Assembly Floor

The Assembly is now in session. Assembly Member Fong notices the absence of a quorum. The sergeant in arms will prepare the chamber and bring in the absent Members. The Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Members a quorum is present. We ask our guests and our visitors in the gallery and in the rear of the chamber to please stand for today's prayer and pledge. Today's prayer will be offered by Assembly Member Dixon. Assembly Member Dixon.

Good morning. Would you please join me in prayer? Loving God, thank you for reminding us that in difficult times we still experience Your many blessings and love as we head home today. I pray for your encouragement that we may treat our neighbors with respect and that we take the opportunity to lead with integrity and kindness. I pray this in Your loving name. Amen.

We ask that you remain standing and join us in the nation's pledge. Please join Assembly Member Aguiar Curry as she lead us in the flag. Salute.

Please join me in the pledge to our nation. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. One nation.

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

Assembly Chamber of Sacramento, Wednesday, May 17, 2020.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 45.5 to allow Assemblymember Flora to speak on an adjournment in memory today.

Without objections. That shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 118 A to allow Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry to have guests and photographers on the floor today

Without objection. Such shall be the order.

Pursuant to Assembly Rule 96, I request unanimous consent to re-refer AB 530 Boerner from the Natural Resources Committee to the Rules Committee

Without objection. Such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to withdraw SB 736 McGuire from the Governmental Organization Committee and order the Bill to the second reading file

without objection. Such shall be the order. And Members, we have an early birthday to announce. Please wish Assembly Member Joe Patterson a happy birthday. Who is celebrating tomorrow, Friday, June 9. And Members, we have a special guest with us today on behalf of Assemblymember Gallagher. We'd like to welcome back former Assembly Member and Senator Gloria Romero. And we're moving to business. On the daily file second reading, the Clerk will read

Assembly Joint Resolution 3 with Amendments, Senate Bills 801 with Amendments 465, with Amendments 652, with Amendments 25 297, with Amendments 789, with Amendments 798, 329, 825, 878, 879 and Senate Bill 880.

All bills will be deemed read. All amendments will be deemed adopted. And on Assembly third reading. We'll begin with Ms. Aguiar Curry. This is file item 21 ACR 83. The Clerk will read

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 83 by Assembly Member Aguiar Curry and others relative to Portuguese Heritage Month.

And Assemblywoman Aguiar-Curry, you may open on the resolution.

Mr. Speaker and Members, I am so proud as I rise today to present ACR 83, recognizing May 29th as Azores Day, June 10th as Portugal Day, and the Month of June 2023 as Portuguese Heritage Month. The contributions of the Californians of Portuguese ancestry to our state span across all sectors of public and private life. ACR 83 highlights some of these accomplishments while emphasizing the importance of bringing together Californians of Portuguese descent, particularly those from the Azores, to shape a better future for all Californians.

One remarkable initiative in this regard is the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute at Fresno State led by Diniz Borges. They have developed a grassroots community-based strategic plan for the teaching of Portuguese language and culture in California, making our state the only one in the country with such a comprehensive program. It is crucial to foster partnerships between local and Portuguese American community, our public universities, and our organizations like FLAD in Lisbon and the Government of the Azores.

These collaborations aim to encourage student exchange programs promoting the sharing of ideas, technologies, and economic development. The bonds established by Californians of Portuguese ancestry with other ethnic communities hold immense value for the people of the nation's most diverse state. This resolution recognizes our community's vital role in California, honoring their ongoing integration and the preservation of their cultural traditions. As the daughter of a Portuguese American, I respectfully request your aye vote and ask for that the first role be opened for coauthors.

Thank you, Ms. Aguiar-Curry, and Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva, you're recognized on the resolution.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I also rise on behalf of the California Latino Legislative Caucus in support of ACR 83. I also want to thank our colleague from Winters for authoring this important resolution. ACR 83 declares the Month of June to be Portuguese Heritage Month, and would recognize June 10th as the Day of Portugal and May 29th as the Day of the Azores.

This provides our state the opportunity to recognize the achievements, contributions, and history of this vibrant community and the long-established contributions of the Portuguese American community in California. Between 1900 and 1940, over one half of the Portuguese American community in California owned or operated a dairy farm, worked on a dairy farm, or worked in a dairy supporting industry as well as the agricultural farmlands. In fact, three centuries later, immigrants from the Azores, Madeira, and mainland Portugal continued to spur California's economic growth.

Fishermen and farmers became one of the most entrepreneurial ethnic groups in California. Currently, there are more than 345,000 Portuguese Americans living in California with a majority being from Azores, residing in San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the San Joaquin Valley where they continue to thrive in agricultural communities, including Los Angeles and the beautiful City of Artesia which is a new part of my district in Cerritos which I am now representing.

May we continue to celebrate their accomplishments and bring people together to keep their language and culture alive in California and celebrate the diversity of the rich Portuguese heritage. Thank you, and I ask you to join in support of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 83.

Thank you, Ms. Quirk-Silva, and Assemblyman Jim Patterson, you're recognized on the resolution.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members. I rise to strongly support this ACR, but I couldn't help but rise as a Fresno State alum to be able to appreciate and thank Fresno State for its involvement in the Portuguese community and for the association with my alma mater, and we live amongst a great group of Portuguese individuals, as has been said before, in all walks of life, particularly in dairies in our area. So just wanted to remind everybody: Fresno State's kind of cool.

Thank you, Mr. Patterson. Assemblyman Alanis, you're recognized on the resolution.

Good morning, everybody. I just wanted to stand in rise of support as well. For those who don't know, my wife's actually born in the Azores, so she was one of those that came over, and she's very involved with agriculture, growing up on a goat dairy farm. So thank you for bringing this up, and honey, I hope you like it. Take care.

Thank you, Mr. Alanis, and seeing no other Members wishing to speak on the resolution, the first roll will be open for coauthors. Ms. Aguiar-Curry, anything further to close?

Just I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Clerk will open the roll for coauthors. All those vote who desire to vote. Members, this is for coauthors. Clerk will close the roll. There are 65 coauthors, and if there's no objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor say 'aye.' All those opposed say 'nay.' The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted, and Ms. Aguiar-Curry, you are recognized for your guest introductions associated with this resolution.

Well, thank you, Mr. Chair. Here with me on the floor, I would like to introduce a distinguished group of individuals who play vital roles in fostering and strengthening the Portuguese-American community here in California. Leading the group is Vice President of the Azores, Artur Lima. We have Denise Borges, the President of the California Portuguese American Association, Consul General of Portugal and San Francisco, Pedro Pinto and Azor's Director of Azorian Overseas Communities, Jose Andre.

Additionally, in the gallery, we have Portugal's Deputy Minister of European Affairs, Tiago Ontes, and members of the California Portuguese American Coalition, including local elected. So welcome all of you to our home and thank you for coming.

Members will be moving forward to Senate third reading, we'll go to file item 24, SB 383 by Mr. Holden, clerk will read.

Senate Bill 383 by Senator Portantino would accolade in the payment of claims against the state, making appropriation, therefore, to clear the agency thereof to take effect immediately.

And Assemblymember Holden, you may open on the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning. And to members as well. SB 383 provides appropriation authority for legal settlements approved by the Department of Justice and the Department of Finance. The state entered into these settlements lawfully upon advice of counsel, the settlements are binding and our state obligations.

This bill appropriates from the General Fund 6.77 million to the General Fund as follows: one-time General Fund appropriations of 3,700,000 in the 2022-23 fiscal year to the DOJ to pay the settlements arising from Wetlands Preservation Foundation versus Department of Water Resources. One-time General Fund appropriations of 3,073,000 in the 2022 23 fiscal year to pay the judgments arising from the California DUI Lawyers Association versus Department of Motor Vehicles. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Mr. Holden. Seeing no other members wishing to speak on this Bill, Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close roll, tally the votes. Aye 63, no zero on the urgency. Aye 63, no zero on the bill. Measure passes. Members will be moving on to our consent calendar.

And before we vote, we will first take up resolutions on the consent calendar for purposes of adding co authors, the clerk will read the resolutions on the consent calendar.

House Resolution 30 by Assemblymember Essayli relative to Middle Eastern or North African data, Senate Concurrent Resolution 63 by Senator Hurtado and others relative to Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, Senate Concurrent Resolution 65 by Senator Ashby relative to Foster Youth Awareness Month, Senate Concurrent Resolution 66 by Senator Hurtado relative to Latina Maternal Health Awareness Month and Senate Concurrent Resolution 67 by Senator Portantino and others relative to National Bike Month.

Clerk will open the roll to allow any members to add on as co-authors. Members, this is for co-authors. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. There are 65 co-authors moving to a vote on the consent calendar. Is there a member that wishes to pull an item for the consent calendar? Seeing none. The clerk will read the second-day consent calendar.

House Resolution 30 by Assembly Member Essayli relative to middle Eastern or North African data.

Clerk will open the roll on consent calendar. All members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote on consent calendar. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Ayes 63 nos zero. The consent calendar is adopted. Clerk will read the remaining items on the consent calendar.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 63.

Ayes 63, no zero.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 65.

Aye 63 no zero.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 66.

Aye 63, no zero.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 67. Members, we will now be moving to Adjournments in Memory, our quorum call is still in place. And we ask that you give respectful attention to our member granted prior permission to speak on the Adjournment in Memory. Assemblymember Flora, you're recognized at your desk for your Adjournment in Memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Colleagues, I appreciate your time this morning, and I just want to rise and adjourn the memory of a good friend, a friend that I grew up with in the fire service. Captain Doug McCullough started out as a volunteer firefighter in Salida, California. As a young firefighter, I started out as an explorer with this agency, and Captain McCullough was my first mentor, and he was a huge influence on so many of our lives.

When you come into the fire service, you always look to those guys for guidance that had been there for a while. The old school chiefs, the captains like Doug, the people that can really guide you and try to minimize the mistakes that you make. And Doug was one of those guys that loved working with kids. As explorers, we would always go to Doug and just seek his advice. Doug went to Modesto fire in 2011, where he started career with Modesto fire.

And sadly, he died of cancer a few months ago at the age of 52. And this wasn't just a loss for the fire service. This was a loss to community. This was a loss for somebody that was loved, not only loved by his wife Kristen, his two kids, but loved by the fire service because of his heart. You don't spend a career as a volunteer firefighter, as a paid firefighter and die for your profession if you don't love service, if you don't love serving people.

And Doug epitomized that. He was everything that is good about the fire service, and he gave his life for that cause. And so it is my absolute honor that we adjourn this house, this body in his memory, because there's nobody more deserving than Captain Doug McCullough. And Kris, I'm so happy that you're here. His lovely wife is in the back. And I just sorry for the loss.

And we really do miss Doug and all those times we spent cooking together, serving Mother's Day breakfasts and Valentine's dinners. It's going to be a loss for us, the fire services community. And we lost a dear, dear brother. So my condolences to you and your family. My condolences to Modesto fire that's in the gallery when we start talking about presumption and cancer-related illnesses. Friends, take this serious. It is important. We are losing far too many good women and good men in the cause of service.

And we need to do something about it. And I adjourn and Doug McCullough's memory. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Flora. Please bring the name to the desk to be printed in the journal. All requests to be adjourned in the memory will be deemed read and printed in the journal. And we are moving to announcements. The session schedule is as follows Friday, June 9. No check in session, no floor session. Monday, June 12. Floor session is at 1:00 P.M. All other items remaining will be passed and retained. All motions shall be continued.

Seeing and hearing no further business, I'm ready to entertain a motion to adjourn. Mr. Gibson moves and Mr. Flora seconds that this house stand adjourn until Monday, June 12, at 01:00 P.M. The form call is lifted.