Thank you. So, I do have some privacy concerns regarding the data of low-income individuals under this Bill. So my question would just be: how will the individual income data be protected while also giving the data to companies for compliance? Thank you.
- Chris Holden
Person
Thank you. Happy to deal with that in my close.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Seeing no other members wishing to be recognized on this Bill. Mr. Holden, you may close.
- Chris Holden
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're going to continue to work with the CPUC to make sure that we have standards that are established that they are comfortable working with to make sure that privacy is maintained. We'll be continuing to work with those who have issues as we go forward in the Senate because we think that the CPUC can be able to be effective in addressing the issues before us.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Holden. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote, all those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the role, tally the votes. Ayes 41, noes 17. The Bill is passed. Next, Mr. Kalra, this is file item 234, AB 57. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 57 by Assemblymember Kalra and others and accolading to forests.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assemblymember Kalra, you may open on the Bill.
- Ash Kalra
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. AB 57 would establish the California Pocket Forest Initiative, a pilot program that would authorize CAL FIRE to distribute demonstration grants for Pocket Forest to public and nonprofit entities. A pocket forest is a small plot of urban land that has been densely planted with native plant species.
- Ash Kalra
Legislator
Over the course of two to three years, the plants will go into a self-sustaining miniature forest that can offer a wide range of environmental and health benefits. Under AB 57, CAL FIRE would partner with academic institutions to manage the pilot program and study the effectiveness of pocket forests. The bill requires a report to the Legislature by January 1st, 2030, and the pilot program will sunset on January 1st, 2031. AB 57 will ensure that urban communities and native species are able to access and enjoy the many benefits of natural green spaces. Respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Kalra, and seeing no Members wishing to be recognized on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 55; noes: five. The bill is passed. Next, back to Mr. Holden. This is File Item 236: AB 849. Clerk will read--excuse me--249. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 249 by Assembly Member Holden and others, an act relating to water and making appropriation therefore.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Holden, you may open on this bill.
- Chris Holden
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB 249 will require community water systems to test for lead and drinking water outlets at schools, and require schools to replace outlets that exceed the standard. Lead is a dangerous toxin, and there is no safe amount of lead in a child's drinking water because even low levels of exposure can cause learning and behavioral problems for children and damage their organs and nervous system. According to the US. Environmental Protection Agency, as much as 20% of the lead a child takes in comes from their drinking water. In 2018, I authored a bill that required regulations for the regular testing of lead and drinking water of child daycare centers. Recently released testing data revealed over one in four daycare centers had excessive levels of lead in their drinking water. AB 249 bills on that important work by requiring schools and community water systems to collaborate on protecting our students from lead. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Holden. And seeing no members wishing to be recognized on this Bill, clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote, all those vote who desire to vote, clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 56, no, zero. The bills pass temporarily on file item 237, bringing us to Mr. Rodriguez. This is file item 238, AB 277. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assemblymember Bill 277 by Assemblymember Rodriguez and others State Government.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Mr. Rodriguez, you may open on the bill.
- Freddie Rodriguez
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Today I rise to present AB 277 which codifies the Flood Operations Center within the Department of Water Resources. AB 277 also directs Cal OES and the Flood Operations Center to identify technological advances for forecasting impacts for atmospheric rivers and to identify gaps in California's response to floods.
- Freddie Rodriguez
Person
Ultimately, this bill will result in better forecasting capabilities and the intent of this bill to ensure local emergency managers have the information they need to keep people safe and informed during severe winter storms. For all these reasons, I ask for an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Rodriguez. Seeing nobody wishing to be recognized on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 61; noes: zero. The bill's pass. Next, back to Mr. Holden. This is File Item 239: AB 280. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 280 by Assembly Member Holden and others, an act relating to solitary confinement.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Mr. Holden, you may open on this bill.
- Chris Holden
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm here to present Assembly Bill 280, the Mandela Act on solitary confinement. This is a California Legislative Black Caucus priority bill. Years of research continue to confirm that solitary confinement causes deep psychological and physical harm, but it remains common in jails, prisons, and detention facilities across California. AB 280, the California Mandela Act, defines what constitutes solitary confinement and sets much needed limits on its use based on standards recognized by the United Nations and modern scientific consensus.
- Chris Holden
Person
The Mandela Act includes a 15 day limit on the use of solitary confinement based on the United Nations Mandela rules, recognizing that prolonged solitary confinement is akin to torture. This bill also prohibits the use of solitary confinement on vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women and those with serious mental and physical disabilities, because people who need specialized care should not be locked up in a room the size of a king size mattress without the access to the services that they need. Prior to 2015, thousands of incarcerated individuals were routinely warehoused in cramped windowless cells for nearly 24 hours a day, and often for years on end.
- Chris Holden
Person
Pelican Bay State Prison alone held over 500 individuals in solitary cells for over a decade. A class action lawsuit filed on behalf of incarcerated people led to the Ashker Agreement and reduced the amount of people subjected to prolonged solitary confinement from over 10,000 to under 4000 people today, but without any spike in violence in California prisons. I want to take a moment to be very clear on what the California Mandela Act does and what it does not do. This bill does not set a defined limit on how long an individual can be subjected to prolonged isolation without human contact and confined inside of a cell. AB 280 does not eliminate the ability of a facility to hold someone in an individual cell, either because they need protection or because they may pose a threat to others. And finally, this bill provides distinct alternatives to a 23 hour lockdown, which only serves to perpetuate cycles of violence and cruelty.
- Chris Holden
Person
Reforming solitary confinement in California is long overdue, and the Mandela Act brings our state in line with others like New York, Colorado, Connecticut, as well as the international community on the issue. I'm continuing to work with the administration and CDCR and propose changes to solitary confinement practices and appreciate their dedication to this issue. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Holden and Assembly Member Weber, you're recognized on the bill.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise in support and as a co-author of AB 280. Last April, when I joined Assembly Member Holden on a tour of New Folsom's prison solitary units, I was shocked to learn that although the individuals confined to these units should have been receiving 10 hours of mental health care per week, they usually only received one or 2 hours. Neurologists have discovered that social isolation and sensory deprivation individuals are exposed to when in solitary confinement can cause damage to the brain. Parts of the brain that are important for memory, spatial orientation, and emotional regulation.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
The lasting impacts of damage to these areas of the brain can lead to memory loss, depression, cognitive decline, and disruption in the body's natural circadian rhythms. All of these effects can stay with an individual long after they have left solitary confinement. Restricting these individuals access to mental health care can also cause physical health complications.
- Akilah Weber
Legislator
Studies have shown that nearly a third of individuals in solitary confinement are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes. I applaud Assembly Member Holden for reintroducing this bill, which will end the use of solitary confinement for specific populations, including those with disabilities, pregnant people and others, as well as setting limits to how this can be used. I also want to remind people that this bill is a Black Caucus priority, and I thank you and I respectfully ask for your Aye vote on AB 280.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Dr. Weber and Assembly Member Bryan, you're recognized on the bill.
- Isaac Bryan
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. I rise in strong support as a joint author of AB 280. Similar to my colleague from San Diego, I also toured New Folsom with my colleague from Pasadena, and what we saw were Abhorrent conditions. This is from a UN standard aptly named after Nelson Mandela. I think about Alfred Woodfox, who served over 40 years in solitary in Angola, only to be exonerated and freed and suffer from mental trauma the rest of his life.
- Isaac Bryan
Legislator
I think of Khalif browder, who was never convicted of any wrongdoing and was in solitary for three years in Rikers Island, who came home and took his own life because of the demons and the trauma. We don't send people into our criminal legal system to be tortured. We send them there for accountability. We send them there for justice. We send them there for a number of reasons. We don't send them there to be tortured. This is a reasonable measure. The author has taken many years to get this right. As was mentioned earlier, this is a Black Caucus priority bill, and I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Bryan. And Assembly Member Kalra, you're recognized on the bill.
- Ash Kalra
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. As a proud joint author, I rise in support of AB 280. For years now, the international community and advocates have recognized solitary confinement as one of the most severe and harmful practices in detention facilities today, going as far as labeling it inhumane and torture. California has made great strides towards rehabilitation and criminal justice reform, but all that work is jeopardized if we're unable to address the inhumane treatment of people detained in jails, prisons, and private detention facilities. Numerous studies and cases have shown the ill impact solitary confinement can have on a person's rehabilitation, as well as their physical and mental health.
- Ash Kalra
Legislator
I've personally represented many formerly incarcerated individuals who, many years after their experience of solitary confinement, are still dealing with the mental health trauma and even fallen into substance abuse and other mental health issues based upon the trauma that they went through while incarcerated and while they experienced solitary confinement. Our policies should be driven by our values equality, compassion, and common humanity. It is far past time we call out solitary confinement for what it is, torture, and set limits to its use. Respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Kalra and Assemblywoman Bauer-Kahan, you're recognized on the bill.
- Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise in support of AB 280. I represented a man on death row. He was there for ten years for a crime he didn't commit. I got to be there the day that he was freed. During the decade he spent on death row, he was in isolation every single day. I was the only person he had contact with who treated him like a human, and I got to witness what that did to him over the three years that I had the privilege of representing him. And there is no question in my mind that it was torture.
- Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Legislator
And for any one of us who've seen that first-hand, this is an easy bill. This isn't even hard. This isn't a question of whether folks should be incarcerated or not. It's whether they should be treated in a way that doesn't involve torture, which is a basic human right and a fundamental principle of our great nation. And like I said, I was there when he got out and he died a month later. He died of suspicious circumstances. But most of us that knew him believe he committed suicide. That's what it did to him. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Bauer-Kahan. And seeing no other members wishing to speak on this bill. Mr. Holden, you may close.
- Chris Holden
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me just also thank my colleagues who have spoken on this very important measure. I think it's very easy sometimes to live life and not pay attention to circumstances that others find themselves in. And clearly, those who are incarcerated are there for a variety of reasons. And the system should be rehabilitating. And I believe that those who find themselves needing to be in solitary confinement, as I said in my statement, there may be reasons for having separation, but not for 23 out of 24 hours a day, not for decades on time.
- Chris Holden
Person
Some of the witnesses who spoke up and testified on this bill made it very clear they would have rather been beaten than to be put in solitary confinement. The mental torture that that puts on an individual, it's hard to rebound from. And I salute all of those who have come forward with their testimony to be able to show that there was an opportunity to become an advocate for change.
- Chris Holden
Person
And so with their input, with their real life story, to be able to document, for us to appreciate and then to be able to find our vote for a bill like this is to recognize that change is necessary. And as I said early on, I appreciate the administration's effort and they're working collaboratively with us on this. And I again, I appreciate my colleagues of support and I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
The clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 54 and Noes 13. Bill is passed. Next to Mr. Vince Fong. This is file item 240, AB 295. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 295 by Assembly Member Vince Fong an act relating to the Department of Transportation
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Fong, you may open on the bill.
- Vince Fong
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 2018, at the intersection of Highway 299 and Carr Powerhouse Road in Shasta County, a tire blew out, causing the rim to scrape against the pavement and creating sparks that ignited dry vegetation along the highway. The Carr Fire was the 13th largest wildfire in California history, burning almost 230,000 acres, destroying over 1,500 structures, causing 1.6 billion dollars in damages, and killing eight people.
- Vince Fong
Person
California has over 5,000 miles of state highway corridors across forest grasslands and can act as a firebreak or be sources of fire depending on whether the adjacent fuel loads are properly managed. Assembly Bill 295 will require the Caltrans Division of Maintenance to start roadside maintenance projects within 90 days at the request of local government entities if the continued failure to complete these projects poses a danger that requires action to prevent the loss or impairment of life, health, property, or essential public services.
- Vince Fong
Person
AB 295 will prevent disastrous wildfires from starting along the state's highways by helping prioritize Caltrans's efforts to implement defensible space maintenance projects. This bill has enjoyed unanimous support and has no opposition. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Assembly Member Fong, and seeing no Members wishing to speak on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 68, Noes zero. The bill is passed. Next back to Mr. Holden. This is file item 241, AB 299. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 299 by Assembly Member Holden, an act relating to hazing.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Mr. Holden, you may open on this bill.
- Chris Holden
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I present to you AB 299, the Hazing Accountability Act. This bill allows for civil action to be brought against an institution of higher education that knew or should have known of the hazing practices of an affiliate organization. Additionally, AB 299 requires the Department of Education to make available on their website a model anti-hazing policy and resources on hazing prevention. It is time to ensure all parties involved are doing their part in the hope that we can prevent these tragedies in the future. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Holden. And seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 52, Noes, three. The bill is passed. And then next is file item 242, AB 304. Mr. Holden. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 304 by Assembly Member Holden and others, an act relating to domestic violence.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Mr. Holden, you may open on the bill.
- Chris Holden
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm here to present AB 304, domestic violence prevention bill that addresses serious shortcomings in our rehabilitation system. Under 304, the approval and renewal responsibilities of the Batterers' Intervention Program will be transferred to the Department of Justice in collaboration with the Injury and Violence Prevention Branch of the state Department of Public Health.
- Chris Holden
Person
In addition, a more holistic picture of an offender's background will be taken into consideration when determining the most effective program for them. Crucially, AB 304 will require all probation violations to be reported to the court within seven business days, as well as sets of training guidelines for all parties involved in domestic violence incidents, including judges. Together, these provisions will make for a newly bolstered and better prepared system for domestic violence intervention and prevention. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Assembly Member Holden. Seeing no Members wishing to address this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 59; noes: zero. The bill's passed. Next, File Item 243: AB 323. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 333 by Assembly Member Holden, an act relating to land use.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Member Holden, you may open on this bill.
- Chris Holden
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB 323 is a common sense measure that will protect homeownership opportunities for California as created for our lowest income residents and families. Affordable housing policies like the Density Bonus and local inclusionary zoning programs have provided Californian's pathways to build equity and intergenerational wealth. However, these pathways can be redirected away from residents that were intended to assist to instead allow private investors to buy homes at rock bottom prices.
- Chris Holden
Person
AB 323 closes this loophole by preventing housing developers from petitioning a locality to change a deed-restricted unit from owner occupancy to rental unless no qualified applicants have been apply, have applied to buy the unit. This bill has enjoyed bipartisan support throughout the process, the policy process, and has no opposition. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Holden. And seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 63, Noes zero. The bill is passed. Next, this is file item 244 AB 347. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 347 by Assembly Member Ting, an act relating to consumer protection.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Ting, you may open on the bill.
- Philip Ting
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Over the last number of years, a number of us have passed legislation which has become law to regulate this very dangerous chemical PFAS. However, what we haven't done is ensure that there's a regulatory body to ensure compliance with all of our existing laws, especially in the area of food packaging and juvenile products.
- Philip Ting
Person
This bill will require the Department of Toxic Substances Control to ensure compliance in these two areas with all the existing laws. This is very important because if we don't have this regulatory body do our compliance, we can't ensure that the laws actually are followed. DTSC would be required to test products for compliance. It would also assist administrative fines against noncompliant manufacturers.
- Philip Ting
Person
We took amendments in Appropriations that removed opposition. I continue to be committed to working with environmental and business stakeholders throughout this process, and hopefully we can get meaningful compliance on these laws. We respectfully ask for an aye vote on AB 347.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Assembly Member Ting, and seeing no Members wishing to speak on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 50; noes: nine. The bill's passed. Next, this is File Item 245: AB 352. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 352 by Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan and others, an act relating to health information.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan, you may open on the bill.
- Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I'm proud to rise to present AB 352. This is a critical bill that will protect women across this country when they come to California to access abortion services. Currently, if you go seek health care in another state, the doctor you seek can see your health records here in California to provide you with seamless health care. That's a good thing. Unless you came here to seek an abortion and you go home and the providers in foreign states where that is a crime, can see the health care you received here in California.
- Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
Legislator
This bill will ensure that that health access information is not allowed out of state, that it is shared within the state so that your continuity of care in California is safe. But for women who return home, they are protected from that information being shared across state borders. With that, I respectfully ask for your Aye vote on AB 352.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Bauer-Kahan. And seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 56, Noes 13. Bill is passed. Next, this is file item 246, AB 366. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 366. By Assembly Member Petrie-Norris, an act relating to human services.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Petrie-Norris, you may open on this bill.
- Cottie Petrie-Norris
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise today to ask for your support for AB 366, which will help California's understaffed county human services departments grow their workforce. This bill has received unanimous support and has no opposition. Respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Petrie-Norris. Seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 70, Noes one. The bill is passed. Next, file item 247, AB 402. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 402 by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry an act relating to weeds and making appropriation therefore.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry, you may open on the bill.
- Cecilia Aguiar-Curry
Legislator
Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise to ask for your support for AB 402 because California's bountiful crops are under attack by a noxious weed known as branched broomrape. The bill--please join me in supporting our farmers today. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Aguiar-Curry. Seeing no Members wishing to speak on the bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 68; noes: zero. The bill's passed. Next, Mr. Bryan. This is File Item 248: AB 421. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 421 by Assembly Member Bryan and others, an act relating to elections.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Member Bryan, you may open on the bill.
- Isaac Bryan
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. Our referendum process is well over 100 years old. It was additionally designed to empower the people of California to check this house, but it's lost that power. It's confusing. It's being manipulated. There are some common sense changes we can do to make sure that it returns to being a people-powered process that it was designed to be. This measure does that. We've been working with all stakeholders, including taking meaningful amendments from the chamber of commerce and the appropriations committee. This bill is well on its way and I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Bryan and Leader Gallagher, you're recognized on the bill.
- James Gallagher
Legislator
Yes, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise in respectful opposition, and I find it interesting that when the direct democracy process seems to work for the other party, they're fine with it. But when it doesn't work, all of a sudden there are reforms and changes that need to be done. We saw this with the recall a couple of years ago and now here with the referendum, when bills that they get passed and maybe people like and the people decide that they want to do a referendum on that.
- James Gallagher
Legislator
It's not easy, by the way, not easy at all to carry out a recall or a referendum in this state. It takes a lot of grassroots work to get it on the ballot and to ultimately convince the voters that a bill should either be the subject of a referendum and that has happened, and the people have made that decision. But it seems like a lot of what this is is people aren't happy with the outcomes, so then they want to put more barriers in the way of using that direct democracy.
- James Gallagher
Legislator
If we care about democracy, then we should support these direct democracy measures, which have been a part of this state for many years and I think have been key to allow the people to say, no, we do not like what has happened and have the final say on these issues as they have here in recent years. And I think this is kind of cloaked with the veil of, oh, we want to make this easier, we want to make this better, when really it's just that this body, or at least the majority party, doesn't like how direct democracy is being done in this state.
- James Gallagher
Legislator
And so, for my own part, I think that we should support the ability of the voters to make changes. If they decide that they don't like what we're doing here, that they don't like laws that we've passed. They ultimately have the final say and not put roadblocks in the way of doing so.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Assembly Member Gallagher. And unless there's anybody else wishing to speak on this measure, Mr. Bryan, you may close.
- Isaac Bryan
Legislator
Yeah, I appreciate those comments. Before I was in office, I was a neighborhood community organizer. I used to show up at L.A County with thousands of people. No joke. We stopped a contract to cancel a new jail facility in L.A. County, a new women's jail with thousands of people. We ran a ballot measure. I ran a ballot measure before I was in office. Over 2 million votes. We need participatory democracy. What we don't need is a disgruntled concentrated group of special interests who spent over $30 million in 90 days to lie to voters.
- Isaac Bryan
Legislator
That's not a people-driven process. That's not democracy. Furthermore, the process is confusing, as was demonstrated in the election committee by the minority party. Members across the aisle couldn't explain whether a yes vote means you kept the law or a yes vote meant you repealed the law. And I'm not going to do a quiz on this floor because many of you would also get it wrong. It was designed to be confusing for the people. It shouldn't be that way. We're going to make it better. We have a responsibility to make it better. I respectfully ask your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Bryan. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 53, Noes 17. Bill is passed. Next. Miss Schiavo. This is file item 249, AB 464. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 464 by.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 464 by Assembly Member Schiavo and others, an act relating to public documents.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assemblywoman Schiavo, you may open on this bill.
- Pilar Schiavo
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. This is a really important bill. This is the first bill that I ever introduced here on the floor and it's because I cofounded an organization working on homelessness and myself personally did outreach to homeless encampments for over a year, and the number one thing people asked for other than housing and food was an ID, and the reason that is is because when you're on the streets, you're often--you lose, it's stolen, or it's destroyed and you can't get housing and you can't get on your feet and you cannot get a job if you don't have an ID.
- Pilar Schiavo
Legislator
So AB 464 is really oriented to make sure that folks who are experiencing homelessness and low income people can access IDs and vital records when they need it and that cost is never a barrier for people to get on their feet. It has bipartisan support and I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Schiavo, and seeing no Members wishing to speak on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 53; noes: five. Bill's passed. We are going to go back and pick up a few items that were missed. Ms. Schiavo, we're going to go back to File Item 13. This is AJR 4. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Joint Resolution Four by Assembly Member Schiavo and others, related to the Medicare program.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Ms. Schiavo, you may open on this bill--resolution.
- Pilar Schiavo
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. AJR 4 is a joint resolution with bipartisan support requesting that we dissolve the Accountable Care Organization or the ACO REACH program nationally. Our nation's Medicare program has kept eligible seniors and people with disabilities from dying and out of poverty for nearly 60 years by keeping administrative costs to a minimum and allowing patients a choice in selecting their physician. Since the mid-nineties, the federal government has increasingly used Medicare to pay private insurers and administer our country's Medicare program. Many of the providers in ACO REACH are sometimes private equity firms that are rushing to exploit and undermine Medicare solvency by overdiagnosing and using inflated billing practices. We're one of the states that has close to 20% of the nation's ACO REACH providers. California has the most to lose by not urging action. And I ask for the first role to be open for coauthors and urge your aye vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Schiavo. And seeing no members wishing to speak on the resolution, Ms. Schiavo has asked for the first role to be open for co-authors. Clerk will open the roll. All those wishing to be a co-author on AJR 4, please signify by casting your vote. Clerk will close the roll. There are 51 co-authors. We only take a roll call vote on this measure. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 54, noes 14. Resolution is adopted. Next, we are going to move forward to Mr. Bryan. You still wish to pass temporarily on file item 46 or take it up? AB 61, pass temporarily and then file item 67, AB 364. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 364 by Assemblymember Bryan. An act relating to transportation.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Mr. Bryan, you may open on this bill.
- Isaac Bryan
Legislator
Thank you. Mr. Speaker and colleagues. I rise to present AB 364, a bill that will collect street furniture data for Caltrans to enhance commuter safety and accessibility. Right now, Caltrans does not disclose where any bus shelters, any shade, any street infrastructure is. It makes it very difficult for people who live in heat deserts to design their public transit routes. This will require Caltrans to collect that data and publish that data and inform us as we make investments on where to put shade and street furniture data. It's received no votes, no no votes and has bipartisan support. Respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you. Assembly Member Bryan. Seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 63, Noes zero. Bill is passed. Next, Mr. Garcia, we are going to go to file item 69. This is AB 371. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly bill 371 by.
- Reading Clerk
Person
371 by Assemblymember. Garcia and others. An act related to housing.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assemblymember Garcia, you may open on the bill.
- Eduardo Garcia
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. In 2019 we authored AB 1010 that allowed for tribes to be competitive at housing and community development agency for tribal housing dollars. We identified working with the tribes that the framework, the regulatory framework has not been working for them to seek out these resources. This bill incorporates a tribal advisory committee that would allow for the regulatory process to be reflective of the diverse needs of Indian Country throughout California to ensure that those resources put forward for tribal housing are distributed and have the impact that AB 1010 was attempting to achieve. This has received bipartisan support and I want to thank all of the different tribes that have been participating in this process. Respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Garcia. And seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 61, noes zero. Bills pass. Next, Mr. Bryan, did you want to take up file item 79, AB 424? Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 424 by Assemblymember Bryan. An act relating to public health.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Mr. Bryan, you may open on the bill.
- Isaac Bryan
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Colleagues. I rise today to present AB 424, a bill that would direct the California Department of Public Health to establish a registry for ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease in the State of California. Current law requires CDPH to establish and maintain a registry for Parkinson's disease and allows the Department discretion to expand the registry to include other neurogenetic diseases such as ALS.
- Isaac Bryan
Legislator
This bill would take that discretion away and require that we create that registry. It's necessary, it's important, it's impacted so many of us, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Bryan, and Assemblywoman Dixon, you're recognized on the bill.
- Diane Dixon
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to say I'm in wholehearted support of it. It's a good bill and it needs to be passed for those who suffer from neurodegenerative diseases. Thank you, Mr. Colleague, for bringing this bill forward. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Dixon, and Assembly Member Zbur, you're recognized on the bill.
- Rick Chavez Zbur
Legislator
Yes. I'd like to thank my colleague from Los Angeles on behalf of my sister, Jackie, who passed away from ALS. I just want to thank you for bringing this forward and respectfully request an aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Zbur, and if there are no other Members wishing to speak on this bill, Mr. Bryan, anything further to close?
- Isaac Bryan
Legislator
I just want to thank my joint authors. My cousin Chris was diagnosed with ALS when he was 30 years old. He was an EMT, used to work the late shifts scraping bodies off the pavement and taking care of folks. He's now in a wheelchair. He reads with his eyes. He can't speak. He's lost his ability to speak. He got a trach over the Christmas holiday after he was diagnosed with COVID and almost didn't make it.
- Isaac Bryan
Legislator
We can't make the right investments if we don't know who all is suffering from ALS. We need a registry, we should have had this long ago, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Bryan. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes: 64; noes: zero. The bill's passed. Majority Leader Reyes, you're recognized for an announcement.
- Eloise Gómez Reyes
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, 102. That's your number so far. Good job. Keep it up, please.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Madam Majority Leader, and Mr. Kalra. We are going to move to File Item 93. This is AB 486. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 486 by Assembly Member Kalra, an act relating to health facilities.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assembly Member Kalra, you may open on the bill.
- Ash Kalra
Legislator
Thank you. AB 486 moves the regulatory appeal process for class AA and A appeals out of court and into an independent administrative hearing overseen by an administrative law judge. The current process that skilled nursing facilities use to challenge class A and AA involving the harm or death of a resident is a singular privilege given and an outlier nationally. The well established administrative hearing process can absorb and adjudicate these appeals more efficiently and with greater consistency.
- Ash Kalra
Legislator
By making this long overdue change, AB 46 allows our state regulators to more effectively hold negligent facilities accountable so quality care for future residents can be improved. Under this bill, facilities retain their robust due process rights and would still be allowed to file a written mandate for judicial review. AB 486 is supported by Attorney General Rob Bonta, who must defend the state's position on appeal and writs. The accelerated timeline of administrative proceedings will allow for a greatly expedited first level of review, with only the most contested citations receiving the writ of mandate review in a superior quarterly. Respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Khalra. And seeing no members wishing to be addressed on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 44, Noes 17. Bill is passed. Next we will take up file item 42. This is AB 8. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 8 by Assemblymember Friedman and others. An act relating to sales.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Ms. Friedman, you may open on the bill.
- Laura Friedman
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and the members. In the past, if you wanted to buy a ticket to see a concert, you would go to the box office and you would stand in line sometimes and you'd buy a ticket knowing exactly what that ticket was going to cost you and where those seats were going to be. Now, many of us thought that the Internet would make it a lot easier to buy tickets, but unfortunately, in many cases, it's actually made things a lot more difficult and a lot more murky for ticket buyers. What happens sometimes is you'll see a ticket listed on a site, you'll spend time trying to get that ticket, maybe pick a seat, you'll put it in your shopping cart, and then you'll click through screen after screen after screen, where fees are added on with each click. Now there's a reason for that because the ticket sellers have actually done psychological research where they have determined that if you have a consumer spending a certain amount of time trying to purchase something they will become, in their mind, committed to purchasing it even if it's at a price higher than they initially would have thought they would have paid. So if you list that price, let's say for $300, people are going to say more that I want to spend, I'm going to move on. But if you list it for 100 and you spend a half an hour fiddling around with the website and it ends up at 300, you're going to say, oh, I might as well just do it now. I've invested all this time in it. Well, that's just wrong. Average ticket prices have more than tripled since the mid-nineties. And the fees that attacked onto its ticket can be as high as, and get this, 78% of the ticket prices in fees. That's just a rip-off. Now, the tickets. Now, while consumers are feeling the pinch that ticket sellers are not, just last month, Ticketmaster Live Nation announced record profits with an operating income up 125% from pre-pandemic levels and revenue up 44%. We need to update the law to protect consumers. AB 8 adds new consumer protections that would say that the full price of the ticket, including all fees, should be shown to the consumer when they select the tickets they wish to purchase. That's all. And that the ticket price will not increase during the process. It will also require platforms to disclose an exact location, being the section, seat, and row number of the tickets. Now, many of you have heard of opposition from industry. We have been tailoring and narrowing this bill, and just today, we have an agreement with most of the opposition that because we are limiting the bill to just price transparency primarily, we are basically removing the section about transferability. So there's some other stuff about bots that I don't think it's objectionable to anyone. But the big point of contention was about whether or not consumers would, by law, be able to transfer their tickets to other people. We have removed that from this bill. And so, hopefully, you've received word from people who were opposed yesterday and the day before that they are now neutral on the bill and committed to continuing to work with us. I have been working very closely with my joint author for Thousand Oaks, and we are united in the need for passing this bill to give consumers some basic protection about knowing what they're paying for and where they're going to be sitting. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Friedman. And Assemblywoman Irwin, you're recognized on the bill.
- Jacqui Irwin
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Assemblymember Friedman and I have committed to just to reiterate, committed to removing Code Section 2256 from this bill relating to transferability in the Senate. But the goal of AB 8 remains the same to protect consumers like me and you from outdated, deceptive marketplace practices that have financially harmed our constituents and us. Thank you. And I ask for your aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Irwin. And seeing no other members wishing to speak on this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Ms. Friedman moves the call. Next, we are going to take up file item 76. This is AB 408. The clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 408 by Assemblymember Wilson and others. An act relating to the Climate-resilient Farms, Sustainable Healthy Food Access, and Farmworker Protection Bond Act of 2024 by providing the funds necessary, therefore election and insurance. And sales of bonds in the state of California and the handling of the disposition of those funds and declaring urgency thereof and taking effect immediately.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assemblymember Wilson, you may open on the bill.
- Lori Wilson
Legislator
Good afternoon members. I'm presenting AB 408, our Climate-Resilient Farms, Sustainable Healthy Food Access, and Farm Worker Protection Bond Act of 2024. California's food and farming system is on the front lines of the climate crisis and if the state wants to create a more climate-resilient agriculture sector, then it must act now to scale up investments. AB 408 proposes 3.4 billion and bond funding to support four pillars of our food system climate smart agriculture, farm worker well being, healthy food access, and regional food infrastructure.
- Lori Wilson
Legislator
Advancing climate smart agricultural practice not only helps farmers, fishers and ranchers, these practices also bring a host of co benefits such as supporting biodiversity, improved air and water quality, and support for local jobs and economic development. This is especially important because we also know that the pandemic recent flood impacts and ongoing supply chain challenges are affecting farmers, farm workers and agricultural productivity. It is time that we secure the necessary resources and invest in the people who feed us and avoid displacing small scale farms, farmers of color, and farm workers to other states and other countries.
- Lori Wilson
Legislator
We also must invest in food access and ensure that our communities have the facilities they need to bring food from the farm to the table. This also includes school kitchen facilities that can be used to teach kids about nutrition and infrastructure to deliver meals to seniors and other populations with high rates of food insecurity. With this proposed bond, the state has an opportunity to scale this work up across the state and ensure California's food and farming system is ready, resilient, and helping our state fight climate change while continuing to feed our communities. Thank you members. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote on this important bill.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you Ms. Wilson and seeing Ms. Soria you're recognized on the bill.
- Esmeralda Soria
Legislator
Thank you Mr. Speaker. I do want to recognize the author from Sison City for bringing this proposal forward. This bill is something that is going to be important also for my district. So I'm rising in strong support of this piece of legislation. As I look closely at the language of the bill and the definitions, it becomes clear that this bill really describes a lot of the parts of my district when it talks about disadvantaged community, limited resource farmer or rancher, socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher, and small and medium sized farms. I know that this bill and the resources that will come out of this bill will come and benefit District 27.
- Esmeralda Soria
Legislator
The investments in this bill are the exact type of investments that we need to ensure secure, resilient, sustainable, and equitable food and a farming system. So I'm glad to see that the resources proposed by this bill are targeted to areas and communities that I represent and that need it the most. So again, thank you for your leadership on this proposal. Look forward and ask everyone to join me in supporting this AB 408.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you. Ms. Soria. And Assembly Mmber Garcia, you're recognized on the bill.
- Eduardo Garcia
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. I too want to rise in support of this measure. I think it's important to really highlight the role that our farmers and agriculture plays as it relates to trying to meet our ambitious climate goals and objectives here in California.
- Eduardo Garcia
Person
Over the last few years, we've seen a significant amount of investments from the climate change dollars make their ways to agricultural communities to help us meet those objectives, but more importantly, create a much more sustainable agricultural community when it comes to energy efficiency, water resilient practices. And as my colleague from Merced has mentioned, districts like ours will be the direct beneficiaries of a policy like this. Commend the author and respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Garcia. And seeing no other members wishing to be recognized on the bill. Ms. Wilson, anything further to close?
- Lori Wilson
Legislator
Just a note thank you to those that stood up in regard to this as well as my joint authors and co-authors. Not only is agriculture important in my district, but as was noted for the Central Valley. I'm a Central Valley girl born and raised, and it's really important to the Central valley and other places across the state. So with that, I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Wilson. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 56, Noes six. Bill is passed. Ayes 56, Noes six on the urgency. Ayes 56, Noes six on the bill. Measure passes. We are back on file. Members, there is a lot of support, support coming up right now. So not all of them, so watch out, but we know what to do. Mrs. Petrie-Norris, we're going to begin with you. File item 98, AB 508. C;erk will read.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 508 by Assemblymember Petrie-Norris and others. An act relating to probation.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Ms. Petrie-Norris, you may open.
- Cottie Petrie-Norris
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise to present AB 508. AB 508 will hold polluters accountable by expanding probation time limits from one to five years for environmental crimes. This will ensure that corporations who violate California's environmental laws and enter into probation agreements actually deliver on the terms of that probation. I respectfully ask for your aye vote. The bill has enjoyed broad bipartisan support. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Petrie-Norris. Seeing no members wish to discuss this bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 67, noes zero. Bills pass. Next, file item 99. This is AB 513. Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 513 by Assemblymember Rodriguez and others. An act relating to disaster assistance making appropriation, therefore, and declaring urgency thereof to take effect immediately.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Mr. Rodriguez, we can open on this bill.
- Freddie Rodriguez
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I todayay rise to present AB 513, which would establish the California Individual Assistance Act, to be administered by the California Office of Emergency Services, Cal OES. The purpose of the bill is to provide timely and direct assistance to families and individuals who have suffered harm due to local and state declared disasters, but would not be eligible for federal disaster assistance. This bill provides local governments, community based organizations, and individuals with the assistance they need to quickly recover from a disaster. All too often, FEMA and Cal OES have been unable to provide assistance to the most vulnerable communities when a disaster strikes and have prepassed for recovery. For all these reasons, I ask for an Aye vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Garcia. Excuse me. Mr. Rodriguez. Seeing no members wishing to speak on this bill. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 70, Noes zero on the urgency. Ayes 70, Noes zero on the bill. Measure passes. We will be moving to file item 192, AB 1567 by Mr. Garcia.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 1567 by Assemblymember Garcia. An act relating to safe drinking water, wildfire prevention, drought prevention, and flood.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Assemblymember Garcia, you may open on the bill.
- Eduardo Garcia
Person
Good afternoon again, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. The impacts of climate change to our state and our communities require us to act quickly. This bill seeks to make California more climate resilient by investing in various adaptation activities throughout the state, ranging from wildfire risk reduction, to drought preparation, to protecting against sea level rise. Not only will this measure help create new jobs in California, it will create long-term green jobs that will help the state reach its climate goals. We must invest in our infrastructure because in order to protect our communities, these investments need to be made intentionally. This bill is meant to promote equity, foster community resiliency, and protect those most vulnerable, prioritizing that meaningful benefits in disadvantaged communities are front and center of this measure. At least 35% of those funds shall be allocated to those types of projects throughout the State of California, and making sure that 10% of these monies are available in each chapter to be made available for direct benefits of disadvantaged communities. Members, I've had a lot of conversations with many of you on this measure. Thank you so much for your input. Respectfully asking for your aye vote. This is a 54-vote bill.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Garcia and Assemblymember Waldron, you're recognized on the bill.
- Marie Waldron
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. I rise in support of AB 1567. If passed by the voters, the funding authorized by this bond act would support wildfire prevention efforts across the state. When we talk about wildfires in California, we must not forget that Southern California has also experienced some of the most devastating wildfires in our state history. The majority of my district, Assembly District 75 in rural San Diego County, is within high or very-high-severity fire hazard zones. This potential funding is desperately needed by districts like mine. This bond act would also set aside funds accessible by tribes to support plans to build critical water infrastructure projects. Tribal governments for too long have lacked the modern water infrastructure needed for future generations to thrive. The funds in this bond will help close that gap for tribal governments and bring their water systems into the 21st century. And lastly, there is hope that as this bill moves forward, funding can be made available up to 25 million for licensed California wildlife rehabilitation facilities to help injured, sick, or often native wildlife. Facilities like Project Wildlife in San Diego and 84 other wildlife rehabilitation organizations, all nonprofits around the state, would benefit. All good reasons to support this measure today.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Ms. Waldron. And seeing no other members wishing to be recognized on the bill, Mr. Garcia, anything further to close? Very well. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Requires 54. Clerk will close roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 54, noes zero. Bills passed. At this time we're prepared to lift the call on file item 42. Clerk will post. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 43, noes eleven. Bills passed. Next, we're back to file item 268. This is AB 985.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Clerk will read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Assembly Bill 985 by Senator Arambula, an act relating to air pollution.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
And Assembly Member Arambula, you may open on the bill.
- Joaquin Arambula
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Today I rise to present AB. 985. When a polluter voluntarily reduces surplus emissions, they earn a credit. These credits can be used, bought or sold in markets known as emission reduction credit programs. The San Joaquin Valley Air District organizes these available credits into what are called banks. At the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, there are ten banks, one per pollutant, one for volatile organic compounds, one for carbon monoxide, one for sulfur oxides, and so on.
- Joaquin Arambula
Legislator
After years of efforts, community groups identified serious discrepancies with credits held for sale in the air district's banks. In 2020, the California Air Resources Board finally agreed to look into it and released the result of its analysis. The report confirmed what community groups had long suspected, that there are credits for sale right now that should have never been issued in the first place. These credits can be used to allow future pollution when there was, in actuality no offsetting of pollution to justify issuing the original credit.
- Joaquin Arambula
Legislator
Despite this discovery, however, CARB shockingly only reviewed two out of the ten banks. AB 985 directs CARB to finish the job to ensure that all of the credits in the program are valid. Not viewing the remaining credit banks is like discovering that half of the bikes in a bike showroom are stolen, but not checking the rest of the bikes that are in back. That doesn't make any sense. The unchecked credit banks contain offsets for pollutants that are implicated in severe adverse health impacts.
- Joaquin Arambula
Legislator
Particulate matter, PM 2.5 and PM 10 have been shown to accumulate in fetal tissue during gestation, which with links to low birth weight and infant mortality. Carbon monoxide reduces the capacity of the body to pump oxygenated blood to the heart. Oxides of sulfur may increase the risk of children developing asthma and worsens respiratory outcomes. Among those children that do develop asthma, there are also credit banks for acetone, ethane, sulfate, and hydrogen sulfide, each with its own set of health and environmental impacts.
- Joaquin Arambula
Legislator
This has resulted in decades of pollution and exposure by our constituents that should have never been permitted in the first place. It is essential that the credits be based on emission reductions that were real, properly quantified, permanent enforceable and surplus. This is not a new standard. It has always been the standard. This bill simply demands that the credits currently up for sale meet the standard. CARB, and the air district must ensure that the system is functioning as intended, transparently and fairly.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Dr. Arambula and Assembly Member Vince Fong, you're recognized on the bill.
- Vince Fong
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in a respectful opposition to AB 985. This bill divides the Central Valley, but let's just focus on how the operations of the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District. The consequences of this bill that it would have on the Central Valley would be disastrous. It would halt years worth of permitting projects that are desperately needed to provide clean water, expend access to health care, and generate reliable energy.
- Vince Fong
Person
This bill effectively prohibits the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District from permitting critical business operations within its own jurisdiction. Emission reduction credits encourage emissions reductions beyond current requirements and help offset future emissions. This bill unfortunately, undermines local control and local projects like hospital retrofits, wastewater treatment facilities, and even renewable energy projects that I know this legislative body wants and that would actually improve the air quality in our region.
- Vince Fong
Person
Emission reduction credits are a vital tool to improve the lives and livelihoods of the Central Valley. I urge a No vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Fong. Assembly Member Villapudua, you're recognized on the bill.
- Carlos Villapudua
Person
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Fortunately, I'm going to have to stay off this bill today. The bill would make it difficult for our businesses and public services provide in our community in San Joaquin Valley for being able to obtain necessary operation permits to serve the community at large. San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution District continues its mission of improving the air quality of public health for all valley residents by taking series of proactive steps to increase air quality across the region.
- Carlos Villapudua
Person
That said, the district continues to work to achieve additional emissions reductions from all sources of air pollution in the valley in the efforts to obtain federal air quality standards and reduce local exposures. One thing about the Central Valley, it is businesses that come from out of state and they're looking to relocate and look at Central Valley. They look at stuff like this before they spend millions and millions of dollars. This is one that I hear a lot. They'll go, nah, I'm not going to go there because it's going to be so difficult for us to locate there.
- Carlos Villapudua
Person
In fact, there's businesses that are leaving because it's so difficult. And I just urge you today. This is a really bad bill for the Central Valley. I have so much respect for the author, but we have to protect those who right now trying to stay in business and folks that are trying to maybe come over. Respectfully ask for a No vote on this.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Villapudua. And Assembly Member Flora, you're recognized on the bill.
- Heath Flora
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to 985 as well. And I'm not sure what's going on right now with this body, but this just feels like another attack on the Central Valley. We dealt with water yesterday. Today we're dealing with air. And if you've ever worked with the San Joaquin Valley Air Resources Board and the management there, you will find that they are the absolute gold standard of what air district should be.
- Heath Flora
Legislator
What air districts should be when it comes to producing clean air, what air district should be when it comes to holding people, bad actors, responsible, and what air districts should be on inviting new people to come into that region because they have it under control and to remove a tool out of their toolbox to meet the goals that this legislative body passed. One of the very important bills that I vote on early in the career was cap and trade.
- Heath Flora
Legislator
The single greatest replacement engine replacement program in the Capita has reduced more knocks out of the Central Valley than any other program CARB has ever implemented. We're not talking about that. What we're talking about is not trusting these people for some reason and we're taking tools out of their toolbox. And I too have respect for my colleague who is also from the Central Valley. And there's something weird going on because we've seen this bill before.
- Heath Flora
Legislator
And I just have to say it's frustrating because the business, the AG community, the farmers, they need the support. They need the support to remain in business and meet the goals that this body is putting on them. And this is one of those tools that's being taken away once again. I respectfully ask for a No vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Flora. And Assembly Member, Mathis, you're recognized on the bill.
- Devon Mathis
Person
Members, it's kind of interesting. You see a lot of the valley members that are represented by the San Joaquin Valley Air District standing up asking for you to vote against this. All of us have respect for each other, for the author. But as mentioned, and not all of you were here, but a lot of us fought very hard during cap and trade, during the negotiations to make sure there were tools for businesses to make things better. To achieve the goals. Here in California, we have the highest environmental standards from anywhere pretty much on the planet.
- Devon Mathis
Person
Our folks in the San Joaquin Valley, our air there, it's known, it's the worst air in the country. These tools help us make it better. As mentioned earlier, when we go to recruit doctors and other specialties to the valley, they don't come and they don't move their families there because the area is so bad. It's not just trouble recruiting businesses, it's recruiting doctors, it's recruiting anybody to come there.
- Devon Mathis
Person
These tools that this bill will take away are one of the few things we have that are a fair way, a competitive way for businesses to come in and work with the state, work with the Air Board to make it better, to increase the quality of our air, to reduce emissions, to reduce knocks. The bills up. A lot of you have probably already made up your minds, but I plead with you, listen to your colleagues when it comes to these things. We don't go into your areas and say, hey, let's take a tool away from you. When the majority of a valley caucus is asking you to go one way, I would encourage you to listen to the members from that valley caucus. I ask you for a No vote. Thank you.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Mathis and Assembly Member Muratsuchi, you're recognized on the bill.
- Al Muratsuchi
Legislator
Thank you very much. I want to thank our colleague from the Valley for fighting for his constituents who have complained for decades about the worst air quality in the state of California. We have bipartisan agreement here that the Central Valley has the worst air quality in the state of California. And the reason why we need this transparency and accountability measure is that just like cap and trade, if we don't have that transparency and accountability to make sure that the emission reduction credits are actually working as they're designed, that is the only way that that would actually result in reduced air pollution.
- Al Muratsuchi
Legislator
So Dr. Arambula, I forget the city. For Fresno. Our colleague from Fresno is wanting this transparency and accountability measure similar to what we need for our state-wide cap and trade system. He is fighting for this simple transparency and accountability measure so that it actually results in reductions in air pollution so that it protects his constituents, your constituents, from the impacts of air pollution. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Chris Ward
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. Muratsuchi. And Assembly Member, Jim Patterson, you're recognized on the bill.
- Jim Patterson
Person
Thank you. Look, I'm part of the Central California, if you didn't know, and also from Fresno, if you didn't. Know. Look, you cannot have transparency and find out what's going on when you eliminate the very process that was just extolled for its transparency. That's not what this bill does. It completely takes away a tool that is being used to improve things. That's the truth. But let's not mischaracterize what's.
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