Senate Standing Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs

[Roll Call]

Thank you. Quorum has been established. So again, we have three bills on consent. Need a motion on the consent calendar. We have a motion by Senator Menjivar. And Madam Secretary, pease call the roll on the consent calendar.

[Roll Call]

We'll hold that open for our Senator to come back in. Okay. Okay. The consent calendar will remain on call. And let us now begin with our first author. Welcome, Senator Umberg. You may present your Bill. Senate Bill SB 901. Please proceed, Senator.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. First of all, let me begin by thanking Miss Callison and thanking the committee staff and you personally, Senator Archuleta, for your patience. I realize that we've added a little drama to this whole episode here in the last 24, 48 hours. You've been very patient. I thank you. I also am going to accept the committee's amendments. And just to put this in context, what this bill is about.

This bill is simply about California National Guard and State Guard being responsible for those who are members of the guard. As most of the committee members know, military organizations are very unique, and they require cohesion, and they require that folks operate with a mind toward performing a mission. Sometimes that mission can be very difficult, but it is incredibly important that there be no influences that tear apart that cohesion.

So whether it's with respect to believing in a certain racist supremacy or believing that the government should be overthrown, there's really, in my view, no place in the military, the National Guard, for those who actively participate in organizations that advocate that or actively advocate the overthrow of our government or certain theories of extremism. I understand that there's still issues as to how to define it. But our federal Department of Defense has undergone the exercise in defining certain terms.

So having said that, I simply urge an aye vote. I recognize that there well may be amendments. And Mr. Chair, I am perfectly prepared to bring this bill back to committee if any of these amendments do not meet with your concurrence without urge an aye vote.

Thank you. And I want to share with you that yes, it was equally difficult to communicate with one another, your schedule, my schedule, and some of the others, but I'm glad we were able to do it at the last hour. And the amendments that the committee has recommended, thank you for accepting those and I'm very well aware that yours are coming at us.

And thank you for taking it down the road because we need to examine it further so we can go ahead and successfully move this bill forward for you at the end. Because I agree that we've got to maintain the umbrella, meaning the Department of Defense and all military branches of service, that we're all under one command. And so I appreciate that. So we'll go ahead now and ask for if there's anyone in the audience that would like to address the item, please come forward.

On the positive, anybody in support here in the room? Okay, any witnesses in opposition to the bill? And I see none. So now let's hear for anyone else. No one else. Okay, do any of the members of the committee have any questions or comments on the bill? Okay. Yes. Senator.

Thank you Mr. Chair. Let me get my mic on. Thank you Mr. Chair. I appreciate you accepting the committee's amendments. I did have a little shaky now still, but much better than I was. Your amendments I saw too. I know the US, I know that. I like that we aligned it with the Department of Defense. And I like that you took out the language because I have a huge concern.

Not because I'm traditionally on the right, but you know, just what I saw government do to our churches and businesses during the COVID period makes me nervous because this is our United States Military and we swear to defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And as long as somebody's upholding the constitution to protect this country, they should be able to join.

Nobody, not me, not anybody on this dais or anybody is it wants to, in the exact words of the language, have anybody support that supports an unlawful use of force or unlawful violence. Nobody wants that. But I think that it depends on who picks and chooses what is right and what is wrong. And is there a standard already set? And that's what we get to look at.

So I thought the way it was written at first is vague, but I appreciate the fact that you're at least narrowing the amendments on that. I said I was going to stay off, but I'll support the bill today. But I do want to see the amendments that you're going to introduce later.

Yes.

Thank you, sir.

Good. And any other questions or comments? I'd like to go ahead and point out once again, I appreciate you giving the committee a time to review your proposals in reference to the additional language, existing DOD requirements pertaining to the National Guard and state law, as well as federal law, and understanding that military leaders and their commanders are the most appropriate individuals to determine when a military discharge should occur. So with that, would you like to close?

Only I appreciate the comments, Senator Grove. And I appreciate your comments, Mr. Chair. I urge an aye vote.

Okay. And we have a motion on the floor. Madam Chair, would you call for the roll? Okay.

You want the call now, sir?

Go right ahead. Call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Okay, that is unanimous. The bill will go forward as mentioned. And now I'm going to pass the gavel on to my co-chair and I'll go ahead and present my bill. And there it is. Here.

Can we move down there? Thank you, Mr. Chair. Go ahead.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I appreciate giving me this opportunity. I would like to present Senate Bill 1335. It will enhance the growth of the California Cadet Corps and also known as CACC. So I'll try and keep it as California Cadet Corps and it will permit additional California Cadet Corps programs to be established ensuring more young men and women here in California have the access to this life-changing program. The California Cadet Corps is the State of California's only school-based applied leadership program conducted within a military framework which also includes civilian teachers and instructors.

The program provides personal growth, leadership opportunities, and public service vocational pathways for approximately 6000 cadets in middle school and also to include high school. The development and maintenance of 90 individual units of the California Cadet Corps is shared responsibility of the local school authorities and the California Military Department.

The California Cadet Corps establishes a military framework at each participating school that develops leadership skills, enhances academic and vocational achievement, fosters good citizenship and patriotism, and encourages health, wellness, and fitness. And although arranged in a military framework to maximize the leadership experience of the cadets, the program does far more than introduce military concepts. Cadets are routinely awarded full college scholarship, service academy appointments.

Many of the state's leaders, including us attorneys, judges, generals and previous governor, the honorable Jerry Brown, a former cadet who learned leadership skills early in his life while at the California Cadets. The bill, SB 1335, will provide the California Cadet Corps with additional resources to enhance the program to ensure all students have access to applied leadership opportunities that prepare students for success in college and the workforce in their future. On behalf of the 6000 cadets throughout California showing success and promise, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, sir. Do you have a lead witness in support?

I believe I do. Anyone? Nope. They didn't make it. Okay.

Is there a lead witness in opposition? Do public comment. Those in support? Those in opposition? Bring it back to the dais. No.

Well, may I close?

Absolutely.

Okay. I want to share with all of you that I had the opportunity to witness their competition. We had 38 schools that all came together at Los Alamitos, there at the airfield in Orange County. And I witnessed the competition. Drilling, marching, you name it, they did it. We had cadets from West Point who actually flew in to share in, and we had generals there. And the brass was there to support these young men and women. And it was something to see.

And when I interviewed a few of them, they thought it actually changed their life. Some entered as a freshman in high school, and they said now that they were seniors, they were able to talk, look you right in the eye, shake your hand, and their academics went through the roof. They started with some as low as a 1.2 and got it up to 3.5 and looking forward to going to college. So with that, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, sir. Do we have a motion? Thank you, Senator Umberg. Madam Clerk, please call out the roll.

[Roll Call]

I mean, you don't even need. Okay, thanks.

We'll make it Grove Umberg.

Yeah, that works.

[Roll Call]

Thank you.

Where are we at now?

We're all done.

Okay. All right. Well, for those in the audience, thank you for participating with us today. And I'd like to acknowledge Robert from the office, who's actually serving as an active duty national guard. But he's in civilian clothes today, so you better watch him. He's a secret agent. And, colonel, thank you for coming with your staff, and we appreciate it to everyone that's here, who obviously love God and country and our veterans. So I thank you all. Meeting is adjourned.