Senate Floor

Secretary will call the roll.

Allen. Alvarado-Gil. Archuleta. Ashby. Atkins. Becker. Blakespear. Bradford. Caballero. Cortese. Dahle. Dodd. Durazo. Eggman. Glazer. Gonzalez. Grove. Hurtado. Jones. Laird. Limon. McGuire. Menjivar. Min. Newman. Nguyenn. Niello. Ochoa Bogh. Padilla. Portantino. Roth. Rubio. Seyarto. Skinner. Smallwood-Cuevas. Stern. Umberg. Wahab. Wiener. Wilk.

A quorum is present. Would the members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery please rise? We will be led in prayer this morning by our chaplain, Sister Michelle Gorman, after which, please remain standing. We will be led in the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag by Senator Weiner.

As we begin Black History Month, let us pray with Maya Angelou. Father, Mother, God, thank you for your presence during these hard and mean days, for then we have you to lean upon. Thank you for your presence during the bright and sunny days, for then we can share that which we have with those who have less. And thank you for your presence during the holy days, for then we are able to celebrate you and our families and friends. For those who have no voice, we ask you to speak. For those who feel unworthy, we ask you to pour out your love in waterfalls of tenderness. For those who live in pain, we ask you to bathe them in the river of your healing. For those who are lonely, we ask you to keep them company. For those who are depressed, we ask you to shower upon them the light of hope. Dear Creator, you the borderless sea of substance. We ask you to give to us and to all that which we need most, which is peace. Amen.

Colleagues, please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance...

Privileges of the floor, there are none. Messages from the Governor will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports of committee will be deemed read and amendments adopted. Motions, resolutions, and notices? Introduction and first reading of bills will be deemed read. Consideration of the daily, file governor's appointments. Senator Laird, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. File Item one is the confirmation of Nora Eve Vargas as a Member of the California Air Resources Board. Ms. Vargas is chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and previously served as a member of the California State Teachers Retirement System. She was approved by the Rules Committee on January 18. I respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Any discussion or debate seeing none, secretary will call the roll.

Allen. Alvarado-Gil, aye. Archuleta, aye. Ashby, aye. Atkins, aye. Becker, aye. Blakespear, aye. Bradford, aye. Caballero. Cortese, aye. Dahle. Dodd. Durazo. Eggman, aye. Glazer, aye. Gonzalez, aye. Grove, no. Hurtado, aye. Jones, no. Laird, aye. Limon, aye. McGuire, aye. Menjivar. Min, aye. Newman, aye. Nguyen, no. Niello, no. Ochoa Bogh. Padilla, aye. Portantino, aye. Roth, aye. Rubio, aye. Seyarto. Skinner, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Umberg, aye. Wahab, aye. Weiner, aye. Wilk.

Please call the absent Members.

Allen. Caballero. Dahle, no. Dodd. Durazo. Menjivar. Ochoa Bogh. Seyarto. Wilk. 27-5.

That motion passes, 27-5. Appointment confirmed, 27 to five. Now is the time we're moving to the special consent calendar. Are there any members wishing to remove anything from the special consent calendar today? Seeing none. Secretary please read the consent item and call the roll.

ACR one. Allen. Alvarado-Gil. Alvarado Gil, aye. Archuleta. Ashby, aye. Atkins, aye Becker, aye. Blakespeare, aye. Bradford, aye. Caballero, aye. Cortese, aye. Dahle, aye. Dodd. Durazo. Eggman, aye. Glazer, aye. Gonzalez, aye. Grove, aye. Hurtado, aye. Jones, aye. Laird, aye. Limon, aye. McGuire, aye. Menjivar. Min, aye. Newman, aye. Nguyen, aye. Niello, aye. Ochoa Bogh, aye. Padilla, aye. Portantino, aye. Roth, aye. Rubio, aye. Seyarto. Skinner, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas. Stern,aye. Umberg, aye. Wahab, aye. Weiner, aye. Wilk, aye.

Secretary please call the absent members.

Allen, aye. Archuleta, aye. Dodd. Durazo. Menjivar. Seyarto.

36 to zero. The consent calendar is adopted. Now is the time to move on to announcements. Are there any members who have announcements? Senator Gonzalez, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President and Members, thank you so much for wearing red today in honor of American Heart Month and the national Go Red for Women Campaign. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the United States. Prevention is key to and success. Prevention is key to success, and there will be free heart screenings today in the Capitol swing space suite at 8100 from 10:30 A.M. to noon today, and I hope you all can join. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much. Seeing no other announcements, Senator Atkins, the desk is clear. Excuse me. members, we now move on to adjourn in memories. Senator Allen, you are recognized.

Well, thank you, Madam President. Members, it's with great sadness that I rise today that we request that we adjourn in the memory of David Morena, who passed away on January 7. David's life was quintessentially Californian, marked by opportunity, community service, and family. He was a first generation Californian. He was born in San Francisco in July of 1945 to Joseph and Lena, who were both Italian immigrants. At 21, he graduated from the University of Santa Clara with a bachelor's degree in physics and 25 years later, he returned to higher education, achieved his Master's of Business Administration from Loyola Mary Mount University. A few years on, David owed yet another milestone to an institution of california academia. His soon to be wife, Kim, arrived serendipitously in his office, thanks to her fieldwork with UCLA. They fell in love, the newlyweds moved from Santa Monica, where David had raised his sons Brian and Greg, to the Pacific Palisades, where they began investing their time and love into a new community there. With David's, love and affection was primarily showered on his ten grandchildren. It knew no bounds. He was the epitome of a good neighbor and a community leader. He selflessly devoted his time, his energy, and his spirit to each of the institutions or individuals lucky enough to cross his path. Shoulder to shoulder with Kim, they co founded the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness and served as site coordinators each year to facilitate the point in time homelessness count in that community. He also served his community as President of the Castella Mare Homeowners Association, served on their architectural committee, and he was also involved with their local Catholic community there as well. In fact, Corpus Christi will be holding a memorial for him on February 11. I'm good friends with his son, Greg. Greg was the student body Vice President at Santa Monica High School when I was the President, and got to know his father pretty well. His dad even traveled with my parents on a wonderful trip in Europe, and they built a great deal of affection for each other and friendship. He was just an all around good guy who believed in his community and his family, and he's going to be so missed. His memory is cherished by his wife of 26 years, his children, Brian, Greg and Catherine, his stepson Todd, his ten grandchildren, along with all those who were blessed to know him over the years. He had a selflessness to him, a joy to David that serves as a shining example of how each of us can be a blessing to those around us, both strangers and family. And I just want to ask new colleagues to join me in adjourning in his memory. David Marina.

Thank you very much, Senator. Please bring his name forward so it may be properly recognized by the Senate. Senator Archuleta, you are recognized.

Madam Chair, thank you so much. Members, I rise today to adjourn in the memory of a longtime public servant, Charles Chuck Fuentes of Whittier, California, and a friend of mine since back in 1995 when we first met, who passed away on Tuesday, September 13, in Los Alamidos. Chuck was born March 16, 1952, in Whittier and raised in Norwalk. And Chuck attended St. John Bosco High School, Cerritos Community College and UC Berkeley. He had a long and distinguished career stretching across decades of numerous layers of government, working with a number of public offices, serving as Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Grayson Apollo Tano from her time when she was a Councilwoman Assembly Member and now a congresswoman, and was himself elected as the youngest Member of the Cerritos Community College Board of Trustees. Chuck took on a number of administrative roles, ranging from General manager of the Central Basin Municipal Water District to city manager of my hometown of Pico Rivera during my time as mayor. So I had the honor to work with him as a city Manager. Those of you who've had the privilege and honor of being on the City Council, serving as mayor, you know how important your city manager is and how you have to work hand in hand, and he was there with me time and time again. Chuck served for 26 years on the Democratic State Central Committee and was elected vice chair of the California Democratic Party in 1989. Chuck was a devout Roman Catholic, an active Member of the Knights of Columbus there in Norwalk and the Council 3678, and an active member of numerous church networks and community service projects. He served across my district, and always there. One of the pictures that he had in his office that he was so proud of, a picture of him and President Clinton and when he was visiting the White House. He has survived by his loving spouse, Linda Unru, and siblings Christine, Bixby, Bobby, Andrea, Cecilia, Robert, Christopher, and Joseph, in addition to his shared extended family, who will long remember and love Chuck Fuentes because he's touched so many lives. For these reasons and more, I ask we adjourn in memory today of my dear friend, Chuck Fuentes. Thank you, Madam President.

Please bring his name forward so he may be properly memorialized by the Senate if there's no other of business, Senator Atkins, the desk is clear.

Madam President, thanks so much. Have a great weekend. All. Our next floor session is scheduled for Monday, February 6, 2023, at 02:00 p.m..

The Senate will be in recess until 03:30 P.m., at which time the adjournment motion will be made. We will reconvene Monday, February 6, at 02:00 p.m..