Senate Floor

Secretary, please call the roll. [Roll Call] Members of quorum is present. Would our Members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery please rise. We'll be led in prayer this morning by our chaplain, Sister Michelle Gorman, after which we're going to ask you to remain standing for the pledge of allegiance to the flat.

And let us bring ourselves into the presence of God and each other. And today we pray with a Mary Oliver poem called praying. It doesn't have to be the blue Iris. It could be weeds in a vacant lot or a few small stones. Just pay attention. Then pay. Patch a few words together and don't try to make them elaborate. This is not a contest, but the doorway into. Thanks. And a silence in which another voice may speak.

I'd like to read it again and invite you to a few moments of silence so that you can hear the prayer that God is praying in you today. It doesn't have to be the blue Iris. It could be weeds in a vacant lot or a few small stones. Just pay attention. Then patch a few words together and don't try to make them elaborate. This is not a contest, but the doorway into Thanksgiving. And a silence in which another voice may speak. Amen.

Members, please join me in the pledge of allegiance to the flock. Members, we're now moving to privileges of the floor. Senator pro Tem McGuire, you're recognized.

Thank you so much, Mister President. Grateful. And Sister Michelle. That was beautiful. Members. Joining us today in the gallery in conjunction with the National Public Health Week are some Executive Committee Members of the county Health Executives Association. They're public health directors. They're county and city health directors. And they are committed to keeping this state healthy. And more than ever, coming out of this pandemic, we need to say thank you to public health professionals. Can we please give them a warm California State Senate welcome?

Welcome to the California State Senate, Senator Wiener. All right, Members. Now we're going to move on to consideration of the daily file. zero, I'm sorry. Sorry. I am sorry. I'm sorry. Pages got stuck. All right, first, messages from the Governor will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments adopted. Now we're moving on to motions, resolutions and notices. Senator Wiener.

Thank you, Mister President. Colleagues, I move adoption of authors amendments for Assembly bills 106 and 144 budget bills across the desk. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 5 through 7th, 2024. These amendments will be adopted, published, and the bills returned to the Committee.

Thank you, Senator Niello, for what purpose.

To speak to the motion.

Go right ahead. Floor is yours.

I'm sure none of you know what I'm going to say. What a mystery. But I am going to say a little bit more, because a couple weeks ago, we had the document shrink the shortfall. That was the Senate Democrats proposal to shrink the shortfall, and then subsequent to that, a supposed agreement between the Assembly and the Senate and the Governor to plug somewhere between 12 and $17 billion of the existing budget deficit with no detail.

And then just this week, the Assembly comes out with a proposal without much detail. And so we certainly wait for more detail from the Senate Democrats. But one problem is our caucus has absolutely nothing to do with it. And the real risk is that the Governor continues to maintain that this budget deficit is $38 billion, which would mean that 17 or 18 billion plugs about half of the deficit.

That doesn't seem like we have all that big a problem to solve in 2004, the 2004-5 budget, which is an illusion, and maybe that's why we're taking so long. But from our perspective, we learn all of these things later on at about the same time as our 8 million constituents learn it. The lack of transparency in this process versus my previous experience, I have to say, is somewhat frustrating and just contrary to the collaborative process that this very wonderful collaborative body should have.

And so here again, we're authorizing over the dark of weekend work on budget bills that we will learn about also at about the same time as our 8 million constituents do. I urge a no vote.

Senator Wiener. Senator Wiener is asking for an aye vote. Senator Niello is asking for no vote. Secretary, please call the Senator. All right. You want to close?

Yeah. Thank you, Mister President. I appreciate the remarks of the Vice Chair of the Budget Committee. Just to be clear, when we released the shrink, the shortfall plan of about $17 billion in early actions to reduce quickly the size of the deficit, we were incredibly transparent about that. That's been out in the public, heavily discussed. This Bill will go into print and then there will be further discussion. We have our 72 hours rule, we will have a hearing, and then we will move forward.

I also just want to remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and my good friend, the Vice Chair of the Budget Committee. That, of course, this action is simply the first step. It's reducing the size of the deficit by $17 billion. That is quite significant. We don't have to take any action until June.

We have decided that we want to take action now to shrink the shortfall and then focus on reducing it completely, which we will do when we pass a balanced budget in June. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Senator Winter is asking for. Aye vote. Senator Nehlo is asking for a no vote. Secretary, please call the roll. [Roll Call] Ayes, 27. noes six. The motion carries. Now, Members, we're moving to consideration of a daily file. We're now Senate second reading. We have a few items. Secretary, please read [Second Reading]

Now we're moving to Senate third reading. And we have one item file item 35. Senator Wahab. Secretary, please read Senate Concurrent Resolution 127 by Senator Wahab relative to women's equal payday. Senator Wahab, the floor is yours.

Thank you. President and colleagues, I rise to present SCR 127, equal pay day. After more than 60 years since the passage of the federal Equal Pay act of 1963, women, especially women of color, continue to suffer the consequences of unequal pay. A lifetime of lower pay means women have less income to save for retirement and less income counted in a Social Security or pension benefit formula.

According to the 2024 report on the Status of women and Girls in California over a 40 year career, the difference between what California women earn and what white men earn cost the average white woman $731,000, an Asian American woman, $737,000, a black woman $1.6 million and 2.1 million for a Latina. Fair pay in California would strengthen the security of individuals and families today, regardless of education or socioeconomic status while enhancing our statewide economy.

March 12 represented the day in 2024 when the wages paid to women catch up to the wages paid to males from the previous year. Nationwide. It's imperative that every industry do better to close this wage gap and ensure women are paid equally for equal work. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Any further discussion, debate on this item, Senator Skinner? Senator?

Thank you, Mister President. Members, I stand in support of this resolution. And I note so very commonly I'm standing, and I am today standing as chair of the Women's Caucus and I'm talking about the gender equity issues. But let me talk about it for a, a different perspective. And our colleague addressed this in her comments around the impact economically to the state.

I think most of us who are following the data on the rise of the number of unhoused people, we're seeing that the largest percent in the last couple of years has been people over 55. And alarmingly, that has included large numbers of women. It's still a higher percent right now of men, but of that over 55 year old homeless increase, a good 40% are women.

So how do we get to that point where we see women at the point where they, you know, where if they've worked in the 40 years, as our colleagues described, that they would be then unable to pay rent? Well, partly because if this average difference in that lifetime of pay had they been able to save, for example, in a 401k, so we're talking 731,000, and that were to be compounded, they probably wouldn't be facing homelessness today.

And yet we're then having, we, the state and all of our local governments are having to cover then costs for them as they are unsheltered. So this has real economic implications, and I rise in support of the resolution.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate on this item, Senator Rubio?

Thank you, Mister President, ladies and gentlemen of this Senate Floor, I rise also as a proud co author to this resolution and in strong support. As I've looked around the Senate Floor throughout the years, I see how we continue to inch slowly towards parity. And as we know, possibly next year we will have 50% on this floor. And so it is very clear that women work just as hard, do the same work, and deserve to get paid the same in every sector in our society.

It's already been shared how much women bring not only to the table, but to this economy. And according to the United States census, women who work full time stay still, make only $0.84 for every dollar a man gets paid. And the wage gap for women of color is even greater. So I just say to all of us, enough is enough. And we need to ensure that women get paid what they deserve. Equal pay will lead to stronger families and stronger economy for all of us. And as a proud co author, I urge all of us to vote aye. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate hearing? Seeing none. Senator Wahab, would you like to close?

Thank you. I respectfully ask for an aye vote. I specifically also want to state, as the fourth largest economy in the world, that we consistently say we also need to do better and treat everybody equally.

Thank you, secretary. Please call the roll on file item 35. [Roll Call] Ayes 34 Noes zero. The resolution is adopted. Now, Members, it's time for Committee announcements. Are there any Committee announcements at this time, Senator?

Thank you, Mister President. Budget Subcommitee number three on health and human services will meet 15 minutes after session in room 1200.

Subcommitee number three will meet 15 minutes after session in room 1200. Senator Laird.

Thank you, Mister President. Budget Subcommitee number one on education will meet in room 2100, 15 minutes. After the close of session.

Subcommitee one will meet in room 2001, 15 minutes after session. Senator Padilla.

Thank you, Mister President. Budget Subcommitee number four on state government Administration will convene 15 minutes following session in room 113 here in the Capitol.

All right, in Subcommitee four, we'll meet in room 113 here in the Capitol 15 minutes after session. See? No more Committee announcements. Oh, Senator Gonzalez. Okay, all right, all right, all right, all right. Now we return. Well, I thought we did. Senator Gonzalez, Senator Gonzalez. On their announcements.

Thank you, Mister President. Democratic caucus immediately following adjournment of session in the Maddie lounge. Thank you.

Democratic caucus immediately following session in the Mattie lounge. Now Members will return in motions and resolutions. Now is the time for adjourning. Memories, please, we need quiet in the chamber. We're going to ask you to take your seats. First up is Senator Skinner.

Thank you, Mister President. And Members, I rise very sadly to ask that we adjourn in memory of David Aarriner, a friend, a decades long labor leader, and also the spouse of my very close friend and mentor, former assemblymember Dionne Aerener, who is with us on the floor today. David Aarner was a passionate advocate and an excellent organizer for social justice. For decades, he was a leader in the Bay Area labor movement.

He was the former Executive Director of SEIU 535 and a Member of SEIU International's Executive board. He died in Berkeley just a few weeks ago at the age of 82. He was born in Chicago and grew up there, and his life was marked by a strong sense of family and the Jewish faith. And it was in these early years that his passion for activism and advocacy took root.

In the early sixties, he attended the University of Michigan just as the civil rights movement was getting started and active in heating up. And while in college, he traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, with the student nonviolent coordinating Committee, SNCC, where they organized and assisted direct action challenges to segregation, racism, and political exclusion. In Montgomery, David was arrested and jailed with other SNCC activists, which culminated in a hunger strike. While he was in jail.

He graduated from Michigan with a master's in social work, and he continued his journey as a community organizer, having been trained and inspired by the well known activist Saul Alinsky, who some of you may not recall, but maybe you recall his book rules for radicals. In 1966, David moved to Berkeley and soon became active in the East Bay labor scene. He began working for SEIU Local 535, where he focused on organizing social workers, nurses, and mental health workers across the state.

Soon after, David and Dion Metal Dion was then also active in East Bay labor circles. The two fell in love, married, and had two children, Josh and Danielle. David eventually served as the Executive Director of 535, and he grew the membership by 300%. He was appointed to the SEIU International Executive board by then President John Sweeney, who was later President of AFL CIO. David was a trade unionist through and through.

He walked picket lines for any number of unions over the years, and he was so committed to the purpose of the strike or whatever other activity he was involved in in a direct action activity, he would hang in until arrested, and he landed himself in jail numerous times in the name of justice and in the search for equity and respect for not only our workers, but also for our sisters and brothers of color and others.

Our mutual friend and former assemblymember Tom Bates described David as a person who truly believed in unions and their collective power. And Tom's spouse, my good friend and former state Senator Lonnie Hancock called David a great, innovative union leader and a visionary. For the 25th anniversary of Local 535, David developed a cultural event that featured Harlem RHNAissance artist Jacob Lawrence and folk singer Utah Phillips. He loved all types of music, but especially music from the twenties, thirties and forties, but he also loved classical music.

And he and Dion were very strong patrons of the Oakland Symphony. But he had a special affinity for Paul Robeson, the legendary actor, singer and political activist. And in 1998, David organized a Bay Area Committee to celebrate the hundredth birthday of Paul Robeson. But more recently, and this was, you know, not that many years before he died, David approached then Oakland Symphony Director Michael Morgan to Commission an original composition just focused on Robeson.

Sadly, Morgan himself passed away before the premiere of that piece titled here I stand. And that piece was performed by the Oakland Symphony earlier this year. And that performance was David's last outing before he died, which, by the way, that piece, here I stand, will also be premiered next year at the Kennedy center in Washington, DC. So Dion, who is on the floor with us today, said of the Oakland Symphony performance, it was fabulous. It was a beautiful performance.

David loved it, and it was really the last time that he went out of the house. Throughout his life, David was also a foodie, as you can imagine, being a longtime Berkeley resident, he enjoyed cooking, and he and Dion were fixtures in our vibrant restaurant scene. They also loved to travel and, and were avid participants in the house exchange.

You know, in that program where you allow visitors to stay in your house and you are then able to stay in their house whether you're going to Italy, France, Germany, you name it. And so they went on many long trips and did those house exchanges. But David's real pastime was fishing. And when his children were younger, they often went camping and fishing, taking long road trips to Utah, grand Tetons, Colorado. And he would search for the best camping spot where he could fish.

So in addition to Dion and his children, Danielle and Josh, David Arener is survived by three siblings and four grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by his family, his many friends in Berkeley and beyond. His impact on our communities and the communities he served will be remembered, as will his tireless dedication to creating a more just and equitable society. So I ask you to adjourn in David Aerener's memory.

Thank you. Our deepest Senate condolences is this amazing leader, labor leader, activist, and we welcome former Legislature here today with us, and we ask that you bring the name forward so he can be properly memorialized. Thank you. If Members would like to take a picture, now would be the time. All right, Members, we'll continue with our journey of memories. Next up is Senator Smallwood Cuevas.

Thank you, Mister President, and good morning colleagues. I rise today in the memory of Isadore Hall, Jeffrey, a beloved patriarch and longtime Los Angeles resident who is the father of former California State Assembly Member and Senator Isadore Hall III. Born in New Orleans in 1942, Mister hall attended Timtepet Elementary School and Bali High School in West Monroe, Louisiana. Emancipated at age 14, he, like many from Louisiana, came west.

He began taking care of his brothers and his sisters who look up to him and affectionately called him uncle brother because of his influence on their upbringing in his role in their lives.

In 1967, he moved with his family to Los Angeles where he eventually landed jobs at Safeway and Vaughn's grocery stores and was recognized as a hard worker who had a long time commitment to this industry, where he retired in a management position after 41 years of service, receiving several awards for his outstanding job performance and leadership. A lover of jazz and rhythm and blues, Mister Hall was known for his outgoing personality and infectious smile.

He was also known in the community for generously giving his time and financial means to assist others in their endeavors. He was a dedicated father and Mister Hall often taught his children to have a positive impact on the world through their actions and their voice. His altruistic philosophy resonated with his children, inspiring his son Isadore to run for public office and to help serve and uplift Californians. Mister Hall was a foundation in his life and in the lives of so many.

He leaves behind his wife, Margaret Hall, a son and three daughters and nine step children and 14 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren. We at the California State Senate offer our heartfelt condolences to Mister Hall's family and all of those who were touched by his life and his impact in Los Angeles. And with that, we adjourn in his memory.

Today stand the Senate condolences to the hall family and ask that you bring the name forward so he can be properly memorialized. Next up is Senator Dahle.

Thank you Mister President. Members, I rise today to journey in memory of Lou Contor, who we actually had here on the Senate Floor last July 11. He was the 102 year old last surviving Member of the. Let me just, let me read this. Do a little better job here. He died April 1 from congestive heart failure. He resides in Grass Valley in the first Senate district. We recognized him on July 11 of last year.

Lou was on the USS Arizona when it was hit in Pearl harbor, where 1177 died. He was the last living, surviving sailor on that ship. There was 335 survived the attack. Lou worked hard to save as many sailors as he could. He also served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He attended flight school, shot down twice during his duty, escaped sharks. He flew the PBY flying seaplanes. He helped saved over 200 Australian coast watchers. He helped develop the SARS systems.

When you get shot down, you know, learn how to survive. He also met with President Kennedy. He was really just a humble team player. If you guys remember last year when Lou was here, he is survived by his daughter Luann, his son Tony, his stepson Ron, and many great grandchildren. Great grandchildren. Lou will be laid to rest in Grass Valley next to his late wife, Valerie, who died in 2016, who had been married for 45 years. I gave you the Members last year a book.

I hope you got the opportunity to read the book about Lou's life. An incredible story. We lost one of the real true American heroes who did so much for our country and just was so humble in the way he did it. So the first Senate district will greatly miss him. I want to thank all the veterans that serve on this that are in the Legislature.

I named them off last year, and I'm going to do it again because I think that we wouldn't have the freedoms we have today if it wasn't for those who have served. Then we have Senator Archuleta, Senator Grove, Senator Eggman, Senator Minjivar, Senator Roth, Senator Unberg, and Senator Newman. And we also have a couple others who've served, Jeff, who takes the video or pictures here, and Bernie.

So I want to thank you all and just recognize you because Lou was that humble leader and did a lot for our country, and he will surely be missed. But he did live a wonderful, great life. I mean, the ability to be able to walk in here at 101 last year and have a conversation, so he'll be greatly missed. To the family, we love you, and we'll try to make it out to the services. So, Mister President, I request that we adjourn in the memory of Lou Contor, a great American hero.

Thank you, Senator Menjivar.

Thank you so much, Mister President. And I want to thank the Senator from Bieber for bringing Lou's name that we may recognize him. I actually read the entire book you gave me last year, and, in fact, everywhere I went last year for Veterans Day events, I spoke about him and his story, because, first of all, fun fact, he got married in my district in Van Nuys. He was very close friends with Shirley Temple growing up.

The fact that after he would get discharged and he would get called back in, he never hesitated. And he got back in, I think, two more times. And it cost him some things, personally, relationships. But he was always putting country first in the book. It spoke about what he internalized and stuck in his mind and put in his mind when he was in the water being circled by sharks, when he was about to be captured, and the things he put together for other future pows.

And I think about those lessons day in, day out. Now, I want to thank you again, Senator. He lived an amazing life. American hero. And we will always remember.

Lou, thank you. Our deepest condolences to this American hero and soldier. And we ask that you bring his name forward so he can be properly memorialized. If there's no other business. Senator Mcguire. The desk is clear, Mister President.

Thank you for all your work today, Members. The next floor session is scheduled for this coming Monday, April 8, at 02:00 p.m. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend back at home in their districts.

Thank you, Members. The Senate will be in recess until 03:30 p.m. At which time an adjournment motion will be made. We'll reconvene on Monday at 02:00 p.m.