Senate Floor

Allen, Alvarado, Gill, 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.

A quorum is present. Would the Members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery please rise? We will be led in prayer this afternoon by our chaplain, Michelle. Sister Michelle Gorman. After which, please remain standing. We will be led in the pledge of allegiance to the flag by Senator Newman.

And let us remember that we are in God's presence. Gracious God, we desire you to be a God of joy. And so we ask ourselves, what if God is joy? What if creating is God's play, and the Big Bang was an outburst of happiness, and the galaxies are spun from pure Delight? What if earth is God's great celebration, inviting everyone in to feast and wonder? What if God doesn't own a throne most uncomfortable and has never handled a gavel, but has millions of musical instruments?

What if the work of justice is to enable everyone to truly know joy? And would that not mean that cruelty and injustice are most heinously sinful? What if, even in our grief and our despair, the root of our being is joy? And resurrection means passing through our sorrow into God's Delight? What if salvation means being rescued from our inability to rejoice? Why not? Do we think that God is all somber and serious?

What if, even now, as we consider this, and maybe think it's kind of silly, what if God is laughing and waiting for the culmination of our joy? Amen.

Colleagues and guests, please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

All right, under privileges of the floor. Senator Atkins, you are recognized to introduce your delegation.

Madam President, thanks so much. Colleagues, today we have the honor of welcoming to our chamber a distinguished delegation comprised of five Members and one staff from the Western Cape Provincial Parliament who are in the gallery with us today. They have traveled here to gain insight into our state's work around agriculture, housing, homelessness and environmental issues. And, of course, to share their own experiences for our benefit.

In addition to their Senate meetings, they will be meeting with Members of the Administration, individuals in academia, and, of course, our Secretary of State. Western Cape Province and California. Share many geographic, economic, and cultural similarities. A March 2022 Memorandum of Understanding signed by California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross and by Western Cape's Agricultural minister recognized some of these similarities.

It identified areas of cooperation, acknowledging that because our regions share similar climate, crops, and production systems, we also share a propensity for the same disasters, including drought, flood, and fire. I hope that our visitors will have a most productive program while in California, so please join me in warmly welcoming our legislative counterparts from Western Cape to the State Senate.

We offer you a warm Senate welcome and hope that you find your visits productive. Senator Allen, you are recognized to introduce a guest.

Well, thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, today I have a real honor to welcome a very talented cohort of high school students that have come to us from all over the State of California, representing their various counties, and they're up here in the gallery today as part of this year's California Poetry Out Loud competition. They're all standing up right now.

So this is an arts initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts that enables students to learn about literary history and master public speaking skills and find their voice through recitation and personalization of masterful works. This year marks the 18th year of the Poetry Out Loud program, with high school students from 48 counties competing for the state title.

We have many folks from different counties around the state, including, in fact, every single one of them is a champion of their respective county, including 2020 Three's poetry out Loud state champion Alex Hua, who is a senior right here in Sacramento at JFK John F. Kennedy High School. Our runner up, Anaya Osamwa, who is a junior at the Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles. Olivia Lay, who is a sophomore from the Orange County School for the Arts.

This year's poetry ourselves champion for her original work. I'd just like to ask you colleagues to join me in giving a very warm Senate welcome and congratulations to these wonderful students on their success.

We congratulate you on finding your voices and keep on speaking out loud. Moving back, 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, resolutions, and notices. Any Members wishing to take up anything, Senator Seyarto, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I would like to move the following items to the inactive file file Item 97, which is SCR 60, and file Item 98, SCR 61. Thank you.

Thank you very much. With that objection, the state journals for May eigth, 2023 through May 11, 2023, will be approved as corrected by the Minute Clerk, consideration of the Daily File under governor's appointments. Clerk reads items 1 and 2. No reading. Senator Grove, please proceed.

Thank you, Madam President. File Item One is a confirmation of the following appointments to the University of California Board of Regents. Dr. Elaine Bachelor is a Chief Executive Officer for the MLK Community Hospital and Healthcare. Carmen Chu is a seat administrator for the city and County of San Francisco. Ana Montesantos. That name should ring a bell with everyone. Is the former cabinet secretary for the Governor, and Mark Robinson is a partner for Centerview Partners.

Each one of these individuals is very overly qualified to have this position. I think adding Anna Montesantos, Miss Montesantos, to this board will bring out of the box thinking and problem solving solutions that I think everybody could agree on. And then I was extremely impressed with Dr. Elaine Bachelor, the Chief Executive Officer for the MLK Community Centers. MLK Community Healthcare was in a crisis in Los Angeles, California.

And this lady came in, and I don't want to say single handedly, but I would bet pretty much single handedly, she turned the hospital around. And so I would trust her with the finances and our University of California Board of Regents and what they can do to make sure our universities still remain number one in the world. I respectfully ask for your aye votete.

Thank you, Senator Wiener.

I thank you, Madam President. I support all three of these very well qualified candidates, but I in particular. Excuse me, four. I in particular want to strongly support Carmen Chu, who is a former colleague of mine. We were on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors together. Since then, she has served as our county assessor and also currently as a city administrator for the city and County of San Francisco.

She is truly one of the most exceptional, thorough, detail oriented, brilliant public servants I've ever known, and I am thrilled to be supporting her today.

Thank you very much. Senator Bradford, you are recognized.

Thank you, too. I just want to add my voice to all four, but also just single out Dr. Elaine Bachelor, an individual that I've known for a number of years. As stated, she's Chief Executive Officer, MLK Hospital That's in the heart of my district, and a hospital That's made a tremendous transformation under her leadership. A well run, very effective. So not only is she a skilled physician, but a great administrator and a great fiscal agent, and she'll do a wonderful job on the board. So I strongly endorse her candidacy.

Thank you very much. Seeing no other Senators wishing to be recognized, Senator Grove, would you like to close?

Thank you, Mr. President. All these Members will be new Board of Regents. They were approved by the Rules Committee on May 3 for the 50 vote. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Secretary will call the roll.

Allen. Aye. Alvarado-Gil. Aye. Archuleta. Aye. Ashby. Aye. Atkins. Aye. Becker. Aye. Blakespear. Aye. Bradford. Aye. Caballero. Aye. 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. Aye. Nguyen. Aye. Niello. Aye. Ochoa Bogh. Aye. Padilla. Aye. Portantino. Aye. Roth. Aye. Rubio. Seyarto. Aye. Skinner. Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas. Stern. Aye. Umberg. Aye. Wahab. Aye. Wiener. Aye. Wilk. Aye. Call the absentees.

Call the absent Members.

Rubio. Smallwood-Cuevas. Becker.

38 0. That appointments are confirmed. Moving on. Senator Grove, you are recognized for item number two.

Thank you, Madam President. Today must be San Francisco's day. Jose Cisneros for appointment to the State Bar Board of Trustees. Mr. Cisneros is the treasurer for the city and County of San Francisco and serves as a public Member on the board. He was approved by the Rules Committee on May 3 on a 50 vote. Respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Thank you very much, Secretary. Please call the roll.

Allen. Aye. Alvarado-Gil. Aye. Archuleta. Aye. Ashby. Aye. Atkins. Becker. Aye. Blakespear. Aye. Bradford. Aye. Caballero. Aye. 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. Aye. Nguyen. Aye. Niello. Aye. Ochoa Bogh. Aye. Padilla. Aye. Portantino. Aye. Roth. Aye. Rubio. Seyarto. Aye. Skinner. Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas. Stern. Aye. Umberg. Aye. Wahab. Aye. Wiener. Aye. Wilk. Aye. Atkins. Aye.

Aye's 38, no's zero. That appointment is confirmed. All right, moving on to Senate third reading. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 297 by Senator Allen. An act related to elections.

Senator Allen, you are recognized.

Well, thank you so much, Madam President. This Bill updates the process for withdrawing initiatives from the ballot, improving the ability of initiative proponents in the Legislature to collaborate on a legislative solution. You may recall, back in 2014, Darryl Steinberg's SB 1253 created a mechanism for initiative proponents to remove their measures from the ballot before the Secretary of State officially qualifies it to appear before voters.

This withdrawal option was intended to provide initiative proponents in the Legislature the opportunity to resolve a policy issue through the legislative process. And it's actually worked very well. Currently, in order for proponents of the ballot initiative to remove their proposed measure from the ballot, all of the proponents have to agree to do so.

And for an initiative with a whole bunch of different proponents, it's possible for a majority to agree to remove the measure from the ballot if they believe that a legislative alternative thoroughly addresses the concern. But just a single holdout can disagree and force the measure into a statewide election. So this Bill says instead that you have to have a clear majority of proponents to agree to withdraw the initiative in response to some sort of legislative compromise.

This change to the legislative sorry to the initiative withdrawal process will afford greater opportunity for stakeholder engagement and policy deliberation in potential legislative alternatives. This is ultimately all about meeting the spirit of SB 1253, which says that the Legislature needs to do its work when proponents come forward. If they can come up with a legislative compromises that meets the needs of a majority of the proponents, we ought to let them pull the measure from the ballot. And with that, I respectfully ask for an aye vote

Seeing no other Members wishing to be recognized secretary, please read

Role Call

30 to eight. That measure is confirmed. Moving on to file item 16, SB 564. Secretary, please read

Senate Bill 564 by Senator Laird, an Act relating to local government.

Thank you, Madam Chair. President, Senate Bill 564 will modestly increase and conform various fees that sheriff's offices are permitted to charge to fulfill their legal obligations to serve process to closer match the costs of providing that service and reflect inflation. These fees have not been increased since 2015. Given the rise in the cost of living inflation, employee salary increases and other costs, the current fees set in statute do not cover the actual cost of the service.

This Bill has had no no votes and is received bipartisan support. I would ask for your aye vote.

Thank you very much. Seeing no other Members wishing to be recognized, Secretary, please call the roll.

Roll Call

Please call the absent Members.

Role Call

Aye is 37. No, zero. That measure is confirmed. Moving on to file item 19. SB 295. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 295 by Senator Dodd, an act relating to vehicles.

Senator Dodd, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, SB 295 builds upon existing authority for California's public University to enact policies that would regulate the use and storage of emergency emerging utility terrain vehicles and electric personal transportation devices on University property. These include electric scooters, ebikes, and self balancing devices such as single wheel boards, just to name a few. Currently, University campuses are only authorized to regulate specified transportation devices, but are not explicitly permitted to address newer forms of technologies on campus.

Universities already manage dense transportation environments, and students are usually early adopters to these new devices, which often have the capability of traveling at quite high speeds. This Bill amends the current vehicle code in order to give the universities greater flexibility in regulating these emergent technologies. Current law also limits public universities from transitioning to more environmentally friendly transportation options.

This Bill would allow UCs and CSUs to drive smaller electric vehicles, like garden and maintenance carts, across campus instead of having them be towed by larger, more polluting trucks. SB 295 will improve public safety while providing much needed updates to existing law. Respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Seeing no other Members wish to be recognized, Secretary, please call the roll.

Roll Call

Please call the absent Members.

Roll Call

Ayes 37, no's, zero. That measure passes moving back to privileges of the floor, Members. On behalf of Senator Bradford, Senator Smallwood-Cuevas and Senator Skinner, the California State Senate welcomes Justin Jones, a Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, to the chambers. Representative Jones is a native of Oakland and now a proud state House representative. Who is a tenacious advocate for the communities he represents. And common sense gun violence legislation.

He is one of two Members, as you know, who was expelled from the Tennessee House by exercising their First Speech Amendment. First Amendment freedom. Please give Representative Justin Jones another warm Senate welcome. Members would like to take a picture with Representative Jones. We'll take a brief recess from our business.

Please. All right, moving back to Senate third reading. Moving on to file number 20, SB 285. Clerk will read.

Senate Bill 285 by Senator Allen, an act related to cannabis.

Senator Allen, you are recognized.

All right. Thank you, Madam President. This Bill has to do with cannabis laws as it relates to lounges and making sure that they are allowed to sell food. Under existing law, local jurisdictions are allowed to authorize the use and ingestion of cannabis products on the premises of a licensed retailer or microbusiness referred to as a cannabis consumption lounge. But current state regulation prevents these lounges from preparing and selling freshly made food and beverages, even if their local jurisdiction would allow them to.

Right now, they are explicitly limited to prepackaged items like candy and or bottled water. Now, this has led to a lot of costly and cumbersome workarounds that provide guests with the expected experience by either taking out two property leases or having food items delivered from outside vendors. So this Bill simply authorizes local jurisdictions. So a local jurisdiction, a city, could allow for these lounges to prepare and serve fresh made items, while additionally extending the ability to sell prepackaged items to any retailer.

It does not legalize indoor smoking, as existing statute provides locals with the ability to authorize operational consumption areas. Already, the Bill concerns nothing beyond providing local authorities with the decision making power over food and beverage sales by licensed retailers in their jurisdiction. These are developing small businesses. This Bill is seeking to support them in operating as intended while retaining the respect for local control provided under Prop . 64.

It's got broad support from the cannabis industry and also chambers of Commerce was received bipartisan support and Committee, and I respect the rest for my vote.

Thank you very much. Seeing no other Members wishing to be recognized, Clerk, please call the roll.

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

Roll Call

31-3, that measure is confirmed. Members please try to keep your conversations off the floor if you could. Aye's 32, no's 3 that measure is confirmed. Okay moving on to file item 21 Senator Alvarado-Gil SCR 52, secretary please read.

Senator concurrent resolution 52 by Senator Alvarado-Gil relative to special districts week.

Thank you, Madam President. SCR 52 proclaims the week of May 14, 2023, to May 2023, as special districts Week over 2000. Independent special districts provide millions of Californians with essential services, including services related to water, fire protection, electricity, parks and recreation, health care, transit, road maintenance and more. I respectfully ask for your support to recognize the importance of special districts in California. Thank you.

Senate Joint Resolution Two by Senator Gonzalez, relative to climate change and fossil fuels.

Seeing nobody else wishing to speak on special districts, Clerk will call the roll. zero. This is eligible for unanimous consent without any objections, ayes 37. no's, zero. The measure passes. Moving on to file item 23, SJR Two by Gonzalez. Clerk will read

Thank you, Madam President and Members. I rise today to present Senate Joint Resolution 2, which would add California to the list of governments and organizations endorsing the development of an international fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty. The proposed treaty has three tenets, a moratorium on future exploration and drilling. Two, an equitable phase out of all production and three, a just global transition to clean energy in a manner that is fast and fair, ensuring no community, country or workforce are left behind.

The latest report from the UN International Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reaffirms that science has shown us for decades that a livable planet that avoids the worst case climate scenarios is only possible if we transition away from fossil fuels immediately. While the Senate Resolution is non-binding, its passage would indicate California's commitment to a clean and livable planet. I ask for your aye vote on SJR 2.

Seeing no other Members wishing to be recognized, Clerk will read- Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll call]

Please call the absent members.

[Absent Members Roll call]

27-7. That motion carries.

Senate Bill 494 by Senator Newman, an act relating to school districts.

That motion carries. Moving on to file item 25, SB 494, by Newman. Clerk will read.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise to present SB 494, which would require that school district governing boards use the regular meeting process rather than holding a special or emergency meeting when taking an action to terminate a district Superintendent and or an assistant Superintendent without cause. SB 494 would also create a cooling off period immediately following a school board election during which a governing board would not be allowed to terminate a district Superintendent or assistant Superintendent without cause within a reasonable interval following a General election.

Under existing California law, school district governing boards are required to provide a 72 hours notice prior to convening any regular meeting of the board, but only a 24 hours notice before convening a special meeting of the board with even less time required for noticing.

An emergency meeting of a board providing such short notice prior to a school district governing board meeting at which an action may be taken to terminate senior leadership without cause reduces the likelihood of full participation in such meetings by the school district staff, school employees, parents, students, or the community at large, all of whom are likely to be significantly impacted by the outcome of such an action.

Under its deliberately moderate provisions, SB 494 will assure enhanced transparency and accountability in school district governing board proceedings while ensuring appropriate opportunities for public input. I am respectfully asking for your aye vote today.

Seeing no one else wish to be recognized, Clerk will call the roll.

Roll Call

Eyes 31, no. Six. The measure passes. Moving on to file item 32, SB 557 By Senator Laird. Clerk will read

Senate Bill 857 by Senator Laird, an act relating to pupils.

Thank you very much, Madam President. Last year, there was a rather horrific incident in Pasarobos in which a number of LGBTQ students were threatened by an individual action that happened. It's too graphic to describe here, and the Administration didn't respond, the school board didn't respond, but after the students called the town hall meeting with 375 people and it became a front page story and a statewide story. The Administration flipped, the school board flipped, and appropriate action was taken.

We recognized those students on the floor here last year. Senate Bill 857 will require the Superintendent of Public Instruction to convene an LGBTQ-plus advisory task force to identify statewide needs and make recommendations to create a safe and supportive learning environment for those students. This Bill has received bipartisan support, has no registered opposition, and has had no no votes. I respectfully request an aye vote.

Seeing no other Members wishing to be recognized, Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Please call the absent Members.

Atkins Jones Wynn Rubio, Seyarto, Smallwood Quavas

34-0.

The measure passes. Moving on to file item 33, SCR 5 by Senator Nguyen. Clerk will read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 by Senator Nguyen, relative to Older Americans Month.

Thank you, Madam President. Today I rise to present SCR 5, which recognizes the month of May as Older Americans Month. Older Americans Month celebrates the lives and continued contributions of older Americans and senior citizens. California is home to nearly 40 million people, and around 6 million are considered older Americans or senior citizens. Recent estimates show that that number will continue to grow at a rate that outpaces the rest of the country.

Over their lifetimes, they have raised families, built careers, served our community, served our country, and have given back. Older Americans are volunteers in our neighborhoods, mentor to our youth, and enrich our lives with their stories and experiences. While society's attitude and perceptions of older Americans has changed, there is still much time, much more to be done to raise awareness of this population and the issues facing them.

As we age, the risk of abuse and neglect increases, and we must be sure that there are resources in place to protect older adults. SCR 5 encourages all Californians to recognize and treat all older adults with compassion and respect and to encourage them to continue to participate in services and activities that helps their health, welfare, and happiness. I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Seeing no other Members wishing to speak on older Americans, this qualifies for an unanimous roll call if there are no objections. Seeing none. 37-0. That measure passes. The resolution is adopted. All right, moving on. Going back to Senator Nguyen again on file item 34, SCR 7. Clerk will read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution number seven by Senator Nguyen, relative to Áo Dài Day.

Please proceed, Senator.

Thank you, Madam President. Today I also rise to present SCR seven, which recognizes May 15 today as Ao dai Day during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The Vietnamese and Vietnamese American cultures are bright, colorful, and full of history that is captured in the form of the Ao dai, the national garment of Vietnam.

This symbol of national pride has been worn by both men and women and has evolved from a simple, loose fitting garment to the elaborate works of art that are seen in ceremonies and museums each year during Tet, or the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. My family, my boys and I, we tend to always wear the Ao dai. And anytime there's a cultural event, whether it's the moon fest or whatever, the boys love, and we're very proud of wearing their Ao dai.

I mean, they've learned to really appreciate, embrace their heritage and culture. As the month of May marks Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, there is no better time to honor the Ao dai and the people and the history it represents. I respectfully ask for your. aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you very much. This also qualifies for unanimous roll call if there are no objections. Seeing none, ayes 37. No's, zero. The resolution is adopted. Moving on to file item 41, SB 235 by Senator Umberg. The Clerk will read

Senate Bill 235 by Senator Umberg, an act related to civil actions. Senator Umberg.

Thank you, Madam President and colleagues. SB 235 is a follow on to a Bill I had done three years ago concerning discovery abuse. One of the challenges in litigation, particularly civil litigation, is the challenge of acquiring the information and data.

Thank you.

To be able to, one, settle a case, and, two, ultimately try case on the merits and what this Bill does. This Bill requires that each party provide to the other party the names of witnesses, certain documents that are known, as well as insurance policies. I urge an aye vote.

This is also eligible for a unanimous roll call if there are no objections. Seeing none, ayes 37. No, zero. The measure is adopted. Moving on to file item 43, SB 305. Senator Stern. Clerk will read

Senate Bill 305 by Senator Stern, an act related to natural gas. Please proceed, Senator.

Thank you, Madam President. Last fall, Southern California Gas Company and joint parties reached a settlement agreement That's now pending before the Public Utilities Commission for final review. A $71 million fine related to the Lisa Canyon blowout several years back. We wrote the legislation on this to require these funds to be appropriated for the benefits of public health ratepayers, and this Bill simply adds vulnerable communities to that list. I believe it supports support. So respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you very much. This is also eligible for unanimous roll call if there are no objections. Seeing none, ayes 37, no, zero. That measure is adopted. Moving on. File item 44, SB 337. Senator Min, you are recognized. Clerk will read

Senate Bill 337 By Senator Min an act related to environmental protection. Senator Min.

Thank you, Madam President, and good morning- Good afternoon, Members. I'm presenting SB 337, which would establish a statewide goal to conserve 30% of California lands and coastal waters by the year 2030. We are in the midst of a global extinction crisis. It's time to double down before it's too late. 1 million species are at risk of extinction worldwide, and California is actually one of 38 global hotspots for biodiversity, with the highest concentration of imperiled species in the United States.

More than 900 of our state species are at risk of extinction, and two thirds of our native plants will lose most of their range within the next century. According to many scientists, the extinction crisis is the most serious environmental threat to the persistence of civilization, because extinctions are, of course, irreversible. Conserving lands and waters is one of the best tools we have to prevent extinctions and protect biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Protecting 30% of our land and coastal waters by the year 2030 is the bare minimum needed to avoid ecosystem collapse, safeguard biodiversity, and help to safeguard the planet's climate. This bill would codify the 30 x 30 goal from the executive order issued by Governor Newsom in the year 2020. Establishing the goal and statute will ensure that it persists and remains a commitment for future administrations through the year 2030.

Senator Dahle.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, I must rise in opposition, and I want to share with you why I'm opposed to a plan merely seven years from now, 2030. Not very far. Many of us will be not here anymore. But at the end of the day, there's no plan for how we're going to actually accomplish what we're trying to achieve.

And we've seen this time and time again where we have set goals with no ability to be able to tell the businesses and the environmental groups and everybody in California how we're actually going to accomplish these goals. And so for those reasons, I cannot support this. I would be able to support something that would actually have some goals in it and tell us how we're going to get there. Californians are leaving California because they can't afford to live here.

And a lot of the regulations that we put into place like this one, which will be a regulation to meet the goal, and we'll start moving in that direction without any real policy. So for those reasons, I will be opposing the bill today.

Are there any other Members wishing to be recognized on this? Seeing none. Senator Min, you may close.

Thank you. I appreciate the comments from my colleague. As we discussed in our Natural Resources and Water Committee, we're waiting on a report from the Administration, which will be due sometime early next year. Once that report is in place, we are hoping to create the benchmarks that he's describing, but we are sitting at about 24% of our open spaces and open waters being preserved right now. So this is not an unreachable goal. With that, respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you very much. Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll call]

Secretary will call the absent members.

[Absent Member roll call]

Aye's 28, no's five. The measure passes. Moving on to file item 47, SB 438 by Senator Caballero. The Clerk will read.

Senate Bill 438 by Senator Caballero, an act relating to carbon sequestration.

Senator Caballero.

Thank you, Madam President and Senators, for the opportunity to present SB 438. In September of last year, Governor Newsom signed into law SB 905 as part of the Historic Climate Package, which established breakthrough policy for carbon capture, removal, utilization and storage projects in California.

The Bill established a carbon capture, removal, utilization and storage program to evaluate the safety and efficacy of carbon capture and removal technologies to maximize a trained workforce and protect frontline communities by minimizing the impacts to health, safety, and the environment from these new innovative technologies. Since the passage of the Bill, several stakeholders and scientific researchers have assisted with recommendations to clarify the intent of specific provisions of SB 905 without changing the original direction or meaning of the policy.

SB 438 specifically clarifies that unintended residual oil that is expressed during sequestration is not considered enhanced oil recovery when there is no oil production well equipment present. The Bill requires that any expressed oil shall be reported to the California Air Resources Board, the California Office of Emergency Services, and both California and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. And this goes further than current law by requiring no exceptions to the regulatory process.

This simple change will allow California to continue its work to balance efficient project approval processes with thorough health and safety guidelines and reporting mechanism and gives California an avenue to reduce carbon emissions and maintain our strict environmental standards. Thank you, and I respectfully request your aye vote

This item is eligible for unanimous roll call if there are no objections. Seeing none, ayes 37 no's zero. The measure passes. Moving back to privileges of the floor. On behalf of Senator Grove, we welcome back to our Senate chambers one of our former Senators. Once a Senator, always a Senator. We welcome back Gene Fuller to the California State Senate. Okay.

All right moving back to the file. File Item 51, SB 633 by Gonzalez. Clerk will read

Senate Bill 633 by Senator Gonzalez, an act relating to student financial aid.

Senator Gonzalez, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President and Members, I rise today to present SB 633, which authorizes a participating UC or CSU campus to award Dream grants to eligible undocumented students if the institution has funds that have not been awarded in their existing Dream Loan Revolving Fund.

A dream grant will help offset the total cost of attendance for UC and CSU graduates, undergraduates, excuse me. And set students on a path to graduate and become a contributing member to California's growing economy. I respectfully ask for an aye vote on SB 633.

Very much. Seeing no other Members wishing me recognized, Clerk will call the roll.

Role call

Ayes 31 No's five. That measure is adopted.

Moving on to file item 55, SB 70 Two by Senator Limon. Clerk will read

Senate Bill 702 by Senator Limon. An act relating to state government.

Thank you, Madam President and colleagues. SB 702 requires the Office of the Governor to maintain on its website a list of all state boards and Commission, including the purpose, membership list, and information on when they convene. The Bill also requires an annual report with aggregate demographic information of individuals appointed to the state's boards and Commission.

SB 702 has received strong bipartisan support, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you very much. Seeing nobody else, wishing we recognized. This is also eligible for unanimous consent roll call if nobody objects. Seeing none. Ayes 37, no, zero. The measure passes. Moving on to file item 58, SB 42 by Senator Umber. Clerk will read Senate Bill 42 by Senator Umberg. An act related to attorneys. Senator.

Thank you. Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, this bill simply has California join the other 49 states that require attorneys who witness misconduct impacting clients that they have to report that state bar. Urge an aye vote.

Thank you very much, Senator. This Bill is also eligible for unanimous roll call. Seeing no objections. Aye's 37, no's zero. The measure passes. Moving on. File item 59, SB 411 by Senator Portantino. Clerk will read.

Senate Bill 411 by Senator Portantino, an act relating to local government and declaring the urgency thereof to take effect immediately.

Senator Portantino.

Thank you, Madam President and Members. I rise to ask you to join me in supporting SB 411, which would allow the City of Los Angeles's neighborhood councils to meet remotely. Colleagues, these are volunteer advisory bodies that, since the emergency declaration expired, have been forced to go back to in person meeting, frankly causing some of them to not be able to meet at all and causing many others to not have quorums.

This is a serious hindrance to them doing their duty, and this is a prudent measure. And I want to give a shout out to the Committee chairs who have worked with my office to get the bill into the shape it is. This is an important measure to allow folks in neighborhood councils to participate. We saw a significant increase in the number of people participating in these meetings. Democracy saw a benefit from allowing remote meetings.

And again, we're talking about organizations that often meet in rec rooms, library rooms, back rooms, in restaurants, disconnected from City Hall, because they're grassroots organization that represent those neighborhoods. And again, democracy saw a benefit from an increased participation. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote on SB 411.

Thank you very much. Seeing nobody else wishing to speak, Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll call]

Please call the absent members.

[Absent member roll call]

29-5 on the urgency.

29-5 the measure passes. Moving on to file item 62 by SB 727 by Senator Limon. Clerk will read

Senate Bill 727 by Senator Limon. An act relating to civil actions.

Senator Limon.

Thank you, Madam President. And colleagues. Economic coercion plays a significant role in human trafficking. Individuals who experience coerced debt commonly face years of debt repayment, financial and housing instability and poverty. This Bill will apply in a civil case where the survivor of trafficking is suing their trafficker.

ayet will allow for a judge to make a determination as part of the restitution to the survivor that a specific debt was coerced. This Bill has no opposition and has received unanimous bipartisan support. Aye respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Allen, aye. Alvarado-Gil, aye. Archuleta, aye. Ashby, aye. Atkins, Becker, aye. Blakespear, aye. Bradford, aye. Caballaro, aye. Cortese, aye. Dahle, 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, aye. Nguyen, aye. Niello, aye. Ochoa Bogh, aye. Padilla, aye. Portantino, aye. Roth, aye. Rubio, Seyarto, aye. Skinner, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, aye. Umberg, aye. Wahab, aye. Wiener, aye. Wilk, aye.

The Clerk will call the roll.

Call the absent Members.

Atkins. Dahle, aye Rubio. Smallwood-Cuevas.

Ayes 37. Nos zero. The measure passes. Moving on. File item 64, SB 393 by Senator Glazer. Clerk will read

Senate Bill 393 by Senator Glazer. An act related to environmental quality. Senator Glazer.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, this Bill creates transparency on CEQA lawsuits against housing projects. Specifically, it would require plaintiffs who file a CEQA lawsuit against a housing project to disclose donors identity who donate $10,000 or more towards the cost of this action. Unfortunately, one of the more prominent examples of this issue. This problem, was located in my district. It was a 130 unit affordable housing project that was delayed after delayed by sequel litigation.

In fact, the nonprofit developer lost $68 million in funding from the low-income housing tax credit as a result of the litigation. Unfortunately, that project is not unique. Many housing projects face similar obstacles when interest groups and individuals seek to use the CEQA process to stop them. This Bill would simply bring transparency and openness on our sorely needed housing projects. And with that, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

This measure is eligible for unanimous roll call if there are no objections. Seeing none, Senator Limon? With objection. Thank you very much, clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

31 to zero. That measure passes. Moving on to file item 74, SB 273 by Senator Wiener. Clerk will read.

Senate Bill 273 by Senator Wiener an act relating to tidelands and submerged lands.

Senator Wiener

Thank You, Madam President.

Colleagues, I rise to present Senate Bill 273, which authorizes the State Lands Commission to approve an important project on San Francisco's crumbling Piers 30 to 32, a project that will restore vital infrastructure, aid our economic recovery and protect the San Francisco Bay.

This project will reduce the footprint of Piers 3032 by almost half, removing approximately six acres of Bayfill and returning nearly half of the pier to open Baywater, while adding sorely needed public amenities and public space to revitalize San Francisco's waterfront and improving harbor infrastructure resiliency on the waterfront. It'll open up over 700 units of housing, including affordable housing on an adjacent port owned parking lot, which is non public trust land.

The project will feature visitors serving retail, General use office space, a deep water birthing facility and a publicly accessible aquatic center with a floating swimming pool and bay access. Crucial sea level rise, resiliency improvements and seismic enhancement of a portion of the Bayfront Sea wall will be financed by the project's General Office components. The project will also serve an important shoreline access and emergency response role.

While SB 273 authorizes the State Lands Commission to approve this project, the project must still go through all of the usual approval processes and undergo environmental review. The project will still require permits and authorizations from BCDC, the US Army Corps of Engineer, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, in addition to the San Francisco Port Commission and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. This Bill enjoyed bipartisan support and Senate Natural Resources and I respectfully ask for your I vote.

If there are no objections, this measure is eligible for unanimous roll call 38 with no objection. Ayes 38, no 0. The measure passes. Moving on to file item 76, SB 384 by Senator Bradford. Clerk will read

Senate Bill 384 by Senator Bradford, an act relating to barbering and cosmetology.

Senator Bradford.

Thank you, Madam President. SB 384 would just give workers in the barbering and cosmetology profession a nondisciplinary pathway to address first time infractions. This is a straightforward measure that would create a remedial education program run by the State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. The education program would allow licensed cosmetologists, barbers, manicurists, estratisticians and electrologists to take this remedial education program instead of having a first offense for a health and safety violation on their professional record.

The bill is important because multiple violations can be very costly to these small business owners, many of which are women and minority owned, and put license holders at risk of losing their license, therefore losing their ability to work and earn a living. This bill would allow workers to refresh their knowledge of health and safety requirements by taking an education class and avoid first violations on their record.

This bill is supported by the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology and by the Beauty Foundation of California and has received bipartisan support. And I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Are there objections to applying a unanimous roll call? Seeing none ayes 38 no, zero, the measure passes. Moving on to file item 79, SB 498 by Senator Gonzalez. Clerk will read

Senate Bill 498 by Senator Gonzalez. An act related to alcoholic beverages. Senator Gonzalez

Thank you, Madam President and Members arise today to present SB 498, which promotes stronger enforcement and greater compliance with ABC licensing regulations by increasing the allowable limits for petitions for an offer and compromise, as well as increasing the fines for furnishing alcohol to a minor to keep up with the cost of living. Additionally, SB 490 authorizes ABC, when determining the appropriate level of discipline, to consider the outcome of the violation for selling alcohol to a minor or an obviously intoxicated person.

By allowing ABC to consider the outcomes of violations, it will help prevent future fatalities associated with bad actors who continue to enable this type of bad behavior. Thank you. And I respectfully ask for an I vote on SB 498.

Thank you, Senator Gonzalez, are there objections to having a unanimous roll call on this measure? Seeing none, ayes 38 no, zero, the measure passes. Moving on to file item 81, SB 544, Senator Laird.

Clerk will read

Senate Bill 544 By Senator Laird, an act related to state government. Senator Laird, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. Senate Bill 544 codifies the governor's Executive order to provide state boards and commissions with flexibility to participate remotely without jeopardizing their personal safety. By removing the requirement to list the private addresses of each remote Member or providing public access to private locations, this Bill continues to safeguard public access by requiring at least one physical location where the public can observe and participate in proceedings. The existing waiver has worked, and we face minimal issues.

Thus far, the bodies that have been called to attention have not been faceless, whether one of the commissions is still almost entirely in person. Others have been a mix of hybrid and remote meetings via video platform. We've actually seen examples and evidence that accessibility and public participation have been enhanced. My office worked with the Judiciary Committee in opposition to make several amendments that add important guardrails. The Bill has only had one no vote in the committees. It is passed through. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you very much. Seeing no other Members wishing to speak, Senator Caballero, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I'm going to, with great respect for the author, not vote on this Bill today. And let me tell you why. In governance and finance, we've looked very carefully at the Brown Act. This is Bagley Keene, which is different than the Brown Act. But we've looked very carefully at the Brown act because communities have asked for the opportunity to not have to meet in person, in other words, city councils or the Board of Supervisors.

There have been proposals before the Legislature where they want to be able to meet electronically and not have to meet in person. And having served in local government for 15 years, some of the hardest meetings were over issues that people felt very, very strongly about. Affordable housing, whether you can park your RV in front of your house forever or not, whether seniors should have to pay golf fees at your local golf course.

Whatever the issue is, people feel like they want to show up and they want to see their elected representatives. They want to know that you're going to listen to them. And there were times when I felt like I understood the issue and I was prepared to vote a certain way. But once we got into a hearing with people before us and we had a group dynamic going, the council was able to make a different decision because we listened to people and we faced them down and we had an opportunity to have a dialogue and a discussion.

So I feel very strongly that there's a real need for us to have in person meetings for the elected officials in order for the public to feel like they're being listened to, for the public to feel like they've got a voice in the matter and that you're paying attention to it. So now we move on to Bagley King.

And we have a number of entities that have the authority to take away people's property rights and impact what happens in their local community, whether it's the Coastal Commission or the Lands Commission or the Boards and Bureaus of the Department of Consumer Affairs. They decide licensing issues and discipline, and they hold meetings where they show up and they have those discussions.

And so I just have some real concerns about allowing us to make government so efficient that we no longer have to show up in person in meetings and we can do things a Zoom is great for a meeting, but for us to be making policy decisions, we were very careful in the Senate to not use Zooms during the pandemic to the exclusion of public participation and to the exclusion of us showing up physically and participating.

So I'm not going to go up on this Bill right now. I think there may be some ways to limit its applicatiOn, but right now, it would allow the Bagley keen would be forever changed and would allow people who are making decisions on behalf of the public to not have to be present in public. And for that reason, I'm not going to be voting, and I ask for a no vote.

Thank you very much. Any other Members wishing to be recognized on this? Senator Laird, would you like to close?

Yes, thank you very much. And I really appreciate the comments and the respect goes of both ways. And I think that both the Senator from Merced and I served on local elected bodies where the farthest you had to. I can't speak for Salinas, but the farthest you had to go in my city was a mile and a half to get to where it is. We are dealing with statewide bodies that can have somebody from Crescent City and somebody from the Salton Sea on the state body.

And the reason this has happened is it's allowed incredible accessibility, and That's why disability rights activists are among those that are of strong support, because it allows accessibility for people to serve in a way they haven't served and allows people a way to participate. Now, we've taken most of the amendments. There's still a couple outstanding, and I am willing to still work on this. But this has proved successful. It costs 90% less. It's improved participation. It's allowed people access that haven't otherwise had access. And I think it is a good reform. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you very much. Clerk will call the roll.

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

Please call the absent members

Alvarado-Gil. Caballero, no. Dahle. Eggman. Grove. Menjivar. Nguyen. Niello. Ochoa-Bogh. Rubio. Seyarto. Smallwood-Cuevas. Wiener, no.

Senate Bill 669 by Senator Cortese, an Act related to veterinary and medicine.

26-3 the measure passes. Moving on to file item 85, SB 669 by Senator Cortese. Clerk will read

Senator Cortese.

Thank you, Madam President and colleagues. I rise today to present SB 669, which represents the mutual goal of both the California Veterinary Medical Association and the Registered Veterinary Technician Association. This legislation is a scope of practice bill where both associations are in agreement. Their agreement speaks to the common sense nature of this critically important piece of legislation. The concept is simple. Give veterinarians permission to let their registered veterinarian techs administer certain vaccines and medications.

Specifically, these RVTs would be allowed to establish veterinarian client patient relationship for those very limited purposes. The benefits of the bill are twofold. A technician would be able to go out into the community and administer the permitted treatments, and secondly, it would allow a technician to establish the relationship in a clinical setting under indirect supervision. The need for this bill is pressing due to competition for veterinarians and the accompanying increase in salaries.

Nonprofits across the state have been forced to curtail or even close their low or no cost vaccine clinics due to lack of veterinarians. A crisis is threatening our public health and safety. Unvaccinated pets in California. These pets are at risk of catching and transmitting rabies and parvovirus. With that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

If there are no objections, this measure is eligible for unanimous roll call. Seeing none. Aye's 38, no zero. The measure passes. Moving on to file item 91, SB 837 by Senator Archuleta. The Clerk will read.

Senate Bill 837 by Senator Archuleta, an act relating to energy.

Senator Archuleta

Thank you, Madam President.

I rise to present Senate Bill 837, which would further California's building energy efficiency goals by directing the California Energy Commission to simply consider, not require, simply consider allowing the installation of unvented attics in new homes when the Energy Commission updates its building energy efficiency standards. California Energy Code encourages builders to construct energy efficient buildings while giving them flexibility to choose which design techniques and technologies best suit their work. SB 837 is a straightforward bill that adds another tool to their toolbox.

As the energy code becomes more difficult to comply with and more expensive, builders need as many tools in their toolbox to comply with as possible. The use of unvented attics is recognized by international residential code, utilized in other jurisdictions, and proven to have significant energy savings. Current standards do not include unvented attics in the definition of conditioned space.

Therefore missing an opportunity to maximize energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating and air conditioning. California is the only state in the nation that does not consider unvented and sealed attics as conditioned space. With all the new housing being built, SB 837 would further incentivize builders to construct more efficient homes and thinking about the environment. Importantly, this bill does not create any new mandatory requirements for builders, which is why the bill is supported by the California Building Industry Association.

For these reasons, I respectfully ask your aye vote.

If there are no objections, this is eligible for a unanimous roll call. Seeing none. Aye's 38, no zero. The measure passes. Moving on to file item 96, Senator Portantino, SCR 57. Clerk will read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 57 by Senator Portantino, relative to a sister state relationship with the Philippine province Bulacan.

Senator Portantino.

Thank you, Madam President and Members. I rise to proudly introduce SCR 57, which would hereby extend to the people of the Philippine province of Bulacan, an invitation to join with California in a sister state relationship. The Philippine province of Bulacan started with a small fishing communities along the coast of Manila Bay and expanded into the interior with the coming of the Spaniards, and then these settlements formed the nucleus of Bulacan in 1572.

According to a 2020 census, Bulacan had a total population now of 3,708,890 people and is the most populous province in the Central Luzon. Bulacan accounts for almost 30% of the region's population and almost 4% of the country's overall population. The workforce is highly educated and trainable, composed of highly skilled artisans as well as designers and business oriented individuals. From the landing of Morro Bay in 1587 to the labor movement of the 1960s, Filipinos have played an integral role in shaping California's history.

Today, over 1 million Filipinos call California home, with roughly half of them residing in Los Angeles County. I believe that a sister state relationship with the Philippine province will promote and facilitate mutual beneficial interactions and education, and I want to compliment the local Filipino community in Glendale for bringing the idea to this resolution forward, and respectfully ask for an aye vote on SCR 57.

Thank you. If there are no objections, this is eligible for a unanimous roll call. Seeing none, ayes 38, noes zero. And on behalf of Senator Portantino, the California State Senate welcomes Erica Nam and Edith Fuentes in coordination with SCR 57. Relative to the sister state relationship with the Philippine province of Bullicon, we welcome you. Okay, moving on the file to file, Item 100, SCR SR 35 By Senator Caballero the Clerk will read

Senate Resolution 35 by Senator Caballero Relative to tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day.

Thank you, Madam President and Members. I'm pleased to present Sr 35, which would declare today, May 15, as tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day. Tuberous sclerosis complex, or TSC, can be a severe genetic disease. It causes tumors to form in the vital organs such as the brain, the heart, kidney, skin, liver and lungs. It increases the risk of developmental delays such as intellectual disabilities, behavioral challenges, seizures and autism. Though many people have not heard of this disease, it is very common.

It affects a million people worldwide, including about 6500 Californians. Importantly, there is no cure for the disease. TSC is also considered a linchpin disease, meaning that research into the disease holds promise for other diseases such as cancer, epilepsy and autism. This is another reason why it is so important to support the search for a cure. This resolution will bring attention to this terrible disease and urges Californians to support research for a TSC cure by proclaiming May 15, 2023, as tuberous Sclerosis Complex Awareness Day.

Consistent with the National Day and in recognition of a special friend of mine, Baby A, I respectfully request your aye vote today.

Thank you very much, Senator. Seeing no Members wishing to speak on this, this is also eligible for a unanimous roll call if there are no objections. Seeing none, ayes 38 no's zero. The measure passes. The resolution passes. Moving on to our last measure of the day, file Item 102, SB 400 By Senator Wahab. Clerk will read

Senate Bill 400 by Senator Wahab, an Act relating to peace officers.

Senator Wahab.

Thank you. Today, the public demands transparency within law enforcement. Last year, San Jose PD terminated an officer for engaging in an inappropriate sexual act while on the job. Despite the sexual act falling into one of the eight existing disclosable incidents of misconduct, the Police Department was not able to publicly confirm the reason for the termination until a Public Records Act was requested.

This delay increased public mistrust in the Department, the leadership and law enforcement when the Department itself was willing to share the information as to why such a decision was made. Cities and counties invest most in law enforcement, hoping to recruit and maintain staff of officers who will commit to a high level of integrity. However, at times this is not the case and termination of an officer is warranted. SB 400 is a simple solution. It allows law enforcement agencies to proactively report about disclosable incidents of misconduct.

The passage of SB 400 will improve transparency and trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve by providing access to critical community information in a timely manner. I respectfully ask for an aye vote .

Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll call]

Call the absent members.

[Absent Members roll call]

Archuleta, aye.

33 to zero. That measure passes. All right. Now we're going to return to motions and resolutions. The time for adjournments and memories. We have two today, Senator Atkins.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, I rise today to honor the life of an amazing San Diego luminary and a dear friend, Dr. Pamela Ann Morgan. There are so many things I could share about Pam. Her love of politics and community action. Profound generosity. But, of course, her love of dogs stands out.

But I should start at the beginning. Pam was born in 1947 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She grew up in upstate New York. Graduated from Buffalo State where she immersed herself in campus politics. She moved to Wales, where she attended Swansea University in pursuit of advanced degrees in social welfare. When she graduated, she returned to the United States and started a job placement business. Focused on affirmative action hiring in Pittsburgh. She later joined Abbott Laboratories. Where she was among early generations of women.

Working in sales training and contract marketing. Eventually, she moved to Southern California. Where she became active in the Elections Committee of the County of Orange and served on its board. She was active in a number of political campaigns and causes. And loved her adopted State of California and her home in Rancho Santa Fe. No matter where she was, she always had a love of dogs. From the Rascally Beagle to an intense Springer to the intrepid cocker who traveled with her to graduate school in Wales.

Dogs were a constant in her life. She had a brilliant standard poodle, several Newfoundlands and absolutely dashing English cocker spaniels. Jackson and Oliver. It's how I met Pam, actually, more than a decade ago when I was first running for Assembly. Before she would entertain further discussion on any issue, she had to ask. Because at that time there had been some pet legislation that was fairly controversial. Before she would support me, she needed to understand my position.

On bills and legislation related to animals and dogs in particular. Thankfully, I think I passed the test, although I did have to introduce her to my dogs in order to convince her that actually I was a lover of dogs in particular animals. One of her biggest legacies, however, was the work and the support that Pam and her spouse, Joyce Rowland, dedicated to the LGBTQ plus community. They were longtime supporters of Equality California, our San Diego LGBTQ center, and the Human Rights Campaign.

In 2017, Pam and Joyce were honored with Equality California's Vanguard Leadership Award, a distinction given to those who've made an impact to secure full and lasting equality for LGBTQ people and an honor so befitting of Pam and Joyce, who've long been role models and mentors in our community in San Diego, I should say statewide as well. As Joyce noted during the awards ceremony, they like to think of themselves as honest workers, as foot soldiers and recruiters in an enduring campaign.

I would describe their enduring campaign as one of understanding, compassion, and love. Pam will be dearly missed by so many, including myself. I mentioned that she was a very generous person. At my 60th birthday party, we did an event for the youth at the LGBT Community center, and she bought me the most beautifully, very appropriately priced for gift purposes, picture of Dahle Parton signed by Dahle. How she managed to get that, I don't know. The equivalent of my friend in Bakersfield, obviously, who has good connections.

This gift, it was the last time I saw Pam. It was an incredibly thoughtful gift. Those of you that know me, and I'm just thankful she didn't give me another dog, and instead she gave me a picture of Dahle. She was a dear friend, and it's taken me this many months to have the ability to stand up and talk about the life of this wonderful person.

So Jennifer and I dearly miss her and our heart and our love goes out to Joyce and her community of friends, and I ask that we adjourn in Pam's memory and in her spirit of unity and kindness today.

Thank you, Senator Atkins. Senator, a lover of dogs, and Dahle, certainly bring her name forward so it could be properly demoralized by the State Senate. Senator Umberg, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President and colleagues. I have the privilege today to rise to commemorate the life of a friend, a father, a husband, community leader, longtime attorney, and philanthropist Verlin Sonny Jensen. All those who knew him called him Sonny. Sonny was born on October 31 in Reno, Nevada, to Evelyn and Nadelle Jensen. His family then moved to Riverside, and he was soon joined by his sisters, Sandra Lynn and Joe Lynn. He attended Riverside Poly High School where he played center on the high school football team.

He met his wife Diane in 8th grade. Diane is here with us today. They eventually became high school sweethearts and were married in 1958. Sonny graduated from UC Riverside with a degree in economics and received his jurisdictorate from UC Berkeley. After graduating, Sonny joined what was then a small firm in Orange County, Rutan and Tucker, now a very prominent firm. And that was the beginning of his very long and successful legal career.

He was a Member of several other law firms and Sonny established Jensen Jensen with his eldest son Jeff. He also served as counsel to Congressman Jerry Patterson in Washington, D. C. During Congressman Patterson's time in DC. Although Sonny loved his job, there was nothing he loved more than his family. He loved spending time in the outdoors with his children, Jeff, Brian, Jay and Melinda, and Melinda and her husband Claude are also here with us today.

Sonny was known for his philanthropy and his commitment to giving back to the community. Founded the Boys and Girls Club of Tustin after seeing the City of Tustin didn't have one. In addition, through his group, the Noble Vikings of Orange County spearheaded a Christmas program to feed families in need. The program has been continuously going for more than 25 years, working to bring happiness to the lives of the families of the physically challenged and disadvantaged children, as well as active duty military families in need.

It is an amazing operation and those of you who have been around military operations would be quite impressed with the efficiency and the volume of food and materials that are delivered to folks at Christmas time. Sonny was a 12 year Member of Alcoholics Anonymous and proudly mentored people in that group and had a lasting impact on many, many lives. He survived by his wife, as I mentioned, of 64 years, Diane, his children Melinda, her husband Claude, Jay and daughters in law, Jenna and Peggy.

Grandchildren Sean, Carrie, Max, Kathleen, Aaron, Adine and Evan and great grandson, Jackson. Sisters Sandra and Jolin. Many nieces and nephews. We're also commemorating the lives of Diane and Sonny's sons, Jeff and Brian, who are not with us. I'm going to read a passage. Permission to read, please. This is his favorite passage and it's important for all of us. What will matter by Michael Josephson. Sonny's favorite poem. What will matter is not what you brought, but what you built. Not what you got, but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your significance. What will matter in every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others. What will matter is not your confidence, but your character. What will matter is what you will be remembered for. Thank you. I ask that we adjourn his memory.

Thank you very much. Please bring it forward so his can be properly memorialized. And we extend our condolences to the family. If there is no other business, Senator Atkins? The desk is clear, Madam President. Thank you. Thank you, colleagues, for all of the work today. Our next floor session is scheduled for this Thursday, May 18, 2023, at 09:00 a.m. The Senate is adjourned, and we will reconvene Thursday, May 18, at 09:00 a.m.