Assembly Floor

The Assembly is now in session. Assembly Member Dixon notices the absence of a quorum. Sergeant at Arms will prepare the chamber and bring in the absent Member. The Clerk will call the role.

Addis. Aguiar-Curry. Alanis. Alvarez. Arambula. Bains. Bauer-Kahan. Bennett. Berman. Boerner Horvath. Bonta. Bryan. Calderon. Juan Carrillo. Wendy Carrillo. Cervantes. Chen. Connolly. Dahle. Davies. Dixon. Essayli. Flora. Mike Fong. Vince Fong. Friedman. Gabriel. Gallagher. Garcia. Gipson. Grayson. Haney. Hart. Holden. Hoover. Irwin. Jackson. Jones-Sawyer. Kalra. Lackey. Lee. Low. Lowenthal. Maienschein. Mathis. McCarty. McKinnor. Muratsuchi. Nguyen. Ortega. Pacheco. Papan. Jim Patterson. Joe Patterson. Pellerin. Petrie-Norris. Quirk-Silva. Ramos. Reyes. Luz Rivas. Robert Rivas. Rodriguez. Rubio. Sanchez. Santiago. Schiavo. Soria. Ta. Ting. Valencia. Villapudua. Waldron. Wallis. Ward. Weber. Wicks. Wilson. Wood. Zbur. Mr. Speaker.

Members, a quorum is present. We ask our guests and visitors in the rear of the chamber and in the gallery to please stand for the prayer. Today's prayer will be offered by our Assembly Chaplain, Imam Yasir Khan. Imam Yasir.

In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful, almighty God, we humbly ask your blessings upon us today as we open this session. Grant guidance and wisdom to the Members of this body and all those in public office. May they always do your will. God, all powerful, as we go forth today, fill us with the light of your guidance. Bless all of the people of this land. May they always seek true freedom and true life. Grant us your light and peace. Amen.

We ask our guests and visitors to remain standing to join us in the flag salute. Assembly Member Pellerin will lead us in the flag salute.

Please join us in our pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which stands. One nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. You may be seated. Reading of the previous day's journal.

Assembly Chamber, Sacramento, Thursday, January 5, 2023. The Assembly met at 9:00 AM. The honorable Christopher M. Ward, Speaker pro tempore, Assembly presiding Chief Clerk Sue Parker at the desk, Reading Clerk David A. Bowman. reading. Roll call. The roll was called. Quorum called the Assembly. Assembly Member Hart moved the quorum. Call the Assembly. Motion carried. Time, 9:00 AM.

Mr. Floor seconds that the reading of the previous day's journal be dispensed with. Presentations and petitions, there are none. Introduction and references of bills will be deferred. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments deemed adopted. Messages from the Governor, there are none. And messages from the Senate, there are none. Moving to motions and resolutions, the absences for the day will be deemed red and printed in the Journal. And Majority Leader Reyes, you are recognized for your procedural motions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 45.5 to allow Assembly Members McKinnor, Bryan, Bauer-Kahan, and Gabriel to speak on an adjournment in memory today.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

And I request unanimous consent to order HR 6 Aguiar-Curry to the third reading file.

Without objection, such shall be the order. Members, some announcements. We have some birthdays to announce. Let's wish a happy birthday to Assembly Member Kalra, who will be celebrating his birthday on Saturday, January 21. And the next day, over the weekend, let's wish a happy birthday to Assemblywoman Schiavo, who will be celebrating on Sunday, January 22.

And we're moving to business on the Daily File. File items one and two will be passed and retained. And Members, again, a reminder. We will be taking a vote today, so if you haven't already, turn your key to activate your voting mechanism. And we will be moving to the second day consent calendar. This is file item three. Before we vote, we will be taking up, first, file item three on the consent calendar for the purpose of adding co-authors. The Clerk will read the resolution on the consent calendar.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 2 by Assembly Member Weber relative to Maternal Health Awareness Day.

The Clerk will now open the roll to allow any Member to add on as a co-author to the resolution. All Members wishing to be a co author, please signify with your vote. Members, this is for co-authors on the consent calendar. And again, if you wish to add your name as a co-author to the resolution, please vote now. Clerk will close the roll. There are 59 co-authors. And Members will be moving now to a vote on the consent calendar. Does any Member wish to remove an item from the Consent Calendar? Seeing and hearing none. The Clerk will read the second day consent calendar.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 2 by Assembly Member Weber relative to Maternal Health Awareness Day.

Clerk will open the roll on the consent calendar. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. This is on the consent calendar. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 64, noes zero. The consent calendar is adopted.

Members, we have completed business on the file today, and we will be moving to adjournments in memory. Members, please give your respectful attention to those granted prior permission to speak on their adjournments in memory. And Assemblywoman McKinnon, you are recognized at your desk for your adjournment in memory.

Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I request that we adjourn in the memory of my constituent, 31 year old Inglewood English teacher, Keenan Anderson. I would like to begin by recognizing family of Keenan Anderson, who is joining us in the gallery this morning.

On the afternoon of January 3, 2023, Mr. Anderson was an unarmed and experiencing a mental health emergency in Venice when he was killed by officers of the LAPD. Mr. Anderson was a well respected member of the community, a deeply committed educator, a father of a six year old boy. He was loved by many people and he leaves behind his students and a large extended family.

Mr. Anderson's death marks the third death of unarmed black and brown individuals who have lost their lives to excessive force by law enforcement since the beginning of this year. Members, all Californians deserve to feel safe and to be safe in their home and in any community in this state. Law enforcements play an essential role to protect the safety of the public.

Yet in too many communities, the public has lost trust in their law enforcement to administer the law equitable and to prioritize deescalation. Rather, too many black and brown Californians continue to find themselves at the receiving end of a firearm, stun gun, or other potentially fatal use of force by law enforcement, even when these individuals are seeking the aid and assistance of law enforcement, as was the case with Mr. Anderson. As a mother of two black sons, my heart is devastated by the death of Mr. Anderson because when I see the face of Mr. Anderson, I see my own children. So I ask you guys to adjourn in memory of Mr. Anderson. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. McKinnor. and Assembly Member Bryan, you're recognized at your desk for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, rise in adjournment memory of Keenan Anderson. I'm grateful to the family who made it up here today. Kieran, his cousin, Christopher, his little brother, same age as my little brother. Jaron, his cousin. ShaQuay, also his cousin. And Patrisse Cullors, his cousin. I've known members of the family a long time, and it's interesting when we think about our adjournments in memory. When you sign up to join law enforcement, you're told pretty early on, this is a dangerous job.

You may lose your life in the line of duty. When you are born as a black child in this country and in California, you are told this is a dangerous place and you may lose your life to the hands of law enforcement simply for having an encounter with them. Keenan had foster siblings. Keenan had a shaky household, many siblings. And through that instability, he and his brother, Christopher, created stability. He graduated with multiple degrees.

He became an English teacher. He was more than a teacher. He was a mentor. He was a friend. He was a community leader. He called law enforcement for help. He had an encounter. And if you've seen the video, it is heartbreaking. If you haven't, I almost wouldn't watch it. It's that heartbreaking. While he is on the ground, he says, "They are trying to George Floyd me."

And he says that because in 2020 in Washington, DC, with his partner and friends, he took to the streets, like many of us, after George Floyd was murdered, calling for us to do things different. He laid on the ground and said, "They're trying to George Floyd me." He was tased six times in 40 seconds. He went into cardiac arrest, and he died. He was 31 years old. And that resonates with me pretty strongly, because on Monday, we celebrated my birthday here on the floor.

And it was funny walking around aisle to aisle, because what I heard from my dear friends and colleagues is, you are so young. You have so much potential. You have so much life. You're going to do so many great things. You are so young. Keenan was 31 years old. He had so much life. He had so much potential. He was so young. I respectfully ask that we adjourn in his memory today.

Thank you, Mr. Bryan. Members, in the absence of objection, the quorum call is now lifted. We have two more adjournments in memory on file today. If you're exiting, we ask that you take your conversations off the floor and continue to give respectful attention to those granted prior permission to speak on an adjournment in memory. And Assemblywoman Bauer-Kahan, you're recognized at your desk for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise to adjourn in the memory of my friend, Micah David Bycel. A loving father, a devoted community member, a good friend, and a wonderful human being. Micah passed away suddenly, and all too soon, at the young age of 42. I met Micah when we were just kids at summer camp and had the privilege of knowing him for a long time. Micah engaged in his Jewish identity throughout his life and is an important member of the Jewish community in Lafayette, where his children are being raised.

In 2003, he met his true love, Liat. They have two beautiful children who were Micah's greatest joy. Micah was a truly devoted father. You couldn't have a conversation with Micah without him bragging on the latest thing one of his kids had done. He volunteered in their classes. He was deeply invested in their activities and was truly the best dad they could have asked for.

Micah was also, much to the pleasure of most people on this floor, a diehard Dodgers fan. And shortly before he passed, he had a chance encounter with Sandy Koufax, who was his father's childhood hero. A few days later, Sandy called Micah, who conferenced in his dad so that his dad could talk to Sandy.

This was a marker of Micah's dedication, not only to the Dodgers, but also to his family. He was humble and was mindful of his own flaws. Something that each of us should try to emulate. He only wanted people to fully embrace life, to laugh with their friends, and do a bit more to transform the world each and every day.

But the thing I remember most vividly about my friend was his huge smile and his joyous laugh that was so infectious. He was truly present in the moments one got to share with him, and he was a great friend to all who were blessed to know him. Micah had so much more to do in this world, raise his children, love his wife, and help repair the world.

He will not get to finish that work, but his family, who he leaves behind, his wife Liat, his children Eva and Levi, his brother Moti, his parents, Judy and Lee, his nieces, nephews, and his entire family and friends will continue that work in his memory. And with that, I humbly ask that we adjourn in Micah Bycel's memory today.

Thank you, Ms. Bauer-Kahan. And Assembly Member Gabriel, you're recognized at your desk for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to request that we adjourn in memory of Dr. Kate Vadehra, who passed away on November 26 at the age of 57 after an 18 month battle with ALS. Kate was a beloved wife and mother, an accomplished physician and nonprofit director, an active community volunteer, and parent faculty co-president, and a deeply respected school board member for the Las Virgenes Unified School Board District.

I first met Kate when she was campaigning for office and was immediately impressed by her intelligence, kindness, grace and obvious concern for young people. Even though we hadn't known each other long, it was an obvious decision for me to support her candidacy. Kate was elected to that board in 2000, in 2020, excuse me, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, and immediately drew on her expertise as a pediatrician to guide us all through those trying times.

Her experience in the medical field was invaluable in helping to lead the district and enable the safe return of students, faculty, and staff to campus. As my friend Agoura Hills mayor, Deborah Klein Lopez observed, she was the perfect person at the perfect time to help lead us through a moment of crisis. Kate also saw the bigger picture when it came to education.

She was a champion for programs to help LVUSD elementary students build their emotional intelligence and relational capacity. In sum, Kate was a wonderful human being with a true heart of service. As Dr. Dan Stepenosky, the superintendent of Las Virgenes Unified School District observed, Kate was honest, kind, appreciative, incredibly intelligent, and always kept the well being of our students and staff as a top priority.

She leaves behind her husband, Nippon, her children, Julie and Benjamin, and an extended community of colleagues, friends and admirers who are so grateful for everything she has done for our children and for our community. Dr. Kate Vadehra will be deeply missed, but her legacy will have a lasting impact on so many, and I respectfully request that we adjourn the State Assembly today in her memory. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Gabriel. And Assembly Member Irwin, you're recognized at your desk for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you. Kate was also a longtime campus volunteer who parlayed a passion for outstanding education into a seat on the school board. Dr. Vadehra accomplished so much during her time in our district. Board President Linda Menges told the Acorn she was involved with the PTA at her children's schools prior to being elected to the LVUSD School Board. Her experience in the medical field was invaluable to lead the district in supporting the safe return of students to school. Vadehra was also instrumental in bringing the Yale University evidence based learning program called RULER to the district.

The program takes its name from the five skills of emotional intelligence recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating. Superintendent Dan Stepenosky said Vadehra family suggested that people commit an act of kindness in her memory, donating to a favorite cause, helping someone in need, or volunteering. Kate was amazing, a true light in the world.

She lifted up everybody around her, Stepenosky said. She loved working with children and supporting them as they succeeded in school and life. She had a wonderful and caring family. Her husband is also a doctor and dedicated to caring for people. Kate and Nippon led and lived with their hearts. I ask that we adjourn in Ms. Vadehra's memory.

Thank you, Ms. Irwin. Members, please bring the names to the desk to be printed in the journal. All requests to adjourn in the memory will be deemed read and printed in the journal. And moving to final announcements, the session schedule is as follows, Friday, January 20, no floor session, no check in session. And Monday, January 23, floor session at 1:00 PM.

Seeing and hearing no further business, I'm ready to entertain a motion to adjourn. Ms. Reyes moves, Ms. Dixon seconds that this house stand adjourn until Monday, January 23, at 1:00 PM.