Senate Floor

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. Nguyen. Niello. Ochoa Bogh. Padilla. Portantino. Roth. Rubio. Seyarto. Skinner. Smallwood-Cuevas. Stern. Umberg. Wahab. Wiener. Wilk.

Members, a quorum is present. Would our members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery please rise? We'll be led in prayer this morning by Sister Michelle Gorman, after which we're going to ask you to remain standing. And we'll be led in a pledge allegiance this morning by Senator Menjivar.

So let us bring our minds and hearts and bodies into this room in God's presence again and today we pray for all those caught up in the struggles of the world. May they have the strength to persevere through all the difficulties and injustices that life brings. Frederick Douglass advises us, if there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are people who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning.

They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one. And it may be both moral and physical. But it must be a struggle. So gracious God, we pray for the grace never to abandon our struggles to uphold the dignity and rights of all our brothers and sisters. May all that we do be in solidarity with those who speak their truth and advocate for their own liberation from systemic injustice and prejudice. We ask this in your name. Amen.

Please place your right hand over your heart. Begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

All right. members, we're moving now to privilege of the floor. There are none. Moving on, the messages from the governors will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports of committee will be deemed read and amendments adopted. Moving now to motions or resolutions, see none at this time. Introduction and first reading of bills will be deemed read. Now, moving on to consideration of daily file, we have four items. We have first governor's appointments. Item one, Senator Laird. He's prepared. Secretary.

Thank you, Mr. President. File item number one is the confirmation of Angela Jemmott as chief for the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. She previously served as the executive director for the Commission on Disability Access. She was unanimously approved by the Rules Committee on February 1. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Any further discussion or debate on this appointment? Hearing and seeing none. Secratary, you may call the roll.

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

Please call the absent Members.

Allen. Archuleta. Caballero. Grove, aye. Laird, aye. Newman. Ochoa Bogh. Seyarto.

Ayes 33, noes zero. The appointment is confirmed. Now, moving on to Senate third reading. We have three items. First up is file item seven. Senator Dodd, is he prepared? He's getting there. Secretary, you may read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 17 by Senator Dodd relative to Artificial Intelligence.

Senator Dodd.

Mr. President. SCR 17 affirms this legislature's commitment to developing a safe and responsible framework for the use of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform our society, improve our lives in countless ways, from enabling personalized health care to enhancing the safety and efficiency of our transportation systems. But as with any new technology, it also presents new challenges and risks, particularly with respect to data privacy, cybersecurity and bias.

This resolution acknowledges these risks and affirms our commitment to addressing them in a thoughtful and deliberate manner. It calls on us to work with industry leaders, researchers and other stakeholders to develop guidelines and best practices that ensure safe, responsible and equitable use of AI. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and join me in advancing policies that promote innovation while also protecting public interest.

By doing so, we can help ensure that the benefits of AI are realized by all, and that we build a future together that is not only smarter, but safer and more just. Members, full disclosure. My staff initially wrote this floor speech this morning, and I asked them to go to AI chat box and get it written there. The floor speech you just heard was written completely by AI chatbox. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Any further discussion or debate on this item, Senator Wilk.

Thank you, Mr. President. I, too, knowing what was coming on the floor today, went on the Microsoft's version of Bing and their Chat GPT, and it encouraged me to vote no on this. But I'm going to vote yes because I trust Senator from NAPA over AI.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate any further discussion or debate? Hearing, seeing? None. Secretary you may call the roll on file item seven.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 33. Noes zero. The measure passes. Now, moving on to file item seven. Senator, I'm sorry. Moving on to file item eight. Senator Alvarado-Gil. She's prepared. Secretary, you may read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 by Senator Alvarado-Gil an act related to California Almond Day.

Senator, floor is yours.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise to present Senate concurrent Resolution 19, which proclaims February 16 as California Almond Day to coincide with National Almond Day. So if you eat almonds anywhere in the world, there's an 80% chance that they were grown here in California. And in the US, there is about 100% of the national supply chain that comes right here from the Golden State. Almonds are a convenient, healthy food choice that can be enjoyed in many different forms.

There's almond butter, a nutritious dab of creamy goodness, almond flour for gluten-free baking, almond drink, almond oil, candy covered almonds, and my favorite, raw and roasted almonds for snacking. Almonds have healthy benefits. Among them is maintaining healthy cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and also providing essential vitamins and minerals. Almonds are not only a versatile food, but they're also vital to California's economy. The almond industry as a whole employs 110,000 Californians and contributes $9.2 billion annually to our economy.

California is home to 7600 almond farms, and nearly 90% of those farms are family farms. Many are owned and operated by second and third generation farmers in California. I have personally visited several in my district, such as the Bobby Yamamoto family farms in Westley and the Rob Hodges farm in Denair. At the D-5 dairy farms in Turlock, I saw improved efficiency of water use and sustainable farming practices.

Grower Paul Dambaum uses the almond hull in the dairy feed and shredded almond shells for livestock bedding, thus achieving zero waste. On California Almond Day, we celebrate the almond growers, farm workers, processors and other industry members. And let us not forget those hardworking bees. Collectively, we celebrate all who make the almond industry one of the most successful and innovative here in the country. So please join me, co-authors Senator Ashby, Assemblymembers Alanis and Flores in celebrating, sorry, Alanis and Flora in celebrating California Almond Day. And I respectfully ask you for your aye vote today. Thank you.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate on this item? Any further discussion or debate? Hearing and seeing none. Oh, Senator Grove.

Thank you, Mr. President. I too rise in support of SCR 19 in the Central Valley District 12. Senate District 12 is the top three food producing counties in the world and a prominent supplier of almonds in the world space for food. I'm glad the Legislature recognizes the importance of almond production in our state. And we produce nearly all of the almonds for the nation and the world here in the state of California. Very few almonds are grown outside of the state of California.

Even as we feed and fuel the nation, we realize that food grows where water flows. I'd like to thank the governor for his executive order for making sure that we are going to get some additional water to grow food for the entire world. And I respectfully thank my colleague for introducing this SCR. And I ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Eggman.

Thank you very much. I'd also like to rise in support of this resolution, but also as I rise in support of the almonds. I'd like to all remind us of the bees, for without bees there would be no almonds. And because of our state of drought in California, less than 25% of the bees who pollinate California almonds are actually California beekeepers.

Because of our drought, because of our lack of forage land, you'll begin to see trucks coming from all over the United States loaded down with bees coming to service our California almonds. So I'll keep in mind that water is a precious commodity, and as we enjoy the nuts, continue to also understand the environment in which they are grown. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate? Any further discussion or debate. Hearing none. Senator Alvarado-Gil, would you like to close?

Thank you, Mr. President. And I'd just like to thank my colleagues for us in support of this bill. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Secretary, may you call the roll on file item eight.

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

Ayes 36, noes zero. The measure passes. Now we're moving on to file item eleven. Senator Becker, are you prepared? He is.

Secretary, you may read.

Senate Resolution 14 by Senator Becker relative to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Senator Becker?

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on Senate Resolution 14 to designate the fourth Wednesday in February of each year's Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Awareness Day in the State of California in order to raise public awareness about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or HCM. HCM is a chronic disease involving the thickening of the heart muscle and can potentially lead to debilitating symptoms and serious complications, including heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, and, in rare cases, sudden cardiac death.

It is the most common inheritable heart disease and can affect anyone regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity. 195,000 Californians have HCM. However, HCM shares symptoms with other common cardiac and pulmonary diseases, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, palpitations, and fainting, which make it difficult to distinguish it from these other diseases. As a result, 85% of patients with HCM remain undiagnosed.

It's critical for us to recognize the importance of raising awareness of HCM, as knowing your medical history and any signs and symptoms is a vital first step in receiving accurate diagnosis. Given the consequences of undiagnosed or untreated HDM, patients should visit their healthcare provider for a thorough screening if they have a family history or experiencing symptoms and can work with their provider to learn more about the disease and understand treatment options.

I hope you'll join me voting for SR 14 to raise public awareness of HCM and improve cardiac health in the state of California. Thank you.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate on this item? Any further discussion or debate? Hearing, seeing none. This is eligible for unanimous roll call. Is there any objection to using a unanimous roll call on file item eleven? Hearing, seeing none: Aye's 36, no's, 0. The measure passes. Now, members, we're moving back to motions and resolutions. This is a time for adjourn and memories. We have Senator Becker.

Good morning, Madam President, Pro TEM Atkins and colleagues. Today I'd like to honor the seven people who tragically lost their lives to gun violence as they labored in the fields and greenhouses of two farms in Half Moon Bay. These seven farm workers lived the shared experience of many of our state's immigrant workers. They felt the highs and lows, the dreams of a better life. And now their families, friends and coworkers must carry on the experiences that have forever shaped and challenged San Mateo County's coastal communities. These men and women who died were simply doing their jobs on a Monday afternoon. They died near their homes, where they spent their evenings with loved ones, with friends, gathered for meals, where children played and laughed. These farms were not just places of employment. They were the center of these seven lives. And their deaths at the hand of a coworker is a reminder of where we are as a county, as a state, and as a country, and what we need to do to ensure the safety of all who go to work, go to school, to worship and to dance. It's my hope that the deaths of these seven members of our community will not have been in vain and that they will inspire us as lawmakers, to work harder to end gun violence. And that the revelations of the living conditions of these farm workers will inspire us to provide better housing, better pay and a better future for farm workers across the state. These five men and two women have left families and loved ones who must now confront the heartache that comes with loss. We send love and support to the families and friends of the victims during these difficult times. I'm going to read the seven names and then ask for a moment of silence. Qizhong Cheng, Jingzhi Lu, Marciano Martinez Jimenez, Zhishen Liu, Aixiang Zhang, Yetao Bing. Jose Romero Perez. Please join me in a moment of silence. Thank you.

Thank you. We're going to ask that you bring the names forward so they can be properly memorialized. Senator Atkins, there's no further business. The desk is clear.

Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you to the Senator for that appropriate adjournment. As we go home for a long weekend, I hope we hold our families dear, because that is the lesson we take from this. In addition to others, but most personally, the love of friends and family and how important it is and how precious life is with that. Mr. President, the next floor session will be scheduled for Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at 02:00 P.M..

The Senate will be in recess until five pm, at which time an adjournment in motion will be made. As a friendly reminder, today is the last day to introduce bills. The desks will be open until 05:00 p.m. to process introductions. We will reconvene on Tuesday, November the 21st, at 02:00 p.m..