Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations

You're ready. All right. The Committee on Appropriations will now come to order. We're live in room 2200 of the swing space. Obviously we've got a quorum here. I'll ask any other Members to come on down. We have one urgency measure on today's agenda which will start after the trivia questions. Department of Finance has indicated they do not have a file on this measure and will not be here. So let's establish our quorum.

[Roll Call]

We have a quorum. Before we go to Mr. Holden, I do want to say a couple of things. This will be my last hearing, I believe, as chair. And so I want to say thank you to the staff and the Committee Members. The staff of this Committee rock. So thank you all very much and all of you.

We only have two of you here, but the rest of you, I just want to say thank you for the last six years of your service to our state and to my colleagues here as well. It's been a pleasure being your Committee chair. So thank you all for serving on this Committee. So thank you. With that, we're going to go to trivia. Mr. Holden? I'm going to go to trivia. Okay, so who knows how many people have played Wonder Woman? Total. We're doing Wonder Woman trivia.

Like blockbuster, you know, total number of women animated movies. I gave you a hint. Well, on TV in animation. Well, then we could add two. Does anybody know? I've got 1111, so I'll do true or false. Was Linda Carter a wonder Woman? True. Yes. Was Rosario Dawson a wonder Woman? Yeah, she was Justice League, throne of Atlantis. Cartoon. Right, cartoon. Michelle Monahan.

Yes. Justice League war 2014. Maggie Q. Yes. Young Justice 2010, Lucy Lawless. Yes. Who said yes? Lucy Lawless. The new Frontier 2008, Justice League. Kathy Lee Crosby. Yes.

And then the one that blew me, did you got true or false? The Brady kids spawned a Wonder Woman spin off. You're a believer. It's true. There was actually the Brady kids. Jane Webb in 1972 played Wonder Woman, and of course, Gil Go. played wonder Woman. So that's our wonder Woman trivia. And then I have a few more later, but let's go to Mr. Holden. Mr. Holden, we have AB 610, which is a do pass recommendation. Please share.

Obviously, keep your comments to the fiscal aspect or a trivia question. We do accept trivia questions. What famous baseball player played point guard on Mr. Holden's college basketball team? Tony. Gwen, I was there. See, I gave him a softball.

But did you all know that Tony Gwynn was the point guard that helped Mr. Holden score all those points? Did you know that? See that? Anyway, just to throw an impromptu. And Mr. Holden was the pride of Wood High School. Muir or Phs? Who knows? Phs? There you go. All right, Mr. Holden, tell us about your Bill.

I respectfully ask for your aye vote, let's say. First of all, let me thank the chair and the Members for convening this meeting today. As you recall, last year the Legislature approved and the Governor signed AB 1228, which created a path forward to resolve employer community concerns around the content of AB 257 while preserving fast food workers hard fought efforts to secure a seat at the table and means to raise standards.

However, prior to the close of session last year, I submitted a letter to the journal indicating that I wanted to clarify the intent of one aspect of 1228. There is a need to exempt additional restaurants from the definition of fast food restaurant, including such restaurants and airports, hotels, event centers, theme parks, museums and certain other locations. While AB 1228 establishes a minimum wage of $20 per hour starting April 1 of this year.

This Bill, AB 610, exempts the above mentioned fast food restaurants, many of whom have historically established compensation and working conditions in excess of the standards set by 1228. I respectfully ask for your vote with that.

Do you have any witnesses?

Just for technical purposes.

All right, technical purposes. All right. Does anybody have any technical questions?

Move the Bill.

We have a motion. We have a question. Dr. Jones, did you want to take. Public in support or opposition? Yes. Okay, I will do that. Okay. First I asked for witnesses, and then we had a motion.

And then I can speak now or I can wait to talk to the witnesses.

All right, we'll see if there's any other witnesses in support. Any witnesses in opposite. Do you want to say support? Go ahead, UK.

I was going to answer the technical question that I am in support.

All right, anyone else in support of the Bill? We have opposition. You guys just keep moving around, but you're like, feigning whether you're coming to the podium or not. You're allowed to come to the podium.

Kimberly Rosenberger with Service Employees International Union in support.

Mario Yadidia with unite here. The hospitality workers in support.

Amy Heinchike with unite here. Local 11 in strong support. Thank you.

All right. Is there any opposition to the Bill? Seeing no opposition to the Bill now we'll come back to Mr. Jones.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm going to support the Bill today, but I think this Bill kind of underscores the challenges with the original Bill, AB 1228. Operators of all kinds of restaurants in my district are really upset about 1228, and they think it's going to be a big problem for their business. And I think we should exempt a lot more restaurants out of this, or let's just undo 1228 altogether. But I'm going to support this today, and hopefully that we will keep moving in a positive direction in dealing with 1228.

Thank you. Thank you. Any other comments? We have a motion. Mr. Holden, would you like to close?

Yeah. Just to say that the reason that this Bill is before us is because there are hotel operators and others that are caught in a situation where $20 an hour is the floor and they don't want to be held to that. They're trying to exceed that to 25 or $30 or $40 an hour. And so that's why they're being exempted from the Bill. For you. Ask for your vote.

Thank you very much. And again, I appreciate folks working this out and being on the same page. That's helpful. With that, we will take a vote.

[Roll Call]

That Bill is out.

Who are we missing? He's not out. All right, we have one last trivia question before everybody goes. What was the name of the very first Senate Protem. Very first, very 1st, December 151849 to January 91851. Just over a year. E. Kirby Chamberlain. That's our final trivia question. Thank you all for being. I do not know. That would have been good for me to look up. By the way, you can have all the wonder Woman stuff if you're curious. Cassidy will like that. All right, everybody, thank you. And again, my staff. You guys rock. And please tell Mark I wish him well. I know he's under the weather today. And thank you, everybody, for indulging me throughout this last five years and through Covid. This meeting is adjourned.