Senate Floor

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Members, a quorum is present. 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 afternoon by our chaplain, Sister Michelle Gorman, after which we're going to ask you to remain standing. And we'll be led in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag by Senator Dodd.

And let us remember that we are always in God's presence, loving and forgiving God. As we remember the indignity of having to wait two years to hear the news of the Slavery Emancipation Act. We ask you for this day and time to open our hearts to learn the lessons of Juneteenth. Take away from us all prejudice and hardness of heart. Open our hearts to feel the pain of your suffering people. Turn our good intentions into acts of justice and reparation for the failures of the past.

Open our hearts that we may speak in solidarity with those whose voices have been silenced. Give us the courage to challenge those systems and behaviors that compromise the dignity of all persons. May your love unfold and transform us as we seek to be people of justice and peace for all. Amen.

Members and guests, please join me in a pledge to our flag. I pledge allegiance.

Members, we're now moving to privileges of the floor. Senator McGuire, you're recognized.

Thank you so much, Mr. President. Very grateful. Today I would like to be able to arise to recognize a true hometown hero. He has served the students of the County of Marin for the past 25 years. We're grateful that Rob Sorber is with us today. His commitment and dedication to ensuring the safe and reliable transportation of the state's future leaders. We want to make sure that doesn't go unnoticed. He was recently named the California School Bus Driver of the Year.

He's about to retire as well, and we wanted to honor him. As he drives off into his next adventure, Rob exemplifies the everyday heroism that makes our society flourish for a quarter century. This is incredible. For 25 years, Rob's been that smiling face that greet the kids of Miller Creek School District every morning, ensuring that their safe passage to school is successful. Rain or shine, he is taking charge of society's most precious cargo, treating each student.

Treating each student with kindness, with care, and unyielding sense of responsibility. Throughout his entire career, Rob has maintained a flawless driving safety record. Not a single accident, not one speeding ticket, and not a single incident that jeopardized the well being of the students who have trusted in his care. As we celebrate Robert's well deserved retirement, we acknowledge the countless lives that he has touched, literally thousands of kids in his career, and the mark that he leaves behind.

His dedication, his tenure and dependability have made him an inspiration and an example of what it means to serve with excellence. Mr. Sorber's legacy resides in the hearts of the students whose lives he's shaped, the parents who have entrusted him with their most precious possessions, and the community. The community recognize him for the profound impact that he has made. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, please join me in giving a big congratulations to the School Bus Driver of the year, Rob Sorber. Let's give him a round of applause. We're going to present him with this golden resolution.

Congratulations. Let's give Mr. Sorber another round of applause for his storied career. Thank you for joining us today. Now, Members, we're moving on to Senator Padilla. He has guests.

Thank you, Mr. President. It's certainly an honor and a pleasure to rise and to ask that we give a big Senate welcome to visitors here in the gallery above me, from Shadow Hills High School in Indio, in my district, Ms. Desiree Wallace and her 15 associated student body students from the high school. Can we make them welcome?

Welcome to the California State Senate.

Mr. President, I'll note briefly, Mrs. Wallis is also a Member of the Capitol family. You may recognize the last name, as she is the wife of Assemblymember Greg Wallis . So welcome to you and your students.

Thank you, Mr. Great, thank you for joining us today. Now, at this time, I will take the opportunity to recognize Senator men. He has his family here today. He has his wife, James Stober, his children, Theodore, Emerson and Paxton. Let's give them a warm Senate welcome. Thank you for joining us here today. Now, Members, moving on to. Messages from the Governor will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read.

Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments adopted, motions and resolutions and notices. Without objection. The Senate journals for June Twelveth, 2023 through June 15, 2023, will be approved as corrected by the minute Clerk. There are floor amendments at the desk. They will be deemed adopted. Now, Members, we're moving on to consideration of the Daily file we're at Senate second reading. Secretary, please read.

[Daily File]

He's prepared. We'll first start with file Item three.

Thank you, Mr. President. File Item Three is the confirmation of Leslie Gilbert Lurie for appointment to the California State University Board of Trustees. She is an attorney, author and former television Executive. She is also co founder and past chair of the alliance for Children's Rights, and she served for 15 years on the Los Angeles County Board of Education. She was approved by the Rules Committee on June 7 on a 50 vote. I respectfully ask for your aye vote .

any further discussion or debate, Senator Glazer.

Thank you, Mr. President. Members on this nominee and the following two that will come before the Senate. They're incredibly well qualified, experienced folks. I'm happy to support. In fact, their life experiences will bring great insight to the work of the Board of trustees at the state universities. And the reason I'm rising today is simply to add to that, that on occasion before the Senate, we get measures that seek to circumvent the thoughtful wisdom of the trustees and the work that they do.

And I think the privileges that we have to review and to affirm these nominees should give us that moment of pause to say, let's let them do their job. Let them do their good work. These nominees are terrifically qualified, and I know I have great confidence they'll do a great job for the State of California and our students. With that, I'm happy to support this nominee.

Thank you. Senator Allen

I want to join my voice of support for Ms. Gilbert Lurie, who's incredibly qualified, and I very enthusiastically will be supporting her today.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate on this item, Aaron? See none. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Aye. 39. No, zero. The appointment is confirmed. Now, moving on to file item four.

Thank you, Mr. President. File item four is the confirmation of Jack McCrory for reappointment to the California State University Board of Trustees. He is the Chief Executive Officer of La JoilA MJ Management, is an alumnus of San Diego State University, where he served as a lecturer and chairs the Veterans Council and the School of Public Affairs. He has served as a CSU trustee since 2018. He was approved by the Rules Committee on June 7 on a unanimous vote. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Any further discussion or debate on this appointment hearing? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 39. No, zero. The appointment is confirmed. Now, moving on to file item five.

Mr. President, file Item five is the confirmation of Jose Antonio Vargas for appointment to the California State University Board of Trustees. He's the founder of Define American, an author, filmmaker, producer, and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. He also serves on the advisory board of the Dream Us, a scholarship fund for undocumented immigrant students. He was approved by the Rules Committee on June 7. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Any further discussion or debate. Senator Durazo.

Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues. My first year as Senator, I introduced SB 225, which was signed into law allowing noncitizens to serve on state and local boards and commissions. In a representative democracy, where voters elect leaders to speak and act on their behalf, noncitizens who are not yet able to vote must rely on the political will of a few to speak for their interests and needs.

It's been an incredible privilege for me to serve for and work on behalf of immigrants, but appointments to state and local boards and commissions allow immigrants to speak for themselves. Jose Antonio Vargas has used his voice, Pulitzer Prize winner, and his perspectives and expertise through his journalism now will help us in California draft better policy that improves education opportunities for all. I'm so proud to stand in support of his nomination.

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

[Roll Call]

Ayes 31. noes three. The appointment is confirmed.

Moving on to the consideration of the daily file. Second reading file items. Third reading, item 16. Senator Bradford Clerk, please read

Senate Concurrent Resolution 76 by Senator Bradford relative to Juneteenth.

Thank you, Madam President. I'm here to present SCR 76, which recognizes the 150 eigth anniversary of Juneteenth, better known as Independence Day. Freedom Day. Emancipation Day. It's a day that marks a significant point in American history when slaves were made aware of their freedom two and a half years after President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation, stating that all enslaved individuals were free. It's the oldest African American holiday in the United States.

It celebrates the fulfillment of the promise made by President Lincoln in 1963 to end slavery in the United States. And it's only one of 11 national holidays that exist in this country. Two and a half years after signing the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers led by General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, to inform the 250,000 plus slaves living in Texas that they were free people. Freed slaves turned this historical event into a yearly celebration.

And many times people want to stereotype African Americans as great lovers of watermelon, red soda pop, or other things of that nature. But if they knew our history, they would know the significance of the red, the significance of the watermelon, the significance of the hibiscus tea, or red soda pop, as my old man used to say, or red velvet cake. The red was reflective of the blood that we shed in this country, the blood that we shed for over 250 years of slavery.

And that's why those items are so significant to a Juneteenth celebration, if you've ever been to one. As an individual who was born in Texas, my father went back to Texas every year up until the time of his death to celebrate Juneteenth, because that's how important it was to him, and making sure that I and the rest of my family knew the importance and significance of Juneteenth. And it's important that we here, as legislators, know as well. But Juneteen th is so much more than that.

It's a celebration of perseverance, of faith and hope in our community. It's an example of how committed individuals from 250 years of bondage fought for this country, still defend this country, but in many ways are still denied the full rights and privileges of freedom in this country. It's also Juneteenth is also the emancipation and the freedom of this country of its first original sin and that of slavery.

But despite the fact that we have removed the change in bondages, many are still in bondage, of poor education, lack of economic wealth. The wealth gap between African Americans and whites in this country today is at $360,000. The health disparities. African American women still face more challenges in childbirth than any other group in this country. Have more infant mortality than any other group in this country. And we're under educated more so than any other group in this country.

But it's also this false narrative that African Americans are lazy. That's the farthest thing from the truth. You couldn't have built this country with 200 years of involuntary servitude. If you were lazy, you would never have survived. These are some of the hardest working people in the world. And also to say that we didn't value education. At the turn of the 20th century, there were more institutions of higher learning, more HBC universities than any other colleges in this nation. We valued education. We still value education.

It's a shame that our state and our nation doesn't invest at the same level in our HBCUs as we do in all our other universities across this country. It's a reminder again of the nation's dark past. The United States is a great country. It's in large part because it was built on the backs of slaves. But we will never reach our full potential as a country if we don't realize how far we've come.

But more importantly, how far we still have to go to recognize free quality and freedom here. Slavery has ended. But despite the progresses we've made, racism is still alive and well in this country. It even exists in California. So I'm here today to ask that we educate ourselves. And I appreciate all my colleagues every year I've done this resolution, every year since I've been in the Senate. And I appreciate all my colleagues who have come to me afterwards and said, I learned something new today.

And that's the purpose of this. And if there was ever a holiday should be a day off, it should be today. Because if anybody deserves a day off is African Americans who've slaved in this country for 200 years. But we're here today. My colleague is here today because of the importance and significance of this day. And I just want to talk about reparations for a few minutes. Over the last two years, I've had the privilege of serving as a Member of the Reparations Task force.

And I thank our President proteom for appointing me to that August body and just extreme, challenging task of trying to figure this out. The task force is charged with identifying and compiling documentation on the institution of slavery that existed within the United States and to make recommendations on rehabilitation and restitution to African Americans here in this country. Next week, the task force will conclude and submit its final report and recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor.

I encourage all Californians and every one of my colleagues to read the report. I'm. Say that again. I encourage all Californians and my colleagues to read the report. Everyone must be educated about our history, the real history. It's often said there are stories that made America, and then there's stories that America made up. Much of what we teach is the stories that America has made up. We need to stop whitewashing. History Reparations Task Force has documented California's role in slavery and decades of discrimination.

California entered the union as a free state, but it was a free state in name only. The first Governor of California owned slaves. This Legislature passed the fugitive slave law that allowed free people in California to be returned to slavery. If you were born here of a slave, you were treated as a slave in there. It's documented. People can choose to ignore it. They can be uncomfortable with our history, but you can't deny it.

The key takeaway from the Reparations Task Force is that the history of slavery in California and the racially motivated taking of black land through eminent domains such as Bruce's beach, the Know, Sugar Hill in Los Angeles. We can go on and on and on. We can go to South Carolina, Hilton. head. For anybody here, that's golfers. That was a former slave encampment for dozens of years until white folks decided, we're going to cut off the water and force them back on the mainland.

Now is one of the best Gulf meccas in the country. But it was created by African Americans. And the risky, motivated taking, like I said, black land over policing, mass incarceration and a denial of our homeownership through the practices of redlining have created generational harm that still exists today. A lot of folks don't even know zoning.

R ones, R two s, R three s was the result of eliminating restrictive covenants that was won in the Supreme Court in 1948 by Thurgood Marshall and Lauren Miller, two Amazing African American jurors. Lauren Miller, I should say, I said Lauren Miller lived in California. His son was a judge. His grandson, my dear friend Mike, who passed two years ago, was a judge. His sister is a judge. But they fought to eliminate restrictive covenants in this country. But now we fight to protect our ones.

And R two s, that was the extension of redlining and restrictive covenants. I hope Juneteenth holiday will lead to a more honest education, discussion, and understanding. As I said, juneteen th is a celebration of perseverance, of resilience, and of hope. I also want to leave you with a name. Opal Lee. She's 96 years old. She is considered the grandmother of Juneteen Th. She fought for decades to make sure that this was a national holiday.

Two years ago, she was in the White House when President Biden signed it into law, and she received the first pin of that signing. Her life should be recognized for all that she fought through. And the reason why June 10 has such a significant meaning to her. Because as a 12 year old girl growing up in Texas, 500 white men came to their house on June 19 and burned it down. Imagine the impact that has had on her for the last 96 years of her life.

So I want you to know her name. She's a warrior. And she marched for years. 2.5 miles. And people say, why 2.5 miles? She said for every year that they denied delayed in delivering the message that we were free. And seven years ago, she organized a march all the way from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, DC. 1400 miles. She didn't walk all of them, but she was there all along the way. Please know the name of Opal Lee.

It is time everyone celebrated in our community and many contributions in the areas of business, science, medicine, art, music that African Americans have made. So, colleagues, I ask you to join me today in recognizing the importance of Juneteenth. And I ask for an aye vote.

Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I rise as co chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus in support of SCR 76. While Juneteenth marks the day on which the last people enslaved in the United States were freed, it represents much more than that. Emancipation Day is an opportunity to celebrate the survival of black Americans across history.

From the Middle Passage and the arrival of the first enslaved Africans and the American colonies in 1619, to the continuing inequities faced by black people today in health, housing, education, environmental quality, and the legal system, Juneteenth presents an opportunity to educate ourselves about the experience of black Americans, both their joys and their tragedies. The Jewish community appreciates what it means to not be seen as a full Member or participant in society. We also understand the need to celebrate with joy after subjugation and suffering.

It is by holding on to joy that our communities transcend the harms that have been inflicted on us across generations. It's how we truly survive with our humanity. Intact. Juneteenth is a wonderful testament to that truth. By celebrating the liberation and dignity of black life, we take a collective step toward healing. Earlier this year, both the Jewish and Black communities lost a champion of liberty and civil rights.

Harry Belafonte, who, aside from being an incredibly talented artist, worked tirelessly to advance marginalized voices, especially in the black community, and celebrated his Jewish heritage vocally, as well as incorporating it into his music. I'm honored to support this resolution and urgent I vote.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam President, I, too, rise in support of SCR 76, Juneteenth Freedom Day, described by many of my constituents in my district. They celebrated this historical occasion this past weekend, having in my district, many of them celebrated with dance, culture, family, and traditions. Many of the faith community gave sermons on this history of this historic day. Our local NAACP held a Juneteenth festival. Vendors, participants from our entire community celebrated this special day of Jubilee, or what they called joy of what Juneteenth means.

We celebrated that over 250,000 slaves were freed by Executive order well after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. I'm so proud of Pastor Jenkins, Natisha, Kendra Johnson, Javon Dangerfield, Centric Health, and Michael Bowers and many other individuals who made this wonderful celebration weekend possible. And I want to thank my district and all the people that participated in these wonderful events to really commemorate and show the historical value of this particular day.

Thank you, Senator Grove. Senator Min, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, I want to thank the author for bringing forward this very important resolution on behalf of the API Legislative Caucus. As Vice Chair, I rise in strong support of SCR 76. The recognition of Juneteenth is so, so important for our country's history. Of course, growing up, we did not recognize this holiday. It is a relatively recent phenomenon in recognition, but that heightens the importance of understanding the educational value of this date.

Today is about California and the United States acknowledging the fact that it was less than 160 years ago that we had slavery in this country, and that the struggle continues today. As my colleague from Gardena pointed out, racism is still well alive today. Unfortunately, structural racism, systemic racism, anti black racism, we see this around us every single day, and we can't just be content to sit back and do nothing about it. We have to continue to fight for progress, to fight against racism.

Knowing, and this is another lesson of Juneteenth, that that might take some time. It took two and a half years before the people in Texas found out about the Emancipation Proclamation. Sometimes the things we do here on the floor of the Senate take some time to impact the lives of the people we represent, but that should not deter us from doing what is right.

So, on behalf of the API Caucus, we stand with the Black Caucus in remembrance and resolve, in trying to commit ourselves, recommit ourselves, to the work of equity, equality, and justice, as well as to celebrate the hope, the idea that the moral arc of the universe does bend towards justice. So I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Smallwood Cuevas. You are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. And thank you, colleagues. And a special thanks to my good colleague from Gardena. I rise on behalf of SCR 76 that celebrates today, June 19, as Juneteenth Emancipation Day in the State of California and across the nation. And it is a testament that black people have and were enslaved longer than we've been free in this country. And Juneteenth is, in fact, the realist declaration of Independence for black people.

It's a celebration that America historically became the land of the free for everyone in this country. On Juneteenth, an estimated 20 trillion was amassed on the backs of enslaved labor, making the US the largest economic power in the world. And as my colleague referred to it, as the original sin.

It was, in fact, the first entrance into a globalized economy that actually set our nation up to be the world power that it is and is also an original sin that we are still trying to correct today, to ensure that every worker has the opportunity to be seen as a human being and to be treated with dignity and respect. And so we celebrate Juneteenth because all black people weren't truly liberated until the Emancipation Proclamation. A policy was realized, meaning that it was actually implemented.

And I think that's what's really remarkable and something for us to think about here on the floor, that it's not enough for us to just pass the policies. We have to make sure that it's actually implemented and it reaches those folks who are most impacted and that it actually begins to change their lives beginning the following year.

In 1866, black people kept alive that memory by commemorating this holiday around emancipation and annually celebrating with activities and events and good things, like the red Velvet cake that you have on your desk from the Black Caucus. It's important that we institutionalize the tradition of not just celebrating Juneteen th but actually marking Juneteenth. And I hope that next June 19, we won't be in the chamber. We will be able to celebrate with our constituents this important holiday.

We have to acknowledge the resilience and the power of black people in the allyship that led to the true abolishment of slavery, and to recognize that for generations, the demand for liberty and justice, that became a rallying cry and a beginning.

And given what we're seeing in places like Florida, where we're denying that education, where there is an explicit effort to roll back the clock and to not teach our future generations on the significance of this holiday, here in California, we must stay steadfast in making sure that that history is known, that it is taught through our ethnic studies programs, and that we ensure that we do all that we can not to undermine the progress that began so many generations ago, but to make sure that progress is, in fact, felt in every community.

In California, we know that there are continuing, growing, widening disparities between Black and white residents, disproportionate gaps in life expectancy, access to quality jobs, income inequality, incarceration, and homelessness. These are all a testament to the complex governmental policies that Juneteenth lifted up, right? That are deeply rooted and institutionalized in anti blackness in this country. And it is our effort to again practice liberation and emancipation every day and making sure that those kinds of disparities are eradicated in California.

Despite Black people having significantly contributed to the building of this country, including so many Black Californians, we unfortunately continue to bear the inequitable burden of so many disparities in this state and in this country. All Californians deserve to have equitable access to the good things in life, the things that help our families grow, that improve our communities for generation. That includes good jobs and opportunities to support and to sustain our families.

If we're going to change the inequities that continue to persist, we must have the tools, equity mandates, that include basic things like monitoring, tracking, and evaluating so that we can see the progress that we are making to break the stubborn realities of systemic racism and the continued exclusion of Black people in this state and in this country.

Juneteenth has taught us that the passing of policies alone are not enough, that true equity and justice requires active and vigilant engagement, and it makes sure that our governments, the State of California, puts in the tools, puts in the systems and practices that guarantees justice for all. This is the lesson, the true lesson today of 1865, and I am honored to be here and celebrating another marking of the Juneteenth celebration.

Look forward for the State of California to continue to recognize, lift up, celebrate, practice, and mark this holiday for all, and that we eradicate the racist policies and practices that continue to hold us back, knowing that we want and demand a brighter future for our communities ahead. And with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Gonzalez. You were recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. As Vice Chair of the California Legislative Latino Caucus, it's my honor today to rise also in support of SCR 76 relative to Juneteenth. Yes, black men and women were free, but not free to live how and where they wished. We have questions to ask ourselves now in 2023. Where are we now? What have we learned? And what else do we need to do to support our Black community and friends?

As I've previously said on this floor, understanding our past and acknowledging heroes in our diverse communities in California only serves to strengthen the ties between every resident of this state. And as we celebrate Juneteenth and ask all Californians to honor and reflect on the significant achievements and impact African American community Members have played in the evolution and success of this country, we must continue to fight with the goal of ensuring that real equality and justice for all communities is valued and uplifted.

Black culture has influenced every aspect of American life, including music, fashion, the arts, and science, among them issues and topics we all care about and enjoy and love. For example, Frederick Mckinley Jones left his indelible mark with the development of refrigeration equipment in the 1930s. His creation, the Thermo King, allowed people to eat fresh food year round. In 1991, he became the first African American to receive the National Medal of Technology. Consider Mark Dean.

After earning a doctorate at Stanford University, he helped invent IBM's original personal computer and then the PC color monitor. These are countless examples and some of a few, many examples that we could provide of leaders and pioneers that have impacted and continue to influence our lives. But I challenge you to use this time to research, listen, and take in the stories that have largely been untold but that have shaped our everyday lives.

The Latino Caucus stands in strong solidarity with the author, good Senator from Gardena, as well as our Senator from Los Angeles, and all of the legislative Black Caucus Members for their incredible leadership and support on this important work. But they cannot do it alone. I respectfully ask for an eye vote on SCR 76.

Thank you, Senator Blakespear. You are recognized.

Thank you. I rise today in support of SCR 76 in recognition of the importance of Juneteenth Independence Day, where we are recognizing both Black freedom and the deep immorality and unforgivable brutality of the involuntary servitude of African Americans. As my colleague from Los Angeles said, black people have been enslaved, were enslaved here since 1619, enslaved longer than they've been free.

This racism was a central part of our nation's founding, and honestly, facing this past is a critical part of creating our more perfect union and our more just future. So, as our newest holiday and one of only 11 federal holidays, it's important to recognize this holiday is just within two weeks of July 4. So we are celebrating two important freedoms within a one month period. It's very important that we recognize the value of Black freedom and Black history and Black tradition and culture. And I'm honored and proud to recognize Juneteenth today.

Thank you, Senator Menjivar. You are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, today I rise on behalf of the LGBTQ Caucus in support of SCR 76, a historic date on which the last enslaved Black Americans were freed. On today's 150 eigth anniversary of Juneteenth, we have an opportunity to critically examine our country's shameful history of slavery and engage in meaningful discussion on how this history continues to impact us today. As a Member of the LGBT caucus, I must also acknowledge how LGBTQ plus Black Americans are cornerstones of our community.

They were the driving force behind the first pride. They are at the forefront of our community's culture. They are courageous advocates and outspoken activists. However, LGBTQ plus Black Americans are also the most vulnerable and unprotected Members of our community. As many of us know, Black Trans women face high rates of fatal violence. Black LGBTQ plus youth are at higher risk of homelessness, which has only been exasperated since the pandemic.

It is with all this in mind that my caucus Members and I aim to amplify the voices and advocate on behalf of Black LGBT plus Americans. The recognition of Juneteenth is a step towards ensuring that Black American history is remembered as American history. With that, I urge an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Wahab. You are recognized.

Thank you. Juneteenth celebrations are a symbol of freedom. I was very proud to introduce Juneteenth as a Hayward City Council Member with my colleague Angela Andrews, the first Black woman to be elected to Hayward City Council. I'm very proud to continue that support as the Senator for District 10.

And I specifically want to say I, as an Afghan American raised in a Black foster family home, want to highlight that every ethnic community's rights were and are based on the Black civil rights movement, including the recently passed cast Bill, SB 403, from the Senate Floor. I specifically want to say that the preliminary report from the Reparations Task Force that the good Senator sits on reminds us of the freedoms and liberties still owed to Black Americans. I look forward and urgent aye vote.

And I look forward to continued collaborations with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure that Californians make good on the promise of freedom and justice owed to black Americans. Thank you.

Thank you. Senator Bradford, seeing no other mics up, would you like to close?

Thank you, Madam President. And let me first thank all of my colleagues who lent their voice to this important measure. And I'm deeply grateful for your comments and your commitment to this. But today we need to go beyond words. If we're serious about changing California and if we're serious about changing this nation, then we should be advocating that this is a state holiday that everyone has off. So I would challenge someone or a Member of this body to introduce that measure next year.

And it shouldn't have to be me or my colleague from Los Angeles, but someone should introduce that to make sure that this is a day off for everyone. Because, again, African Americans had 250 plus years of no days off. So if anyone in this country deserves a day off, and we want to celebrate it with all of our allies, and I think that's what's important and that's what's next, we have to now advocate for real change.

As I stated, we will be celebrating the 4 July in two weeks. But that was the Independence of British tyranny because slaves were still enslaved. African Americans were still enslaved despite America's Independence from British tyranny. Those slaves fought in the American Revolution to help make this country great, despite not being afforded the rights and privileges that they were fighting for.

So it's important to know our history as stated, to know the tremendous contributions that African Americans have made to this country that continue to make into this country and to put us in a position where we are the number one country in the world. But we will not be viewed as such until we start walking a walk and not just talking to talk with too much racism still in here.

So, yes, we've freed the bondages of physical slavery, but there are still bondages of discrimination, racism, hatred that holds us back. There's bondage of economic, lack of economic opportunities for people of color. As I stated, the wealth gap in this country should not be $360,000, because, again, we work just as hard as everybody else. But if you've had decades of Jim Crow, decades of discrimination, decades of redlining and restrictive covenants that prevented you from economic wealth.

And again, examples of when we did achieve economic wealth, this state and this nation stole it away from us. We still have much work to do to right the wrongs and the injustices that exist today. So I respectfully ask for our. I vote for Juneteenth. I ask for. I vote for freedom, for Independence, but more importantly, for respect. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. Thank you all for that robust discussion. This is eligible for a unanimous roll call if there are no objections. Seeing none. Ayes, 39. No, zero. The Member motion measure is adopted. Senator Bradford, you are recognized for an introduction.

Thank you. And again, I want to appreciate all that has been said. And as I stated in my comments about the importance of red velvet cake. If you look on your desk, inside this jar is red velvet cake. And I just want to recognize the young lady, Josephine Mckinney, who's up in the gallery, who provided this for us. And on behalf of the legislative Black Caucus, we want to say thank you and understand the symbolism of what red velvet cake means to African Americans in Juneteenth. Thank you.

Thank you very much. All right. Moving on to the consent calendar. Did anybody wants to remove anything from the consent calendar? Speaking. It's only one item today. All right. Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1988.

Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Vote is 39 to zero. Consent calendar is adopted. Moving on to Committee announcements. Senator Hertato, do you have an announcement for us? That agriculture will meet in room 1200? . Upon adjournment, Senator Alvarado-Gil?

Yes. Committee on Human Services will meet at 310 in room 2200. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Now returning to motions and resolutions. Senator Skinner, you are recognized for an adjournment memory.

Thank you so much, Madam President, Members, today I rise with sadness to ask that we adjourn in memory of Dorothy Walker, who is a longtime Berkeley resident, a friend of mine, a mentor, and just a great leader on housing and so much more. Not only for the City of Berkeley, but for the state. Dorothy passed away on June 10 at her Berkeley home. She was 93. She was decades ahead of her time.

Many housing policies that we have adopted recently were ideas that she had and began promoting 50 years ago. She was the original YIMBY, a planner by profession, and she was one of the founders of the American Planning Association. She worked at UC Berkeley for years, including being their assistant vice chancellor, and she served on Many City of Berkeley and Berkeley Unified School District commissions. She was born in Stockton, grew up in Angels Camp, and came to UC Berkeley in 1948 with her then husband, Joe Kamaya.

Dorothy and Joe experienced firsthand racist housing policies when they were informed that they could only buy or rent in the western quarter portion of Berkeley. Because her husband was Japanese American. She was very angered by this because her husband's family had already experienced the racism of being sent to an internment camp during World War II, and her experience prompted her to commit herself to fighting racism and segregation for the rest of her life.

In the early 60s, she was one of the leaders of Berkeley's desegregate school desegregation efforts, and one student who benefited from that, and I think you heard about it in one of her debates, was our Vice President, KamaLA Harris. Kids of color like Kamala, who lived in the flatlands, were bussed to schools in the mostly wealthy Berkeley Hills. But desegregating our schools did not desegregate Berkeley. As I'm sure we saw in many other communities. Our neighborhoods were still divided by color.

So Dorothy realized early on that housing policies deepened segregation. Single family zoning, prohibitions on multifamily housing. Those effectively kept people of color, especially black residents, from living in the majority of neighborhoods. So Dorothy was served on the Berkeley Planning Commission in 1972 and proposed in 1972 to abolish single family zoning in Berkeley's wealthy neighborhoods. Her idea was way ahead of its time, she later recalled. I was basically a voice in the wilderness, crying out for density. It was too radical.

I first met Bert Dorothy when I was a student activist and in student government at Cal. Given her role in UC Berkeley's Administration, of course I viewed her with suspicion. And once I was on the Berkeley City Council, often I was on the opposite side of her in town and gown conflicts. Yet all the while, I admired her leadership skills, her passion, her smarts. At that time, I was based on the council with very few housing decisions.

All of the investment in housing was being put in suburbia, and my perspective on housing was, quite frankly, ill informed. Later in the 90s, after I got off the council, I had an AHA moment when I started a project called Cities for Climate Protection. And during that process, all of my cities in California doing inventories, greenhouse gas emissions inventories, realized that transportation was the single largest source of emissions in their communities. Why?

Land use and housing decisions that kept housing far away from jobs, schools, services, and that sort of thing, which made people car dependent. Then I realized that Dorothy Walker was right. Not only were housing policies exclusionary, they were making climate change worse. She and I reconnected then in the 90s, while her ideas started to gain traction in Berkeley. And Berkeley was engaged in a plan to planning process to increase the density in our downtown.

Then when I got in the Assembly in 2008, I partnered with Dorothy on many of the housing policies that I put forward, whether it was to reduce parking minimums, streamline housing, ezoning rules, and various other things. And in early 2021, the City of Berkeley itself embraced Dorothy's ideas from nearly 50 years before and voted to end single family zoning in Berkeley. So with that, I can say confidently that Dorothy Walker laid the groundwork for major shifts in housing policy in Berkeley and throughout California.

And I know that she and her family were quite proud of that and proud that Berkeley is now building dense housing throughout its downtown. She loved music in the theater. I often ran into her at various jazz concerts and Berkeley repertory. She is survived by her four children, five grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Dorothy, you are greatly missed, and you are owed a sincere apology, because, my friend, on housing, you are right.

Thank you. Senator Skinner, please bring Mrs. Walker's name up so she can be properly memorialized. And we all agree she was a remarkable individual and worthy of being recognized on this day. Now we're going to move back to announcements. I think Senator Ashby has an announcement.

Thank you. It is my privilege today to acknowledge Omari Gray. I've known Omari since he was about eight years old. And he's quiet, he's soft spoken, as kind as you think he is. And he was raised here in Sacramento, grew up in Natomas, a very good friend of my oldest son. Played football together for many years. Pretty sure he's broken almost every bone in his body. He went to Christian Brothers High School and Sac State. He is a true homegrown kiddo.

And it just makes my heart swell with pride to see him leading today as the reading Clerk in the California State Senate. Omari, your dad would be so proud of you to see you doing this today. Congratulations, young man.

That's worthy of a standing ovation. Hey, thank you. Thank you for your service. If there's no other business, Senator Atkins, the desk is clear.

Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues. Our next floor session will be this Thursday, June 22, 2023, at 09:00 a.m..

Members, the Senate will be in recess until 03:30 p.m., today, and at which time an adjournment motion will be made. We'll reconvene on Thursday, June 22, at 09:00 a.m.