Senate Floor

The secretary will call the role.

[Roll Call].

Please call the absent Members. A quorum is present with the Members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery. Please rise. We will be led in prayer this morning by our chaplain, Sister Michelle Gorman. After which please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance to the flag.

So let us bring our minds and hearts into God's presence again. Gracious God be with us as we glance in awe at the wonders of our world. Those wonders Mary Oliver calls the mysteries. She says, truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous to be understood. How grass can be nourishing in the mouths of the lambs. How rivers and stones are forever in allegiance with gravity, while we ourselves dream of rising. How two hands touch and the bonds will never be broken.

How people come from delight or the scars of damage to the comfort of a poem or a prayer. So let us keep our distance always from those who think they have the answers. Let us keep company always with those who say, look and laugh in astonishment. And bow their heads. Amen.

Please join me in the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag. [Pledge of Allegiance]. Privileges of the floor. There are none. Messages from the Governor will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports of Committee will be deemed read and amendments adopted. Motions, resolutions, and notices seeing no Members wishing to be recognized. Introduction and first reading of bills. Clerk will read. Bills will be deemed read. Consideration of the daily file. Second reading file. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 94.

Governor's appointments. Senator Laird, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. This is the confirmation of Dr. Ira Lit for appointment to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing file item 54. Dr. Lit is a Professor at Stanford University's graduate School of Education. He served in the Commission seat for a faculty Member from a college or University that grants baccalaureate degrees. He was approved by the Rules Committee on January 10. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

[Roll Call].

Please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call].

31 to two. The appointment is confirmed. Moving on now to Senate third reading. Senator Dodd, Secretary, please read.

Senate constitutional amendment number one by Senator Newman. Senate Concurrent Resolution 96 by Senator Dodd relative to a sister state relationship with Lviv region, Ukraine.

Senator Dodd.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, the State of California has historically adopted strong relations with Ukraine in order to promote global peace and cooperation while paying homage to our history in being home to one of the largest Ukrainian communities in the United States. SCR 96 is a symbol of mutual goodwill and encourages bilateral cooperation. This resolution allows the creation of a sister-state relationship with Lviv to foster cultural exchange and economic innovation. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.

Senator Min, you are recognized.

Thank you. As Vice Chair of the API Legislative Caucus, I arise in support of this resolution and thank the author for bringing it forward. Obviously, we're all hyper aware of what is happening with Ukraine right now, and just yesterday or earlier this week on this floor, we celebrated Korean American Day. And I just want to express again, I know sometimes U.S. military assistance to other countries can be controversial, but Korea is a shining example of what can happen when U.S. aid is provided.

And Korea's close relationship with the United States would not have been there. I would not be standing here but for the sacrifices of 36,000 American troops a long time from ago. And so I know this is not about our assistance to Ukraine, but I just want to express that I stand with Ukraine, as I know many of the Members of this Legislature do. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no other Members wishing me recognized, Senator Dodd, would you like to close?

Respectfully ask for your Aye vote.

It's early. Secretary will call the roll.

[Roll call].

Please call the absent Members.

[Roll call].

Count is 37 to zero. The resolution is adopted. Moving on now to the consent calendar. There are any Members wishing to remove anything from the consent calendar? Seeing none, Clerk will read.

Senate Bill 382, an act relating to real property.

Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call].

Please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call].

Please call the absent Members.

Ashby. Becker. Limón, aye. Niello.

37 to zero. The consent calendar is adopted. Moving on now to Committee announcements. Senator, Portantino, do you have anything?

Nothing too important. The Senate Appropriations Committee will be meeting 15 minutes after the adjournment of session in room 2200.

It thank you very much. Approps 2200 10 minutes following session and returning to motions and resolutions. And before I call in the first person to do it in journal memory. Just reminder, Members, back from the first of the year. Chatter is pretty loud out there. It's hard for people to stay focused. And then get here and stay here. All right. Thank you very much. Now moving on to adjournments in memory. Senator Atkins, per former Assemblymember Howard Wayne.

Thank you, Madam President. It seems we've had a number of passings in the 39th Senate district over our break, so I've had quite a few. I want to thank you for your indulgence these last few weeks. But today, thank you for mentioning the adjournment, Madam President. I rise to adjourn in memory of the Honorable Howard Wayne, who died November 2 on his 75th birthday. Howard was born to William and Blanche Wayne on November 2 1948 in Fresno, California.

The family moved to San Diego when he was a toddler, and Howard never left his adopted hometown. His lifelong interest in politics began at age 11, when an uncle took him one night to the gallery of the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. When John F. Kennedy was nominated for President. After attending Hoover High School in City Heights, he enrolled at what was then named San Diego State College.

When he was only 15. He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science in 1969. He earned a law degree from the University of San Diego, where he served as editor of the Law Review in 1972. Howard joined the California Department of Justice as a deputy Attorney General in 1973, where he focused on consumer protection cases. He met his wife, Mary Lundberg, in 1982, and the couple were married in 1988, Mary went to work at the US Attorney's office.

In 1996, Howard successfully ran for the State Assembly in the 78th Assembly District and served three terms. He authored 60 bills that were signed into law and an approved constitutional amendment. He served as the chair of the Natural Resources Committee and the Select Committee on Biotechnology. He was most proud of seeing one of his first bills, landmark legislation that created a coastal water quality testing program, signed into law.

He required a license plate, or he acquired a license plate that read AB 411 to commemorate that accomplishment. After leaving the Legislature, he returned to his position as a Deputy Attorney General. He was also an adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego, teaching a graduate course on advocacy skills and strategies. Howard and his wife traveled in 2006 to South Africa to help post apartheid government establish a new legal system.

After his retirement, he was selected last year to serve on the San Diego County Grand Jury, spending 40 hours a week on government oversight work until he fell ill. His many volunteer activities included serving as Vice Chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party, Chair of the Linda Vista Planning Group, and being an active Member of the Claremont Town Council, the Linda Vista Town Council, Sarah Mesa Community Association, and the Mission Valley Community Association.

Now, all of you who go to community events, think of planning committees, town councils, and community associations. Howard had a love of this type of engagement, and he was always looked up to in the community for his advice, his counsel, and certainly his leadership. He is survived, as I said earlier, by his wife of 35 years, Mary Lundberg, his brother, Robert Wayne of Seattle, a large extended family of siblings in law, and numerous nieces and nephews. Sort of appropriate.

Howard's celebration of life was the weekend of the democratic convention in Los Angeles, which makes sense to me. Some of us were not able to attend, but we were really fortunate. Know he would have expected us to go do our political duty, and most of us did. But we were fortunate to have former elected officials Lynn Schenk, Christine Kehoe, Denise Ducheny, Susan Davis, and Dee Dee Albert, all in attendance at his service. So they represented those of us who couldn't be there.

Well, in honor of a really great person, colleagues, I ask that we adjourn today in the memory of Howard Wayne, a dedicated public servant. San Diego and the entire State of California are beneficiaries of his public service. Thank you.

Thank you. Please bring his name forward so he can be properly memorialized. Senator Cortese, you are recognized for your adjourn.

Thank you. Mr. President and Senators, I rise to adjourn in the memory of Vicky Chavez Lastra, a younger sister of Cesar Chavez, Vicky passed away on November 11 2023 at the age of 90. She was born in 1932, the second youngest of five children in that family. During the early years of her life, of course, those siblings grew up on a family homestead near Yuma, Arizona. Most of us know that history, along with her brother, of course, Cesar.

When her family lost that farm during the Great Depression, not only did she endure the hardships of following migrant trails and migrant work across California, but spent her early childhood and youngest years in what is now Senate District 15 in San Jose, California. She carried the teachings of her mother throughout her life.

One of those was a commitment to nonviolence, and particularly that it's not our purpose on this earth to be violent, and that we should always strive to do our best in terms of nonviolent action and nonviolent resistance. And it makes sense, given her brother's work in that regard, that that was a family mantra.

Of course, my own growing up, both personally and professionally, allowed me to encounter each and every one of these Chavez family members who continue to stay organized, particularly in San Jose, to this day. Although Rita, the youngest sister, is the only one left living of her generation, those who had the privilege of working with Vicky never spoke anything but the best of her. We've suffered a great loss. Her death was actually extremely unexpected and tragic, not a natural death.

She'll be remembered as someone who loved to dance, was always laughing and joking, and her memory lives on through her family, friends, church, and many elected officials who've gotten to know her over the years as part of the Chavez family vision. Thank you. And I'd be honored if this house would adjourn this session today in her memory. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Senator. Please bring her name forward so the Senate may properly memorialize her. Senator Bradford, you are recognized for your adjourn.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise today to adjourn in the memory of an amazing californian constituent of mine, Mr. Leonard Clifford Tibbs, Jr., who passed away on November 22 at the age of 89. He was a loving son, husband, father, grandfather, and a friend to many. Leonard was born on March 3,1934 in Los Angeles, California. He was the only son of Alula Lee Tibbs and Leonard Clifford Tibbs Sr.

His father was a trailblazing graduate of the USC School of Pharmacy, and he was one of only a few black pharmacists in LA County for decades. Leonard graduated with a degree in business from UCLA and began a professional career in aerospace manufacturing with the Mcdonald Douglas Corporation. And he played a pivotal role in the 105 century Freeway Affirmative Action Committee.

If you remember that freeway, for those in LA, it took the homes of many African American and Latino individuals as early as the 60s and 70s in order to creep that freeway. He also had an entrepreneurial spirit that led him to have many, many successful businesses, including real estate broker and investor. He was the owner of Tibbs Tacos, a catering business with seven trucks and a retail venue.

The combination of his business acumen and activism culminated, I'm sorry, in the production of a national hair care product for kinky and curly hair, better known as the World of Curls. He was perceived as a man of few words, which he was. Yet he was always charming and friendly and had a mass amount of hobbies, diverse hobbies. He loved golfing. That's where I first met Mr. Tibbs on the golf course. He had an amazing boat. He enjoyed boating, he enjoyed fishing.

He enjoyed traveling the US in his RV and internationally, all around the world he had been. Leonard met his life partner that in the person of Inglewood City Council person and West Basin Municipal Board Member Gloria Gray in 1999, and was a staunch supporter of everything that she did, all of her community service efforts throughout their 25 years together. And in Councilwoman Gray's words, "Leonard Clifford Tibbs, Jr. will forever be in my heart", as she was in his.

He left an indelible mark on the lives of those he touched, and he will be remembered by his daughter, his life partner, again, Gloria Gray, and a married of relatives and friends. Please join me in a journey in the memory of Leonard Clifford Tibbs, Jr. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. Please bring his name forward so he may be properly memorialized by the Senate. There's no other business. Senator Atkins, the desk is clear.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, have a wonderful weekend. Our next floor session is scheduled for Monday, January 22, 2024 at 02:00 p.m.

We'll be in recess until 330, at which time the adjournment motion will be made. We will reconvene Monday at 02:00 p.m.