Assembly Standing Committee on Higher Education

Good afternoon. I'd like to call the Assembly Higher Education Committee. It's now called to order. We'll start as a Subcommitee as we await quorum. Welcome to the Assembly Higher Education Committee hearing today. Whether you're here in person or watching virtually, I extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you. I will now go over some key elements of the structure of today's hearing.

Please note that while this hearing will not have phone testimony, we are accepting written testimony through the position letter portal on the Committee's website at www.ahed.Assembly.ca.gov and bills will be taken up in sign and order. I see a number of authors in the audience already. Authors, please sign in at the sergeant's desk in room 127.

Additionally, please note that the guideline for bills heard in this Committee is to allow testimony from two lead witnesses in support and two lead witnesses in opposition to speak for no more than two minutes each.

Stakeholder groups and entities that are neither in support nor in opposition will be allowed to give testimony for no more than two minutes when a call for tweeners if a measure has more than two entities in a tweener category, only two will be allowed to speak for two minutes each for Members of the Committee. Members, if you'd like to respond to a roll call, ask a question, or provide a comment, please be sure to activate your mic and to speak into your mic.

For authors, a Bill is up today. Authors each Member presenting today will provide an opening and a closing statement. As previously stated, your two lead witnesses will each have two minutes to provide testimony. And today we have a robust hearing of 19 measures on the agenda today, with four measures proposed for consent calendar. And before we take the consent calendar, we'll have to wait for one more Member for quorum. Really appreciate my colleagues that are here right now. Thank you so much for being here.

And with that, we will begin as a Subcommitee. The first author I'd like to welcome is a similar grace and welcome Assembly Grayson will be presenting item 15. Assembly Bill 2821. Welcome, Assemblymember Grayson.

Thank you so much. Good afternoon, Mister chair and Members. AB 2821 requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the trustees of the California State University, and request the University of California and the governing boards of independent institutions of higher education to provide a disability access and compliance training program. Although students with disabilities in higher education are protected by state, federal, and local laws that prohibit discrimination, they still continue to face significant barriers in academic success.

While most post secondary institutions have incorporated the basic elements of the Americans with Disabilities act or ADA into their policies, their practices and procedures. There is a lack of a statewide framework for a mandatory disability disability compliance training in order to meet for faculty and for staff. So many schools have established disability service offices to handle requests for reasonable accommodations and have assessed their accessibility of their campuses. Despite these positive actions, though, most higher education institutions have still not achieved full inclusion of students with disabilities.

AB 2821 seeks to ensure that students with disabilities needs are fully met and that they can access the accommodations and supportive services they need for success as college students by a statewide post secondary disability access and compliance training program for college personnel to be provided upon on boarding. And with that, I would like to introduce my esteemed witness, Cyn Gomez, organizing Director, Associated Students of the University of California.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you all so much. Good afternoon. My name is Cyn Macias-Gómez and I'm a fourth year disabled student at UC Berkeley as well as the organizing Director for the external affairs Vice President's office in the ASUC. I'm honored to be here and speak with y'all about AB 2821 and as an activist and organizer for community wellness, just disability access and mental wellness. This is of utmost importance to me that we are having this conversation.

While being a student at Cal, I've had to battle for my accommodations to be met every semester. I've been denied reasonable accommodations twice while being an undergrad and frankly, this is illegal and I am shocked that it is tolerated.

The UC is currently getting away with actions like this every semester and this makes legislation like AB 2821 so necessary because we need to ensure that one, the UC is held accountable and two, that all disabled students are not having to teach their educators how to comply with the laws that were intended to protect them. Anyone can be, can be, or become disabled, and making sure that higher education is proactive on how we're adapting to this is transformative.

Students may become disabled while in college or experience short term disabilities while they're students, and it can be jarring to realize that you are going through this struggle alone. The first time I was denied accommodations it took place when a Professor refused my reasonable ones that I had asked for either class recordings or sharing class notes.

Even after sharing this experience with my DSP advisor, they were unwilling to support further and I was left missing wakes of content when I was temporarily disabled after having top surgery. This was an intersectional harm that I experienced as a Trans student and as a disabled student. Why was nobody willing to help me? We have proven that remote learning is an option for accessibility that often requires nothing more than coordination.

It's frustrating to feel like there's no repercussions for the indifference to the fact that we are losing our education, that we are losing our sense of community, and that we are losing our sense of safety in the learning environment. This change is something that needs to happen now. So I urge you all to please vote yes to AB 2821. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in the hearing room? Are there witnesses in opposition in a hearing room? Are there tweeners in a hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? All right, see you none. We're waiting a quorum. So once we get a quorum, we'll take this item up. I appreciate you. Thank you so much. So much, Grayson, for bringing this important measure forward.

We strongly support the efforts of our campus communities to support the passing of knowledge of faculty and staff, and this proposal empowers faculty and staff to be advocates for our students. Thank you for being at the proper time, look forward to supporting this. Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you. Next up, we have Assemblyman Berman presenting item number 14, Assembly Bill 2728. Welcome, Assemblymember Berman.

Thank you, Mister Chair. And I'm in it. I think my witnesses might be making their way in the room. Coming straight into the fire. Come on in. Hi, how are you? Thanks for being here. Hello, hello, hello. All right, Mister Chair and colleagues, California is currently experiencing a growing shortage of special education teachers. This shortage has impacted both traditional school settings as well as our state's non public, nonsectarian schools.

Our witnesses will share more about non public, non sectarian schools and how they serve many of the state's most vulnerable public schools, students with exceptional needs. The Golden State Teacher grant program awards grants of up to $20,000 to individuals currently enrolled in a professional preparation program and working towards earning their credential. In order to be eligible for a grant, a recipient must commit to work at a priority school for four years.

To help address the special education teacher shortage, AB 2768 would specify that a, quote, priority school could also include a non public, non sectarian school with 55% or more of its students being unduplicated, maintaining the existing threshold, and focus on our most vulnerable students. This bill would provide a critical incentive to work at non public, non sectarian schools by allowing Golden State teacher grant program recipients time working at these schools to count towards meeting the service requirement. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

And with me are Lee Angela Reid, on behalf of the California Association of Private Special Education Services and Randye Eichler, Director of Placer Learning center.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Hi, good afternoon Mister Chair and Members. Lee Angela Reid on behalf of CAPSES, the Association for non public, non sectarian schools, or NPS, thank you for your time and thank you assemblymember Berman for your leadership. NPS serve individuals with exceptional needs pursuant to an individualized education program or IEP and are certified by the California Department of Education. NPS provide both educational placement and services to a student with exceptional needs through contracts with a student's local educational agency.

NPS served public school students and are funded through leas with public dollars. MP's served many of the students most vulnerable students as almost 75% of the students served by an NPS have either been diagnosed with autism or emotional disturbance. As our students are public students across the state, some of our schools would meet the 55% unduplicated student requirement to be considered a priority school under the Golden State Teacher grant program.

However, the California Student Aid Commission, which currently administers the program, maintains that statutorily, NPS are not currently eligible. AB 2768 simply clarifies that for purposes of the Golden State Teacher grant program, a priority school includes an NPS. Provided that NPS meets the 55% threshold for unduplicated students, it would not apply to any other NPS that does not meet the threshold.

AB 2768 will allow more individuals who want to serve our English learner foster and low income students with the most complex and severe learning and behavioral needs are financially able to do so, and I ask for your aye vote.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Hello and thank you for hearing me today. Good afternoon. My name is Randye Eichler and I am the Director of Placer Learning Center, a non public school in Granite Bay. All of the students that attend plc are public school students from 28 different school districts that did not have any programs to meet these students specific needs.

I'm here today in support of AB 2768 a bill that will include non public schools that meet the existing 55% unduplicated student requirements to be priority schools so that we may help our teachers to participate in the Golden State teacher program. As most of you know, there's an acute shortage of special education teachers. The situation is not getting any better. It's growing worse day by day.

Despite the state seeing a steady decline in overall school enrollment since 2018, the number of students in special education has increased by more than 50,000 during the same period the cost of living in California is so high that many people who might have gone into education, specifically special education, will not because of tuition costs. Sorry. And including the non public schools as priority schools will help alleviate the shortage of special education teachers while providing quality educators for our most challenged students.

Our schools are so often misrepresented and excluded from many opportunities. But several years ago, non public schools were included in the local solutions grant, resulting in many new credentialed special education Teachers. PLC, my school, added eight fully credentialed teachers through that grant. Our schools are training grounds and teaching schools for many. We are requesting that you consider adding non public schools with 55% or more of its pupils being unduplicated pupils as priority schools so that our teachers are afforded equal access to further their education.

Please support AB 2768.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in the hearing room? Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room? Are there tweeners in the hearing room? Welcome.

Mister Chairman and Members. I'm Brian Rivas speaking on behalf of the Education Trust West. We're working with the author, staff and the sponsors on a data collection issue just to see who's in the expanded category of schools under this bill, and we expect to be able to work that out.

Thank you so much colleagues. Any questions or comments? Thank you. Author, would you like to close?

I appreciate the conversation. Look forward, love and trust west and we work together on a lot of issues, so I'm confident we'll be able to work out any concerns with this bill and respectfully ask for your aye vote when the time is right.

Thank you so much Assemblyman Berman, for bringing this important measure forward. I'm pleased to support it here today. We know the tremendous teacher shortages our state is experiencing, especially for our students with special and unique needs. And with the shortage predicted to become even more dire and acute, we know the Legislature must do whatever possible to continue to assist addressing the shortages and to recruit more individuals into teaching careers.

While we also know the funds in the Golden State teacher grant program are anticipated to be exhausted sooner than later, I hope that this measure, along with one previously passed out of our Committee, assuming Bill 1927, allows for the conversation for us to keep the program going as long as and to really make sure we have an augmentation in the Golden State Teacher Grant Program. And with that, I look forward to supporting the measure today and when we have a quorum, we'll take the item up.

Thank you Mister Chair.

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, I'd like to welcome, assuming Friedman, presenting item number. Item number 17. Assembly Bill 295. Welcome, summer. Welcome, Assemblymember Lowenthal also. Thank you.

Yes, my co author is here.

Yes.

Well, I think that they are getting our witness. Here it comes. Okay. Good afternoon, Mister Chair and Committee Members. I want to thank you and your Committee staff for all of your extremely hard work on this bill over the past two weeks. This bill is a Jewish caucus priority piece of legislation, and I'm very proud to be presenting with my co author, Assemblymember Lowenthal. I'll be accepting the Committee amendments as discussed between our staff and outlined in the Committee analysis.

In the aftermath of the Hamas terror attack on October 7, Jewish and pro-Israel students are feeling pressured, in some cases, to hide their identities on campus because they have been feeling so unsafe. And we have heard this from numerous students from across the State of California. According to the Anti Defamation League, there has been a 2000% increase in antisemitic incidents on California college campuses following October 7 compared to a year ago.

Our communities are asking us what is being done to assure that Jewish students can attend classes and exist in the academic setting free from discrimination. We are answering this difficult question through AB 2925 which requires college campuses to include training to combat and address antisemitism as part of any ongoing anti-discrimination training or diversity equity and inclusion training that is offered by the institution. And for the purpose of this Committee.

The focus of the amendments was to ensure that these trainings address the rise in cases of discrimination on campus by focusing the content to the top five most targeted groups. So we're not calling out necessarily antisemitism on by itself, because, of course, hatred and bigotry changes over the years.

And what the bill says that if you have a DEI program, if you have anti discrimination training, you should make sure that the top five most discriminated against groups at that time are included so that people understand the unique challenges that that hatred and bigotry might cause and understand how that expresses itself. I understand that there are concerns from the UC systems that this might conflict with standalone DEI trainings, such as trainings around sexual orientation.

But we are more than happy to work with stakeholders to address this concern because we want to make sure that all hatred and discrimination is addressed. And to be clear, we're not requiring that colleges start to offer DEI training, but rather, if they already offer that kind of training, that they include the top five most targeted groups at that particular time. Current law says that all students have the right to participate fully in the educational process free of discrimination and harassment.

But if those current anti-discrimination trainings don't include people from those groups that are being targeted, they might not understand the form that that particular hatred, in this case antisemitism, they might not understand what that looks like and what that feels like to the particular students that are being targeted. Unfortunately, there is no standard for diversity, equity and inclusion training across our college campuses.

But if current law says that California's colleges have an affirmative obligation to combat racism, sexism and other forms of bias, then let's ensure that hateful acts of discrimination against the Jewish and other communities is not left out in that educational training process if it is already being done on those campuses. We look forward to refining the bill to ensure we are effectively addressing the call to action given to us by our community Members. This bill already has support from over 41 Jewish organizations and known opposition.

Testifying in support this afternoon is Cliff Berg with the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, and I wanted to see if my co author. Okay, Assemblymember Lowenthal is here, but if anyone has questions, he is not going to give his own testimony at this time. And as a priority bill for the Jewish caucus, I would appreciate your thoughtful consideration and respectfully request an aye vote.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you. Cliff Berg here on behalf of JPAC, the Jewish Public Affairs Committee, which is the largest single state coalition of Jewish organizations in the nation, we are a sponsor of this legislation and urge your support. I want to thank us some the Assemblywomen and Assemblymen who are here today for authoring this legislation. I want to thank the Jewish caucus for its sponsoring this legislation.

As I mentioned, JPAC is a coalition of over 30 organizations, both statewide and regional, including federations, community Relations councils, Anti Defamation League, American Jewish Committee. We have seen a devastating increase in acts of anti semitism and hatred since October 7 in California. As was mentioned, data from the Anti Defamation League show a 2000% increase of incidence and antisemitism on college campuses. Jewish students, Jewish parents and Jewish families are living in terror and fear in our college campuses.

This legislation is critical to ensuring that we address the problem in a proactive way, and therefore, we urge your support today. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses and support in the hearing room?

Good afternoon, Mister chair. Jessica Dong with the University of California. We have a support, if amended, position. We're requesting amendments that allowed to allow DEI trainings to not include topics that would appear to be unrelated to the focus, the primary focus of the training. We do look forward to working with the author's office to address our concerns. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mister chair. I just want to commend the author and authors, I should say Mister Lowenthal's words, of course, speak for themselves just by being here. But while we recognize and heard that this is a significant impact in combating hate for the Jewish community, please know that many, including the Asian Besander caucus and so many others sharing the solidarity of helping to make our public campuses very safe and without the lived experiences that you both bring. It's very important that we're highlighting these different issues too.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room? Are there tweeners in the hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? Assemblymember Low

So I just like to line my comments along with the Vice Chair of the Asian Pas Islander Legislative Caucus and the chair of this Committee, which I know he was encapsulating his comments, but please note that there are many of us in advocacy as well too, for the many of the voices who do not feel safe nor comfortable to be on campuses, but to allowing the State of California to utilize data points in helping to reflect that the budget should then go to tackling these issues as well too.

Thank you so much. Assemblymember Low. Any further colleagues, questions or comments? Seeing and hearing none, would you like to close, please?

Well, I do want to thank the Committee for giving us very thoughtful and very helpful amendments to this Bill. I think it's made it a better Bill than we walked in with, and I really appreciate the support.

I simply want to say that everyone that is behind this Bill does not want to inhibit whatsoever free speech take place on campus that encourage the diversity of opinion that's on campus right now. And this is strictly about the safety of the students, particularly of all faiths at times of crisis. And so, and the other thing I would simply want to add is that the University's system is certainly not limited to these five. It can extend and go beyond those five, but it's vehemently important that we have those five included. Respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you so much to so many Members, Friedman and Lowenthal for being this very important measure forward and working with our Committee staff to alleviate the concerns on pages 10 and 11 of the analysis. And I echo the comments of my colleague Asama Lou and colleagues in the Legislature to make sure that we are not having any hate or discrimination. We know that has no place in our education systems. We know the chancellor, the CSU and President UC have made those statements as well.

But we know we need to continue to do more around these efforts. And I'm hopeful that this measure will help those who take the anti discrimination training at our post secondary education campuses address and combat discrimination in all forms in our education institutions. And I look forward to supporting a measure here today. And when we have quorum, we'll take this measure up. Thank you so much.

Next up, I'd like to welcome Assemblymember Jones Sawyer presenting item number 18. Los Angeles Community College District, California Mobile Climate Change Education center. Welcome. Thank you.

Mister chair Members. I present AB 3142 which expands the California Climate Change Education center at West Los Angeles City College by adding a mobile unit.

I apologize. I'm gonna take. We're gonna establish quorum right now, so. And then we'll go. Madam Secretary, please call the roll. A lot of committees going on today, so I apologize. Thank you.

[Roll Call]

And before we take up Mister Jones Sawyer's measure, we're going to take up the consent calendar. We have five items on the consent calendar. File item number five. Assembly Bill 2096. File item number eight. Assembly Bill 2508. File item number 92567. And five item 112588. Do we have motion and second on the consent calendar? We have a motion by Mister Lowe. Second by Miss Irwin. Madam Secretary. Roll call please.

[Roll Call]

Thank you so much colleagues, for the consent calendar. The item has seven eyes and is out. We'll keep the roll but for additional Members to add on. Thank you so much again. Welcome Assemblyman Jones Sawyer presenting item number 18.

Thank you again, Chair and Members represent AB 3142 which expands the California Climate Change Education center at West Los Angeles. College by adding a mobile unit in order to improve the reach of the current center. In 2022, Governor Newsom and community college leaders agreed to build a roadmap to help California community colleges prepare to meet future workforce needs in climate action division for 2030. Plan includes a target to advance community college engagement by offering workforce development and curriculum that reflects the ongoing needs to tackle climate change.

In alignment with this effort, the Legislature invested $5 million for the Los Angeles Community College District, LACCD, to create the California Center for Climate Change Education at West Los Angeles College. Its mission is to promote climate change education at LACCD and community colleges statewide and to create opportunities for students in both high school and elementary schools to learn about climate change and the impact it has on our planet.

This year, AB 3142 helps further the Governor's plan and builds upon the work of the center by creating a mobile unit to help reach students in the community with hands on learning and internship opportunities that is currently unable to do.

AB 3142 also codifies the center to ensure its mission and purpose are anchored in state law aligned with previous community college based centers adopted in the budget with me in support of this bill, Dr. James Limbaugh, President of West Los Angeles College on behalf of the bill's sponsor, the Los Angeles Community College.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Well, good afternoon Chair Fong, honorable Members of the Committee again, my name is Jim Limbaugh. I'm privileged to serve as the President of West Los Angeles College, and I'm sharing testimony on behalf of Doctor Francisco Rodriguez, the chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, which is the proud sponsor of Assembly Bill 3142. As Assemblymember Jones-Sawyer mentioned in his opening statement, this bill addresses the critical issue of climate change education.

West Los Angeles College is the only community college in the country that currently offers a climate change and environmental studies Associate of Arts degree. Two years ago, the state Legislature amplified this degree and supported the establishment of the California Center for Climate Change Education at West with a $5 million allocation. Since then, the center has received national recognition from prestigious educational institutions across the country, such as Yale University's climate connections and Stanford's global educators network.

Assembly Bill 3142 will add a mobile unit to increase access to the center's climate curriculum throughout the region and the state. The unit will travel to local high schools and elementary schools and throughout the community to provide hands on educational opportunities to learn environmental stewardship and environmental justice, with a special focus on serving underprivileged and underrepresented communities. Now we realize that this is a challenging fiscal year. So we appreciate the Committee's recommendation that funding for this unit be contingent upon an appropriation.

So in closing, AB 3142 will further increase awareness, modify behaviors, and contribute to the preparation of both a generation of workers for green and blue sector jobs and careers essential to altering the impacts of global warming and climate change. For these reasons, the Los Angeles Community College District respectfully asks for your aye vote on Assembly Bill 3142. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in a hearing room? Are there witnesses in opposition in a hearing room? Are there tweeners in a hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? We have a motion and a second. Thank you so much, colleagues. Author, would you like to close as three?

Respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you so much, Assemblymember Jones Sawyer for bringing this very important measure forward. And thank you to President Limbaugh for your testimony as well. Thank you for working with Committee staff on the amendments, you know, in the tight budget year. Thank you for working with I hope, moving forward, the author will consider making this measure contingent upon the budget as it moves through the process. And I look forward to supporting and voting for this measure today. And with that roll call, please.

File item number 18, AB 3142. The motion is do passed to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

That measure has five ayes, one no. And we'll keep the row open for additional members add on. Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

Next up, we'd like to welcome Doctor Arambula presenting item number three, Assembly Bill 1855. Welcome Assemblyman Arambula.

Thank you Mister Chair and Members. Students should be able to participate in their student body associations without threat to safety, privacy, or accessibility. AB 1855 will modernize the Brown Act for Community College Student Body Associations. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, audio and video teleconferencing was successfully used to increase participation and to protect the health and safety of civil servants and the public.

However, current provisions of the Brown Act require members of a legislative body to participate in the meetings of the legislative body by teleconference for no more than 20% of the regular meetings. This is a barrier for students who are disabled, who have limited access to transportation, and who otherwise would be unable to participate in the meetings in person. AB 1855 protects public access and allows an eligible legislative body of a student organization to use alternate teleconferencing provisions.

If approved by the board of trustees and adopted by the eligible body. It is time for us to update the act to reflect modern times and new challenges faced by our students. Testifying in support of AB 1855 is Stephanie Goldman, Associate Director for the student senate at four California community colleges, who will be reading testimony on behalf of Deborah Knowles and Annie Koruga [they/them] region four legislative affair directors for the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you. I fundamentally believe that students like me deserve safety, and I shared that I was coming to Sacramento to testify. One student who asked not to be named their safety said that they had a story. So instead of coming here to give you statistics or give you the arguments that I know that you've heard, I want to uplift her voice.

Here's what she wrote in her own words as a sophomore in college, when I found the courage to end a relationship with a violent and manipulative boyfriend only after he left the state due to an expulsion, I broke up with him. He threatened to rape me and beat me. Several months later, he obtained what he thought was my address through false pretenses and arrived at my sister's house. The car full of people, she told him, was very scary.

She let me know that he knew what kind of car I owned, and so I immediately drove out of town and spent the night in that car. The next day, I packed up everything I owned and gave notice to the landlords of my rented room and lived out of my car until I could find new housing.

Due to the Brown Act and being an online only student, I am required to post my own personal address of that new place at which I will be attending every student government meeting.

Given the rural area that I live in, this means either posting my home address or going each month through a series of frontline workers, supervisors, and management at one of the three fast food restaurants in town, which are the only public places with reliable internet, and to plead them for permission to attend those meetings there.

The environments are incredibly loud and physically difficult to get to given my disabilities, and even with this workaround, I know that my violent ex boyfriend need only Google and my name during the 72 hours period which an agenda is to be posted to easily identify the addresses as being near where I used to live and potentially use them to search the streets for me.

I chose to take this risk anyway in order to represent my fellow classmates in student government, but several candidates who were offered positions on our board this year chose to decline them once they learned of the Brown Act requirements, leaving two positions empty. None of us should have to make that choice. Her story shook me and these are the students that I urge you to think about when you are considering this bill. I urge an affirmative vote.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Good afternoon. Stephanie Goldman, associate Director of the student Senate for California Community Colleges and I will be reading Deborah Knowles, student leadership advisor from Sac City College's testimony. Sacramento City College has approximately 17,000 students. 40% of these students are 100% online. Online students do not come from Kentucky campus. This situation is actually similar to most of the California Community Colleges. The current Brown Act means the online students are excluded from participation and student leadership.

They must attend in person or participate remotely with a remote address posted publicly. This means the public can technically come to their home and join the meeting. During the pandemic, student leadership was engaged, vibrant, inclusive, and crossed all social, economic, and cultural boundaries. This includes students from outreach centers in the west, Sacramento and Davis, any of our online students, and many people who are juggling of many aspects of their education.

Student leadership is a part of student engagement. Sacramento City College is landlocked with very limited parking. Travel over the causeway, finding a parking place to join a 1 hour meeting, and then getting back to your satellite campus for a class made participating untenable for many of our students. Now that the pandemic has resolved, the round act waivers have been lifted. The students are struggling to engage.

I have many examples showing the positive impacts of students involved during the pandemic, ranging from a student whose grandmother became terminally ill, necessitating her to travel to Fiji for the remainder of the term, to another student who had to travel to South Korea after the death of a relative. Those students were able to continue participating on student government and were able to stay enrolled in their classes. Following is a statement from a student at Sacramento City College. Students hello.

My name is Nikola Higglebotham and I'm a current student at SSCC. I understand the mentality of wanting everyone in person. However, transportation is a real issue. When the Brown Act first started, a student volunteered to pick me up and drop me off and that was the only way I was able to complete my term. I had a lot of fun in the position and felt like I was representing the other students.

It felt like a place to let my creative and leadership skills flourish, but I'm no longer able to do that. I'm grateful to the time I had and I wish it could be longer. I hope my story can give some perspective to some of the harmful impacts that this is having on potential student leaders. Student leaders make a great effort to try and participate, but transportation is a real issue that they have to overcome.

Excluding so many online students from participating in their own leadership takes away their voice. It's time to modernize the Brown Act and include technologies that continue the ideology of including more people and transparency in public meetings. There are 116 community colleges in California. Now is the time to be the leading edge in demonstrating equity and inclusion, especially in education.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses and support in the hearing room?

Hi, I'm Cyn Macias-Gomez, external affairs Vice President, organizing Director from UC Berkeley. And I strongly urge you to support this bill.

Hannah Matthews with the Faculty Association of the California Community Colleges in strong support of this bill. Thank you.

Tiffany mock with CFT, a union of educators and classified professionals in support. Thank you.

Heather Brandt, on behalf of City College of San Francisco, strongly support.

Thank you so much. Are there. Oh, go ahead, sir.

Darius Canuela, on behalf of Sacramento City College, I support.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in opposition in hearing room?

Oh, I'm still for.

Okay, I'm sorry. Go ahead.

I apologize. Am I allowed to, like, speak for more than a second? Like or I'm sorry, I'm not aware how this works? Am I allowed to make a quick statement or do I just say I support?

If you can stay. Your name and organization and the quick statement in support. Yeah, sorry. The two lady says we're up here.

I apologize. My name is Molly Nielsen. I'm from Sacramento City College. And I'm the students where. I'm the student body President. As President, I've spoken with numerous students who were excited about participating in student government but were unable to because of the current Brown Act Regulations. Students who only take online classes are not represented at all on our board, which is 40% of our student body who currently have no voice in our student government.

The current brown act bars student voices and creates a non inclusive and non equitable environment. So I am in support of the bill.

Thank you. Load the bill. Thank you. We have a motion. Do we have a second? Perfect. Thank you. Colleagues. Going to witnesses again. Do we have anybody in opposition? Do we have any tweeners in the hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? Great. Thank you. Seeing no additional comments or questions. Author, would you like to close, please?

Thank you. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you so much. Assemblyman Arambula for bringing this important measure forward. The Committee supported a similar proposal last year. I'm glad that you're bringing back again this year the flexibility offered to being offered to community college student body associations balances aligned in both offering greater access. Also upholding the critical, important tenets of the Brown Act. Appreciate all the testimony here today, and with that, I look forward to supporting a measure here today. Madam Secretary, roll call please.

File item number one, AB 1855. The motion is do pass to the Assembly floor. [Roll Call]

Thank you, Mister chair.

That measure has four ayes, one not voting, and one no. We'll keep the roll open for additional Members to add on. Thank you so much, colleagues. Next up, we have item number, Assembly Bill 2357 by Assemblymember Bains, welcome. We have a motion and a second. Welcome Assemblymember Bains.

Thank you. All right, good afternoon. Thank you Chair Fong and the Higher Education Committee Members for hearing my bill, AB 2357, the Grow Your Own Bill today. While AB 2357 is focused on my home and district in Kern County, its impact will be on a much broader scale. This bill improves healthcare access for Valley residents and our state's overall health and well-being. The San Joaquin Valley is among California's most medically underserved areas, in large part because it lacks an adequate physician population.

In 2021, the California Healthcare Foundation reported that the San Joaquin Valley had just 47 primary care physicians per 100,000 residents, short of the US Department of Health and Human Services recommended supply of 60 to 80 per 100,000 and the state average of 60 per 100,000. In its research, the University of California identified the valley as the state's fastest-growing, most impoverished, and least healthy region. People in the valley lack access to basic primary care.

I often see patients in the most advanced stages of diseases that could have been prevented or limited if they enjoyed the healthcare access that other regions of California already have. When I decided to become a doctor, I knew I wanted to care for the community that raised me. But I had no choice but to leave Kern to go to medical school. When I graduated, I knew I wanted to return home to complete my residency, but that was almost impossible, too.

I fought to get a residency at the community clinic right there in Kern, but many do not have that opportunity. AB 2357 creates an endowment that will allow us to develop funding and resources to support the creation of a UC medical school in Kern County. Using an endowment will also ensure that we do not compete with UC's existing efforts and other parts of the state.

The UC system has done an admirable job of addressing some of these healthcare inequities and its efforts to bring a new campus to Merced and the UCSF extension program in Fresno. The reality is that we need both of these programs and a new one in Kern.

When I was the Chair of the Song-Brown Commission, which specifically looked at healthcare underserved areas and funds residents programs in underserved areas, I recognized that we were allocating funding based on whether a given area did or did not have a shortage. But to get it right, and some of the work that I did while I was Chair of that Commission was to highlight and understand the severity of the shortage in each area.

Make no mistake, the shortage in Kern is severe and cannot be solved by our neighbors. Our only solution is to grow our own. Training future physicians locally will allow us to create good paying jobs and diversify our economy. Medical schools attract substantial business investments across healthcare and other sectors. This bill is an essential step in improving career pathways in the Valley.

AB 2357 is already receiving broad support from education leaders, health systems, businesses, and statewide organizations because they all see that Kern County needs something that can genuinely alter the course of our future. With that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote. But here with me today to testify and support is Kimberly Graham, an administrator with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools who oversees the implementation of the K to 16 collaborative, which works towards developing career pathways for our students.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you. Good afternoon Mr. Chair and Committee Members. My name is Kimberly Graham from Kern County Superintendent of Schools. Today, I advocate for Assembly Bill 2357, an initiative that addresses a pivotal challenge faced by Kern County, a critical shortage of medical professionals, notably in nursing and specialized medical fields. Kern County is continuing to experience significant population growth, causing the demand for healthcare services in Kern County to escalate rapidly.

With an anticipated job growth of 32% and a staggering gap of nearly 16,000 workers annually. The establishment of a medical school represents a critical step towards reversing this trend. The Kern Regional K 16 Education Collaborative is an $18 million, multi-year grant to develop seamless transitions for students from high school to post-secondary and to the workforce. The K 16 collaborative consists of eight institutions working collaboratively to develop occupational pathways and inclusive and equitable supports for our students in healthcare, education, engineering, and computing.

Through its emphasis on healthcare, Kern K 16 collaborative plans to directly confront this challenge by preparing a homegrown, capable workforce ready to step into high-quality living-wage careers. By collaborating closely with our industry partners, this work has rallied a robust network of support to directly address their urgent healthcare needs. In our community. However, the data makes it clear that while these efforts are noteworthy, they are not sufficient on their own.

Many of our high school and post-secondary students who are engaged in preparing for careers in healthcare must leave the county to pursue their medical degrees, which exacerbates this workforce gap. The integration of a medical school into the framework of the Kern K 16 collaborative will supercharge our efforts to create seamless pathways for students in healthcare-related fields.

Supporting Assembly Bill 2357 offers a sustainable solution to the looming healthcare crisis by ensuring a steady pipeline of well-trained medical professionals ready to serve our growing population. In establishing a medical school in Kern County, not only do we bridge the critical healthcare workforce gap within our own community, but we also set a precedent for healthcare education and access that will benefit the entire State of California. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses and support in the hearing room.

Good afternoon. Chair and Committee Members. Carlos Rojas with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools in support.

Thank you.

Good Afternoon, MJ Diaz on behalf of Kaiser Permanente, in support.

Jennifer Snyder with Capital Advocacy on behalf of the California Life Sciences, in support.

Cody Boyles on behalf of American Pistachio Growers, in support.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room? Are there tweeners in the hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? Did we have a motion? Sorry. Motion by Mr. Muratsuchi, second by Mr. Irwin. Any further comments or questions? Assemblymember, would you like to close?

Respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you so much Assemblymember Bains for being a champion of the diverse needs of your constituents. The San Joaquin Valley remains one of the fastest growing areas of our state, but also one of the areas of highest need, which brings with it additional needs for the community. And thank you for championing this effort. I know it will take time and a great deal of resources to see a creation of UC School of Medicine in Kern,County, but this measures a good and modest step.

First, step forward and look forward to supporting this measure here today. With that. Madam Secretary, roll call.

Please file item number six, AB 2357. The motion is do pass to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

That measure has five ayes. And we'll keep the row open for additional members to add on. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

At this time, we'll entertain motions for three items that we heard earlier. Item number 14 by Assemblymember Berman. Assembly Bill 2768 on the Golden State Teacher Grant program. Do we have a motion? All right. Moved by Mr. Muratsuchi. Seconded by Mister Chen. Any further questions or comments colleagues? Seeing none, please roll call.

Please file item number 14, AB 2768. The motion is do pass to the Education Committee. [Roll Call]

Thank you so much colleagues. That measure has five ayes. And we'll keep the row open for additional Members to add on. Next item I'd like to entertain a motion on is item number 15. Assembly Bill 2821 by Assemblymember Grayson on, thank you, Assemblymember Chen. We have a motion second by Mr. Muratsuchi. That's on post-secondary education students with disabilities, colleagues, any questions or comments? Seeing none. Madam Secretary, roll call.

Please file item number 15. AB 2821. The motion is do pass to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

Thank you so much, colleagues. That measure has five ayes, and we'll keep the roll open for additional Members to add on. Next up is entertain a motion on Assembly Bill 2925 by Assemblymember Friedman and Lowenthal on postsecondary education, Equity and Higher Education Act prohibition on discrimination, training, and notice. Do we have a motion by Mr. Chen? A second by Mr. Ta. And happy birthday, Mr. Ta. Any questions or comments on item number 17? Assembly Bill 2925? Seeing none, Madam Secretary, roll call please

File item number 17. AB 2925. The motion is do pass as amended to the Judiciary Committee. [Roll Call]

Item number 17, Assembly Bill 2935 by Assemblymember Friedman, Lowenthal, has six eyes. We'll keep the row open for additional Members to add on. Thank you so much. Colleagues, at this time, if there's any additional Members that would like to present, we are available at this time. Oh, yes, I'm sorry, Assemblymember Irwin welcome, presenting, Assemblymember Irwin welcome and thank you for everything you're doing. Assembly item number 13. Assembly Bill 2723 the California Cradle to Career Data System act. Welcome Assemblymember Irwin.

Thank you very much and good afternoon, Chair and Members, I'm pleased to present AB 2723 which provides some code cleanup for the cradle to career data system. As the Committee analysis outlines I've been involved with C2C since its inception in the state budget and currently serving as the Assembly Member on the governing board. C2C celebrated the first round of data submissions from data providers last fall and anticipates making its first analytical tools data dashboards available later on this year.

As with any maturing state entity, there are aspects of the governing statute that benefit from refinement, and that is what this bill seeks to provide a vehicle for this year. As noted in the analysis, there are ongoing negotiations about additional issues raised by C2C that may become ripe and use this policy vehicle to address them. The staff of this Committee has been directly involved in negotiations, and I commit to keeping them involved in any decisions that are made about the inclusion of additional items.

And with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you so much. Assembly Member are there witnesses in support in a hearing room? Are there witnesses in opposition in a hearing room? Are there tweeners in a hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? We have a motion and a second. Assemblymember would you like to close please.

Respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you so much. Look forward to supporting this measure today. Thank you Assemblymember Irwin, for your leadership and efforts on Cradle-to-Career and the clarifying changes to the Cradle-to-Career data system. Look forward to supporting you here today. With that madam secretary, roll call please.

File item number 13, AB 2723. The motion is due pass as amended to the Education Committee. [Roll Call]

Thank you so much colleagues. That measure has seven eyes. That measures out. We'll keep the roll open for additional Members to add on. Thank you so much. With that, I normally would take-I will do the last one, but I guess I'll do it now. So Vice Chair Ta, if you can preside momentarily, please.

Thank you.

All right, so right now we have item AB 2707.

Oh, actually, you know what? I apologize.

Thank you so much Mister Chair and Members. Assembly Bill 2707 requires the Legislative Analyst Office to conduct a study on the housing needs of a community college- community college students over 25 years of age and students with dependents. Our community colleges enroll over 2 million students each year and about half are over age 25, 60% are housing insecure and 19% are homeless.

There was just an LA Times article on this today where students over 25 are often independent and face greater financial obstacles because they are no longer supported by family. These students also have age out of eligibility for many state programs that help with the cost of living. Student parents, in particular, face enormous challenges. The Federal Government Accountability Office has found that nationally, only 12% of students with dependents complete a degree in six years, compared to 46% of those without dependents.

These students have the most benefit from higher education, but they also have specific needs and face greater obstacles. Without bad information on these students and without specific housing needs, we cannot craft the best policies, best policies possible. Assembly Bill 2707 will give the Legislature the necessary data to ensure that we serve these students appropriately. And here to testify today in support is Anna Mathews with the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges and Heather Brandt, a student parent from the City College of San Francisco.

Hello Chair, our author of the Bill and our Members. My name is Anna Matthews, Advocacy Manager of the Faculty Association of the California Community Colleges and a proud sponsor of this bill, I am sharing the testimony of Doctor Ruby Christian-Brougham, a Professor at Los Angeles Community Colleges who could not make it today. We appreciate the state's focus on housing community college students 60% of community college students face housing insecurity and 19% are homeless. These numbers increase for our marginalized students.

76% of students over the age of 25 experience housing insecurity and 26% of students with dependents are homeless. A common misconception is that community college students are 18, straight out of high school and living with their parents before they transfer the data proven reality is that 48% of our students are over the age of 25 and they have needs that vary significantly from that of traditional aged college students. Community college students age out of placement for young adult homeless services at the age of 25.

These students, who represent half of our community college population, become part of the general homeless population, and it becomes exceptionally difficult to house them in large metro areas that experience high rates of homelessness. These students are at a distinct disadvantage in being housed quickly, and every delay may lead to them abandoning their educational aspirations forever. It is imperative that we conduct thorough research to understand the needs of our older housing and secure students and those with dependents.

We must ensure that they do not fall through the cracks. It is crucial that community college housing projects are inclusive and accessible to all the students that community colleges serve, and this can only be achieved by understanding the diverse needs of our student body. Especially during this budget deficit. It is of the utmost importance that the reach of public dollars is maximized to ensure that the housing constructed is well tailored to the unique needs of the diverse community college student body.

We humbly ask for your aye vote.

Dear Committee Members, my name is Heather Brandt. I'm currently serving as a student trustee on behalf of City College of San Francisco, and I'm a proud adult learner student parent of three children that works several jobs to make ends meet while also caregiving for my aging parents and my sibling who has cancer. Like over half of California community college students, I have faced housing insecurity, particularly while my spouse was incarcerated.

I am part of the three quarters of parenting students who are on the verge of homelessness jeopardizing both ourselves and our children. When you experience housing insecurity while you're working, parenting, commuting to a school in a city you can't afford to live in, and taking care of other responsibilities, education ends up on the back burner. According to the California Student Aid Commission, housing insecure students are more likely to be over 22, female, black or Latinx and have Independence.

I am at the intersection of all of these demographics. If we are truly committed to equity within higher education, we must prioritize housing our are nontraditional students. If we don't, we will have lower rates of completion, persistence, credit attainment, and goal achievement. Student housing should be inclusive of adult learners and parenting students like myself who are often in the most need.

When you support pregnant and parenting students by housing them according to their unique needs, you support two generations, boosting stability, stimulating socioeconomic mobility, and disrupting cycles of poverty. It is heartbreaking that nontraditional students like me, who desperately need to be housed, are being excluded from community college student housing. We know that our student population is incredibly diverse in their lived experience. This is precisely why we need a study to identify the unique needs of our most marginalized and underserved students.

And ensure that community college student housing is inclusive and accessible to all students. For us, AB 2707 is a need, not a want. I respectfully request your aye vote.

Thank you so much for that. Any, anyone here who would like to speak in favor of the bill?

Tiffany Mock, CFT a union of educators and classified professionals in support. Thank you.

Annie Koruga, on behalf of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, proud co author of the bill in strong support.

Seamus Garrity with Lighthouse Public Affairs on behalf of Power California in support.

Kristal Padilla with the Community College League of California in support.

Maria Pacheco, Mayor for the City of Kerman in strong support.

Anyone here who opposed the bill? Are there any twinners in the room? All right, so I want to thank the author for introducing this bill. I think that this is really, really good bill. I think that we all wear that issue of housing and homelessness. We all. We all have concerns, especially that this bill really helped us understand all the concerns that a student in our state that they have faced right now. So I really appreciate that, author. So, Committee Member.

Okay, so may I have a motion? Thank you so much. We have a motion. And second on the floor.

File item number 12. AB 2707. The motion is due pass to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

So we have seven ayes and we continue to add more.

Thank you so much, colleagues. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Thank you, Vice Chair. And thank you, colleagues. Next up, we have Assemblymember Alvarez presenting item number 10 followed by item number 19. Item number 10. Assembly Bill 2586 public postsecondary education and student employment. Welcome Assemblymember Alvarez.

Mister chair, if it's okay, may I take ACR, which is, I think, item 19 1st?

Absolutely. We'll take item number 19 first. ACR 147. Item number 19 on California's first generation college celebration day. Welcome Assemblymember Alvarez.

Thank you very much, Mister Chair and Members of the Committee, I appreciate the opportunity to present ACR 147. It's a topic that I think we are all very familiar with, but really came to my attention last year when I found out that we had such a thing as first generation, a day that was celebrated here in our country.

I am a first generation college graduate, a former student of The Puente Project in high school, a TRIO McNair Scholar at the University, and a first hand experience of how these remarkable programs help to lead student success, especially for those students who are the first in their family to go to college. I've also worked for the Trio Program and understand the genuine commitment that staff makes to students that they serve on a daily basis.

Without these programs and these efforts, many first generation students would not be completing their education dreams. According to a 2018 study from the Department of Education of the US Department of Education, about 33% of first generation college students nationwide dropped out of school after three years of college.

This is why it's imperative that we continue to support programs such as the Federal TRIO Program, the statewide Puente Programs, EOP, Umoja, an HPI, and others who play an important role with those first generation college students in our, on our campuses, in our three systems of higher education, and in our public high schools. ACR 147 would designate November 8, 2024 as California's First-Generation College Celebration Day to continue to urge all higher education institutions in the state to celebrate the day with their students.

This resolution recognizes the significant role that first generation college students in developing the state's future workforce. It celebrates the federal Higher Education Act of 1965 and supports first generation college students with opportunities and equity in completing their degrees. Must also acknowledge at the state Legislature the importance of these programs and we do so obviously with a lot of our budgetary actions with the support of education that we provide.

Today, I have the honor of having as witnesses and you will hear from them, representing MANA Cristina Sanchez-Kerr and Yaritza Gomez, who is a Hermanita alumni of the MANA program currently participating in the College Success Program with MANA. I'll turn it over to the first witness, Christina.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Hello and good afternoon to all. I'm honored to be here today representing MANA de San Diego as an Hermanitas alumni. As a first generation student, navigating the path to college success wasn't always clear as I faced many challenges along the way. Financial doubt, along with struggling with imposter syndrome were two main factors that limited me.

I felt that because my financial circumstances, college wasn't an option for me and while facing this obstacle, I was simultaneously doubting whether I was worthy enough to be going to college due to the feeling of pressure of my parents sacrifices and their hard work.

I luckily had the high privilege to be a part of Hermanitas and support programs like EOPS, where I felt seen and included being surrounded by mentors that came from similar backgrounds from I, knowing that they were successful allowed me to set no boundaries on my success. Being presented with multiple options when it came to financial stability in college was additionally a helpful tool.

Learning about need based financial aid, scholarships and other resources made me realize that college was an option to anyone who wanted it, including myself. Mana De San Diego is one of the key reasons to why I am here today and I am on the verge of completing my first year as a college student aiming to become a registered nurse. This legislation to celebrate first generation students would be an amazing aid in keeping students striving for higher education.

Celebrating our wins and milestones motivates others in feeling included and representing amplifying the completion and college degrees among first generation students of all backgrounds. Thank you.

Thank you. Welcome.

I want to commend Yaritza, who I was recording for her communications class because she was able to get the Professor to count this as credit for her class. So I am Cristina Sanchez-Kerr and thank you Chairman Fong and the rest of the honorable Committee for having us here today. We are really grateful to Assemblymember Alvarez for his support our first generation college students and his recognition of the transformative power that becoming a first generation college student and graduate can have.

Mana De San Diego, who I am the Director of grants and research for, is a nearly 40 year old organization that is focused on empowering Latinas to achieve upward mobility and a better quality of life. And we know that a college degree is a critical tool in that search.

College graduates earn up to 80% more than high school graduates over their lifetime, and for the Latino community in particular, it is very pressing that those college attainment goals be supported because of us being a primarily low income population in various areas of California. And so for us, supporting college attendance is very important and recognizing the really arduous work that it takes to become not just a student, but, as Assemblymember Alvarez pointed out, a graduate of college.

We know that that transformational power can impact not just individuals but families and communities, because one of our early board members, maybe, sorry, Mary Casillas Salas, who was a former Assembly Member here, was also part of that journey. She became, as an adult, a first generation college graduate, leveraged that degree and her leadership experience within MANA to then go on to the Assembly, go on to become the first Latina mayor of Chula Vista, one of the first in our region.

And she has continued to get back to our community and support the hundreds of more first generation college students that have come behind her and who have received the support not only of MANA but of other great programs throughout the state. So we strongly support ACR 147. We urge your support as well, and we thank you for your time.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in the hearing room?

Kristal Padilla with the Community College League of California in support.

Good afternoon. Daniela Rodriguez with the California Student Aid Commission in support.

Anna Matthews with the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges in support.

Maria Pacheco, mayor for the City of Kerman and first generation in support.

Veronica Sandoval from Forza, first generation as well, in support.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room? Are there tweeners in a hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? Assemblymember Muratsuchi.

I'm proud to be a first generation college graduate and I make the motion for this measure.

Thank you so much colleagues, a motion a second. Any further questions or comments? Seeing none, Assemblymember Alvarez, would you like to close, please?

No, just thank you for the motion. We all come with different lived experiences to this body and it's just an honor to be able to highlight and uplift being a first generation, being the first and the only youngest of six in my family to go to college and hopefully, you know, be able to begin a new, a new tradition in our family of college-going and college success, just like Mana De San Diego does with so many young women in San Diego. But programs do throughout the state.

I think if we do a count of legislators, there are a lot of us who are here and we should celebrate that. And I ask you to support that by supporting ACR 147.

Thank you so much, Assemblymember Alvarez, for bringing this very important resolution forward. We know the power of promise to transform lives in our immigrant communities.

And celebrating first generation college students accomplishments with a designated day is one step that we can all take to help celebrate our first generation students, to make sure that they feel welcomed, seen and valued on our college campuses. With that, I look forward to supporting a measure here today. Madam Secretary, roll call please.

File item number 19, ACR 147. The motion is do pass to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

The measure has seven eyes. It's out. And we'll keep the roll open for additional Members out on. Thank you. Thank you so much. Next up, we'll have item number 10, Assembly Bill 2586 by Assemblymember Alvarez. Welcome.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and Members of the Committee. I mentioned in the previous item, we all come with lived experiences to this body. This bill also comes from a lived experience of myself and my family and many in my community.

AB 2586 is a reflection of my experience as a son of immigrant parents who came to this country undocumented, seeking really that American dream that so many seek and they are lucky enough to land in California and in San Diego. They sought those opportunities, worked very, very hard and to provide for us. My family has always been an inspiration to dream and achieve big. Personally, I know the struggles that many mixed-status families and noncitizens go through. It's not easy.

Even when people are working hard, as hard as they possibly can, it's still not easy. Historically, though, California has been deeply dedicated to rewarding that investment being made by individuals who work hard by investing in our higher education systems to improve student access, affordability, equity, and success. However, our state has yet to find a pathway to support all students and enable all students to secure employment once they are successful with their educational journey.

Thousands of students have placed their trust in California's promise to receive a better education to help them succeed and we have responded in kind with the programs to help them succeed. However, there is one group of students, undocumented students, who are unable to apply for jobs and other paid opportunities that are available to everybody else in their peer group, which significantly impacts their ability, those undocumented students ability, to make payments towards their cost of education, which includes housing and other basic needs, not to mention contributing to our economy as fully employed individuals who are prepared.

AB 2586, the opportunity for all, will provide equal access to campus employment opportunities for all students, regardless of their immigration status on the campus of the University of California, the California State University, and the California community colleges,.

California has passed laws advancing the rights of immigrants and their families, rightfully so, especially in spite of the lack of movement and action by our Federal Government. This includes providing identifications for undocumented Californians, allowing farm workers to vote in union elections, and expanding Medi Cal services to all those who need and qualify for those services. Our state has been the leader and the champion on these issues.

America has also promised them, our immigrants, that if they work hard, they will find opportunities. Many of these students that you will hear from today have been doing that and then have been meeting their end of the bargain by working really hard and completing their education. They are our future scientists, lawyers, teachers, doctors, accountants, public servants. The skills that California education system have invested in will be put to use.

We've invested in these students and we need to give them the opportunity to work and compete with everybody else to provide for their families and to participate in our economy. We are really privileged now to hear from two students who have been working on this long before I came here. We need to acknowledge the work that they have done that have led us to today. And you will be inspired as much as I am. I am sure.

From our two witnesses, we have Carolina Maya Rios and Fatima Zeferino. I'll turn it over to them.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Carolina Maya Rios and I've been undocumented for over 20 years. I am 23. I have been raised in the California education system and I am extremely grateful for the education I've received. But I'm here to urge you all to help me put it into practice. Even though I've been in the country since I was two years old, I've never qualified for DACA, never had the opportunity to have a dignified job.

I've hit the books day and night to make sure I could be admitted to the number one public university. For what? I was admitted to UCLA in 2018. Since then, I've been scrapping for money to sustain myself through this degree. I've applied to endless scholarships and fellowships and I've gotten them.

But when what I'm awarded with is a retraction of financial aid resources because I've met the cap or told you can participate for the experience, but we can't pay you, any desperate student will take it to make sure we are competitive for grad school, leaving me many times having to pair my experience with the underground economy to make ends meet and making me vulnerable to labor exploitation. I'm a graduate student at UCLA studying public policy. I'll be graduating this June.

All my friends right now are back home working on their master thesis due this Thursday. Instead, I'm out here fighting for the right to be given the opportunity to apply to a job on campus. Professor Wong, who will be testifying last, wants to hire me to help him write a book and help him teach his immigrant rights classes. This, to any other student would give them tuition, remission, and a dignified wage. But because of my immigration status, I am barred. It is not fair.

In front of you all, you have the power to advance the Opportunity for All act that would expand employment opportunities for undocumented students at the community college, CSU, and UC level. I hope I can count with your support to the advancement of higher education for all. Thank you.

Thank you. Welcome.

My name is Fatima Zeferino, and I'm an undocumented student at Cal State University, Long Beach. I am one of thousands of students that have been waiting for the DACA program to reopen for the past five years. I am a CSU student that has been advocating and organizing to push for the Opportunity for All campaign on campus since the release of its press conference back in fall 2022.

This fight began at the UC level, but we must expand this opportunity to the CSUs and community colleges because like every college student, we are investing in our education and sadly, unlike most students, undocumented students are not getting anything in return. We are gaslit and belittled into being grateful for the one to two opportunities and resources offered at our universities. We deserve more. Undocumented students throughout the CSU work so, so hard to get less than half of what other students get.

For example, at CSULB, I have applied to different positions ranging from internships, research assistant fellowships, and student assistants. When I apply to these roles, I do it with the hope that it will help me develop professionally, but more importantly, it would allow me to meet my basic needs in housing, food, and personal health expenses. Although I exceed expectations, am constantly praised for my accomplishments, and told my experiences and work ethic is desired, it's discouraging to get denied an opportunity because of my status.

I fear that all of you do not understand how disappointing and gut wrenching it feels to be denied my humanity and my right to access the same opportunities as my peers. We have been left for stranded in all aspects of our society, both economically and politically. This is why I stand before you all today. AB 2586 Opportunity for All must pass and must be implemented. With the passing of this bill, it would change the lives of undocumented students at UCs, CSUs, and community colleges by allowing us to fully access all the opportunities that come with an education.

There is no reason that as students, we have to struggle financially to earn a degree that will ultimately go back to our community. You as legislators, have the opportunity and ability to give justice to all undocumented students in California. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in a hearing room?

Hannah Devine on behalf of the Cal State Student Association, which represents the nearly half a million CSU students in the state, in strong support.

Leonela De La Cruz, Sacramento State and with the California Dream Network in strong support.

Lilian Juarez Armenta, Foothill College and UC Berkeley alumni, future law student in strong support.

Hello again. Maria Pacheco, mayor for the City of Kerman this is what it's all about, folks. I'm in strong support. Thank you.

Tiffany Mock on behalf of CFT, Union of Educators, and Classified Professionals in strong support.

Good afternoon. Oh, there's more witnesses.

My name is Randall Santiago. I'm the statewide organizer for the California Dream Network and I'm in strong support to give these students opportunity to have control over their lives. Thank you.

Veronica Sandoval, representing Fuerza, first generation as well, business owner. I'm strongly supporting you guys.

Leo Rodriguez, President of Ideas at UC Berkeley and former Commissioner to the California Student Aid Commission and DACA recipient who does not know how my future lies here in support.

Sandra Siguachi, undocumented student traveling from UC Santa Cruz, and I'm in support.

Candy Sanchez, undocumented student from UC Santa Cruz. I'm in support of 2586.

Juan Alvarez Ortiz, I am an undocumented student without DACA traveling from UC Santa Cruz, and I urge you to support AB 2586.

Leticia Reese, policy research Executive for ASUC, Senator Andrea Jimenez's office and I urge you to support AB 2586. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Alma Esperanza Villaloma. I'm a PhD student at UC Santa Cruz, and I urge you to pass 2586. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Esmeralda Martinez. I'm an undocumented student from UC Berkeley. I'm the Internet Affairs with Ideas and I urge you to support this bill.

Good afternoon, my name is Sharon. I am a senior at Cal Poly Pomona. I have been undocumented and without a path to citizenship since I first came to California when I was nine years old.

Throughout my years in school, I've had to turn down numerous professional opportunities, including two mechanical engineering internships off-campus and one on-campus position as a student assistant. AB 2586 would help me fill vacant job openings on my campus that I am qualified for. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Anna Marie Alfaro. I'm a student at UC Berkeley undocumented as well. I'm here with the undocumented student led network, and I urge you to support AB 2586. Thank you.

Hello. Hola, me llamo Juan Carlo Perez Hernandez. I'm here in strong support of AB 2586. I'm an undocumented student coming from UC Irvine. Traveled about 400 miles to be here, and I'm tired of the exploitation that all of our undocumented students go through on a day-to-day basis. And I strongly urge you to support AB 2586. Thank you.

Hi, all. My name is Fatima Mendoza. I'm a third year student at UC Irvine studying education sciences. I'm here today in strong support of bill AB 2586. I'm not here just to represent myself, but to represent other undocumented students who could not be here. You Assemblymembers of California have the collective responsibility to ensure that we have access to the opportunities to make sure to be vessels and ensure a better future is promised for tomorrow. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, everyone. Hello. My name is Monse Damian. I am a non DACA recipient. I come from UC Irvine, and I'm here in support of the bill AB 2586, Opportunity for All. I believe my community exceeds more than what an average civilian has asked for and is deserving of an opportunity to prosper in higher education.

Given that the schools already give us a limit when receiving tuition, this bill will compensate us and give us an equal playing field when applying for grad school or in my case, PA school. And just a note, just keep in mind we are the future and are deserving of this. And thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, I'm Maria Castillo, hola. I'm with the Undocumented Student Lab Network, but I'm also here as a previous undocumented and an ally. I strongly urge you all to support the bill that will give so many undocumented students across higher education the same level, equal opportunities in the system. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, Darby Kernan. On behalf of GRACE to End Child Poverty in California, in support. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Diane Ortiz. I'm an undocumented student from UC Berkeley, and I am in strong support of AB 2586.

Thank you.

Hello. My name is Maria Rojas and I'm a student at UC Berkeley, and I'm here to support this bill because I believe in equal opportunities for all students. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Nelson. I am a third-year student at UC Irvine and an ally of the Undocumented Student Network. Citizen or not, I believe in equal opportunity of employment for my peers and others.

Good afternoon. I am Miriam Tayes Ramirez from UC Berkeley and an imdocumented student on campus. And I support AB 2586. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good afternoon. I'm Jasmine. I'm from UC Irvine, fourth year undergraduate. I'm also undocumented, and I support AB 2586. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello. My name is Fran Esquar. I'm an Executive of the Latin American Society at UC Berkeley, and I'm an undocumented student. And I urge you to support AB 2586 so everybody in my community can get the opportunity as everybody.

Hi, my name is Luca Lozano. I come from UC Irvine, and I urge you guys to support this bill because us undocumented students are deserving of every right as well. Thank you.

Thank you.

Aliyah Sky on behalf of the UC Student Association, which represents over 230,000 UC undergraduates, in strong support.

Caroline Nguyen, also here with the UCSA and a UC Irvine alum in very strong support.

David Amir is also here with UCSA, a UCLA student and strong support.

My name is Fernando Lorenzana. I'm currently student at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and I support AB 2586, Opportunity for All.

Hi, my name is Anna Luna. I go to Bakersfield Community College, and I support this bill.

Hi, my name is Rosa Luna. I go to Bakersfield Community College and I support the bill.

Hello, my name is Cesar Salinas. I'm a second year mechanical engineer at San Diego State University, and I support this bill.

Hello. My name is Cecilia Patazar. I go to CSU Bakersfield, and I support this Bill.

Hello. My name is Natalia Medrano, and I go to Bakersfield College, and I support 2586 Opportunity for All.

Hello. My name is Asus Torres. I attend Bakersfield College, and I support AB 2586 bill.

My name is Alex Galindo. I attend Bakersfield College. I support opportunity for all.

Good afternoon, my name is Abraham Cruz. I'm an undocumented student from the UCLA campus, and I urge you all to support AB 2586 because all students, regardless of the immigration status, deserve the same opportunity. Thank you.

Good afternoon. My name is Gloria Vallon. I'm the Central Valley Organizer for the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights, CHIRLA. I'm also a CSU San Jose alumni, and I support opportunity for all.

Good afternoon Chair and Members, Cynthia Gomez of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights CHIRLA and on behalf of California Immigrant Policy Center in strong support.

Yvonne Fernandez, California Labor Federation, in support.

Christopher Sanchez with the Mesa Veda group representing cares in the Central American Resource Center of California, in strong support.

Hi, good afternoon. My name is Vanessa Cruz. I'm an undocumented student from UC Irvine, and I'm in support of AB 2586. Thank you.

My name is Betsayda Salvador, second-year undocumented student at UC Irvine, and I strongly urge you to support AB 2586.

Hi, everyone. My name is Katherine, and I am from the campus of UC Irvine, and I am also the Director of Marketing for students advocating for immigrants rights and equity. And I'm here to represent my fellow students and future undocumented students who are coming on campus. I strongly urge you to support AB 2586. Thank you.

Thank you. Apologize, but if everyone come in, if you could please state your name and position. Thank you.

Hi, everybody. I'm Carlos Castro Gomez, coming from UCI Sapphire, and I'm here in support of AB 2586. I strongly urge you to support it as well. Thank you.

Hello, everyone. My name is Jesus Lopez. I'm a UCI student. I strongly urge you to support AB 2586. Thank you.

Hi, everyone. My name is Aydei Saberes. I am a senior at UC Merced, and I strongly urge you to support AB 2586.

Thank you.

Hello. My name is Michelle Mocha Ramirez, a student from UC Merced, and I urge you to support AB 2586. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello. My name is Jenna Ramirez Del Rio. I'm an undocumented senior at UC Merced, and I'm in support of AB 2586 not only for myself, but future and current undocumented students. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello. My name is Prisa Jasung, and I am currently a third year public health major and an undocumented student at UC Merced, and I please urge you to support AB 2586. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, Eva Jimenez with the California Dream Network, a statewide program for undocumented students in strong support.

Hello, my name is Alejandra Nepita, and I am a student from UC Merced, and I strongly urge you to support AB 2586.

Hello, my name is Sylvia. I'm an undocumented student at UC Davis, and I'm tired of seeing our undocumented students being separate and unequal when we had all been selected by these universities and have been able to get there. And I really hope that you all support AB 2586.

Hello, my name is Fatima. I'm with Undocumented Student-led Network and student at UC Davis, and I am urging you to pass 2586 because it is unfair that we are getting admitted into these campuses only to find ourselves struggling financially, mentally, and emotionally. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello. My name is Andrea, and I'm here with UC Davis with the Undocumented Student-led Network. I am also undocumented, and I'm here asking you all for a basic human right, not for a handout. Thank you. I'm in support of AB 2586 as well.

Thank you.

Hi, everyone. My name is Vidiana Hernandez. I am an undergraduate student from UC Merced, and I am also here with the Undocumented Student-led Network, and I urge you to support AB 2586. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, everyone. My name is Natalia Soto Azevedo. I am with the Student-led Network as well, and I am here to support AB 2586 and I am here to be the face of a bill. I want you to remember my face and my people's stories when you're passing the bill, because we want to make it humane and give it that life that it deserves. Thank you.

Thank you.

Alicia Benavidez, on behalf of ACLU Cal Action in support.

My name is Juana Lupe Barron. I am from Bakersfield College. I'm here in support of AB 2586.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in opposition in a hearing room? Are there tweeners in a hearing room?

Good afternoon, Chair, Members of the Committee, Mario Guerrero, on behalf of the University of California, we do not have a position on this bill, but we thought it was important to be here today. There is. We absolutely support the intent of the bill and the intent of all of these young advocates. I'm inspired. I hope you are, too.

That being said, we have concerns in regards to implementation, and we shared those through a letter to the Committee. And it's important to note those. First, we are concerned about the exposure of undocumented students and their families to the possibility of criminal prosecution and deportation should we implement this bill.

The possibility of employees that are involved in the hiring process, whether that's our faculty, human resources, legal professionals being subject to criminal and civil prosecution if they were not knowingly participate in practices deemed impermissible under federal law. Criminal fines, criminal penalties, and debarment from federal contracting if the university is in violation of the Immigration Reform and Control Act, and the potential of loss of billions of dollars in existing federal contracts and grants are conditional on following the IRCA. We welcome working with the author.

Opportunities to work with the author with the Committee to try to find alternatives. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much. Professor Wong, did you want to make a quick comment?

Kent Wong with the UCLA Labor Center, and I'm joined today by my colleague from the UCLA Law School, Ahilan Arulanantham, who is the Director of the Center for Immigration and Law Policy at UCLA. I have been teaching at UCLA for the past 33 years.

The finest students in my career have been undocumented immigrant students who, against all odds, have succeeded and are graduating from community colleges, Cal State University campuses, and the University of California. And yet, indeed, there is an unequal treatment of our undocumented students in higher education, even though they have done everything that we have asked them to do.

They have worked hard, they have studied hard, they have gotten into the finest colleges and universities in the country, and yet we are penalizing them unjustly because of something that they have absolutely no control over, and that is their immigration status and where they were born.

Our colleague Ahilan can lay out very clear legal theory, which is at the foundation of this argument, that indeed the states of the United States were never mandated to enforce employer sanctions, and that it is the right of the University of California, the California State University, and the community colleges to employ our students today.

The California State Legislature has played a historic and critical role in advancing the rights of undocumented immigrant students with AB 540, with the California Dream Act, with the passage of driver's licenses and healthcare access. And so we really encourage Members of this Committee and the Assembly and Senate to follow that proud tradition in advocating for standing up for critical future leaders within our society. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much, colleagues. Any questions or comments? We have a motion by Doctor Arambula. Do we have second? Seconded by Assemblymember Boerner. Okay, we have a question by Assemblymember Boerner, followed by Assemblymember Muratsuchi.

It's not so much a question as comment. When the author and I were talking about this bill yesterday, I asked him, because I lived abroad for 12 years and studied in Germany, and my ex-husband has a green card. And so I asked him, well, all of our international students, when they come here, they get to work on campus, right? And so we're admitting them to campus. And so why would we treat our undocumented students in any ways differently?

And so what I believe the author came back to me and said, anybody with an F1 or an M1 visa can work on campus. So all we're doing is saying, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. And so with that, I second the motion and support the bill.

Thank you, Assemblymember Boerner. Assemblymember Muratsuchi.

Thank you very much. Thank you. I support undocumented students, and I will support this measure. Having said that, I do have some questions as a lawyer. First of all, there clearly seems to be differences in legal opinion in terms of what, if any, legal consequences or liability there are, whether for the students or for the University and its employees.

I am reading the summary of the memorandum produced by the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy, where they arrive at the conclusion that the ERCA prohibition on hiring undocumented persons does not bind state government entities. But it appears that the attorneys advising the University of California regents, if not, are arriving at a different conclusion, or at least raising different issues.

My first question is, it's my understanding that this bill is prohibiting the University of California from disqualifying a student from being hired for employment because of their immigration status. It's also my understanding that the University of California is, by state constitution, a independent entity beyond the jurisdiction of this Legislature. Any thoughts on that?

Thank you. Ahilan Arulanantham. I'm a Professor from practice at UCLA Law School and the Faculty co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy.

To answer your specific question, we think it may be true that the University of California, in this matter, which is an employment matter, may actually be subject directly to the jurisdiction of the Assembly. And that's why, at our suggestion, I believe Alvarez has written the bill in such a way that it imposes the mandate on the UC and then says, but if it is found not to be a mandate, then it is a recommendation or a suggestion to the UC.

That is a way that a number of other bills, AB 540 or another bill that provides opportunities for undocumented students functions. It's only a recommendation to the UC, but they still follow it. Of course, the bill would still have a direct effect then on the California State and community college systems. To address the other what you mentioned, we spent a year deeply researching the legal question underneath this, we published our legal research at the start of the campaign in October of 2022.

The dean of the law school of University at Berkeley, Urban Chevrinsky, the dean of the law school of Davis, Kevin Johnson, were among 29 scholars. The most knowledgeable people in the fields of constitutional immigration law and federalism, endorsed the memo and said they believed that it was correct, as you say. Obviously, if the UC entirely believed that, maybe they would have done it already. So perhaps there's obviously some amount of disagreement there.

I would just say that I really respectfully, but strongly disagree with their account of the risks at issue in here. If the State of California passes a law that endorses this legal theory and asks or mandates the state universities to follow it, the Federal Government will not then be able to prosecute individual employees of those state universities for following state law.

And what they might be able to do is bring a lawsuit that challenged the interpretation and tried to argue that the law was wrong or that it was preempted or something like that, the only risk of that would just be the lawsuit itself. Now, if they lost the lawsuit, if the universities lost that lawsuit and they still kept trying to hire people, of course that would present a different question.

But the risk that people would actually be criminally prosecuted for following state law is, in my view, vanishingly small. And we're not aware of any example where people have been criminally prosecuted by the Federal Government for following a law that they were required to follow as a matter of the state.

As far as the risk to the students go, it's not any different than the risk to anybody who signs up for DACA, anybody who gets a driver's license that has a special mark on it so that you. That you can tell if the person, you know, what document they used to get it, or any number of other things where undocumented people have to take a risk. These are not children. As you've seen.

They have lived with their whole life undocumented, and they can choose to make that decision for themselves. And finally, as to the concern about federal grants, that, too, we think is not justified. It was actually tried by the Trump Administration. The Trump Administration tried to take away a huge amount of the State of California's law enforcement funding, and that was litigated, and they lost. And California was able to preserve that funding when the California Values Act passed. And in our view, the issues here are quite similar to the issues there.

I'm interested in your argument that if the state Legislature passes a law that individuals should be protected from criminal liability, if they recently relied on a state law, would that also extend to potential civil liability for any of our public higher education segments?

Yeah, we believe so. Fines, both criminal and civil, can only be imposed when there's been adequate notice that the law is clear, that the conduct is prohibited.

And what our memo shows, and the fact that, as I said, 29 of the most prominent scholars in this field have shown, at the very least, I think we've shown that we have the best reading of the law. And if you read it, it sounds like, you know, that would be able to do that. You can see for yourself. It is a very good argument.

The law says no person or other entity can hire an undocumented person, and then it says entity includes any branch of the Federal Government, and it nowhere says the states. And if you look at the Title VII Fair Labor Standards Act, family medical leave law after law, when they want to cover states, they say states or political subdivisions or something like that.

So we think that law, that is a very good argument, but at the very least, it surely suggests that the law is not clearly enough binding on states, that you can actually fine people for it until a court has addressed the question. Now, if a court addresses the question and comes out against, then it's a different story. But yes, the vagueness constraint applies to both civil and criminal sanctions, and therefore, we think would protect from civil liability as well as criminal liability.

I appreciate the, the deliberations conducted, being conducted by the regents of the University of California, and also the concerns raised by our other public higher education segments. But needless to say, we are not in a court of law. We are a political body here, and I will be strongly in support of this measure. Thank you.

Thank you so much Assemblymember Muratsuchi. Any further questions or comments from colleagues? Seeing none, Assemblymember, would you like to close please?

I actually would, and typically, I know the closing comments from authors are very short. I'm really glad that the list of speakers was as long as it was, although you had to listen to a lot of speakers, I was really overwhelmed with emotion with the stories and the testimonies. I hope that you had at least a little bit of the same feeling.

It certainly is courageous and inspiring and hopeful that young people can have the strength to come forward in such a public way and acknowledge something that makes them so vulnerable. And that's what this bill is about. It's about individuals who are at the same time vulnerable in the law but so strong in who they are, and they're standing up for so many, literally hundreds of thousands of young people in this state to attempt to do the right thing.

No one in this case is asking for any kind of a handout or a leg up on anybody else. These are students who are working really, really hard, who are demonstrating that they are willing to put in the effort to then compete for those jobs that are available. I would also just like to at this moment, thank the scholars I have.

When I read the 27 pages of this legal memorandum that the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA put out, it was like the best message delivered, that there was some hope for those who are, some still my family members who would either, who are still undocumented, certainly my neighbors, people who I go to church with, many of the families that I represent that are looking to participate in our economy, they're looking to do this the right way. Our Federal Government has failed.

It has failed miserably. I wish they could spend a minute listening to this testimony about how strong our future is if we did the right thing for these individuals. And for that reason, I am incredibly honored to be able to continue the work that's been started before me to present this as the author of this bill. And I'd ask you for your support in an aye vote.

Thank you so much, Assemblymember Alvarezs, for bringing this very important measure forward, to really look at how we continue to expand opportunities for undocumented students in employment. And thank you for your leadership and efforts around this issue. We know the core issue has been brought up here is a question of federal preemption regarding IRCA, but we know that every day that we don't take some meaningful action, the students pay the price. Even our leadership requires making hard choices.

And I firmly believe that our Legislature should continue to lead on this issue. The more that we continue to push our partners here today, we'll continue to push the Executive and Federal Government to make sure that we come together to explore solutions and really appreciate all the testimony from all the speakers here today. Thank you for making the trip near and far and providing your powerful testimony here today to expand opportunities for undocumented students in California's higher education system and employment.

With that, I support the do pass recommendation. And if it's okay with the author, I'd like to be added as a co-author. And with that, Madam Secretary, roll call please.

File item number 10. AB 2586. The motion is do pass to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

That measure has seven ayes, one no. And we'll keep the roll open for additional Members to add on. That measure is out. Thank you. Thank you for our Members for being patient. Next up is Item number 4 by Assemblymember Chris Ward. Welcome.

Not going to steal that credit. Previous Bill deserved its applause. Thank you. According to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, only 46% of faculty and 53% of staff can afford a home in our state.

This lack of access to affordable housing has increased the difficulty of recruiting and retaining diverse, quality staff. Current data shows over 9000 of our current CSU faculty and staff would be eligible to live within the prospective housing built with some of these tax credits that are before us in EV 2005.

As we all know, staff and faculty are the backbone of our University system, and we must continue to protect the diversity and quality of our education system, not only for our staff, but for our students by ensuring that they are taught by staff and faculty to represent their own backgrounds. This Bill allows the CSU to utilize the low-income housing tax credit to create more affordable housing for our amazing CSU faculty and staff.

Through previous legislation, you all probably remember, California has provided access to the low-income housing tax credit for California community colleges and our K-12 systems. Given the rising cost of housing that we've seen in California over the last few years, AB 2005 would protect these Members of our CSU faculty body and strengthen our University's ability to provide them with adequate housing.

For witnesses, I have in support Agnes Wong Nickerson, the VP for Business and Financial Affairs and CFO for San Diego State University, as well as Adriana Gómez from the California State University Office of the Chancellor here to support with technical questions. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Okay. Good afternoon, Chair Fong and Committee Members. My name is Agnes Wong Nickerson, Vice President and CFO at San Diego State University. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on AB 2005, a Bill that will play a critical role in helping the CSU address the housing needs for our 53,000 members of our faculty and staff. US News and World Report recently listed San Diego as the most expensive place to live in the US.

The average rent of a two bedroom apartment is at $2,855 per month in San Diego. In comparison, the national average monthly rent of a two bedroom apartment is just a little bit over $1,300. The lack of affordable housing options near campus not only strain the finances of faculty and staff, but also contribute to longer commutes, increased traffic congestions, and ultimately a lower quality of life.

As a system, we also risk losing talented individuals to other states and industries, potentially undermining the academic excellence and innovative research capabilities of our 23 universities. This Bill seeks to help address these challenges by extending to the CSU the same ability to compete for low-income housing tax credits as K-12 and community colleges. It also allows the CSU to prioritize occupancy of the affordable rental units through to faculty and staff when built on university-owned land.

This measure will have the impact of opening up land on CSU-owned property for housing development. In effect, AB 2005 empowers CSU to take proactive steps to build on our efforts to provide affordable housing options to our faculty and staff, aligning with our commitment to foster stable, supportive and inclusive work environment.

On behalf of the SDSU and the 22 other campuses in our system, I respectfully urge you to support this Bill, recognizing the profound impact this availability of affordable housing will have on the vitality and success of our dedicated employees. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Good afternoon, Chair and Members, Adriana Gómez with the Office of the Chancellor in support and here to support with any technical questions. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses and support in the hearing room?

Daniel Pearl, on behalf of the American Federation of State County Municipal Employees and strong support.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in opposition in a hearing room? Are there tweeners in a hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? Assemblymember Boerner

I think this is a wonderful Bill, and it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions if they're living on campus. So that's wonderful. And I'd like to be added as a co author.

Thank you, Miss Boerner. Colleagues, any additional comments or questions, CNN or somewhere we'd like to close, please

Respectfully request your aye vote.

Thank you so much, Assembly Ward, for bringing the very important measure forward. I believe the state needs to be as innovative as possible in addressing our ongoing housing crisis. By establishing the CSU faculty and Employee Housing act, this Bill will allow a process to begin leading to additional housing opportunities for our CSU faculty and staff. Bring parity to that of our community colleges and staff. With that, I look forward to supporting the Bill here today. Madam Secretary, roll call.

[Roll Call]

That measure has five ayes, one no. We'll keep the roll open for additional Members to add on. Thank you so much. Thank you. Next up, I'd like to welcome Assembly Member Addis. Thank you so much for your patience. Item Number Two: Assembly Bill 1905 by Assembly Member Dawn Addis. Welcome.

Well, thank you, Chair, staff, and especially our advocates, and especially my witness Terry, who's here today. We just had the opportunity for a very lengthy conversation during one of your last presentations. We were out in the hall, and I was privy to hear his entire story, and I would say this is probably one of the most important things that I've done today is to come present to this Committee.

So today I'm here to present AB 1905, the Retreat Rights Reform Act, which is a part of the Call to Action bill package to address sex discrimination and sexual harassment in higher education. And as a teacher, I know firsthand that our school systems and their leaders must provide safe and affirming educational environments.

And unfortunately, I can say with surety today that California's higher education system has absolutely not only failed to protect its campus communities, but has actually rewarded perpetrators of sexual harassment and more. I'm authoring 1905, the Retreat Rights Reform Act, because the time is now to end this madness.

The truth is that perpetrators of sexual harassment and more who hold high levels in California's higher education system have long been rewarded with the right to retreat to teaching jobs where they can continue--and do continue--to victimize students, faculty, and staff, and/or receive letters of recommendation that do promote their private sector careers. These rewards displayed deliberate indifference by our higher education campuses and, frankly, are a slap in the face to survivors.

The solution is AB 1905, and with this bill, we can make urgently needed change. Under 1905, those with substantiated claims of sexual harassment will now be ineligible for retreat rates and ineligible for letters of recommendation. It's well past time for us to create justice for survivors, for us to restore faith in our institutions, and for us to prevent further abuse. And so, joining me to testify today in support is Terry Wilson from the California State University Employees Union.

Welcome.

Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of AB 1905 today. I would also like to thank the Committee for your work on the Call to Action bill package and the Assembly Member Addis for authorizing this important bill. My name is Terry Wilson. I'm the Vice President for Finance for the California State Union. Employees Union represents 36,000 non-faculty staff, student assistants at the CSU.

In addition to my role with CSUEU, I have worked at Fresno State since 2007, and I have personal experience with the Title IX system there. I was a Student Affairs Analyst in Fresno State and had a supervisor who began harassing me my very first week on the job. He made inappropriate comments towards me, bullied, threatened me, both physically and verbally. Despite my continuous reports about his behavior, he was never formally investigated, and I eventually had to accept that the motion just to escape his abuse.

The CSU's failure to address my supervisor's behavior derailed my career at Fresno State. He eventually resigned after his behavior was publicized, but even then, he received a hefty settlement: full retirement benefits, a letter of recommendation to help him find another job outside of the CSU. A system that allows sexual misconduct to be ignored while abusers are rewarded is a broken one, and this measure will help correct a power imbalance that has left students, faculty, and employees like myself feeling unsafe and unsupported at campuses.

While recent reporting has highlighted the failings of Title IX systems, specifically at the CSU, AB 1905 provides us with an opportunity to prevent the same systemic failings from occurring across our UC and community college campuses as well. Everyone who steps foot onto a state campus deserves to live, work, and learn in a safe environment, and we believe this bill is an important step to achieving that. For your reason, we respectfully request an aye vote. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in the hearing room?

Hannah Devine, on behalf of the Cal State Student Association, in strong support.

Thank you. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room? Are there tweeners in the hearing room?

Mario Guerrero, on behalf of the University of California. Chair, Members of the Committee, I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank the Committee staff with working with us to address implementation issues. Thank you.

Thank you. Colleagues, any questions or comments? Motion and a second. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, Assembly Member, would you like to close?

I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you so much, Assembly Member Addis, for bringing this very important key measure forward. You said it best during the press conference, during our Call to Action bill package. Having those who have committed sexual harassment receive benefits such as letters of recommendation, retreat rights, and monetary settlements is a slap in the face to our victims and our campus communities. I'd like to be added as a co-author on this bill, and I look forward to supporting the measure here today. With that, Madam Secretary, roll call, please.

File Item Number Two: AB 1905: the motion is 'do pass to the Public Employment and Retirement Committee. [Roll Call].

Thank you so much. Colleagues, that measure has eight ayes, and it's out, and we'll keep the roll open for additional Members to add on. Thank you, Assembly Member Addis.

Thank you.

Thank you. Colleagues, I will be presenting a bill on the Committee right now, so I'm gonna pass it to Vice Chair Ta. Thank you, Vice Chair. I'll be back in five minutes. Thank you.

All right, so right now we have the view in front of us AB 1929.

Hello, chair and Members of the Committee, I'm here to present AB 1929. Currently, there exists a concerning underrepresentation of descendants of enslaved people within STEM fields and associated career technical education programs, both at the high school and college levels. Regrettably, existing legislation fails to adequately address this disparity, which perpetuates a systemic racial inequalities within STEM industry. AB 1929 seeks to address this critical issue by initiating the collection of data on career technical education programs.

Specifically, it aims to access the enrollment of descendants of slaves in these programs and analyze the outcomes of descendants of us slave participants. AB 1929 aims to rectify the racial disparity that plagues STEM fields and their related educational pathways. It is important to recognize that Ada 1929 is not an isolated effort, but rather an integral part of the legislative Black Caucus 2024 reparation package. Thank you.

I really want to thank Arthur for introducing this Bill. I think that's really helpful for all the students and all of us understand that technical education is really important for all of us. So is there any witness in the room that who would like to speak in support?

Thank you. Vice Chair Members Austin Webster with w strategies. On behalf of the California Community Colleges Association for Occupational Education, CCCA. We represent all of the workforce, instructors, and administrators throughout the community college system. With the Committee amendments, which I understand the Member is taking, we are moving to a position of support. Thank you.

Thank you.

Erin Taylor. On behalf of the California Dental Association and strong support.

Good afternoon, chairing Members Angelina Gutierrez. On behalf of the Los Angeles County Office of Education in Support,

Anyone here who would like to speak in opposition. Are there any tweeners in the room? Thank you so much. Now the author can close.

I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Committee Member. So, may I have motion? Second. zero, without a motion, Madam Secretary, can you do roll call?

[Roll Call]

We have six I and we keep a row open. Thank you so much. Okay, Lisa, are you here to support?

Mel has to go for the California African American Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Sacramento Urban League. The strong support.

I really appreciate that.

Thank you.

So is that the last Bille? All right, so we have the item. Item number seven, AB 2395.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. Today I'm presenting Assembly Bill 2395. This bill provides the California State University system increase flexibility for how it can use continuing education funds. California has the privilege of being home to the nation's largest and most diverse four year public university system. The CSU operates 23 universities, seven off-campus centers, and serves nearly 460,000 students each year.

In 1971, the Legislature established the Continuing Education Reserve Fund to help adult learners meet workforce needs not met by traditional state supported offerings. Over the years, these self support programs, funded by revenues deposited in the Continuing Education Revenue Fund, have expanded. They now include degree and non degree programs, certificates, credentials, and other innovative workforce related professional development opportunities. Unlike the University of California system, revenues deposited in the CSU's Continuing Education Fund are constrained by dated requirements to narrow purposes.

Technological advancements and higher education strategies have changed since the early 1970s, and existing law prevents these funds from being utilized for broader campus and academic uses that support workforce preparation. During the challenges of this budget year, it is important to note that additional funds are not being required or requested from the CSU in this bill.

Rather, my bill would provide increased fiscal flexibility for the CSU to use Continuing Education Reserve Fund more effectively so it can better serve the students and deliver on its education, educational and institutional mission. With me today to provide testimony and answer any questions the Committee may have is the bill sponsor, the CSU Office of the Chancellor and the representative CSU Long Beach, President Jane Conoley and Dr. Mandara Savage, Assistant Chancellor of Professional and Continuing Education program.

Thank you. Good afternoon, Chair and Members. I'm Jane Conoley, President of California State University, Long Beach, and I serve as Chair of our CSU Commission on Professional and Continuing Education, or, as we call it, PaCE. Many adults are going back to school seeking a certificate or credential so they can remain in, progress in or re-enter the workforce. Industries are eager to partner with the CSU to tell us what skills, dispositions and knowledge are vital in their industry sectors.

The CSU enables continuous education by building on the unique aspects of our universities and embraces our dual mission, serving our degree seekers along with career and lifelong learners. The current realities of work and the future of work demand continuous upskilling and reskilling, and we see this demand in survey data from our alumni base. It's critical for us to consider the importance of a completed degree or additional credentials for career advancement.

We see the student population changing. While we continue to expand access to traditional age students, we see increasing demand among adult learners needing to complete degrees and that population is now 6.6 million Californians. They also need to gain new skills as they navigate an ever changing and increasingly complex job market. Degree completion programs and other post-secondary credentials are more necessary than ever to address state workforce needs.

Our educational programs need to meet learners where they are and this means we need more online hybrid programs for workforce that needs flexibility to remain their work life balance. PaCE provides us with this flexibility. Speaking of CSU Long Beach, we hold true to our purpose to support the needs of all learners in our region, particularly as our enrollment growth occurs via mid career and lifelong learners.

The flexibility this bill provides will allow us to increase access to more work for all our faculty as we open more funding access for our faculty to design new, relevant, in-demand programs and adapt them to the ever changing nature of work and the job market to ensure a seamless and supportive beach experience for all learners, no matter where they are.

With increased financial flexibility, we are planning on integrating currently duplicated student services, including strategic enrollment management planning, integrated enrollment services including outreach, recruitment and admissions, academic and career advising, and the basic needs of many of our students. A great example of how this bill is working at the beach will help us grow our impact in the region starts with the global logistics and supply chain industry.

Partnerships among CSULB, Long Beach City College, Long Beach Unified School District, and the Port of Long Beach and other industry partners have created a talent pipeline that opens access to careers in logistics. Early access to career exploration in high school brings these partners together to introduce youth to opportunities in the logistics industry, and they often matriculate to Long Beach City College and then transfer to CSULB where they directly matriculate to CSULB.

Many of these students enter the local workforce and ensure we we retain talent in our region and serve the needs of an industry undergoing continuous change via automation and the sustainability goals of the state. The flexibility in fund use will make it easier for us to expand talent pipelines like this, include more of our faculty in the program's growth and continuous improvement, and ensure that positive outcomes increase the ability of CSULB to respond rapidly to the needs of our community and industry partners.

I'll now turn this over to Associate Vice Chancellor Mandara Savage to discuss a system wide perspective.

Thank you. Good afternoon. I am Mandara Savage, the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Professional Continuing Education. In my role, I provide system level leadership and overarching vision and strategy. The current code restricts the use of continuing education funds solely to activities directly linked with self support instructional programs. However, academic units, despite benefiting from revenue shares, are constrained by expenditure limits and cannot allocate resources to support broader academic operations, such as student services and academic support. This limitation has hindered the development and launch of new programs.

PaCE mission is to meet students where they are, underscores its commitment to designing inclusive programs that cater to individuals seeking alternative routes to higher education. There is increasing competition to serve California's educational needs with the emergence of out of state entities who are aggressively marketing their programs in California. Expanding and developing degree and certificate programs through PaCE, with a focus on programs that meet students where they are, is essential. The past three years has evidenced major shifts in business, industry, and education.

The rapid social, economic, and political changes resulting from technological shifts in everyday lives also opens vast new opportunities and the likelihood of major disruptions across multiple professions and jobs. These changes will cause many Californians to seek new skills, obtain a new certificate or credential so they can remain in or re-enter the workforce. For us to be more successful in educating Californians, we must analyze our own processes to be sure we are as efficient as possible.

In conclusion, PaCE represents a vital component of California's educational ecosystem, providing lifelong learning experiences that promote economy, economic prosperity, and personal growth. By leveraging PaCE strength, the CSU system can continue to serve as a pillar of educational excellence and workforce readiness. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in the hearing room? Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room? Are there 'tweeners in the hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? We have a motion and a second. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, Assemblymember would you like to close, please?

Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you so much Assemblymember Quirk-Silva, for bringing this very important measure today. As pointed out by the CSU, this measure does not seek any additional funds. It only seeks flexibility with existing CSU funds, which has the potential to enable the CSU to be more creative and innovate education in more flexible ways that we just heard from our witnesses.

I believe this will assist in an ever growing, diverse student body when it has many more unique needs than what has been a traditional four-year-degree-seeking student. With that, look forward to supporting measure here today. Madam Secretary, roll call please.

File item number seven, AB 2395. The motion is due passed to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll call]

That measures eight ayes and we'll keep the roll open for additional Members to add on. Thank you, Assemblymember.

Thank you, Members.

Thank you. And last but not least, we'd like to welcome Assembly Member Mr. Garcia presenting Item Number 16: Assembly Bill 2852. Thank you so much for your patience.

All right. Thank you, Mr. Chair and colleagues. I was getting some telepathic signals from Dr. Jackson to be short. I got it, I got it.

Take your time, sir. Thank you.

AB 2852 would require the community colleges, the CSU, and the UCs to enter into a memorandum of understanding with designated institutions in Mexico that would create the Higher Education Development and Academic Exchange Program, and promote a one-to-one exchange of California and Mexico students without out-of-state tuition charged by exchanging institutions. Now, these programs exist, but not in a formalized, institutionalized way in the State of California.

And what we're trying to accomplish here is to ensure that we are tying our programs with the goals and objectives that are tied to our economic development activities between Mexico and California. And as you all know, and you'll hear from our witnesses, California and Mexico's economic ties are extremely important and are strongest when it comes to our economy.

So with that, my time will be deferred to our witnesses. Respectfully ask for your aye vote, and thank you for working with us, and I know that we will continue to be working on some amendments to continue to massage the bill and hopefully send this to the Governor's desk. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you very much. I am Professor Armando Vazquez-Ramos. I am retired from Cal State Long Beach, and also the founder of the California-Mexico Studies Center. 30 years ago, I worked in the Chancellor's Office in international programs, and since then, I have led almost 50 study abroad programs to Mexico, Central and South America.

But most important, during the last ten years, I have coordinated through the CMSE 25 study abroad programs for Dreamers that have given over 800 DACA recipients the opportunity to return to their birthplace, reconnect with their families, discover and study in Mexico as adults, and upon reentering the U.S., eliminate the prior unlawful entry when they were brought undocumented as minors.

But perhaps the most life-changing benefit of the program is the opportunity they have to adjust their legal status upon reentering through marriage with a U.S. citizen, and upon reentering the U.S. Advance Parole provided by DACA. Since the Trump Administration refused to authorize any Advance Parole permits four years ago, the CMSE secured approval in the summer of 2021 of 215 Dreamers in six programs, and since then, we published an anthology with 38 of the selected essays that we publish.

This is an award-winning book, first place in best college theme and second place in best cover design. However, I am proud to report to you that we boast a perfect record of 100 percent lawful return and no Covid casualties. This was the greatest challenge that we had because in 2021, as you remember, all study abroad programs were shuttered.

And of course, with this background and having worked with the international programs for more than three decades, we approach the Honorable Eduardo Garcia to propose 2852. With his leadership and knowledge on the great importance of his topic as Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on California-Mexico Financial Affairs, he has responded with AB 2852 as a comprehensive bill that envisions a policy agenda beyond the immediate financial and political pressures.

I ask for your support because this bill reflects the long-term need to invest in the development of higher education policies and programs between California as the fifth economy of the world and its number one business partner, Mexico, that is also the twelfth economy of the world in order for California and Mexico as a mega region to remain competitive and the most productive economy in the world. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Welcome. Thank you. Good afternoon, Honorable Chairman Mike Fong and the Committee Members. My name is Sylvia Flores. I'm currently the CEO of Manos Accelerator, based in Silicon Valley. In 2012, Google for Entrepreneurs made Manos Accelerator a partner. That partnership funded our program and helped us be one of the only accelerators in the world to be solely focused on startups led by Latino and Latino founders in the U.S. and Latin America.

We know firsthand about how academic exchange programs have made an impact for students from Mexico and the U.S. For the past five years, we have been offering a university immersion program that brings together students for a week of transformation learning--a deep understanding through interactive seminars, company visits, networking events, educational tours--that give access to the unique and vital ecosystem of Silicon Valley.

The purpose of this immersion program is to learn how to innovate in Silicon Valley Way, educate them about disruptive forces and competitive landscapes, and empower them to be catalysts for change, experience for startups culture and the most successful companies in the world by meeting face-to-face with Silicon Valley high tech executives, inventors, investors, Stanford and University UC Berkeley professors. The cost of the program is approximately 6,500 dollars per student. This program is offered to private universities where the parents pay for the program.

The public universities don't offer the this program because of students--because the students don't have the economic resource, and establishing a government funding exchange program can have economic benefits for both countries. It would be a crucial role in promoting mutual understanding, cooperation, prosperity between Mexico and the U.S. By investing in education exchanges, both countries can reap the benefit of more Internet and globally engaged society, especially now with the transformation Mexico is going through with the nearshoring opportunities.

Mexico surpassed China to become the biggest exporter of goods to the U.S. in 2023. I urge you to give your full support to Bill AB 2852 to help pave the way for a more exclusive and prosperous future for all Californians. Together, we could build a thriving innovation ecosystem that reflects the diversity and richness of our state. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in the hearing room?

Anna Matthews with the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, in strong support. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room? Are there tweeners in the hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? I'm sorry, go ahead.

No worries. Kristal Padilla with the Community College League of California. We have a support if amended position. We are supportive of the program and our understanding is that it's not the author's intention to use Prop 98 funds, but we respectfully ask that there's a clarifying amendment to state that. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Colleagues, any questions or comments? Assembly Member Muratsuchi.

Thank you. Professor, good to see you again.

Very good to see you.

The last time we met in Torrence, my suggestion was to approach the Latino Caucus and to find a strong champion for your goal, and so you've clearly found out with Assembly Member Garcia. I would like to ask a question. I'm strongly supportive of this measure, but I have a question. It says that 400 students--from the Committee analysis--400 students who attend a university of Mexico, to attend a campus of the UC, CSU, or community college each year.

I know that we had earlier, well, we had a, we've had discussions and especially in the Budget Subcommittees about our effort to enroll more California residents, regardless of their national origin, to give preference to California residents, and so I wanted to see, is this--how this would impact, if have any impact, if any, in terms of our objectives to enroll more California residents?

We don't see this interfering with those objectives, right? We understand that there already exists exchange programs throughout the different universities. What doesn't exist is a formalized and institutionalized program where the State of California is contributing to the effort.

I will also like to note that we are working very closely with our counterparts in Mexico, with the state and federal legislatures, who also are taking up the same proposal and, of course, their version of policy and also initiating what is a budget request on their end to be able to help facilitate what would be the one-for-one exchange to make it possible for students from California to attend the universities of choice that would be part of the program over in Mexico.

And so we're asking that they do their part as we're asking this Legislature in the State of California to formalize this exchange program. So we don't see there being an impact on enrollment of California natives, given that we already know and see that there is an exchange program that exists. It just isn't a formalized and a program that the State of California contributes to to be able to foster this type of exchange.

So the intent is to expand and formalize an exchange program and not have an impact on, like, first-year university admissions?

That is correct. And, you know, for most of these exchange programs, we don't see them being first-year students, right? Many times these exchange programs are students in their later years. And look, what we're trying to really forge is a stronger relationship between our partners and the universities in Mexico, right?

The very popular exchange programs that exist at our universities for students happen to be the travel abroad programs in Europe, and we often hear students and we've heard firsthand, you know, we went to Spain to learn Spanish for a semester, for the year, and what a great time we had.

And these are students and young people of Mexican descent with strong heritage and cultural roots right down the street in, you know, Baja California or further south in Mexico, who could have had a very eye-opening exchange experience, educational experience that could have again connected them not only to their history of their roots, but also potentially forge a stronger tie to the economic ties that the state and the country of Mexico have.

And that's what we're trying to really foster by having the State of California be more engaged in the formalization of these programs. So long answer, but we are not trying to interfere with what is a golden objective of making sure that native California students have a seat in our UCs and Cal States.

Thank you.

Thank you. We have a motion and a second. Thank you so much, colleagues. Any further questions or comments? Seeing none, Assembly Member, would you like to close, please?

Thank you for your attention on the matter. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you so much, Assembly Member Garcia, for bringing this very important measure forward, and thank you for working with my Committee staff and pertinent stakeholder groups in order to address the questions raised on page four of the analysis, and thank you for your leadership and efforts on the California and Mexico Binational Affairs Committee. We met Professor Fernando just maybe a few months ago here next door in one of the rooms.

And not only does this bill align to discussions held by the Select Committee on increasing partnerships with California-Mexico, but also creates opportunities for our students to participate in a robust exchange program, and I look forward to supporting the measure here today. With that, Madam Secretary, roll call, please.

File Item Number 16: AB 2852: the motion is 'do pass to the Appropriations Committee.' [Roll call].

That measure has seven ayes. We'll keep the roll open for additional Members to add on. Thank you so much. At this time, we will entertain add-ons for the items, so Madam Secretary, we can go through the items--I'm sorry--go through the items for Members to add on. Thank you so much. And we'll go in numerical file order.

[Roll Call]

Thank you so much. That measure has 11 eyes. Thank you so much, colleagues, for a robust meeting here today. To everyone who testified, for everyone's participation, to the staff of the Higher Education Committee and everyone involved with today's hearing, greatly appreciate your comments and your insights. Our next hearing is on Tuesday, April 16, at 01:30 p.m. In state Capitol hearing room 437 authors and stakeholders, please make sure you're engaging early with our Committee staff on your measures. And with that, thank you guys so much. Have a wonderful rest of your day. The Assembly Higher Education Committee is adjourned.