Senate Floor

Secretary will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Good morning, Members. Could we take our denim wearing beautiful selves to our desk, please? Would the Members and our guests beyond. A quorum is present? Would the Members and our guests beyond the rail in the gallery please rise? We will be led in prayer this morning by our chaplain, Sister Michelle Gorman, after which, please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance.

So let us center ourselves in God's presence during this time of Passover. We want to pray for all who are suffering in this world in any way. The prayer I will use today is actually a song from YouTube called Heal Us Now. It was recorded in 2020 by the international Jewish Teen Choir when everyone was learning to use zoom from their bedrooms. It is based on some lines from the book of numbers and three psalms. And so we pray. Heal us now.

We pray for healing of the body. We pray for healing of the soul. For strength of flesh and mind and spirit. We pray to once again be whole. O Adonai, please heal us now. Heal us, heal us now. We pray for healing of the people. We pray for healing of the land and peace for every race and nation, every child, every woman, every man. And this prayer is ever so much beautiful with music. Amen.

Please join me in the pledge. I pledge.... Nation under God. We're starting off with privileges of the floor. Senator Dodd, are you ready prepared for your presentation?

Yes, Madam President.

Please proceed from the Majority Leader's desk.

Madam President and colleagues, in January, we passed my SCR 96, which established a sister state relationship with Lviv, Ukraine. The Assembly today will join us to do the very same. This morning, we welcome a delegation from Ukraine to help us celebrate the establishment. Excuse me, of this important partnership and to recognize the longstanding ties between California and Ukraine. This is a welcome opportunity to highlight the importance our bond with Ukraine and its people, especially when considering what's happening in their country.

Ukrainians began arriving in California in the late 19th century and is currently home to over 100,000 ukrainian immigrants, and about one in six ukrainian immigrants in the United States are here, the most in the nation. To celebrate, we welcome to our Senate chamber today the Honorable Rosalav Tisticht, a Member of the ukrainian parliament. Excuse the pronunciation.

Member of parliament of the ukrainian parliament from the Lviv region Dmitrio Kushornuk, the Consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco and Sergei Domendico, the CEO of Rebuild Ukraine Synergy, an organization that supports Ukraine's development in democracy, economics, and culture. Mister Tztik was elected to the ukrainian parliament as a Member of the servant of the People Party in 2019. He's been active in the international relationships with the European Parliaments and was awarded the badge of Honor from the Ministry Defense of Ukraine.

And Mister Khushneruk has been consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco since 2020, overseeing a consular district that includes the western United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. And finally, as CEO of Rebuild Ukraine Synergy, Mister Demodenko fosters international partnerships and brings extensive leadership experience implementing government projects while bridging the public and private sector. Colleagues, please join me in welcoming our guests in recognizing California's longtime friendship with Ukraine.

Welcome to our friends. From Ukraine to the State Senate. Senator Dodd will take a photo first with his guests, and then I'll invite the rest of our colleagues to join if they wish. Colleagues, if you wish to participate in the group photo, now is the time. Here we go. Smile. All right, Members, we're moving back to business. We got 30 seconds. We'll resume the program of the day. We're back in business. All right. Messages from the Governor will be deemed read.

Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports of Committee will be deemed read and amendments adopted. Moving on to motions, resolutions, and notices. Pursuant to Senate rule 29.10 c, the following bills are referred to the Committee on Rules item 37, AB 457 and item 38, AB 1505. Now onto the consideration of the daily file, we have items one through 38 for the second reading.

[Second Reading]

Second reading is deemed read. Moving on to Governor's appointment for item 41. Senator Grove, are you prepared?

Yes, ma'am.

Secretary, please read. Senator Grove, you may proceed.

Thank you, Madam President. File item 41, colleagues, is the confirmation of following appointments Alexis Strauss hacker for reappointment to the Board of Environmental Safety, Eva Robinson and Doctor Joe Vang. Excuse me, Chao Vang to the Student Aid Commission and Department officials, Wildlife Director Chuck Bonham, Anne Barbara Emily for appointment to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. These appointments were approved by the Rules Committee on April 17 with a 5-0 vote. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, colleagues. Any discussion or debate on item 41? See none. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Members, ayes, 35, no, zero. The appointments are confirmed. Moving on to second, 3rd reading. We have three items under this section. Colleagues, we're gonna start with item 73. Secretary, please read.

Senate concurrent Resolution 131 by Senator Min relative to native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Senator Min, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, colleagues. On behalf of the Asian American Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, I'm honored to present SCR 131, which recognizes April 2024 as Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Now, when we talk about Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, let's be honest. The AA tends to dominate how we think about this group. But the NH, the Native Hawaiian, and the Pacific Islander groups are just as important, and they face many unique challenges.

NHPIs have significantly contributed to the fabric of the United States and California. And just as a reminder, some of you in this room, I think, were alive when Hawaii was actually admitted as a state. The 50th state to the United States in 1959.

I don't know if that was a burn, but in 1839, where none of you guys were actually live, native Hawaiians accompanied John Sutter and helped to establish Sutter's fort right here in Sacramento, as well as helped with the founding of downtown San Diego in 1850 and bringing surfing to Santa Cruz in 1885. And we know that surfing is part of our lifeblood and cultural ethos here in California, brought, of course, by NHPIs to this state.

Now, our communities here in California are unique, and I would submit to you that we are better in California. We are the best state in the union because of that diversity that we have. But being the largest and most diverse population of NHPIs, that's something we also have in the contiguous United States. We have the largest proportion of Samoan, Chamorro, Tongan, and Fijian communities here.

And it's important to highlight that NHPI's serve in our military at a higher rate than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States. Although NHPIs have contributed and continue to contribute to American culture and are included within the greater AANHPI community, the native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community is one of the most underserved and often falls between the cracks due to the lack of disaggregated data, language access, and culturally competent care.

During this very important month, we should recognize that the NHPI community is not monolithic. It is extremely distinct, including from the Asian American community that it's often lumped in with. And I'm proud to be able to recognize, celebrate, and bring awareness to the community through SCR 131. I respectfully ask for your aye vote on this important resolution.

Thank you, Members, any discussion or debate on this item? Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 36, No, zero. The resolution is adopted. Moving on to item number 92. Senator Wahhab, are you prepared? Secretary, please read

Senate Concurrent Resolution 137 by Senator Wahab. Relative to no Room for Hate.

Senator Wahab, you may proceed. Thank you.

President and colleagues, I rise to present SCR 137 No Room for Hate. According to US Department of Justice, there are 2201 incidents of hate crimes in 2022. We can only expect a continued increase for 2023 and 2024. In fact, doxing has become more prevalent on University campuses across this nation. Stop AAPI Hate's 2023 shades of Hate report examined the nuances of what hate looks like for our communities. They arrived at three key observations.

Hate is not confined to interpersonal interactions, but is bred within a larger environment of societal hate, requiring a broader approach to prevention and healing. Hate is also coded and hidden, not explicit hate. Non explicit hate is potentially more pervasive, just as harmful, and must be understood and addressed alongside more explicit forms of hate. Offenders are not just individuals, but also institutions, and they're representatives, leaving room for improvement in institutional policies and practices for civil rights solutions. This is what we call systemic issues.

It's clear to me those observations can be extended across multiple communities, across California itself. And in 1992, the City of Hayward created the anti discrimination Action Plan with the goal of reducing discrimination incidents and assisting victims. During this time, the City of Hayward residents initiated the no room for racism campaign. We, in fact, in our city, have signs just very similar to a stop sign that literally says, no room for racism. One of the most diverse cities in the nation.

Today, I call on the Legislature to commit to stating that in California there is no room for hate. We must affirm that California is a place of acceptance at a time when hate is invading the hearts and minds of our country. I respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Senators, do we have any discussion or debate on item 92 C. None. This item is eligible for unanimous roll call. Do we have any objection to utilizing the unanimous roll call? See, none. Ayes 36, no, zero. The resolution is adopted. Moving on to our final item on Senate third reading file item number 94. Senator Rubio, are you prepared? Secretary, please read.

Senate Resolution 89 by Senator Rubio relative to Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Senator, please proceed.

Thank you, Madam President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, today I proudly rise to present Sr 89, which proclaims April 2024 as sexual assault Awareness Month and designates April 24 as Denim Day. According to data, there are over 22 million survivors of rape, with 2 million living right here in our State of California. While we wear jeans today to show solidarity with survivors of sexual assault, wearing jeans is not enough.

We must commit to both immediate and enduring solutions to address the deficiencies in victim services, especially as funding is being challenged and we are facing potential severe cuts. Sexual assault is never okay, and clothing attire is never an invitation to. To assault anyone. Sexual assault doesn't discriminate. Even powerful women with a lot of financial means fall silent after sexual assault. The world today is changing rapidly, and now more than ever, we need to step up and be more vigilant to protect one another.

Our rights are being challenged each and every day. Instead of moving the needle with more protections and rights, we are going backwards in many ways. And I hope that we don't go back to a time where wearing jeans is okay and invites sexual assault, which was the case in 1992 when a judge in Italy ruled that it was considered rape when a woman wore really tight jeans and ruled that it was her fault and she probably cooperated because she needed to help her abuser.

It sounds far fetched that we go backwards, right? But we don't have to look far. Arizona's decision to go back to policies from the 18 hundreds is an indication of the dangers we face today. We must heed the survivors when they bravely ask us for help and advocate for those that are unable to speak for themselves. I want to reiterate, Denim Day is inspired by the Italian parliament and has been embraced worldwide to spotlight rape and sexual assault.

And I'm proud that California continues to fight and lead the way in so many ways to protect survivors and victims of sexual assault. Let us encourage all Californians to wear denim on Denim day, reinforcing the message that there is no excuse for abuse and there is no excuse for, and never an invitation to commit rape. Rape and sexual assault affects all of us, perpetuated by harmful attitudes that shift blame onto survivors.

Ignoring sexual assault perpetuates the problems that we face in societies, and we must act with empathy and understanding and respect for all. Thank you. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Blakespear, you're recognized.

Thank you. Thank you to the Senator who brings this forward every year. We appreciate that. I rise on behalf of the Legislative Women's Caucus in support of SR 89. Over half of us women and nearly one in three men have experienced sexual violence during their lifetime.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month shows our solidarity with survivors of sexual assault and with all women, girls, men, boys, and people of all genders who are at risk while at school or work, while they are caring for their families or otherwise just going about their daily lives. We wear denim today to demonstrate that we stand with survivors of sexual assault and make clear that collectively, we're working to end sexual violence together once and for all. But solidarity is more than just wearing denim these last days.

These last two days. Solidarity means actively working to eliminate rape culture and challenging oppressive cultural norms. This means raising our children to protect one another. This means men standing up for women to both respect and protect them. This means women standing up for men who can also be vulnerable to sexual assault. It takes all of us working together to protect one another. Each one of us has the power to end the cycle of sexual harm and violence. And I respectfully ask for your aye vote

Senator Smallwood-Cuevas you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President, and good morning, colleagues. I, too, rise on behalf of California, on behalf of the California Legislative Black Caucus in support of SR 89, to observe Denim Day and sexual assault awareness. I stand in solidarity with my sisters here in the Senate, of course, and with all women, girls and gender inclusive individuals who have experienced the traumas of sexual assault, rape and harassment.

As we recognize sexual assault awareness, we must also acknowledge that gender based violence disproportionately impacts black women, most of whom are from underserved communities of color and live in the most vulnerable situations. Nearly one in five black women are survivors of rape, but for every black woman who reports rape, at least 15 do not report it, studies show.

Furthermore, black women age 18 to 34 are three times more likely to be shot and killed by an intimate partner than a white woman in the same age group. Black women are often criminalized for defending themselves and their children against their abusers, creating an abuse to incarceration pipeline that overwhelmingly targets black women and girls. These traumas don't end with incarceration.

Black women and girls in prison and in the juvenile system typically experience significantly higher rates of violence and sexual assault, many being victimized by a staff Member in the facility. Sexual violence against women in this country dates back to slavery, when it was common for slave owners to rape enslaved women and girls, often breeding them.

And since this horrific era, black women have been stereotyped as hypersexual, racist stereotypes that continue today, with black women becoming less likely to be viewed as victims, leaving them more vulnerable to the harms in our society. Over centuries, all women across the country have endured the injustices of sexual assault, particularly domestic violence. It was until the 19th century and into much of the 20th that there were consistently no consequences applied for men who physically abused their wives and partners.

In fact, it wasn't until 1974 that it was not only legal, but socially acceptable for husbands to beat their wives and face no legal consequences. Despite these historical injustices, the sheer resilience of women and of some men who have been empowered to fight for their rights and for legal protections against sexual assault and to change the culture of violence. This is a valiant fight that we all must continue.

In recognition of sexual assault awareness, let us work to ensure that the very institutions that should protect all women and girls from sexual assault are actually doing so. That is our charge in this chamber. It is the charge of our judicial system, and it is what makes our state safe for all. By demanding these protections, we can better ensure that a sexual assault surrounding survivors are uplifted with justice and healing.

Thank you, Senator Rubio, for bringing this resolution forward every year and reminding us this is all of our fights. And with this, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Min. You're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to thank my colleague from Baldwin park and the Legislative Women's Caucus for bringing this forward on behalf of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. I, too, rise in support of SR 89. For all of us, denim Day is extremely important to raise awareness about sexual violence and to erase the stigmas with reporting sexual violence. No matter what you wear, no matter who you are, sexual violence is not appropriate. It's completely unacceptable.

And yet, we face too many stigmas in dealing with this problem. In California, more than one in three women and one in four men have reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime. That number is worse when it comes to API women. In 2017, up to 55% of women API women in the United States had reported sexual violence in their lifetime. Unfortunately, in the API communities, there is still a strong, strong stigma associated with reporting sexual violence.

Only two decades ago, in a widely reported survey, 22% of Cambodians, 18% of Chinese, 29% of Koreans, 5% of South Asians, and 9% of Vietnamese people said that a woman who is being sexually abused should not tell anyone about that abuse. This is why Denim Day is so important to inform and educate communities throughout the state that we stand with survivors of sexual violence, that sexual violence is unacceptable, and that all forms of sexual violence will not be tolerated.

So I want to thank again, the author and the Legislative Women's Caucus that the AAPI caucus stands in solidarity with Women's Caucus, and I ask for support of SR 89.

Thank you, Senator Wahab. You're recognized.

Thank you. I rise in support of SR 89 Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Denim Day. If it was up to me, I could wear denim every day. And it's important to acknowledge how pervasive sexual assault is, and that even now, with all our data, research and advocacy, victims are often still blamed for their own assault. Told they should have known better, behaved differently, dressed differently or even worse. They are simply not believed at all.

And told that the perpetrator of their assault is so nice, so kind, a stand up guy. Nothing like that should happen. According to rain, 80% of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. 93% of juvenile victims knew they're perpetrator. And this is one of the cruelties of sexual violence against women and children. But it's also fair to say that there are men that end up being victims of sexual assault. And I want to highlight that even with them, all victims face shame, humiliation.

And this is about power. So I want to highlight that it is often at the hands of someone the victim trusted or were told that they could trust. And the fallout for the victims becomes not just recovering from the physical trauma, but also the mental and emotional trauma to become whole again. Victims deserve to be heard, believed and receive whatever type of justice that makes them feel whole and healed. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Mister Senator Skinner, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair Members. I rise as the chair of the Women's Caucus. And we've proudly had a Member of the Women's Caucus introduce this resolution for now, I think, more than a decade. And I wanted to follow up on my colleague from Haywards comments, which were very accurate, real and tell the story of rape and sexual assault in our country, but not only our country, but elsewhere.

But the points that she was making around that the majority of these assaults do happen from someone you know, whether you are a young person, regardless of age, and as a result, not only because it is someone you knew and you trusted, and also that there is still this. This pervasive thing that you asked for it or it's your fault. And even, and you yourself, who received, who is the recipient of this assault, think that you asked for it and it is your fault.

Now what that does is it lessens the number of people who report the assaults. Whether it is a male or a female, they do not report the assaults, which allows then serial perpetrators to continue. And it is why we have so much assault.

So until we embrace this and get over this thing of blaming people about it and we help them remove the shame, we're not going to be able to lessen the number of salts because it's become too normalized and we need to have them reported to stop it. And with that, I ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Mister Protem, you're recognized.

Thank you so much. Madam President, colleagues, I rise alongside the fearless Members of the Women's Caucus and solidarity of survivors of sexual violence. And I want to thank the Senator from Baldwin park for bringing this resolution forward. I want to thank the Chairwoman of the Women's Caucus for her incredible work as well. The numbers are horrifying across America. One in five women across this nation have reported that they have been raped or have experienced an attempted rape at some point in their life.

And sadly, those numbers continue to escalate when other forms of sexual violence against women are taken into account. And whether it's going to work, going to school, or just going about their lives, women have to consider every day, every day, how their clothes might be perceived or interpreted. I think that we can all agree this is appalling, and this is why the Senate comes together today to better move this resolution forward. Denim Day underscores that no attire is an invitation to rape or sexual violence.

And as April, a Sexual Assault Awareness Month, together, we all need to be able to stand up against misogyny and misconceptions, to be able to stand out to prevent violence and stand strong in support of the brave survivors who are blazing the trail for a safer future for generations to come. I'd like to be able to end my remarks as I started, with gratitude. I want to say thank you and heartfelt appreciation to the Members of the Women's Caucus for their stellar leadership.

Now and throughout this year, an advocacy on behalf of survivors of sexual violence have respectfully ask for an aye vote on Sr 89.

Thank you, Mister Pro Tem. Rubio, would you like to close?

Yes, thank you, Madam President. Well, first of all, I want to thank all my colleagues who added their voice to such an important issue. And it's worth reiterating that victim shaming, its shameful in itself and we need to stop it in order to encourage victims to come forward. And I want to end by encouraging victims to speak up. You are resilient. You matter, and we're here to support you. And it's not your fault. Thank you.

Thank you, Members. This item is eligible for unanimous roll call. Any objection? Ayes 36? No. Zero resolution is adopted. Next up is the consent calendar. Is there anyone who would like to remove an item from the consent calendar? See none. Secretary, please read items 108 through 132.

[Consent Calendar]

Secretary, please call. The roll on the first item.

[Roll Call]

Aye. 36 no, zero. Consent calendar is approved. Moving back to. Returning back to motions and resolutions. This is a time to do an adjournment memory. So, colleagues, I ask that we all return to our desk. Senator Nguyen, for what purpose do you rise?

Moving files to inactive.

We're going back to motions and resolutions. Thank you, Senator, when you're recognized.

Thank you. Madam President. Please remove the following items to the inactivea file. SCR 101 and SCR 104, Thank you.

The desk will note. Now is our time for our adjourn in memories. Colleagues, respectfully ask that we move all our conversations off the floor. So that we can pay attention to the three adjourn in memories we have today. Senator Wiener, you may proceed.

Thank you very much, Madam President. Colleagues, it's with incredible sadness that I rise today to ask that the Senate adjourn in memory of a true giant. The Reverend Cecil Williams, the former pastor and co founder of San Francisco's Glide Memorial Church, who passed away on April 22. Raised in Texas as one of six children, Reverend Williams stayed in Texas to pursue a sociology degree at Houston Tillotson University. He then went on to study at the Perkins School of Theology at SMU in Dallas.

And became one of the first five African American graduates. In 1955, he was recruited to come to San Francisco to be minister at Glide. And arrived in 1963 to a dwindling congregation in the tenderloin of all white parishioners. He set to work to rebuild the congregation with diverse Members local to the Tenderloin neighborhood. And over the years, he rebuilt glide and turned it into an absolute powerhouse, spiritually and otherwise, including Sunday services, complete with the jazz band and gospel choir.

For anyone who's ever been to a glide service, it is a truly unique experience. The church eventually grew to over 10,000 Members, making it the largest Methodist congregation in Northern California, right in the heart of the tenderloin, a neighborhood that is so maligned sometimes in the press and nationally, but is an absolutely beautiful, diverse, rich community.

Over the decades at Glide, Reverend Williams was so deeply committed to justice, to advocacy for those who could not always advocate for themselves, and to service to those most in need. He championed unending resources for our community, including Glide's free health clinic, free legal clinic, and HIV services. Glide's free meal program was started by Reverend Williams in 1980 and has since grown to serve the community 750,000 meals every year.

In 2008, Reverend Williams was honored with the National Caring Award presented by the Caring Institute in Washington, DC. He will be most fiercely remembered for his commitment to advocating for the most marginalized people in the community. Glide, under Cecil's leadership and the leadership of his late wife, Jan Muricatani, became a place that truly uplifted everyone, a place that acknowledged that there are no throwaway people in our society, a place that welcomed people who have been rejected by society.

Glide was an early church in embracing LGBTQ people way, way, way before it was considered acceptable and fashionable. Our community was welcome at Glide. It welcomed homeless people, people who were struggling with addiction, and people who were just straight up poor and living on the margins of society. They had a home and have a home at Glide, and that is because of Cecil Williams and his incredible vision and passion and leadership.

I got to know Cecil and Jan almost 20 years ago through mutual friends before I was in elected office, and I was immediately in awe of Cecil's strength and his just absolute brilliance and just one of the Kindest, Kindest human beings you would ever meet in your life. Someone who was. He was larger than life in so many ways, this national figure, but when you were with him, he was so humble and down to earth. Just an incredible person I worked with.

I got to work with Cecil and Jan and Glide when I was a Member of the Board of Supervisors, making sure that we were always delivering resources for the community. And when you got the call as a Member of the Board of Supervisors from Cecil and Jan, please come down to the church. We're concerned about a budget issue. You went down to the church, no questions asked. That was the power of Cecil Williams and this church.

Reverend Williams is preceded in death by his wife, Jan Mirkatani, just in a giant in her own right, and he is survived by his children, Albert Williams Junior and Kimberly Williams. In the gallery today, we are joined by a group from Glide. I hope they're here already, because the Assembly is also adjourning in Cecil's memory today. And I just want to just emphasize what a profound loss this is for the City of San Francisco.

So, colleagues, please join me in adjourning the Senate today in memory of the great Cecil Williams.

Senator, please extend our condolences to the family and bring the Reverend's name forward so that he may be properly memorialized in the journal. Senator Blakespear, you're recognized.

Thank you, colleagues. Today I rise with a heavy heart to pay tribute to a remarkable individual, Sergeant Matthew Kenneth Bielski, who we lost too early at only age 23 in a tragic training accident at Camp Pendleton. Matthew was born on August 27, 2000 in the great State of Michigan, where he lived with his father, Kenneth, mother Sandra and brother Joshua. Matthew grew up with a vibrant spirit in the town of Royal Oak.

His kind and warm presence was known to all, and he navigated life with a loving and caring personality. Known as an athlete his whole life, Matthew was a fervent supporter of all things Detroit sports, especially the Detroit Red Wings. Not only was Matthew good at sports, but he was a talented musician and participated in the marching band throughout his time at Hazel Park High School. Matthew's journey in the United States Marine Corps began in 2019, a testament to his unwavering dedication and commitment to our country.

His leadership as an amphibious combat vehicle crewman in battalion landing team of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit in Camp Pendleton exemplified his valor and service to the US. Throughout his nearly five years of service, Sergeant Bielski earned numerous awards and decorations reflecting his outstanding contributions, hard work and sacrifices. He earned two Navy and Marine Corps achievement medals, a Navy Meritorious Unit commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and a sea service deployment ribbon.

He was known as a Marines Marine, taking to heart every single aspect of his role. There was an understanding among his colleagues and supervisors that he could adapt perfectly to any situation, from dropping his own priorities to help others to simply being a good conversationalist. Matthew had a reputation of being a wholesome human. Beyond his military duties, Matthew was known for his compassion, strong leadership, and bright personality. In his free time, he loved the sense of adventure that Southern California provided.

He spent a lot of time enjoying the City of Carlsbad and the camaraderie of his friends, often wearing his red Wings jersey. As much as possible, we mourn the loss of Matthew alongside his beloved family, including his wife, Lexi. His legacy of service, love, and laughter will forever live on in the hearts of those who knew him, leaving an indelible mark on our community and country. Importantly, the sergeant's platoon is deployed to the Pacific region right now.

The battalion landing team's commander dedicated the deployment in the sergeant's name, demonstrating how impactful his life of service was to his colleagues. I ask that in addition to our adjournment and memory today we keep his colleagues, friends, and the military community as a whole very much in our minds and wish them safety as they sacrifice for us. In closing, let us honor Sergeant Matthew Kenneth Wielski's memory by expressing our deepest condolences to his family and friends. With that, I ask that the Senate adjourn in his memory. Thank you.

Tel Valhalla, brother. Please bring the sergeant's name forward so that he may be properly memorialized in the journal. Senator Wahab, you're recognized.

Thank you. Colleagues. I rise to adjourn in memory of the first and so far only woman to be elected as California State Superintendent of public instruction, Delaine Easton. To me, Delaine Easton was an og. You guys can Google that on your free time. San Diego, San Francisco, San Carlos, Davis, Santa Barbara, Union City. Delaine lived up and down our golden state and committed to a life of service because of her love of California, but most importantly, her love of people.

She served the public for more than 23 years, first as a City Council Member for Union City in my district, then as an Assembly Member for California's then 18th district, and in a number of other positions, and finally as State Superintendent of Public Instruction. In the years following her career as an elected official, Delaine continued to prioritize education and public policy as a Professor, speaker and board Member. Now, I'm going to say a few things about Delaine that I saw firsthand.

Within hours of the announcement of her passing, I saw everyone make a post about her. To me and so many others, black, white, Latino, Asian, of all ages and backgrounds, people said she was an influence, she was a mentor. In fact, Delaine was genuinely what they call an important person, successful as a woman, but also as a human being.

The common theme that I heard from everyone was that although Delaine was seen as an important person, truly a giant amongst society, she treated everyone with kindness and dignity. To me, Delaine was fearless, was always ready to tackle big ideas, and consistently spoke truth to power.

She stood up for immigrants of all backgrounds long before it was politically advantageous to do so, framing support for immigrants as a moral issue, reminding us all that we must make certain that those here visiting or immigrating from other countries, documented or not, enjoy the blessings of liberty associated with this nation's founding principles. She stated this while advocating for high quality education, affordable healthcare, and affordable housing for everyone. She was truly a smart and thoughtful person. She was never arrogant. Never. I'm too busy for anybody.

Nothing like that. And as someone who represented the East Bay, she understood the Bay Area. The disparity, the affluence, the violence, the peace, the business and the family life, everything in between. And she ensured she tackled the problem and helped those with the ideas that could tackle the problem. She would meet with anyone, no matter their background, and it was clear she wanted to help all people. Delaine literally never told me no.

In fact, she would call me and brainstorm about issues with me, talking about her family Members in the City of Hayward and Union City, the struggles that she went through decades earlier, and the work she did in Union City and across the state. Her support of my public safety and mental health work while on Hayward City Council is a badge of honor. And I remember her asking me questions and even helping me make policy better.

Even in her late years, where she did not hold office, she was involved in bettering the community, supporting women, children, and communities of color, constantly learning from others, helping others, and teaching others. To me, Delaine is an icon, a leader that I respect, love, and admire. A woman who shattered ceilings and cleared a path for others to follow, a woman that fixed crowns of others and not tear down a single person. She was filled with love, compassion and wisdom. A true OG.

Delaine Easton passed away at the age of 76. She was a true champion of and for the people, a tireless advocate for children and a friend. May she rest in peace.

Thank you, Senator Laird, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I join in the adjourn in memory for Delaine Easton and in the last decades of her life. She was a resident of Davis and among her closest friends, John and Pris Walden. And Pris worked for her in the Department of Education. They moved to the Monterey Bay Area 20 years ago to retire, and it meant that Delaine was a regular.

She came to the democratic women's summer feast every year, and I recall one year that it was in the Cachagua Valley, which none of you have heard of. You have to drive. I have to drive an hour to Carmel Valley and then another hour to this remote valley, and the four of us were in the car. As always, it was an animated conversation. She was very opinionated, and inevitably, the talk turned to public education, and she was a staunch advocate.

So when I was running for the Assembly and first elected, she was still Superintendent. And she said, I'll endorse you, but we are not doing enough for education, and I will hold your feet to the fire. And I would call you regularly. She kept that pledge when I was budget chair in the Assembly. She would call and said, you did a great defense this year in a rough budget, but it's not enough.

When I ran for the Senate, she endorsed and said, I'll be calling you about education and then when I was first in the Senate as Education Budget Sub Chair, she called and said, yes, it's really nice that there's been a 40% increase since 2017, but it's not enough. We might be out of the basement, but it's not enough.

And I was dreading the phone call this year, year, because I was convinced with a 0.7% increase proposed for public education, she would say, of course it's not enough, but it's not enough this year and it's awful. And I am really sorry that I will not be getting that call. She was a fierce advocate, she was a friend, she was a public servant, and she will be dearly missed.

Senator Dodd, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President and Members, I too rise to adjourn in the memory of Delaine Easton, who I've gotten to know over the last decade as a constituent of mine in Yolo County. Delaine lived in Davis for many years and did much on the local level as well as we've heard about her just amazing experience statewide. She gave freely of her time and talents to the community.

That volunteer work included serving on the UC Davis Chancellor's Women and STEM board, the Edible Schoolyard Advisory Board, the UC Davis Center for the Nutrition Education Advisory Board, and the Yolo Casa Advisory Board. All those represented a commitment to supporting our youth and building a better future. Our state and the Davis community are better for her passion and dedication. I join in urging you to adjourn in the memory of Delaine Easton. Thank you.

Senator Ashby, you're recognized.

Thank you. I, too, rise to talk about my friend Delaine Easton, who was an absolute titan in Sacramento and so proud to be a UC Davis Aggie, but also proud to be a master's degree from Santa Barbara. She talked about that equally and was really proud to have taught at Mills College. She was unapologetically about bringing up women.

And the reason I wanted to talk about her today is because there are a lot of women in Sacramento who get involved a lot, and a lot who have been elected in different places. I'm only the second woman ever to even hold this Senate seat. And when I ran for this seat, I was told I needed to call through that list of all of those women. And I will tell you that the way they treated me were, in varying degrees, easily.

The one who could have cast the largest shadow was Delaine Easton. Having been the only woman to ever even be Superintendent in this state, by far, she was the most generous with her time, with her advice, with her endorsement, and with her support. And I guess what I want people to know about her is that no matter what position you held, City Council, school board, volunteer, she never made one single woman, at least in this city, feel small.

Instead, she used her bright light and shined it back on all of us. And I can only hope to provide some of that kind of light to the next generation of women coming up behind all of us. I appreciate her so much.

Senator Skinner, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, I'm pleased to be able to follow my colleagues who've spoken about her, because they've done an excellent job. And my colleague from Sacramento, Delaine, was absolutely. Now step back for a minute. I first knew Delaine when she was on the Union City Council, and I was an activist in Berkeley.

I was not yet on the Berkeley City Council, and I was working on garbage and recycling issues, which led me to me and friends to put various initiatives on our Berkeley ballot, including making Berkeley the very first city to declare 50% recycling goal. And this was back early eighties and Delaine. And you'd think that, you know, now the way that we talk about garbage and recycling, that everybody would. This would just be something. Everybody was for Delaine.

And the Union City Council was on the Alameda County's waste management authority, and the waste management authority was completely opposed to recycling. They, in fact, would not Fund it and were even willing to pass ordinances, in effect, to forbid it. And so she took a stance and forced them to create a recycling Committee. So when the initiative that I worked on passed, she found me and called me and told me, I'm so proud of you. I'm so glad you did that.

So then when I was on the Berkeley City Council, when I got elected, I was appointed to that waste management authority and took, you know, followed her lead in trying to change it, and so we kept in touch. Now, then, I didn't experience her so much as this badass for women leaders, but I experienced her as a real force of nature. But as time went on, it became clearer and clearer that she.

She'd gotten to the point where she's like, men can always get elected, men will always be in leadership roles. It is our job to promote women. And if any of the other people I knew, other women I knew that were close to her or viewed her as a mentor, if we ever endorsed, when there was a race where it was a man and a woman, and if we ever endorsed the man and not the woman, we would hear from Delaine. We would hear from her.

She would chew me out. And, of course, now in my own district, there are many men I respect, but I have a very hard time endorsing men now because of that. I have to think very hard because of how many times I remember Delaine yelling at me. But Delaine was adamant that unless we support each other, we're not going to be able to get in the roles.

Delaine was one of the first people in an elected office that endorsed me when I ran for the State Assembly. I got in the race late. I was very nervous about it. She endorsed me early and immediately ran a fundraiser for me when she was teaching at Mills. I would go every year and speak at her class, and she helped Mills create a club called the Fem Dems. Some of you may have experienced them. They were very active at state party conventions.

She mentored a staff of mine who is. Still. Still looks to Delaine as her second mother. Elaine was just phenomenal, and I'm going to miss her a great deal, as our colleagues who have already spoken to her about her and in memory of her have clearly communicated, and I strongly ask us to adjourn in her memory.

Senator Cortese, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. It's been, first of all, I rise also to adjourn in memory of Delane Easton. And it's been some solace to hear all the stories and the recollections and to hear that most all of them are aligned with my understanding and relationship with Delane Easton, except the one about supporting only women. And I think Senator Laird and I are probably feeling especially grateful after hearing Senator Skinner make her remarks that we somehow qualified for her support over the years.

Yes, she was a fierce feminist and a fierce supporter of women in moving women forward. I think today, if she could speak here, she would speak to being on the cusp of parity here in the Legislature in terms of women's representation. She pushed harder. She had a powerful voice. It's been intimated during the remarks so far that, you know, she's fierce. She was powerful. She actually had a powerful voice.

She was one of the best speakers, one of the best extemporaneous speakers I ever heard at any level of public speaking or any level of politics. My relationship with her goes back, and Senator Min was alluding to older people earlier. This will be one of those moments. I first ran for school board in the 1992 election in a very large district with 187,000 voters.

The issue in that race that year was charter schools, and there were two bills in the Legislature which had actually, as I understand it started off as a unified piece of legislation. And Senator Hart, state Senator Hart and Assemblymember Delaine Easton were both pushing for what would become the charter experiment, much of which we all know now. That effort split along the way.

And as it split, anybody who is running for office, especially for a school board position, was asked immediately upon entry, who are you supporting? What position are you taking? Because Delaine Easton's point of view was that you had to allow, not only allow, but have the collective bargaining in the traditional public schools. Follow the charter public schools. And if you didn't do that, in her words, you can Google that.

Her words, if you don't do that, the experiment's going to be upended for years and years and years by labor strife, by fights about labor, when what we should be doing is using these charter schools as incubators to inform the kind of restructuring and change we need in our public education system. I'll leave it to you as to whether she was right or not. Pete Wilson signed the other Bill. He didn't sign her Bill.

And I think she was very prescient in letting us know, and I think she'd stand here and say, I told you so, but that's my opinion. Again, I'll let you draw your own conclusions about what happened over the next 30 years.

I once asked her when she was living in Davis, if she would come down to actually to the Senator from Haywards district, because I was asked at the time to recruit a speaker to speak on women's empowerment at a very large hindu temple in that area. And she immediately said yes, as she was prone to do. If you had a relationship with her, she didn't waste time in making decisions. She would just say yes.

You know, in the biblical context, her yes was always yes or no was always no. But you would get a yes immediately if you were asking the right question. In her mind, I was very pleased to hear that. And she went down and spoke in a hindu temple with still, for ritualistic purposes or religious purposes, separates men and women.

So the women were in the hundreds waiting and ultimately received a very, very powerful speech by Delaine Easton on women's empowerment, which I've heard over and over again over the years as one of the best speeches many of those women ever heard. But that was Delaine Easton never passing up an opportunity to push for women's empowerment, to push as a feminist, to push for education reform and restructuring, and to push good candidates. And I would say, whether they were men or women, we will miss her.

I will miss her. The family relationship goes back so far. She served with my father in the State Assembly for a few years, so we consider her a family friend. And I appreciate the opportunity to said a few words today in her memory. And of course, urge the adjournment today. Thank you, Madam President.

Senator, please bring the ... name forward so that she may be properly memorialized in the journal. Moving towards Committee announcements. Senator Laird, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. The Education Budget Subcommitee one will meet in room 2100 upon adjournment.

The Health and Human Services Budget Subcommitee number three will meet in room 1200, 15 minutes after session. Senator Padilla, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Senate's Budget Subcommitee number four on State Administration and Government will convene upon adjournment in room 113 here in the capitol.

Members following adjournment, if you'd like to participate in the denim day photo, please come forward towards the bar. If there is no other business. Majority Leader Gonzalez, the desk is clear.

The next floor session is scheduled for Monday, April 292024 at 02:00 p.m. Thank you.

The Senate will be in recess until 03:30 p.m. At which time the adjournment motion will be made. We will reconvene Monday at 02:00 p.m. It.