Senate Floor

[Roll Call]

A quorum is present. Members, without objection. Senate Rule 55 will be suspended to allow guests on the floor for today's floor session. Would the members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery please rise? We'll be led in prayer this afternoon by our colleague, Senator Rubio, after which, please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance. Senator Rubio.

Thank you, Madam President. Bow your heads. Gracious God, you meet us in unexpected places. Traces of your grace are strewn all over our scheduled heavy lives. We ask to be stirred and disturbed towards soul-satisfying results. And our desire to serve you and neighbor, and even our enemy. Ease us into being good samaritans to each other. To the outcasts and rejected ones. And to do those whose fear sometimes makes them obnoxious. Make us bold to call others to accountability, even as we model humility to the arrogant, mercy to the self-righteous, compassion to the indifferent. God of many surprises. Make us glad of our heart for each other's day's opportunities. To bring our imagination and creativity to the disturbances that threaten to discourage us. We will continue to believe in the impossible. Amen.

Amen. Please place your right hand over your heart. Begin. Members, we have a wonderfully packed session today. I ask that for the remaining of our sessions, if we want to have wonderful conversations with our colleagues, we could take those conversations off the floor and give our attention to our colleagues, who have a lot of presentations. All right. Without objection.

We will take up the following resolutions out of order today. File item 11, SR 74, file item 10, SCR 124, and file item 51, SCR 101. After adoption of each resolution, we will return to the privileges of the floor. For the author to introduce their guest. We will start, Senator Umberg, if you are prepared with the presentation. Please proceed.

Do you want to read? Oh, let me.

Your privilege is your guest today, Senator.

Okay, let me. Thank you very much. Madam President. Let me make some special introductions with us. On the floor today, we have Mayor Valerie Amezcua, mayor of Santa Ana, longtime president of Santa Ana Unified School District. If you'd all welcome, Mayor Amezcua. Thank you.

Welcome, Mayor.

And also with us today, is Councilmember Connor Traut, one of the youngest elected officials in the entire State of California. He served as mayor, and now he's council member. More importantly, he's a father as of three weeks ago. So, thank you.

Welcome, Councilmember. I am the youngest member of this body here, so welcome.

Yes, thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Moving on to Senator Wilk. Are you prepared for your presentation today?

Yes, Madam President.

Please proceed.

Today I would like to welcome my good friend, Kim Koppelman. Kim is the former North Dakota speaker of the House. He served in the North Dakota Legislature for 28 years before retiring in 2022. Kim has had a distinguished career in business and public service, including serving as the national chairman of the Council of State Governments. He and his lovely wife, Tori, live in West Fargo, where he remains active in public affairs and the community. Please give a warm Senate welcome to Mr. Kim Koppelman.

Welcome, Mr. Speaker. Senator Wilk, would you like a photo with your guest?

I put a little weight on lately, so no. No, I will.

Let's do this. Let's do first, Senator Umberg with his guests. Any other nembers wish to participate in a group, photography or not? Okay. Moving on to Senator Laird, file item 10, SCR 124. Senator, are you prepared?

Senate Concurrent Resolution 124 by Senator Laird relative to Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month.

Senator, please proceed.

Thank you, Madam President. It's my pleasure to present Senate Concurrent Resolution 124, which declares may cystic fibrosis month. Cystic fibrosis is a rare disease diagnosed in approximately 2500 people in California. Yet I think many of us know someone in that category. This is most known for causing progressive lung disease. Cystic Fibrosis, or CF, impacts every organ system in the body. Raising awareness is key. With awareness comes support for research, and until recently, life expectancy for those with CF was short.

Thanks to innovative research, new therapies have developed that will transform the course of the disease for many. However, there's no cure for cystic fibrosis for those with advanced lung disease, these therapies come too late. And there are many with CF, most significantly people of color, for whom the new medications are not effective. So it impacts people of every race and ethnicity. People of color are far more likely to go undiagnosed due disparities in healthcare.

Raising awareness of cystic fibrosis and the diversity of those impacted will lead to earlier diagnosis and life saving interventions, which is why this resolution is being done today. Since 1975, Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute has been funding research to move us closer to a cure while providing education and support services to those impacted by the disease. But there is still work to be done to find a cure and to ensure that all Californians have equal opportunities to receive a diagnosis and effective treatment for the disease. I respectfully ask for an aye vote on SCR 124.

Senators. Any discussion or debate? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

38. No. Zero resolution is adopted. Senator Laird, please proceed with your presentation.

Thank you very much. Madam President, I would like to acknowledge who are watching in the gallery today, the Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute, and thank them for their hard work on this issue. There are advocates visiting today from Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda County, and cities in the Sacramento area. They are here on behalf of friends, family, and themselves to advocate and raise a awareness for those with cystic fibrosis. Please welcome them to the State Senate.

Welcome. Now, moving on to file item 51, SCR 101. Senator Nguyen, from the Majority Leader desk, you prepared? Secretary please read

Senate Concurrent Resolution 101 by Senator Nguyen relative to ao dai day.

Thank you, Madam President. Senator, colleagues, we have. We're hearing a resolution, and we could take our conversations off the floor. Greatly appreciate it. Thank you so much, Senator. Please proceed. Thank you, Madam President, today I rise to present Senate concurrent Resolution 101. SCR 101 recognizes May 15 as Ao Yai Day during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. I started this recognition back in 2016 with the introduction of SR 73.

The Vietnamese and Vietnamese American cultures are bright, colorful, and full of history that it captured in the form of the ao dai, the national garment of Vietnam. So ao is shirt, dai is long. So it's a long shirt. The national garment of Vietnam warned on all occasions whether it's a formal business meeting, it could be at a gala wedding. It could even be worn daily as well.

The symbol of national pride has been worn by both men and women and has evolved from a simple, loose fitting garment to the elaborate works of art that are seen in ceremonies and also museums. I'm so proud that this enduring symbol is something that I can share with my children. I watch as they embrace their heritage and enjoy wearing the ao dai during holidays and even at events like Tet and the Vietnamese New Year.

As the month of May marks Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage month, there is no better time to honor the ao dai and the people in history it represents. I respectfully ask for your. aye vote.

Thank you, colleagues. Any discussion or debate on this item? This item is eligible for unanimous roll. Any objection to utilizing the unanimous roll call? See, none. Ayes, 38, no, zero. The resolution is adopted. Senator, please proceed with your presentation.

Thank you, Madam President. Here I have with me our five constituents from my district, Tricia Nguyen, Diana Nguyen, Michelle Tran, Josephine Trina Doe and Michelle Doe, who are all wearing different types of ao dai representing the country of Vietnam. Thank you so much, and please give them a big round of applause for welcome to the State Senate. Senator Nguyen, we'll have you take a photo. There we go. Members, if you'd like to join this photo, this group photo. Now is the time.

All right, Members, we're moving forward with the agenda. Messages from the Governor will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly would deemed read. Reports of Committee will be deemed read, and amendments adopted. Moving now to motions, resolutions and notices. Without objection, the Senate journals for April 29, 2024 through May 22024 will be approved as corrected by the minute Clerk. Now, on consideration of daily file starting with the second reading file, we have item number one.

Secretary, please read Senate Bill 1141 with amendments.

Moving on to Senate third reading. We just have one item, item nine. And I ask that we could continue to remove our conversations off the floor and give our attention. Senator Umberg, are you prepared?

I am, Madam President.

Secretary, please read on item number nine. Give us a minute here. Secretary, please read item number nine.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 110 by Senator Umberg, relative to peace officers.

Senator Umberg, you may proceed?

Thank you. Madam President and colleagues, I rise to present SCR 110 in honor of California Peace Officers Memorial Day, a day that Californians observe in commemoration of the officers who have tragically sacrificed their lives for all of us. Let me begin by reading a quote from the Gospel of John, Chapter 15, verse 12. So this is my command. Love each other deeply as much as I have loved you. For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Today we honor those who have laid down their life for all of us. Although California citizens are indebted to our peace officers each and every day, today we make particular note of the peace officers whose service, bravery and dedication is honored and revered.

Many of us were at the Peace Officers Memorial this morning, and it's appropriate that we as a state recognize their sacrifice and importantly, that we recognize the families who are left behind, the loved ones or those officers who continue to make that sacrifice on a daily basis, the families who feel that loss every day, the families who continue to bear that sacrifice on behalf of all of us, the families who must keep on living, although their hearts are so heavy that it's hard to do, although the enforcement of laws, the peace officers, they've safeguarded our lives, our property, the citizens of California and those today we honor gave the full measure of that devotion.

We have a special ceremony, as we should, to recognize them and their families. This ceremony, this commemoration, doesn't come about organically. It requires leadership and organization. And it's the California Peace Office Memorial Foundation that organizes this event every year and continues to recognize and remember those who are survivors. And today we have three folks who are present in the gallery. We have the President of the California Peace Office Memorial Foundation, Juan Miramantes, who's here with us today, along with the Executive Director Mark Nichols.

And we have Director John Kachariski, who's also here with us today. We thank them. We thank them for their dedication and their devotion to these families. Let me today recognize those who have died in the line of duty.

Officer Philip Sudaro Los Angeles Police Department end of watch January 25, 2021 Sergeant Patricia Guillen Los Angeles Police Department end of watch January 28, 2021 Sergeant Anthony White Los Angeles Police Department end of watch April 15, 2021 Deputy Darnell Calhoun Riverside County Sheriff's Office end of watch January 13, 2023 Deputy Calhoun was ambushed and fatally shot. Line of duty on January 13. He'd served on the force for less than a year. His parents, sister, brother, wife and three sons survived him.

The youngest son was actually born after Deputy Calhoun was murdered. Officer Gonzalo Carrasco Selma Police Department end of watch January 31, 2023 Officer Carrasco was shot and killed in an ambush attack on January 31, 2023. He was only 24 years old, with two years of service with the Selma Police Department. He survived by his parents, his siblings, his girlfriend, who gave birth again to a son less than a month following his death.

Deputy Ryan Clincoln Broomer Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department end of watch sir September 16, 2023 Deputy Clincoln Brumer was an eight year veteran of the LA County Sheriff's Department. He was ambushed and fatally shot while sitting at a traffic stop in front of a Palmdale sheriff's station.

Deputy Clincoln Brumer is survived by his parents, grandparents, fiancee, who he proposed to just four days before the attack, and Officer Tuan Lee, Oakland Police Department end of watch December 29, 2020 all these officers and their families we honor and revere, and we must continue to do so. I ask today for an aye vote in recognition of Senate Concurrent Resolution 110.

Senator Archuleta, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise today in support of SCR 110, proclaiming Monday, May 6, as California Peace Officers Memorial Day. This Resolution is personally important to me, as it is to the men and women who serve this great country in uniform, as we recognize those in the balcony. And I will tell you this. Thank you for your service. It personally is important to me. Again, I served with the Montebello Police Department Department. So as brother in arms, I thank you again for your service.

Our peace officers protect our communities every single day. They work dangerously difficult times, duties and days without family, sometimes just the brother and sister next to them in the car. And every day they're there to protect our great state and our cities. Police officers, our public servants to protect us, service, keep us safe, and generally care about their communities that they represent.

Our officers join the force because they have a strong desire to help people and often go above and beyond the call of duty that is required of them on a daily basis. Their dedication to keeping our communication safe, our communities safe by law enforcement. Sometimes it's overstated because of the fact that they sacrificed so much, but only the families truly know when they lose one.

We are indebted to put ourselves together with them so we recognize the time and the service they give our state, sometimes the ultimate price. These fallen heroes were laid to rest today symbolically, but there were hundreds upon hundreds of law enforcement officers, and especially their families, there to recognize them. It was an honor to witness the hundreds of law enforcement officers, men and women, this morning at the peace office of memorial ceremony.

From small departments to our largest, the common bond, the badges these officers wear in service of God and country and of their community. The families once again come together to lay the flowers at the foot of the memorial statue brought sadness to the tears and eyes of everyone that was there and the children who said, bye, dad. Bye, mom. We will never know their grief, but we will always honor their sacrifices. So for these reasons, I ask that we support SCR 110. Thank you

Thank you, Madam President. Today, I also stand in strong support of SCR 110. I want to just acknowledge all those that have fallen in the line of duty and also thank all those that came from across our state today to just bear witness to what's left behind after these heroes put their lives on the line and ultimately lose it in protecting us. So today, it was very difficult as I watched a parent family Member just break down.

And I think that sometimes as community Members, we see the uniform, we see the badge, and we fail to see what's behind that. And we don't see the spouses, the children, the mothers. And it's just a testament of how much more we have to do to ensure that we uplift them, support them, and in so many ways, they're community heroes. I just want to take a moment to acknowledge two of our officers that I lost.

We lost as a community last year, and we're honored here as well. Two young men, Officer Paredes and Officer Santana, very young, young men who left really small children behind. And as you talk to the families, the mothers, the children, it is heartbreaking. And so I just want to encourage us to collectively take one moment as a community, a society, as a state, to say thank you when we see them, not just the uniform, but the human beings wearing the badge. Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you, Madam President. I, too, rise in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 110, which declared May 6, 2024 as California Peace Officers Memorial Day, to honor those who've died in line of duty and to also recognize their family and to thank them for their sacrifices. During my time here in the legislature, I've had the unfortunate duty of honoring the lives of two officers in my district who proudly served and protected our communities and sadly lost their lives in the line of duty.

And I would like to recognize both of them at this time. In 2022, we honor Hunton beach police officer Nicholas Vella. Officer Vella grew up in Southern California, spent 14 years of his life serving the people of Hunton beach as a police officer. He died tragically during a helicopter crash in Newport Beach while responding to a call in the neighboring city, Newport Beach, a home surveillance camera captured his helicopters as they went down into the water.

Since his passing, we've been able to honor him with a highway sign in Hunton beach, where tens of thousands of people driving on Beach Boulevard will be able to remember and honor him last year, we also honored Laguna Beach police officer John Coochie with a highway memorial sign on the Alicia Creek Bridge in honor of his heroic acts and his selfless service. His life ended back in 2013 as Officer Coochie pursued a reckless driving driven vehicle that had eluded another officer.

Following the chase, a collision on the Pacific coast highway claimed his life. In the face of this heartbreaking event, one of the responding officers draped an American flag over John's body, an honorable jester befitting of a true hero who had dutifully serve both his country and his community. The brave men and women who are our first responders leave home every day realizing that they might not return home.

Police officers are some of the bravest dedicated and committed individuals who have stepped up to protect and serve our communities. As grateful as we are for them, we must also show our great gratitude and appreciation to their families and the loved ones of police officers, especially those who've lost while on duty. In memory of those brave officers who've lost their lives in the course of duty, I respectfully also ask for an aye vote. Senator Humberg, you may close.

Sorry, the great Senator from Bakersfield was blocking my view there. Senator Seyarto, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Today, Members, I rise in support. While the merits of the resolution are enough to support on its own, honoring the thousands of law enforcement officers who sacrificed so much on our behalf, I also stand in memory of Sheriff Deputy Darnell Calhoun, to whom this resolution memorializes. Darnell was shot and killed responding to a domestic violence incident in Lakeland village area of my district last year. His family. In addition to that, Darnell worked at his family's barbecue establishment.

That is quite good and used to serve us frequently as we went to the barbecue. It was only a mile from my house, so we knew him a little bit before he became a sheriff's deputy, and he was a very affable young man. We used to have fun when standing around waiting for the food to arrive here. As legislators, it is our responsibility to pass laws to protect not only our community, but also to give our officers a fighting chance.

Darnell was every bit the example of what a great law enforcement officer is in a community. He was known for treating everyone with respect. He understood where they were at in their life. He also showed empathy and compassion, and he was always trying to find a solution to avoid making any issue worse.

I personally will be keeping him and all officers in mind while I serve here in Sacramento, and I also keep in mind how our decisions will continue to impact not only our communities, but the officers that protect those communities. That is why I ask all of you to join in supporting this important resolution in honoring the fallen officers of our great state. Thank you. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Good afternoon. I rise in strong support of the resolution today to designate May 6 as California Peace Officers Memorial Day. This day holds immense significance as we honor the brave people who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty to protect our communities. To date, there have been 1756 line of duty deaths in California. Over the last century, 36 law enforcement officers have been killed while protecting and serving communities in my State Senate district four.

And over the past 10 years, we've lost nearly half a dozen law enforcement officers who have laid their lives on the line while protecting and serving in their communities. Today, I'd like to honor the memories of El Dorado County Sheriff Deputy Brian Ishmael, or Ish, whose end of watch was Wednesday, October 23, 1920. 19 death at gunfire while on active duty Newman police Corporal Ronel sing end of watch was Wednesday, December 26. Yes, the day after Christmas of 2018.

Gunfire on active duty Stanislaus County Sheriff's deputy Antonio Inostrosa III, Jason Allen Gardner and Dennis Randall Wallace end of watch Saturday, May 13, 2017 end of watch, Sunday, November 25, 2018 and Sunday, November 13, 2016 and Robert Lee Parris Junior Thursday, April 12, 2021 the Stanislaus Blue Lines Wives Club, a nonprofit that was built, that was built to support our fallen officers, has been a beacon of support for law enforcement wives, mothers and Members, and family Members who have loved them.

Today, many of our fallen officers names are displayed with honor along with California highways and interstates, a very important reminder of the sacrifice. In recognizing May 6 as California Peace Office's Memorial Day, we will pay tribute to those who have fallen while serving, and we express our gratitude to all the law enforcement officers and their families who continue to hold and uphold their memory, their honor and memories. I strongly urge an aye vote.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, I also rise in support of SCR 110, California Police Officers Memorial Day. I can share with you that every year that this ceremony becomes more and more personal to me, as I've shared in the past that my son in law is a police officer officer serving in San Diego, county, and recognizing that I didn't grow up with police officers in my family, but my daughter decided to marry one and now we have one in our family.

And every day I think of that responsibility that he takes to protect his community and keep all of us safe and the responsibility that we have, that I have personally to know that I have his back if anything happens on any shift, that he may serve. As we take into consideration the end of watch stories that we heard today and the different types of events that ended those watches. Some of them are ambush.

Some of them were car accidents and other types of accidents or on purpose acts that ended those watches. One of the things sometimes that we forget about, there's also an epidemic of suicide among our police officers and other first responders. I serve on the board of a nonprofit called Cover now that's committed to the mental health support of our police officers, our police officers that are catastrophically injured, and the families that are left behind by suicide.

The reason that that is so important to me is I've done a ride-along with the police. I've witnessed just a fraction of what they have to put up with in their career. And I would encourage all of us, if you've not done a ride along with your local Police Department or Sheriff's Department or some type of law enforcement agency, that you would do that.

I would ask that you would do that as a personal favor to me, that you would take a long shift, maybe a night shift, maybe on a Friday night or a Saturday night, and ask for a real ride along, not a sanitized public official. We're going to keep you safe. Ride along.

But maybe one where you might get a little dirty or might be a little uncomfortable or you might be a little hungry or you might go a little thirsty because the shift is going on and on, and they're responding to call after call after call and just get a small taste of what our law enforcement go through in their careers. I ask for an aye vote on SCR 110.

Senator Stern, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I, too, rise in support. Just had the heavy responsibility to meet with Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer 's family. His end of watch was September 16 of last year, and he comes from four generations of deputies in the La County Sheriff's Department dating all the way back to when they didn't even have cars in the Santa Clarita Valley. To do that work was a different time. And yet, through those generations, they all made it through.

And it's very hard to meet with a family who is trying to put the puzzle pieces together and figure out why really, really bad things happen to such honorable and good people. And I don't think we're meant to understand why those things happen, because we have to rage against those things happening. We have to stop those things from happening and not accept those as just part of the job.

We owe a deep debt to the Clinkunbroomer and to everyone else who's fallen and to everyone else who serves today. Ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Umberg. You may close.

Thank you, Madam President, colleagues, for your very eloquent comments paraphrasing George Washington, who said that a young person's propensity to serve is directly proportional to how his or her community recognizes that service and sacrifice. So I'm grateful, and I think we're all grateful to California peace Officers memorial foundation for providing that platform. So that every year, I believe it's been 46 years, we recognize that sacrifice. So all of us can see what that means. We enact the laws here.

And, of course, those who are but a stone's throw away, today they're charged with the responsibility of enforcing those laws. So I think it's important, and I grateful that you have this ceremony here in the shadow of the Capitol. So we are reminded of the faces of those who have made that sacrifice. With that, I urge and I vote.

Thank you, Senator. Secretary, please call the row.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 37. Noe, zero. The resolution is adopted. Moving on to file item number 10. SCR 124 Acelebrad El Espirito Latino. Now we're going to celebrate the spirit of file item 11. Celebrate the Latino spirit with SR 74. Majority leader, are you prepared?

Secretary, please read.

Senate resolution 74 by Senator Gonzalez relative to Cinco De Mayo week.

Major Leader, please proceed.

Thank you. Madam President, as Vice Chair of the Latino Caucus, it is my honor today to rise to present Sr. Senate Resolution 74, which memorializes Cinco De Mayo as a significant date in Mexican and California history. On May 5, 1862 at the battalion De Puebla in Mexico, a small army of indigenous Mexicans outnumbered, formulated a strong resistance and defeated a French colonial force. A force that was larger, better trained, and very equipped.

Despite a severe lack of resources, the Mexican Army's determination to be free from colonization carried them to a historic victory. We recognize Cinco De Mayo because it serves as a symbol of our Mexican culture, resilience and character. Cinco De Mayo serves to remind us that the foundation of our nation and our state.

State is its people in their spirits and courage in the face of adversity, in the strength of their drive to achieve self determination, and in their willingness to sacrifice even life itself in the pursuit of freedom and liberty. Latinos in California have challenged the frontiers of social, economic, and environmental justice and have strengthened and uplifted all of our communities in countless ways.

We are at the forefront of issues that impact our communities livelihood and well being and ensuring we are civically engaged and represented at all levels, local, state and national.

So on this day, when we recognize the courage, strength, and the importance of the symbolism of the victory of the Batalla De Puebla by Mexican forces, the Latino caucus is proud to share with you the courage, strength, and resilience that is embodied in the spirit of the Latino leaders we've selected to out receive our 2024 Latino Spirit Awards. The biographies of our Latino honorees can be found on the programs we've made available to all Senators here.

They are an exceptional group of leaders who we feel very proud to recognize because of their dedication and passion to positively represent our communities, our Latino culture and heritage. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Senator Rubio, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President, ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, today I rise in support of SR 74, not only as a member of the Latino caucus, but also as the California Legislative Jewish Caucus Member. Cinco De Mayo celebrates the Mexican people's fight for liberation and self determination.

It is a reminder that the strength of any nation lies in its people and their spirit and their courage to pursue freedom and liberty. The Jewish community, who have faced persecution and struggles throughout our history, also understand that lesson. The connections between the Mexican community and the Jewish community run deep. During World War Two, Mexico provided a refuge for many Jewish people seeking safe havens from the horrors of war and genocide. That welcoming of diversity makes our world a better place.

And today, that diverse communities of California stand together in celebration of Cinco De Mayo. As a proud co author and on behalf of the Jewish caucus, I urge an aye vote on SrS74. Thank you.

Senator Eggman, you're recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I also rise on behalf of SR 74, on behalf of the LGBTQ caucus, and just to speak about the intersectionality amongst so many of us of the LGBT caucus and our Latino families from which we come. Starting with the fight at Pueblo, the resilience, the, the strength of the Latino community continues to push off oppressors that may be stronger than themselves. We have never met a fence we couldn't get over. We have never met a battle that we couldn't win.

And we know that we do that, most importantly when we do it together on our own floor. Here we have Latino leaders who are also in the LGBT community. The Senator from San Diego who represents our whole southern border, a proud member of both caucuses, our member who is presiding today, also a member of both caucuses, being the youngest member of our senate family. And I am on the older side of the senate family and count myself also amongst those that face this intersectionality.

In addition to our insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, in addition to our school superintendent, Tony Thurmond, we are proudly represented as we face the intersectionality of all of our lives and fight together for the freedom and the, and the privilege to live in the State of California. I ask for your aye vote on S R74.

Colleagues, we're going to take a quick 1 minute recess. No, just a quick break. Any further discussion or debate on this item, Mister pro tem, you're recognized.

Thank you so much, Madam President. Colleagues, I rise alongside the Latino Caucus to be able to recognize the Californians being honored today for this year's Latino Spirit awards. I want to say thank you so much to our majority leader, also Vice Chair of the Latino Caucus, for bringing this beautiful ceremony to these chambers. You know, the honorees who we're celebrating this afternoon have given back to this state all who love to call California home and have made it stronger.

And in every corner of the Golden State, we experience profound cultural and economic impact of the Golden State's Latino community. And the 15 million Latinos who call California home are a living testament to that. California is the most diverse state in America. And it's that diversity that is our secret to success as an economic power, as the most welcoming state in America. To those who seek a better life for themselves as well as their families. Ladies and gentlemen, Senate Madam President, I respectfully ask for an aye vote on SR 74.

Thank you, Mister Pro Tem. Majority Leader. See no further discussion. Debate you may close.

Thank you. On behalf of the 38 Members strong of the Latino caucus, I thank my colleagues from Baldwin park, from Stockton, as well as our pro tem. And I respectfully ask for. For an aye vote.

Members, this is eligible for unanimous roll call. Any objection to utilizing the unanimous roll call Ayes 38, nos zero resolution is adopted. Majority leader, under privileges of the floor, please proceed with your presentation.

Thank you again, Madam President. Again, on behalf of the Latino caucus, it is my pleasure now to introduce you to some very special guests joining us today, our 2024 Latino Spirit award. Honorees. The Latino Spirit Awards were founded 23 years ago by the Latino Caucus to highlight contributions made by leaders within our diverse community. Our honorees are bold, inspiring and passionate leaders that truly embody our Latino spirit. And I am proud to share their accomplishments with you all today.

Also, this Latino Spirit award here, which every one of our honorees will receive, is a bear made in the Huichol Chaquira style, which we have especially made from La Llarit, Mexico. Every award is its own unique pattern, so no two Latino spirit awards are the same. And with that, we'll start with our very first honoree. We'll start off with Vanessa Aguilar. She's a rising star on the international soccer stage who recently participated in France with the U 17 Mexican national team.

Originally from Soledad, Vanessa began playing soccer at the age of eight and has recently played for the San Francisco Glens and the Bay Area surf, where she distinguished herself as the top scorer for the E, C and L League. Please join me in welcoming Vanessa Aguilar as a 2024 achievement in youth athletics honoree.

Congratulations.

Next we have Rafael Agustin. He's a writer on the award winning TV show Jane the Virgin and is the author of the bestselling memoir Illegally Yours. Augustine was also the founding Director of the Youth Cinema Project and is a board Member of the Center for Investigative Reporting, the oldest nonprofit investigative newsroom in the US. Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement achievement in cinema and literature honoree Rafael Agustin welcome and congrats. Next, we have a friend to many of us, Castulo De La Rocha.

He is President and CEO of Altamed Health Services, which transformed from a storefront barrio clinic in East Los Angeles into one of the largest federal federally qualified health centers in the nation. An avid believer in the healing power of art, Mister Delarocha has spent 30 years assembling the Ultmed art collection, which features works from emerging and established artists and lives on rotating display across the ultamed network. Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in Healthcare Honoree Castulo De La Rocha.

Congrats.

Next we have Joe L Del Bosque is a civic leader and lifelong farmer from fireball, California whose farm produces organic melons, organic tomatoes, almonds and cherries. Del Bosque is a vocal advocate for farmers impacted by water policies. In 2010, he was appointed to serve on the California Water Commission and he currently serves on the Ag foundation board at Fresno State. He is also on the board of directors of Amor Wellness and is a Member of the California Mellon Research Board.

Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in agriculture. Business honoree Joe L Del Bosque. Maite Gomez-Rejon is the founder of Art Bites, where she explores the nexus of art and culinary history through lectures, tastings and cooking in museums across the country. Maite's writings have appeared in many publications and her curatorial work includes exhibits of the forgotten legacy of Mexican culinary pioneer Josefina Velazquez De Leon. She also co hosts hungry for history with Eva Longoria on iHeartRadio's Michael Thura podcast network.

Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in culinary arts Honoree Maite Gomez-Rejon. Jorge Gutierrez is an Emmy Award winning animator, painter, voice actor, writer and Director. He directed and co wrote the animated feature the Book of Life, which earned him a 2014 Golden Globe Award nomination. He also created the Nickelodeon animated series El the Adventures of Manny Rivera and created, wrote and directed the event series Maya and the three for Netflix, which won four emmys.

He is currently writing directing a Netflix animated feature named Chihuahua with Gabriel Fluffy Iglesias please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in animation and film. Honoree Jorge Gutierrez. Doris Anahi Munoz is a singer, songwriter and activist. She is the founder of Solidarity for Sanctuary, a concert series that originated from a very personal need to help undocumented parents in their legal process, which rapidly grew into benefiting immigrants rights organizations from coast to coast.

Her story caught the eye of Director Isabel Castro, who created the feature length documentary Mija about Doris and and her family's journey. Doris has released two EPs, Aprendiendo Porlas Malas and Porlas Buenas. Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in arts and music. Honoree Doris Anahi Munoz. Pilar Nino is a renowned reporter for Telemundo 48 in Northern California who has won 10 Emmy awards. Nino's impact transcends her reporting.

She collaborates with local authorities and community organizations to address pressing issues embodying the spirit of activism and positive change. Her impartial storytelling is a source of inspiration, resonating with audiences and driving meaningful dialogue. Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in journalism. Honoree Pilar Nino Nancy Sutley is deputy mayor of energy and sustainability for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Sutley previously led the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Barack Obama and served as deputy mayor for energy and environment under the Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaragosa. Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in public service service Honoree Nancy Sutley. Mana De San Diego is the largest chapter of the national Latina organization that has done invaluable work, uplifting and advocating for Latinas in the San Diego region for 38 years.

They have built a beloved community of support to empower Latinas through education, leadership, development, community service and advocacy at every stage of their lives. Joining us from Mana today are board chair Claudia Rempell and Executive Director Doctor Inez Gonzalez Perezchica. Please join me in welcoming the 2024 achievement and Community empowerment. Honoree Manada San Diego Lupita Infante is a Mexican American singer songwriter who has been nominated for several Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.

Her name is familiar to tens of millions of Mexicans as she is the granddaughter of Pedro Infante, the most beloved Mexican singer and actor of the 20th century. With a multitude of awards and recognitions and being featured in the 2024 people in Espanol's most powerful women of 2024. Listen. Lupita Infante is solidifying her place as one of the most beloved Musica Mexicana artists of the new generation. Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in music and entertainment. Honoree Lupita Infante.

Doctor Diana E. Ramos is California's second surgeon General and the first Latina to serve in that role. As California's Doctor. She is the leading spokesperson on the most pressing public health issues within the State of California. Over the past three decades, Doctor Ramos has provided reproductive care to thousands of Californians. As an obstetrician gynecologist. Doctor Ramos also previously served as the assistant Deputy Director of Chronic disease Prevention for the California Department of Public Health.

Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in public service and health. California's surgeon General, Doctor Diana E. Ramos Ignacio Gomez is a world renowned painter and sculpture whose painting of Edward James Olmos as El Pachuco for the Broadway play Zoot suit is now in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Gomez also designed, sculpted and painted Cesare Chavez Memorial for the City of San Fernando, the Chavez headstone in La Paz Quin and the Chavez Memorial in the City of Riverside.

Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in art and civil rights. Honoree Ignacio A. Gomez and an army veteran Doctor Jose Hernandez is a former migrant worker who became an astronaut for NASA and served as flight engineer for the 2009 STS 128 mission aboard the Space Shuttle discovery. Doctor Hernandez spent more than 15 years at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he co developed the first full field digital mammography system for the early detection of breast cancer.

Doctor Hernandez currently works as a consultant for the company he founded in 2012, the era Luna Engineering, and serves on the University of California Board of Regents. His life story was also the subject of the Amazon prime biopic a million miles away. Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in science and philanthropy. Doctor Jose M. Hernandez.

I will ask that all the honorees come to the front of the we have. oh, we have two eyes. I apologize. Majority.

That's okay. That is okay. All good? Yes.

Save the best for last and our.

Last two honorees are co founders of Latinas Acting Up, an organization representing underpaid and exploited Latinas across the entertainment industry. Lisa Vidal is a veteran television and film actress whose credits include the Baker and the Beauty, Boston Legal, CSI, Miami, ER, and the 2009 film Star Trek. Diana Maria Riva is an actress and advocate who starred in Mcfarland USA, Love and Mercy, and has appeared in many prominent series including NYPD Blue, the West Wing, and the Gordita Chronicles.

Please join me in welcoming our 2024 achievement in advocacy and entertainment. Honorees, co founders of Latinas acting up, Lisa Vidal and Diana Maria Riva. Members and guests, thank you so much for bearing with us. And we are so honored again on behalf of the 30 Members of the Latino caucus to ensure that all of these incredible honorees are uplifted and that we give them our support. Thank you.

I'm going to have all the honorees come now to the front. The first photo is going to be with the Latino Legislative Caucus. After that photo, the rest of the Members could join the group photo if they wish. If any other Member would like to participate in this group photo, now is the time, now is the time to join the group photo for any other Member who wishes to participate. We'll come back in 60 seconds. Take like almost two.

All right, Members, if we can get back to our desk, we are resuming with our agenda. Here we go. If we still need to have a conversation, if we can, please take it off the floor. Moving on to announcements. Senator Glazier, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President.Okay, Members, last year I authored and you passed a resolution that named the plaza of the state Capitol World Peace Rose Garden in honor of Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Byrd, as you know, the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court. Tomorrow morning, there is a ceremony to unveil that recognition, that honor, at 10:00 a.m. In the Rose Garden in conjunction with the California Legislative Women's Caucus. I want to invite any Members who's here in the morning to come join that important ceremony. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. We're now entering or returning to motions and resolutions and entering the time for adjournment memories. We have two today. Senators, let's give our attention to first Senator Smallwood Cuevas.

Thank you, Madam President, and good afternoon, colleagues. I rise today in the memory of the great Reverend Doctor Cecil Chip Murray, a fear civil rights leader who for decades was an influential voice for South Los Angeles community. In my district, Reverend Murray was the legendary prophetic pastor of First AME Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles, better known as Fame Church, the city's oldest black congregation and a leading Center for racial and economic justice movements.

It was a place where many would gather to support one another in the times of challenge and also to celebrate our communities in times of victory.

And while many will recall fame for the high profile guests such as us presidents and governors coming to visit celebrities and athletes for those of us who lived in South LA, it was just known as the place where Reverend Murray pastored and where a real impact was made on the lives of the congregants and on the life of the community, particularly the West Adams neighborhood. Fame Church was founded in 1872 by. By Biddy Mason.

And I think it's important to understand the significance of Pastor Murray by understanding the significance of this church. Biddy Mason was a former slave who walked by foot to travel behind her slave master and his caravan from Mississippi to the west. In 1848, and after learning that California was free, Biddy Mason petitioned for her freedom, and she settled in Los Angeles, where she became a prominent landowner. She provided care services in her community and ultimately a philanthropist and founder of the great famed church.

It's not a coincidence that this church and its rich history would be connected with such a great and phenomenal loving leader as Pastor Murray. In 1977, Reverend Murray began his 27 year pastorship of fame. He took the church of a few hundred Members and grew it to a congregation of nearly 20,000 during his tenure, becoming the largest black church, one of the largest black churches in the country. And Pastor Murray did this with such a gentle spirit.

He was such a kind man who eagerly welcomed all into his sanctuary. He often called them son and daughter, and I'm so honored to have been one of the ones that he called daughter. As a young organizer, where he welcomed me into the congregation and talked about the links between Christianity and justice in our communities, he would envelop you in that warmth, regardless of your age, your ethnicity, your race and religion.

And he would bring that beaming smile and charismatic presence as the real qualities of a trusted leader, a leader who was trusted with our community in the most difficult of times, in times of unrest. He was a go to for so many of us. And at the height of the racial tension in Los Angeles after the brutal beating of Rodney King, it was Reverend Murray who really rose to national prominence as the unifier.

He became a voice of peace and of activism and ensured that Los Angeles would overcome and be more united in the midst of the city's worst violence and uprising since the 1992 Watts rebellion. I'm sorry, 1965 Watts Rebellion. Before the release of the verdicts of the President of the police officer's trial for the beating, Reverend Murray brought everyone into the church.

He opened the doors of the church for that whole day and evening, and he warned from the pulpit that if you're going to burn something down, don't burn down the houses of the victims. Don't burn down the houses of your community. Burn down the Legislature, burn down the ballot box. Burn down the courtroom. Burn it all down by voting and getting involved, brother.

And he called on Members of the congregation, particularly the men in the congregation, to stand up and to go out into the community that evening to mentor others and to create peace on the streets to help residents heal from the civil unrest.

When the rebuilding efforts began, Reverend Murray reached out to corporate donors and government agencies from across the country and raised millions of dollars to launch fame renaissance, which became an economic development engine for South Los Angeles along the West Adams corridor, an area that had been largely ignored. This church invested millions to rebuild and FAME by itself created over 4000 jobs, created 300 new homeowners, and helped to seed 500 new businesses in the wake of the unrest.

The effects are still standing today and is a symbol of the resurgence of this corridor. Pastor Murray said the role of the church was to be a fueling station for social service agencies that could really help and heal the city long term. Committed to building a vibrant black community throughout Los Angeles, Reverend Murray also emphasized the need to create future future leaders.

And once retired as pastor, he went on to serve as tansy Professor of Christian ethics and the chair of the Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement at USC. There he trained nearly 1000 faith leaders in what we called, and he coined the Murray method. And the Murray method was simply about being on the ground and involved in your community.

What he talked about were the five m's, the mission of the church being felt in the community, the focus on the membership and building relationships with those in the congregation and building membership in the community. Money, meaning that we need to invest in our institutions and maintenance, meaning we needed to care, but most of all, morale, meaning that we continue to have the voice of justice inside of our congregations, building the morale of our church and our community.

These were all key attributes that Pastor Murray taught so many other leaders across the community, not just to build churches, but to transform communities. Reverend Murray forever touched the lives of those who had the honor to work and worship alongside of him.

And I am blessed again to say that I was a group of a cadre of organizers, young black organizers, that he would welcome into the church over a meal to have a conversation and to figure out ways that the church could support efforts like our justice for janitors movement in Los Angeles. He was one of the few pastors who stood with a largely immigrant workforce, undocumented workers, to say that they are part of Los Angeles and deserve justice.

And after those workers were organized, he stood with the private security officers, these were largely black men and women in those same buildings to say that they, too, deserved justice. And we hosted a number of teachings in the church, bringing hundreds of community Members and workers to create the link between what it means to be godlike in the church, but also what it means to be God like in our communities and in our work sites.

I saw how Pastor Murray was a true moral authority that helped to lead and guide this great community of south LA from the pulpits and in our communities. And Reverend Murray was laid to rest this weekend, and the church was overflowing with guests who came over his passing, which was earlier in the month, to pay their respects and give their love to this amazing leader who led an extraordinary life and also made our lives touched by his mere presence.

He is survived by his son, Drew Murray, and also by his Tammy, his niece Tammy Murray, and his grand niece, April Cohe, and Reverend Mathis Murray, who are in the gallery with us today. And I think they are. There they are. Thank you so much for being with us. And with that, I ask that we adjourn in his memory today.

Senator Bradford, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I, too, just want to quickly add my voice to the German of an amazing religious leader. Leader, a visionary, a husband, a father, a friend, and a mentor to many. None other than the one and only Reverend Cecil chip Murray. And I'm honored to call him my pastor. Almost 40 years ago, I was encouraged to go to this church and visit by one of my coworkers when I worked at IBM, and he was the choir Director.

And he says, Steve, you need to come to church on Sunday and just experience. And I'll never forget that first day I walked into the church, and it was like nothing I had ever heard or seen before, because it was the first time I had seen a choir with electric guitar and bass, a saxophone and drums. Usually most churches just have a piano and possibly an organist, and he had a full band. And this is one of the liveliest choirs I'd ever seen.

But what put that on the side was when this dynamic, charismatic, booming pastor with this baritone voice of confidence, of power, of eloquence, started preaching. And I say Reverend Murray was not a preacher. He was a teacher. He was a teacher of the word. And he made it plain like I had never heard it before as a young person. And after visiting about three Sundays in a row, I made the decision that this is where I was going to call home.

And it was the first church I ever joined outside of my family. As an adult, at first, Ame and Cecil Murray coined the phrase first to serve because he believed that the church should not only be in the community, but of the community, and the community should be of the church.

That's why it was so many athletes, entertainers, business people, educators, and, yes, elected officials who are Members of that church, because he believed in bringing us all together and just being more than just a spiritual leader. And I will quickly remember, on the day of the verdict, he quickly assembled elected officials, business people, you name it, community organizers at the church that evening, that Tuesday, I was there, and he exuded calm in a moment of chaos and confusion and fear. And he calmed us all.

And I'll never forget walking out that church that evening in the glow that I saw around the city, because it was fires all abound and that next day. He quickly organized men of FAME because many of the firefighters would not respond. And he assembled men to safeguard the firefighters as if they, when they put out the fires. But I'll never forget his sermon that first Sunday after the civil unrest had unbroken.

And he was quick to admonish all the individuals who had went out into community and set fires. And he quickly said, you're burning down your own community. But he was quick to also let them know he did not blame those folks. He says, you might have set those fires, but you didn't start those fires. He says, slavery in this country started this fire. Our constitution had identified African Americans as only three fifths of a human being started this fire.

The economic disadvantage that existed in minority communities started these fires. And he was very deliberate about making that message so plain and so clear. And also shortly after magic Johnson retired from the NBA because he acquired required HIV, again, he assembled athletes and entertainers to create a message of awareness about age. And he was probably one of the first pastors to distribute condoms to the community, making sure that they were safe. And that's unheard of in most religious environments. And. But that's who Cecil Murray was.

I'm honored to call him my pastor. We could be here all day talking about all that he's done and all that he meant to this community. And I'm just saying I'm honored to call him a friend, but more importantly, I'm honored to call him a pastor, and he will never be forgotten. He had a tremendous impact on First AME, but not just First AME, the nation. And again, he performed the funeral for Tom Bradley, for Ray Charles and Eazy, because that's who he was. They all knew him. They all loved him and they all respect him. So God rest Cecil Murray and I ask that we adjourn in his memory.

We extend our condolences to you and to the good Reverend's family. Senator, please bring his name forward so that we may properly memorize him in the journal. Senator Niello, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, a life well lived is not a function of how long that life is. A life well lived is one of purpose, of dedication, and filled with selfless help of others, especially in the face of great challenges. I rise to honor and journey the memory of Danielle Mandela's life. Danielle passed away November 29 of just last year. She was 37 years old. 37. She leaves to mourn in her passing and celebrate her legacy.

A wide circle of family and friends, some of whom were introduced earlier when Senator Laird presented his resolution. Danielle was a beloved staff Member of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute and Member of the cystic Fibrosis community. She will be long remembered for her unconditional giving of herself, her vision and capacity to excel, and her commitment to improving the quality of life for future generations. She was born on October 9, 1986 in Sacramento, where most of her large family resides, and she graduated from Rockland High School.

Danielle was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at three months old. She lived her entire life with it as a teenager. Her health declined rapidly, and in 2003, she became one of only a handful of people in the nation to become a living donor lung transplant recipient. Each of her parents, Terry and Daniel, who are here with us today, donated a lobe of their lungs for their daughter. Those lungs sustained Danielle for over 20 years, but chronic rejection and other transplant related complications ultimately claimed her life.

Danielle volunteered with cystic Fibrosis Research Institute for many years prior to joining the staff as a social media associate. In that role, she expanded the Institute's reach around the globe and created connections within the national and international cystic fibrosis community. She also served on the retreat Committee and the Cystic Fibrosis Adult Advisory Committee and launched their now annual dance like a fool event that raises funds for wellness classes for the national cystic fibrosis community.

Danielle was a committed and passionate advocate for those with cystic fibrosis and other disabilities. She participated in advocacy events here at the Capitol and used social media to inform the community of issues impacting access to therapies and care. Now to end on a more upbeat note, she was also a talented improv artist. Danielle was a production manager at Stab Comedy Theater in Sacramento. She possessed a sharp wit and a dry sense of humor. And that, Members, is a life truly well lived.

She lived with grace, intent and focus until her last breath. Her profound impact on the cystic fibrosis community and all who knew her will endure.

Thank you for sharing her story with the Senator. Please bring her name forward so that we may memorialize her in the journal. If there is no other business Senator Grove, the desk is clear.

Thank you, Mister Madam President. Colleagues, it is now 3:30 and adjournment motion is made and we will reconvene Thursday at 09:00 a.m. Please be prompt. It will be an exciting day.

The Senate is adjourned. We will reconvene Thursday, May 9 at 09:00 a.m.