Senate Floor

Secretary. Please call the roll. Allen, Alvarado, Gill, Archuleta, Ashby, Atkins, Becker, Blakespear, Bradford, Caballero, Cortezz, Dally, Dodd, Dorazo, Eggman, Glazer, Gonzalez, Grove, Batado, Jones, Laird, Limon, McGuire, Minjivar, Min, Newman, Wynn, Neela, Ochobo, Padilla, Portentino, Roth, Rubio, Seyarto. Skinner, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Umberg, Wahab, Wiener, Wilk.

Members of Cormas, present with the Members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery please rise. We'll be led in prayer this morning by Senator Gonzalez, after which we'll remain standing and be led in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Members o God of Peace, we seek rest for our spirits and light for our thoughts. We bring our work to be sanctified, our wounds to be healed, our hopes to be renewed. You, in whom all are one, lift us from the loneliness of self and fill us with the fullness of your love.

Raise us beyond the limits of our daily imperfections. Send us visions of the love that is in you and of the good that will be accomplished in us. Your greatness is beyond our praise. Amen.

Please join me in Pledge Allegiance. Pledge Allegiance. Action.

Senator Jones, you're recognized the privileges of the floor.

Good morning, President and Members. It's an honor this morning to sub in briefly for our esteemed colleague from Bakersfield, who is busy working with the Assembly on some issue that has come up recently. I'm not quite sure what's going on over there, but we'll get it figured out.

But I have the honor of introducing today Richard Hannah Shiro, the television production manager for the California State Senate, and his son Zach, who are joining us here in the back. Over the past 17 years, Richard has navigated the complex landscape of live broadcast to give thousands of constituents a front row seat in the inner workings of our Senate. Before joining the Capitol community, he started his career as a production assistant for a local television network in Sacramento. After 25 years of experience mastering various roles and consistently pushing boundaries during his career, he found his true calling when he joined the California State Senate as the television production manager. Richard Hannishiro has been an amazing asset to our little community here in the Senate, and he has earned the high esteem of his associates and appreciation of the public. We are incredibly grateful for your service, Richard, to this chamber and wish you the best in your retirement.

Colleagues, please join me in a round of applause for our TV manager, Richard Hannah Shiro.

Are there other Members who would like to get into the photo at this time? Welcome. Members, please join in if you like to be a part of this photo. Congratulations. Thank you for your service.

All right. Additional privilege from floor from the presiding majority leaders desk. Senator Jones, are you prepared?

Thank you, Mr. President and Members, I have the opportunity to give one more introduction this morning. Today I'd like to welcome to the floor the directors from the California alliance of Pregnancy Care. The California Alliance of Pregnancy Care provides life affirming alternatives to abortion resources and additional medical services and support to pregnant women at no charge and without judgment.

Pregnancy clinics and centers strive to meet the pregnancy and sexual health needs of underserved and Low income women in communities across California. They are committed to professionalism and excellence and believe that women can and should have all options pertaining to pregnancy presented and discussed in a coercive free environment. With me today are several directors who have come from all over California to attend their three day educational summit.

Carrie Wilcox from Sierra pregnancy. Mary Leatherby. Marie Leatherby from Sacramento Life Center. Heidi Matskowith from Alternative Pregnancy Care Center. Karen Rosenberry with Care Net Women's Resource Center. Kathy Hoyt with the Center for Life Choices, Mendo Lake Women's Clinic. Ashley Lundberg with Care Net Pregnancy Care of Paradise. Kathleen Jones with Life Choice Pregnancy Center, Pregnancy and family resource center. Kristen Bird with a Women's Friend Pregnancy Resource Clinic. Erin Rogers with Bakersfield Pregnancy Center. Tracy Bognuda with Lifeline, Pregnancy Center. Kathy Seepe with Living Well Medical Clinic. Laura Geffrey with informed choices. Dana Holmes with Care Pregnancy Resource Center in Tulare.

If I messed up any of those names, I apologize. I did not practice before I got here this morning and did not know I was doing these introductions until five minutes ago. Members, please help me give them a warm welcome to the directors of the California Alliance for Pregnancy Care. Thank you very much.

If any other Members would like to join in the photo, now's the time.

Thank you. Welcome to the California State Senate.

Now, on behalf of Senator Glazer, we would like to recognize his 2023 district interns who are joining us today in the gallery. Please give them a warm California Senate welcome. Now, on behalf of Senator Allen, we would like to recognize his special guest in the gallery, dr. Wynn Mi. AI and his wife, Dr. Mi AI Myanmar.

Dr. AI serves as the union Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management under the democratically elected National Unity government. Amiramar in exile. They are visiting the United States to bring awareness to the very difficult political conditions of Myanmar.

Please give them a warm welcome to the California State Senate.

Now, Members, moving on to messages from the Governor without objection. All right, without objection.

Without objection, members, we're moving to Assembly third reading, and we're going to take up ACA 5 file item 215. Senator Wiener, are you prepared?

Yes.

Secretary please read.

Assembly constitutional amendment five by Assemblymember Lowe relating to gay rights.

Senator Weiner.

Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, colleagues, I rise to present Assembly constitutional amendment Five. On behalf of Assemblymember Lowe ACA Five will repeal Proposition Eight, which was enacted by the voters in 2008 to ban marriage equality.

It will also affirm the fundamental right to marry for all people in the state of California. As you may know, marriage equality in California is currently protected by a federal ruling striking down Proposition Eight and by the US Supreme Court's ruling in the Obergefell case. But the language is still in our Constitution.

Unfortunately, last year, when the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, two Supreme Court justices indicated their desire to revisit the Supreme Court's ruling protecting marriage equality. They used and relied on justifications that also could support banning interracial marriages.

ACA Five, if approved by California voters, would amend our state constitution to protect the fundamental freedom to marry. We know that if this court was willing to, overturn five decades of its own precedent, guaranteeing the right to reproductive health access, we cannot and we must not take for granted that this court will continue to stand for marriage equality. This bipartisan measure will help ensure that every single Californian has the freedom to marry the person they love, regardless of race, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation.

California must always stand for our fundamental civil rights. And I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Any further discussion, Senator Atkins?

Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, I rise in support of ACA Five. Last week, I had the incredible honor of serving as acting Governor of California, and I had the opportunity to sign bills into law for some of our Assembly colleagues. That same California constitution that gave me the ability to create laws with the stroke of a pen still says I'm not allowed to marry the spouse of my choice. And I think that's wrong. But I believe if given the opportunity, californians will right that wrong.

ACA Five gives Californians that opportunity. I'm glad that most of you probably don't know what it feels like to have your life, your liberty and pursuit of happiness put up for a vote. And I'm glad for that. And I hope that you never will. I know that some of you do know what that means. I'm a big believer in building bridges, and I hope that each of you has encountered that as a Member of this Senate.

The best bridges are built into the bedrock. California's Constitution is the bedrock of our state for almost 175 years now. California's most basic civil rights, including the right to marry the person we love, deserve to be strongly protected in that bedrock.

I believe most of this is very personal. Individually. Many of you know, and you've met my spouse, we've been together 22 years, married September 6, 2008, when the state allowed us to marry. So that means 15 years coming up. And I'm very excited about that. It's a commitment and something that we've had to work hard at. Like many who have a partner, you have to work at it. It's a commitment. It's ongoing work.

And I am honored to have the ability to have that ongoing work, some days more than others. I'm sure my spouse would say the same. I was really honored.

And some of you are in the chamber. When we were sworn in in the Assembly in 2010, and I was very excited because at that time, I was along with another colleague, many of you may remember rich Gordon and his spouse Denny. We were able to be the first LGBTQ Members of the Assembly who actually were married LGBTQ married couples.

And we were really proud of that the day that we were sworn in in the Assembly. So I just wanted to share that with you. I ask you to respect my right to have this right embedded in our very Constitution and to create a little more equity and to build the bridge.

ACA Five had no no votes, and it passed the Assembly in a bipartisan way with 80% of Members in support. So be a bridge, vote aye on ACA Five, and let Californians right this wrong. Thank you. I ask for your support.

Thank you. Senator Eggman.

Thank you, Mr. President. And Members. I also rise in support of ACA Five, and I rise as a married person. And I also want to say I rise as a United States military veteran. I met my wife. We were both serving Fort Mead, Maryland, in the 1979. Right?

So that's a long time. We have been together 40 years, have shared our life together for 40 years. As many of you know, she has really significant health care issues.

And we discovered many things. We have discovered. And people say, well, why can't you just be civil partners? Because marriage is defined in the Bible by as a man and a woman. Well, we don't live in the Bible. We live in America. We live in California, where we have a separation of church and state.

And while I am a church going person, I never asked my church to marry me, but I did ask my government to respect my relationship. If we were both able to sign a blank check to serve our country, then why shouldn't our country have the same responsibility to make sure that we have every right that every other American has, whether that's taxes, whether that's health care, whether that's the adoption of our child. As people know, during my time in the Legislature, we had a serious death in the family.

And with that, we became parents. People may also know that we cared for family members as they have died. A lot happens in 40 years, right? We put each other through school.

I'm proud. I stand before you with a PhD as a kid who barely graduated high school. And I couldn't have done that without the foundation of my life and that marriage.

I don't know why anybody wouldn't want me to have those rights. I don't know why anybody who would call me a friend would not want me to have the same exact rights that they do. That is defined for them in the Constitution.

That should be in everybody's constitution about what is equality? What is justice? What do we call standing up here to do every single day is to try to make things a little bit better for people? In our California Constitution, due to the voters, due to some very ugly things, it says that marriage is only one man and one woman. We know that's been overridden, and we also know the way things go.

People are very frightened that they may lose those rights that they have enjoyed now for many, many years. So as you think about casting this vote, I want you to think about me as a friend. I want you to think about me as a caregiver, as a parent, and as a United States military veteran.

I ask for you to enshrine my votes, my rights, like I work every day for yours, I ask for your aye vote on ACA five.

Thank you. Senator Dahle.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. This will be the toughest speech I ever give, probably on this floor. And I want you to hear my heart, because I hear your hearts.

When I came to the Legislature, my goal was to build a relationship with every single Member, not only just as legislators, but as human beings. And I've done that. I have wonderful relationships and respect.

Some of my most awesome relationships are with people who are married to the same sex, the protim mentioned, my good friend from Menlo Park, Assembly Member Gordon, has been to my home. His spouse has been to my home. And I love him and his spouse, and I love the Senator from Stockton so much.

But today's vote for me is about my faith and where I believe that I'm accountable to what my heart is with my Lord and Savior. It's not about whether I judge you or not. I listened to a message I saved on my phone through one of my campaigns of a person who left me this really horrible message, about I was homophobic and I was a bigot and a lot of things that aren't true.

And so today, I'm not going to be supporting the Bill. And I had a really great conversation last night or Thursday afternoon with Assembly Member Lowe, who is another amazing, awesome friend of mine. And I love him. So this has really been difficult for me. But I want you to see my heart. This is not a judgment on you or your freedoms.

This is a judgment against me and my own faith of what I believe I need to do to respect what I believe I will be held accountable for. So I hope you can understand that to all my very close friends, I'm not judging anybody. I judge the heart because that's the most important part to me.

So I just wanted to put that out there. And this is hard, because I truly, truly love so many of you that have lost your rights. And so I just want to say this is about me. This is not about our relationship. It's not about you. It's about what I think I need to do in my faith.

So I thank you for hearing me out, and I appreciate it.

Senator Laird.

Thank you, Mr. President. I think that I'm not sure I could do much better than the Senator from Stockton and the Senate President. But there is an additional thing here, which is that this amendment represents a progression that is a really long progression.

And a lot of times what we do in the Legislature is to catch up with where the people are. And that's what this amendment is. When I ran for the Legislature, unsuccessfully in 1993, I would have been the first LGBT legislator, and there was a campaign.

It was very interesting, even from a very progressive Democrat who, for the first time in his political history, started being photographed with his family and all the things. It was very not subtle. And so we did a poll.

It was sort of the pollster said, if you ask these questions politely, you will not get at what people really think. And the most pejorative thing you can ask right now is, do you support gay marriage? So we had this question near the beginning of the poll that said, do you support gay marriage? And I was as surprised as anyone that by a 2% margin in my Assembly district in 1993, people supported gay marriage. And it was something that a lot of the elected officials ran from.

They did not want to do it. And so there was a time not long after that that Vermont in the Supreme Court legalized domestic partnerships, but it had to be ratified by the Legislature. And there were many legislators that lost their seats because they voted with what the Supreme Court dictated they do in Vermont.

And then fast forward to 2008. And much to my amazement, domestic partners is the conservative position. It is the thing that people would advocate for if they didn't support marriage.

And you forget in day-to-day life how people have come in. I had this experience with my spouse, apparently we were married seven days after the protem in that window, and we will celebrate 28 years in November. And it is exactly as what was said.

It is ups and downs right now. It's a little bit of a down because why am I spending so much time doing this stuff and not being there? We had a real animated conversation this morning about it, and many of you have heard the story. We never thought we would get married.

We never thought that was for us. And then I'm standing in the back of the Assembly floor, and a weeping person hands me the phone, and the state Supreme Court has just ruled for marriage equality. And I'm so touched that I do what I never thought I would do. I get out my phone, and I propose. And the response, if any of you know the story, is after a pause, he said, you're doing this over the phone? And I said we've had the right for five minutes. And he said you're doing this over the phone.

Can I let you know? And the deal wasn't sealed until we could be together. And so then he has no idea what a cabinet secretary is. I get appointed. He comes up here one of the weekends in the early months, and I take him on the weekend into the office. And there in the lobby of the Resources Building is a big picture of the Governor and a big picture of me. And he turns to me and says, you're a big schmo.

And he just didn't know. And a few months later, his back went out. He was in excruciating pain. He was locked at home. I had nothing to do. I called an ambulance. I followed the ambulance to the hospital, and as I come in with the emergency room, they said, who are you? I said, I'm married to him. This is oh, okay. And they apologized, and I went in, and then they really sedate him.

And he's glassy eyed, and the doctor and I are standing over him. And finally he sort of turns his head and goes, Big schmo. And I said to the doctor, there's somebody in there.

We are good. And I think that what this is about is those day to day moments where we are committed to each other, where we are part of each other's life, where in the separation of church and state, that's the separation. And that is the tie that binds through thick and through thin in the cliche, for richer or for poorer.

And so what we are doing with this amendment is we are catching up to where the people are. They have moved way past 2008. They have moved way past Proposition Eight and we are giving them the chance to really at the ballot ratify where they in fact are and set aside the divisions and set aside the politics and set aside whether or not The Supreme Court at the federal level might question this, right? Have something that's default in place, that represents where the people of California are, and represents where all of us are in those individual daily moments, celebrating who we are and how close we are, and what our relationship is. So I respectfully ask all of you to vote aye on ACA Five.

Thank you, Senator Min.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise as vice chair of the API Legislative Caucus and as a proud co author of this Bill, of this amendment, in strong support of this measure. We stand in solidarity not just on this particular amendment and the right to marriage, but on all rights, because right now we are, unfortunately, seeing a wave of attacks, sometimes literally physical attacks, a lot of attacks on rights of the LGBT community and the API community stands in solidarity with you.

Thank you.

Thank you. Senator Padilla.

Thank you very much, Mr. President and colleagues. Reflecting on this important discourse an overwhelming thought occurs to me, something we all heard in our early days in school and I hope that we live and remember today.

We hold these truths to be self-evident. We hold these truths. They're not evident on their own because we must hold them. We must give them life, not in thought, but indeed and in action.

The question before this body to support or not the amendment before us is a civic trust and action. The genius of America and those that fought to give birth to it was that they understood that an assemblage of peoples from many cultures and languages and places on earth to form one nation, e pluribus unum would, by definition have different perspectives, experiences, faiths, beliefs but must somehow find a way to function civically together as one republic. And the genius of America is that from that the government in government's eyes, in our civic places, in our tapestry of laws there is no religious preference.

There is no cultural preference. At the same time respecting the fact that within the culture there are many that's a hard thing for some people to get their minds around. How can you culturally be constructed at any given time in a nation's history of a majority of a certain type of people ethnicity, religious beliefs but yet have a government derived from that representative government? That is, none of those things and all of those things we hold these truths to be self evident.

It doesn't live on paper or in a history book. It lives on the floor of the Senate today in California. It lives in the hands of the electorate that sent us here.

We have to hold it. We have to give it life. We have to remember that America is not, with due respect, a Christian nation, an Anglo nation, a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Hindu nation. It is none of those things. And yet, in our cultural fabric, it is all of those things. And the government must make room to see them and treat them all the same.

Our civic question is whether we are equal before our government while respecting our rights to our private beliefs. That is the essence of the culture war. A confusion and a conflating and a blurring of the line between what at any moment in time in this nation's history may form the majority on anything and what the government's role is in relating to its citizens. We hold these truths to be self-evident but not unless we hold them.

I spent 20 years building a career in local government. I came out in office in the company of a good friend and someone I look up to, that we all know. And while I experienced the beauty of love and support and acceptance by many, my entire career was derailed for over a decade, that I had to rebuild from scratch. I received death threats. I had people in the lobby of my office as mayor with firearms looking for me. When I had a security detail assigned to me, that in itself became a political football.

Morning radio talk show hosts played musical songs and made fun of me, questioning my masculinity, my background in law enforcement, and whether I was truly a man. I was challenged for reelection in large part because I'm gay. And after serving my community where I grew up for 20 years, I was overwhelmingly not reelected to office and had to set out on a personal journey of reflection.

Having built giving myself to the thing I decided long ago I had a passion to give my life to, that suddenly you're not allowed to do it anymore because we don't like who you are. We don't approve of who you are. We can say all we want, that this is about faith.

Due respect, it is not. It is about whether the government we serve in a pluralistic society with many faiths treats us all equally before the law. Colleagues, please, I urge an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you. Senator Durazo.

Thank you, Mr. President. You know, I am so grateful to my parents. My parents who taught me from birth about how to treat everyone in our world, how to treat everyone with respect. And they did it based on their faith.

Their faith was God created us all. We all deserve to be treated right. We all deserve to be treated justly. We all deserve to be treated equally. And that's that. It was a very simple thing.

My dad would invite strangers into our little house and say, sit down and have a meal. Our cousin who was gay, we didn't exactly know how to deal with that, but he was gay. But he was like every other cousin, not to be treated less.

And so that played the biggest part in my life to decide for the rest of my life, I am going to fight and do everything I can for everyone to be treated equally with respect and with the dignity of being a human being. So no matter today, yes, I stand proudly as co-author of ACA Five, but it's also with respect to everyone. And it's about me.

What do I believe in? What do I stand for? And I'm so proud to stand for this constitutional amendment, but not because it's a constitutional amendment. Because it's about human beings way past all the things that are created to pit us against each other. And those things don't work in our society.

So I say that from enormous gratitude to my parents.

Thank you. Senator Menjavar.

Thank you, Mr. President. It's going to be the hardest statement I have to give, so excuse me if I get emotional. Well, maybe not. Excuse me. I think you have to see this. I grew up in a very Christian home.

I was a teenager that was on the corners talking to people about Jesus and how you would perish if you didn't come to Jesus. I grew up going to church three, four times a week. I was in church all the time.

So it was no surprise that when I came out and my family was not accepting of me because of their faith. But I think it's true to one some of my colleagues have said that this isn't about faith because if you're looking at someone's heart, I want to let you know that we probably have the same God, and our God is merciful. Our God will look at your heart too, and know that this vote would not impede you from entering heaven, if that's how you're looking at it, because our God is merciful.

That same reasoning was given by my mom and my entire family for not attending my wedding.

It and you can see it's, the damage it still plays today. Even though my family looks at my heart, that was not enough reason to it to join me in one of my happiest days was going to make me feel this way. But this vote goes beyond faith. It goes to the damage it causes to me and my LGBTQA+family, families, and friends. Because at 34 years old, I am the State Senator to the fourth largest economy of the world. I'm a homeowner.

I'm married. I have two dogs. But yet the reasoning of faith, the lack of support, still impacts this. Me, an individual that I consider myself to be a very strong individual, it still impacts. So while a lot of our testimony, witnesses or testimony are repetitive, I think it's important also to hear these stories, to sit through this. If you're not going to go up on this because you need to hear and you need to see and hear the stories of the individuals you choose not to stand next to, I think that's important.

Because at the end of the day, if faith is what you're utilizing, lord is the only person that can judge you. God is the only person, not you, not as a human being. Because I know no one, no one follows every single thing in the Bible to the T. You cannot pick and choose. With that, I respectfully ask for your support on ACA 5.

Thank you, Senator Smallwood Cuevas.

Thank you, Mr. President. And I want to thank my fellow senators for this living lesson that we're learning here today. And I really feel for my colleagues.

And I have to ask the question, how long can we allow some folks to have rights in this country and not others? How long do we hide behind the teachings of Jesus Christ to deny our fellow citizens the opportunity to live their fullest and best lives? How long will a lie prevail? I remember the stories about why black folks couldn't be part of the Christian church. We were the curse of Ham, and that made it acceptable to treat us as three fifths of a human being, to make us property, like this desk that could be treated and done with whatever the ownership society decided with a whip in one hand and the Bible in the other. I was in the hearing last week where we were talking about the protection of our children as they become their full selves.

And you could have well, you all saw the vitral, the bigotry, the hate, the violence. And I thought about Ruby Bridges and how the US marshals had to walk this child into a school. How long, California? How long are we going to have these same arguments? Are we going to stand up and make these hypocritical pronouncements about how our faith allows us to take rights away from another? As the only black woman in this chamber, the 6th since statehood, along with my good colleague from Gardena, we see the effects every day of what happens when we rob our fellow citizen of their rights.

It is evident in this chamber, it's evident in our communities, and most important, it's evident in our soul, how my soul feels right now. We all feel it because we're human beings. And this is counter to a humanity that we profess to support.

And uplift in this chamber every day to have this argument that says, we will deny Senator Eggman, our Pro Tem, Tony Atkins, Senator Caroline Minjivar, Senator Laird, Senator Weiner their rights to be fully who they are, where they are with the people they love. How long, California? Enough is enough. And we have the power to stop this here and now and to send a message for the protection of our brothers and sisters from the LGBTQA+ community to the API Caucus, the Black Caucus, the Latino Caucus, the Women's Caucus.

California has decided we can do it better, and we can do it differently. And most importantly, we can do it right. This is who we are. We're human beings first. And we have to let go of the arguments of the 20th, the 19th, the 18th, the 17th centuries. We got to let it go and move forward into the future. And with that, I respectfully urge you to support ACA 5.

Thank you, Senator Gonzalez.

Thank you, Mr. President. And Members. I want to stand in strong solidarity in ACA 5 as the vice Chair of the Latino Caucus. Latino Caucus now has 38 Members, 35 legislators, three constitutional officers, our very first LGBTQ chair, our very first Latino LGBTQ constitutional officer, and four other Members from Stockton, San Diego, and Los Angeles. It is incredible, this caucus. I will say no disrespect to former caucuses, but is the best caucus.

Because of this, we are forward thinking. We're modern. And as Latinos from immigrant communities, which many of us my mom was from Mexico, it's easy for us to default to our Catholicism and say, well, this is who we are, and our Catholicism reigns supreme.

And therefore, we won't allow our LGBTQ brothers and sisters and community Members to be able to love somebody that they love and get married. But this Latino caucus is saying absolutely not. We're actually trying to encourage even more of our LGBTQ friends to come and join the caucus.

And we're asking these questions now of people that are coming in front of us is, how do you stand on these issues? Because we haven't done that before. How do you stand on LGBTQ rights? How do you stand with ACA 5? How do you stand with transgender youth? We haven't done that before. But today is a different day, and we're going to support this strong in, strong solidarity, and we'll continue to do everything we can to continue legislating beyond this. So with that, I respectfully urge an aye vote

Thank you, Senator Becker.

Thank you. I'm always proud to be part of this body, but I've never been more proud than today and hear from all our colleagues here today. And my daughter's driving up in about an hour. We're going to drive across the country, and I wear this bracelet in support of her, the P flag bracelet. Equality starts with me. And just. Just be proud to say I rose on behalf of the Jewish Caucus and proud to tell her I voted aye for ACA 5 today.

Thanks. Thank you, Senator Ashby.

I want to say thank you to my colleagues, especially Senator Menjivar, because it's really hard to stand on this floor and share your story for what should be a really simple vote. I'm a proud co author. I'm a lifelong Christian woman, and this is the easiest vote I will take on this floor this year.

We all have personal experiences with family that we love, our kids, our nieces and nephews, colleagues. This isn't about faith. And even if it were, is your faith not about love and acceptance and tolerance? Because mine is.

This is about whether or not we each get to choose who we love. This is about if we each get to choose who we want to marry, who we want to spend our life with, and whether or not that will be recognized when you walk into a hospital or when you're in the military or when you're trying to buy a house together and you need a loan. It is the day to day, simple thing.

And I think Senator Eggman said it so well. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want her to have that, why you would think it would be okay for you but not for her. Again, I don't believe that would be the will of my God.

Thank you, Senator Rubio.

Thank you, Mr. President. I also stand here as a proud co author to ACA 5. Well, I also want to thank my colleagues. It's very difficult to stay composed in the face of these beautiful stories and journeys that are told. As a teacher, I used to always say, every day is a teachable moment. So I want to thank my colleagues who shared their deep personal stories, and we seen them expose their hearts and their vulnerability as they told their story to ensure that this is and continues to be a teachable moment for anyone listening out there.

I know it's a difficult subject for many who are older. So I just want to take a moment to recognize some of the conversations that I continue to have with people that are from the have come a long way in hearing stories, accepting stories, and finally evolving to understand that it's important to recognize that everyone's a human being, no matter who they are. And they have that basic right to love and be with whoever they want to be.

They're starting to connect the dots going back to a time where they didn't have rights just because they were women married to men, and men had the right to make decisions for them. They're starting to evolve and start connecting the dots that this is just an issue about humanity, about love and acceptance. And when I hear the stories, as I already mentioned, I can't help but be proud to stand here with all my colleagues, proud to stand here with those that told their story so eloquently.

Because even though, as in strong support that I am, every time I hear those stories, it just brings me back. And it makes me want to fight harder. So I want to thank all of you who shared your stories. You make me want to fight harder. So I want to say thank you. Thank you.

And I hope that we continue to educate. And I have to go back to my classroom. When I used to have my students who couldn't tell their parents, it is really outrageous right now that we're making teachers be responsible for these children because they cannot feel safe at home. They cannot tell their parents how they're feeling. And now we want to criminalize teachers for not wanting to out their students. There's so much that's being challenged today.

There's so much that's being reversed back. We keep losing rights every single day. So I hope that this body continues to hold the line, continues to push forward, and continue to challenge the entire world and continue to be a leader in some of these issues, because it's important that we stand in solidarity.

For my students that didn't have protections at home, for my students who couldn't rely on friends, family, grandparents because they didn't understand. And to all my colleagues here, your journey has educated all of us and continues to educate. So thank you. And I urge and aye vote thank you.

All. Debate having ceased, Senator Wiener, would you like to close?

Thank you, Mr. President. To all of my colleagues, thank you for those really beautiful and powerful statements. I've been around for a while and been around this issue and this fight for a while.

I remember very vividly in early 2004 when our brand new mayor, Gavin Newsom, had the courage to direct the County Clerk to start issuing marriage licenses. I remember the furor that caused. I remember that after the fact, then Mayor Newsom was literally blamed by some national Democrats for the 2004 presidential loss.

There were national Democrats that literally would not have their photo taken with Gavin Newsom because they thought he was so politically toxic because he had directed the County Clerk to issue marriage licenses to people who were in love with each other. Well, he was proven right. And thank you, Governor Newsom, for your foresight and your leadership.

But I remember in 2004, there was literally a line circling San Francisco City Hall multiple times of people who just wanted to get a marriage license. They just wanted to marry the person that they love. And there was such intense joy that this unleashed, and it was so deeply beautiful.

I then remember 2008, in November, the heartbreak. I think all of so many of us just my heart just sank to know that a majority of California voters had voted to strip people like me and people like our colleagues of this basic right, the sadness in the community, to know that we had neighbors who had voted to take away that basic right. I remember in 2013, about almost exactly ten years ago, when the US Supreme Court upheld or allowed to stand the federal court ruling striking down Prop Eight. It was right, I think, the Friday before Pride in San Francisco. And I spent half of Pride Sunday as a County Supervisor marrying couples in City Hall.

And the joy the joy of the couple that I married who met the year that I was born in 1970. The joy of the two young men from Kern County who drove up to San Francisco because they wanted to be married in San Francisco. And when I asked for their identification because you have to for the marriage license, I realized that they were binational and that because of their ability to marry, they were both going to be able to stay together and not be torn apart.

I thought of my Aunt Leah, who came out in the 1960s as a lesbian when it was still classified officially as a mental illness, and who met her partner in 1980, and after 35 years were able to finally get married. And then I was there, as were we all about one year ago when we saw the absolute terror terror that hit married LGBTQ couples wondering, is our marriage going to be invalidated? Is our marriage going to be taken away from us? But fundamentally, this is about joy. It is about joy.

And what we are doing today is joyous. And what the voters, I believe, will do next year is joyous. This is about recognizing the fundamental humanity of all 40 million Californians. Not just some, but all. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you for this honest debate. Secretary, please call the roll on file item 215.

Allen. Aye. Alrodo. Gill aye. Archuleta. Aye. Ashby. Glazer. Aye Gonzalez. Aye. Grove. Hurtado. aye. Jones. Laird. Aye Limon. Aye. McGuire. Aye. Minjivar. Aye Min. Aye. Newman. Aye. Nguyen. Nieelo Ochoa Bogh, Padilla. Aye Portantino. Roth. Aye. Rubio. Aye Seyarto. Skinner. Aye Smallwood-Cuevas. Aye Stern. Aye Umberg. Aye Wahab. Aye weiner. I Wilk. I.

Secretary please call the absent Members.

Dahle, Dodd, Grove, Jones, Nguyen. Nielo Ochoa Bogh Portantino Seyarto Ayes 31. Noes zero.

The measure passes. All right, Members, now we're moving from messages from the Governor will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read.

Reports of committees will be deemed red and amendments adopted. Now back to motions and resolutions and notices Members without objection measures reported from policy committees with the recommendations do pass as amended but first, amend and re refer to the Committee on Appropriations will be given their second reading amendments adopted and re referred to the Committee on Appropriations upon being reported Senator Wiener, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I request unanimous consent to withdraw Senate Bill 477 from Engrossing and enrolling and return the measure to the Assembly for further action.

The desk will note. Senator Nguyen.

Thank you, Mr. President. I ask to remove the following items from the inactive file. SCR 4, SCR 11, SCR 26.

Desk will note. Thank you, Senator Wilk.

Thank you, Mr. President. At the request of the authors, please remove file item 244 AB 70. And file item 245, AB 546 from the consent calendar and place them on the third reading file.

Desk will note, Senator Limon

At the request of the author, I'd like to move AB 13 nine, file item 250 by Assembly Member Reyes to be removed from the Consent calendar and placed on the regular file for further action.

Thank you. The desk will note. Senator, Umberg

Thank you, Mr. President. Please pull AB 1697 file item number 207 from the Consent calendar at the request of the author.

Thank you, Senator Blakespear.

Thank you I request unanimous consent to return Senate Bill 428 file item 68 to the Assembly for further action.

The desk will note Senator McGuire

Mr. President, For the purpose of amendments, I would like to remove file item 224 AB 1768 and file item 252 AB 1658 from the Consent Calendar.

The Desk will note Senator Stern

Thank you, Mr. President I rise to move item 241 AB 1697 by Schiavo off of the Consent file at the request of the author.

The desk will note.

Assembly Bill 355, 1253 1726, 28 with Amendments 44 with Amendments 443 with Amendments 1310 with Amendments 552 with Amendments 755 with Amendments 788 with Amendments 953 with Amendments 1205 second reading.

Now we're moving to Senate. Third reading, file item 77. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 79 by Senator McGuire relative to California State Grange day.

Senator McGuire

Thank you so much Mr. President. Rise today to present SCR 79. It proclaims July 15 as California State Grange Day. For over 150 years, the California State Grange has been an unwavering force for agriculture, farmland preservation, and, of course, developing the next generation of farmers and ranchers. The Grange is one of the first agricultural based organizations to recognize the critical role of women in farming and ranching here in the Golden State. In fact, it's been over a century that they have been actively lifting up women to their leadership positions.

Throughout the history, the Grange has demonstrated a deep sense of responsibility to give back and support those in need. And today is a day to be able to honor the past, celebrate the present, look forward to the next 150 years, wish everybody a happy California State Range Day. I would respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate on this item? Hearing seeing none. Secretary please call the roll.

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

Secretary please call the absent Members.

Dodd, Grove, Jones, Portantino.

Ayes 36. Noes zero. The measure passes now, Members, we're moving on the file item 80. Senator Seyarto. Are you prepared? Secretary, please read

Senate Concurrent Resolution 28 by Senator Seyarto relative to Purple Heart Day.

Senator, floor is yours.

Thank you, Mr. President. I stand to present SCR 28. I am proud to bring this resolution before you today to declare that this coming August 7 is recognized as Purple Heart Day here in California.

The Purple Heart is a medal given not in achievement, but in honor of sacrifice. While the Purple Heart Medal, originally created by our first President, George Washington, was to recognize bravery and combat, today it is used to recognize those who were injured in service to our country by the actions of our enemies. This simple purple ribbon trimmed with white, holding a Bronze Heart with a portrait of George--President Washington, denotes the highest respect and honor we can as a country bestow.

It is estimated that over 1.8 million service members have been awarded this medal many posthumously. I think it is important that we remember our service members and their families for their sacrifices. For, without their sacrifice, we could not enjoy the vestiges of freedom we have today.

It is with those thoughts that I respectfully ask for your aye vote and recognize August 7 as Purple Heart Day in honor of its creation in 1782.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate? Senator Eggman?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A question to the author.

Senator, will you take a question?

I will.

I was just wondering, sir, if I had a Purple Heart, would you vote for my ability to marry the person I love?

This has nothing to do with that issue, but thank you.

So you're not going to answer my question?

Yeah. There's no question to answer. No. I fully respect your right to do whatever you please and marriage who you want. Thank you.

Senator Archulata.

Thank you, Master Chair. And I rise in support of our men and women in uniform as the chair of the Military Veterans Committee. Purple Heart in the Military, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, all of us who served men and women, we revere those who receive that Purple Heart when the bullets are flying or the explosions are taken on.

We think of the medics who serve and help those wounded and those wounded come back--perhaps without an arm, a leg, could be an injury that goes on for a lifetime. And receiving that Purple Heart from the commanding officer from the United States of America and their military, it is something that's very symbolic, but it is something that's heartfelt because everyone who serves this great country knows that the Purple Heart is right there acknowledging the sacrifice of so many men and women who serve this great country, equally and fairly. And they should all be recognized for their service. Thank you. And I urge the aye vote.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate on this item? Hearing, seeing none. Senator Seyarto, would you like to close?

Yes, I would. Thank you so much. Although I was unable to serve in the military, I have great reverence for the people, all of the people that served in the military, for all of the rights that we have today that we're able to exercise. And so I respectfully ask for your aye vote on this simple resolution recognizing August 7 as Purple Heart Day. Thank you.

Thank you. Secretary, please call the roll on file item 80.

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

Please call the absent Members.

Dodd. Grove. Jones. Portantino.

Ayes: 36. Nos: zero. The measure passes. Now, Members, we're moving on to consent calendar. Is there any Member wishing to remove an item at this time from the consent calendar hearing? Seeing none, Secretary, please read both the consent calendars, special and regular consent calendars.

Assembly Bill 30, 356, 400, 584, 655, 706, 777, 826, 889, 1583, 1611, 1706, 1766 271 1311. Assembly Resolution 27, Assembly Bill 231 1754, 569, 712, 902, 1279, 1320, 1673, 1686, 1760. Assembly Concurrent Resolution 7, 67, 99.

All right. Please call the roll on the consent calendar, file item 225.

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

Ayes 36, no zero on the consent calendar. Ayes 36, no zero on the special consent Members. Now it's time for committee announcements. Are there any committee announcements, Senator Alvarado Gil, you're recognized.

Thank you. The Senate Committee on Human Services will convene upon adjournment of session in room 2200

The Human Services Committee will meet in room 2200 at the adjournment of session. Now we're returning to motions and resolutions. This is a time for adjournment in memories. Senator Atkins. You're recognized.

Mr. President, thank you very much. Colleagues, I rise to adjourn in memory of longtime San Diego defense attorney Steven Klein, a dedicated public servant and a friend to justice who passed away far too young last month at the age of 58. Steven was born and raised right here in Sacramento, a part of our own Senate community.

His grandfather, Paul Leonardi, was a California Senator from 1964 to 66, and previously the mayor of Roseville. Stephen left Sacramento and traveled south to San Diego. He attended the California Western School of Law and after experience clerking for the San Diego Public Defender's office, committed himself to fighting for those innocent until proven otherwise.

Joining the public defender's office in 1993 after passing the bar after a stint in private practice, he returned to the office of the public defender and never lost sight of the people behind his work, even becoming known for following his clients after their trials to make sure that they were doing well. Steve was also a dedicated community leader, serving his community of Mission Hills on the town council. For five years, he served as President.

For three of those years, Stephen was a leader at work, mentoring and teaching younger lawyers in the public defender's office. The ropes. As a respected attorney, he was supported by many, both on the bench and in the general public. When he applied for an appointment as a Superior Court judge. As San Diego Superior Court Presiding Judge Michael T. Smith said, Steve will be remembered from the bench as a tough adversary and a great friend.

But perhaps the most poignant remembrance comes from the person who knew him best of all his wife, Tiffany. In her words, he was an amazing husband who was, and I quote, a gladiator who battled in the Coliseum. We call the court, but nothing but a prince at home.

They married in 2003 on New Year's Eve. Steve's dedication to his clients, his values, his family, his two hairless cats, Bruce Wayne and Bain, his French bulldog Knickknack, and to his wife Tiffany, cannot be overstated. And the impact upon his community should be celebrated because of the countless lives changed and set on stronger courses thanks to his defenses. Given this, I ask that we adjourn in the memory of Mr. Steven G. Klein, Esquire, a public servant, defender, friend, uncle, son, brother and husband.

Thank you. Please bring his name forward so he can be properly memorialized. Our deepest condolences. Next up is Senator Skinner.

Thank you so much, Mr. President. Members. I know it's been an emotional day, and we all want to get home for our break, but I really appreciate your joining with me, injuring a memory of someone who was my mentor, a close friend and a larger than life person in terms of his influence, and that is former Berkeley Mayor Gus Newport.

He was tough as nails in his focus on peace and justice, but he was generous, huge hearted, and his smile could light up a room. Gus served as mayor for eight years prior and after. He was a civil rights and social justice icon whose record of accomplishments from civil rights activism to groundbreaking political initiatives to far sighted community economic development programs and global solidarity could fill volumes.

He counted among his close friends Malcolm X, Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte, and Bernie Sanders. He was born in Rochester, New York. In the early 60s. He helped lead a successful police brutality case in federal court after the beating of a black gas station attendant. When Gus advocated on behalf of black Muslims who were arrested during a law enforcement raid at their mosque in Rochester, it drew the attention of Malcolm esques. The two quickly became friends, and Gus helped Malcolm launch the Organization of Afro American Unity in 1964.

He was traveling with Malcolm a few days before Malcolm was assassinated. He helped Malcolm's widow, Betty Shabazz, by organizing a fundraiser headlined by Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis that was held at Sidney Poitier's home. Gus moved to Berkeley in 1974, and he took a job with the city of Berkeley.

I met him in the late 70s when we were both involved in a community, progressive coalition that recruited Gus to run for mayor and later recruited me to run for the City Council because we were a grassroots political organization, didn't have any funding. His campaign staff were all volunteers, and I was one of the core of that. And during, as in that role, driving Gus to events for that mayoral campaign, that is where I first encountered and learned about driving while black.

I had never been pulled over, yet while I was driving Gus, over the course of a couple of months, I was pulled over multiple times, only once given a ticket. And it was a fix it ticket. No other tickets. Gus had to explain to me why I was being pulled over. When he was mayor, he built affordable housing that led to a veiled recall. He led Berkeley's campaign to be the first city to divest its funds from South Africa.

He supported us environmental activists to stop a garbage incinerator and to make Berkeley the first city to set the goal of 50% waste reduction. Way back in 81, he immersed himself in global progressive causes, traveling to conferences on peace in Sweden, Spain, Finland, Cuba, many more, which gave him the nickname Galloping Gus.

He went to El Salvador during that civil war to visit a sister community that Berkeley had. And while he was there, he had to seek refuge in a makeshift underground shelter because US. Planes were bombing on the area where he was in 1979, relevant to our previous discussion, he became the first mayor to ride in San Francisco's gay parade at a time when the current Mayor refused to.

And while he was Mayor and I was on the council at the time, as council majority, we made Berkeley the first city to offer domestic partners benefits for LGBTQ staff. Gus moved to Boston after he led the Dudley Street neighborhood Initiative, which was a community economic development and affordable housing nonprofit. He later returned to Oakland, lived there for the last 30 years, and that's where he passed away.

And though although he was 88 and had lost his leg due to vascular disease, he was planning another trip to Tennessee to meet with civil rights leaders when he had the stroke that took his life. He is survived by his wife, Catherine Cash, two brothers, two children, one grandchild. And let me just finish by saying he was a master storyteller who could regale anyone listening with the stories of his activism over the decades.

Actor Danny Glover said that the beauty of Gus is that he trusted him to elevate our story. And when you spend time with someone with Gus's history and character and listen to his stories, you cannot help but be moved. Gus Newport had a lasting impact on every endeavor. The political context that he helped create and led taught me, in the words of a friend of mine, to be practical and principled at the same time. May he rest in power. Thank you.

Thank you. Our deepest condolences to Mayor Newport. Please bring his name forward so he can be properly memorialized.

Next is Senator Durazo for your adjournment.

In memory thank you, Mr. President. I rise to adjourn in the memory of one of our most beloved union leaders, former President of UFCW Local 770, Rick Icaza. He died at the age of 89. Rick was born in 1934 in Los Angeles to parents who had immigrated from Mexico in the 20s. His mother worked in the garment district, and while his dad was a journalist, he worked his way through high school and college at the grocery store Ralph's, where he bagged groceries, and ended up joining the retail clerks union, as it was known back then.

These union roots followed him as he joined the UFCW Local 770, and while at UCLA, he earned his bachelor's degree in business. He continued to work at the union, first as a box Clerk, then as a researcher, and eventually as a business representative. He was elected Secretary Treasurer of Local 770, the largest UFCW local in the state, and eventually President.

As President, he helped create groundbreaking measures and negotiated contracts that made the lives of tens of thousands of people much better. One of his first accomplishments was the Community Care Plan, which expanded affordable health care, included dental care, and created no cost prescription programs. With Rick's leadership, millions of dollars in illegally withheld wages were won.

He won pensions for many workers. For the first time, he led the important fights in Los Angeles for the Living Wage Ordinance, which set a model for the rest of the country, helping both union and non union workers. He led the way for the Superstore ordinance, the big box stores, giving elected officials more say in development projects.

His list of accomplishments is long and includes winning representation for workers at over 100 CVS stores. He was a trailblazer the first Latino President of Local 770, UFCW, the first Latino vice President of the international union, and the first Latino President of the LA County Federation of labor. He served for 36 years as President of his union.

When he retired, the Ricardo Icaza Worker Center was open, serving as a community center for Low wage workers. He has inspired the next generation of activists and left his union stronger than it had been before.

On a personal base way, he was instrumental in helping me to be elected as the head of the LA Federation of Labor. He is survived by his wife Adele, his two daughters, his grandchildren, and his union family rest in power. Brother, thank you for your important work, dedication, and compassion.

Our deepest condolences. Please bring his name forward so he can be properly memorialized. Next, we have Senator Weiner for his adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, I rise to ask that the Senate adjourn in memory of Benny Yee, a well respected community leader in San Francisco, a prominent figure in our City's Chinese American community, a business owner, a husband, and a father. Benny might be most recognizable as the proprietor of Uncle Benny's Donut and bagel.

A neighborhood fixture in San Francisco's sunset neighborhood. More than just a cafe, Uncle Benny's serves as a civic gathering space. It hosts community meetings, elected officials, and San Francisco Police Department recruit classes.

Benny's leadership extended beyond his commercial business. He served as a commissioner on San Francisco's Redevelopment Agency, as a special advisor to Mayor Ed Lee, and was part of Mayor Breed's transition team. He helped to advise the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and the Yifang Toy Family Association.

He was also active in helping the Irving Street Merchants Association improve the corridor for small businesses and neighbors. I had the pleasure of visiting Benny at his donut shop just a few weeks ago on his 91st birthday. Even with all of his health challenges, he had this amazing, charismatic personality that just made everyone feel welcome.

Benny's work will have a lasting impact on San Francisco, and I'm incredibly grateful to have been able to call him a friend. He survived by his wife, Alice Yee, and his daughters, Caroline and Cecilia Yee. Please join me in adjourning the Senate in Benny's memory.

Thank you. Our deepest condolences to the Yee family. And please bring his name forward so he can be properly memorialized. If there's no other business to desk, Senator Atkins?

The desk is clear, Mr. President. Thanks, colleagues. To those of you that are still here, let me thank you for your incredible work these last few weeks. It was exhausting. I know you spent long hours. But the good news is this you can go home, enjoy community, enjoy family. Please get a good month in your community. I know many of you will still be working. We just won't be in Sacramento.

But please get a little bit of a rest. We come back, we have a four week sprint to the end of session. And those of you that have done this before, you know what that means. So please get a good rest. And I want to thank you for your incredible work these last several weeks. And with that, Mr. President, our next floor session is scheduled for Monday, August 14, 2023, at 02:00 P.m.. Thank you.

The Senate will be in recess until 03:30 P.m., at which time an adjournment motion will be made. We will reconvene Monday, August 14, at 02:00 P.m..

Members, we're going to ask before you leave the floor, if you want to take.