Senate Standing Committee on Governmental Organization

Thank you, Senator. Thank you, Chair. And Members, I'd like to start by thanking you and the Committee and staff for your work on the Bill. This is AB 1797. So, Metacarcinus Magister, known as the Dungeness crab, is a hallmark of the California coast, vital to the marine ecosystem and economy in northern and Central California.

According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, annual Dungeness crab landings in California have averaged about $57 million a year for the past decade, with some years reaching as high as 90 million.

The economic impact of the Dungeness crab industry in California is multifaceted, supporting not just the direct participants of fisheries, but also a wide range of related businesses, including recreational crab fishing, coastal restaurants, inns, and other hospitality businesses.

As part of the ecosystem, Dungeness crabs create microhabitats, play a role as an environmental indicator, and contribute to the balance, productivity and resilience of marine ecosystems. In 2021, SB 80, authored by Senate pro tem Mcguire and co authored by the chair and others, promoted safety, extended harvest opportunities in the presence of elevated domoic acid levels.

And enhanced the data collection necessary to sustainably manage crab fisheries. AB 1797 designates the Dungeness crab as California's official state crustacean to highlight its environmental and economic value and raise public awareness about the importance of sustainable fishing practices and marine conservation. The Dungeness crab has been a critical part of the north coast's economy and identity.

It's vital to the economy and ecosystems in communities up and down the California coast. And for these reasons, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Any lead witnesses here? Support? No, it's just me. You're doing this all on your own? Solo. Wow. Just like crabs. Very impressive. One at a time. Any witnesses in support? Any witnesses in opposition? You are doing this all alone? I am. Well, we'll move it back to the Committee.

Well, I just have a pressing question. Are we partial to Chesapeake Bay seasoning or garlic and oil seasoning when we eat our crabs? Do we have an opinion?

Just curious. It's an important.

I think we're partial to garlic and butter. Okay.

This is the dungeness crab.

Them so that they can't be hunted anymore?

No.

Okay. Well, I just. I had one comment. Please. Although a bunch of questions come to mind, I'm really anxious to get to this slug, so I'm gonna forego my questioning. And thank you for bringing us the crustacean Bill.

So I'll give you my closing comment. Before I let you do your closing comment. I've been pretty cranky on these, you know, these naming as the chair of this Committee over the last six years or so. But I second the crankiness. I've lost my will and my way on this.

And particularly going to so many crab feeds over the years. I'm particularly partial to this one, so you may close Assembly Member..

Just appreciate that. And I think it's time to celebrate the importance of the Dungeness crab. I'm a no now. Respectfully ask for your honor. You had us. You had us. I knew it was a stretch. So sometimes brevity is better. All right, thanks.

When we get back, I think we should claw back that one now.

You got it.

Thank you, Mister Chair. Thank you. Disrespectfully ask your. I vote. And your forgiveness for my really bad joke.

Okay, we're gonna move to File Item Number 2, AB-1850. Assemblymember Pellerin, welcome.

Thank you. Good morning.

Good morning.

Is this still morning? Afternoon, right? Oh, afternoon. Oh my God, time flies when you're having fun. Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members. Existing state law, as you know, establishes various state symbols, including the state flower, the state bird, and the state tree, and hopefully someday the crustacean.

These state symbols bring about historical and cultural appreciation to millions of Californians learning about their state, as well as to visitors who learn about our state symbols and educational spaces like museums and our very own state capitol building.

Today, there is no state slug, and to boost appreciation for this iconic specimen, AB-1850, which was numbered after the year California officially became a state, recognizes the banana slug as California's official state slug. Banana slugs play an important role in maintaining our state's ecological health as detrivores and are largely endemic to the state.

Currently, there are at least six species of banana slugs found and recorded within California, of which only one species, the Pacific Banana Slug, is found outside the state.

In 1986, the University of Santa Cruz adopted the banana slug as its official mascot, to which there have been many cultural references, including a showcasing of the mascot in the 1994 movie Pulp Fiction.

This Bill so far has facilitated immense light hearted civic engagement with our young Californians, as my office recently sponsored an art contest in my Assembly District and received some gorgeous artistic renderings of our beloved slug. The banana slug is simply a great representative of California's coastal culture and is highly identifiable.

This Bill will simply give the banana slug the recognition it so surely deserves. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Anyone here in support?

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Jean Hurst, here today on behalf of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors. In support.

Of course, Santa Cruz. Anybody else? Anybody in opposition? Seeing none. We'll bring it back to the Committee, Subcommittee. Senator Portantino.

So in keeping with the levity of the day, what do we have against the gray garden slug, which is the most plentiful slug in California?

Well, the banana slug is certainly iconic and it has.

It's the largest slug.

Well, it's large in size for sure. And you're sporting the beautiful yellow that the banana slug wears when it's out and about in the redwood forest with that symbiotic relationship with the redwood forest and does a great job to also eat poison oak.

So you don't want to ever kiss a banana slug in case it just recently had a meal of poison oak.

All right, thank you.

I was going to ask if they were cookable, but.

No, definitely not.

Not, apparently not. They're not going to fight a rival for the Escargot group?

Never. No butter or garlic with slugs.

Excellent.

Oh, no. Anybody else? Not seeing any. Would you like to close?

Well, I would respectfully ask.

I think you did a great job so far.

I would respectfully ask for your aye vote. I think the banana slug is certainly something very endearing to many of us. We even had this first-grade class that they did a whole series of art and reports on the banana slug. There's lots to learn and I encourage you to vote yes on this important Bill.

Thank you, Assemblymember. We're gonna. When we get a quorum here, we will most certainly be voting on.

You may have it.

And we may have it. So you can wait.

I'll wait.

Minute. We call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Fantastic. Do we have a motion on AB-1850?

Make a motion. We've got it.

Archuleta moves. The motion is Do-Pass the Senate Floor. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]. Eight.

Bill has 8 and 0 no's. We'll put that Bill on call. Members, we're gonna move right now to our consent items. Can we get a motion for that, please? Thank you. Assembly Member. Motion, move consent. So we got. It's moved by Archuleta. Call the roll, please. I think I'm supposed to read these after all this.

Yes, you are. File item number three, AB 1940. Villa Pudua. File item number four, AB 1946. Alanis. File item number five, AB 2177, McKinnor. File item number 6, 2232, Maienschein. File item number 10, AB 2682, Hart. File item number 11, AB 3017, Hart and file item number 12, 2849 Rubio.

So we have a motion by Archuleta secretary, please call the roll.

Roll Call

Bill has nine votes. We'll put that on call. We're now going to move to file item number seven, AB 2359. Assembly Member Ting, you've been patient over there. Waiting and humored the whole way. I'm sure.

I was going to talk about some sort of link to San Francisco but I'll just go straight to the Bill. AB 2359 is a district Bill. Previous Bill, which the Committee supported gave type 87 liquor licenses for 30 affordable liquor licenses in specific San Francisco neighborhoods. This Bill just amends that to go from 30 to 40.

It's been a huge success in our neighborhoods and respectfullt ask for your aye vote for AB 2359.

Thank you very much. Any witnesses and support please come forward.

Good afternoon. Chair and Members, Ben Van Houten from the City and County of San Francisco sponsor the Bill asking for your support today. The type 87 liquor license has really been transformative for restaurants in our outer neighborhoods in San Francisco. Creating opportunities for new restaurants and neighborhood businesses as well as strengthening existing restaurants.

It's been great for our communities. We're asking to continue to build on that success. Thank you.

Thank you, Mister Chair Dylan Elliott. On behalf of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in support. Thank you.

Thank you. Any witnesses in opposition? Seeing none, we'll turn it back to the Committee. Move the Bill. We got a motion by Roth. Anybody else want to anything? Perfect.

Thank you very much. Anybody else?

We got a motion by Roth. It is.

No, just respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Send me Member. Like a pro. Like a pro. All right, so the motion is do pass to Appropriations Committee secretary. Please call the roll.

Roll Call

Bill has 10 votes. We'll put that on call. Thank you. We'll now move to file item number eight. AB 2378, Calderon. Assemblymember, welcome.

Good afternoon, Mister Chair and Senators. I'd like to open by thanking the Committee for working with my staff, and I will be accepting the Committee amendments. Assembly Bill 2378 would exempt approved bartending or mixology apprenticeship programs from needing an ABC license to serve alcoholic beverages as part of its curriculum.

ABC licenses are not intended to be issued to educational institutions. Under current law, it is unclear if bartending apprenticeship programs are eligible for ABC licensing and if so, which kind of license they would need. This legal uncertainty has prevented bartending apprenticeship programs from operating despite being approved by the state.

Furthermore, without an ABC license or exemption, apprenticeship programs cannot utilize alcoholic beverages in their training. The practice of tasting is an essential part of the learning of this science, behind the flavors, textures, and strengths of these beverages.

AB 2378 ensures that the next generation of hospitality workers are fully trained and equipped with the knowledge they need to advance their careers. With me in support of the Bill are Aaron Greenberg and Mitchell Frieder of the Hospitality Training Academy.

Good morning. Good afternoon.

Good afternoon. It's working? Great. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for having us. My name is Aaron Greenberg. I'm the Deputy Director of the Hospitality Training Academy. We are a 501 organization and we're the training arm of the hospitality workers union.

UNITE HERE Local 11 and a partnership with over 170 employer partners in Southern California. Every year we train hundreds of people to become room attendants, prep cooks, line cooks, and baristas at some of the largest hospitality employers in Southern California, at hotels, airports, event centers, stadiums across the region.

We work with community based organizations and the workforce system, including the AJCCs to recruit students from all walks of life, including justice involved in reentry, veterans, foster youth, domestic violence survivors, people at risk of homelessness.

Because our employer partners know us so well and they know our graduates and the quality of the training that we provide, everyone who finishes our program gets a job offer. The high road jobs that they then have access to provide a path to the middle class, good wages, healthcare benefits, defined benefit pension, and an opportunity to move up the career ladder.

We've sponsored and created four registered apprenticeship programs that have been approved by the US Department of Labor and the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards. But to date, we have not been able to run our bartender mixologist apprenticeship program.

As Chef Mitchell will explain in just a minute, this is a very innovative program, and it could open up opportunities for people to really excellent careers in the hospitality industry. The apprenticeship, like the others that we run, has been blessed and registered by the US DoL and with DAS.

You wouldn't want a chef to cook food that they can't taste. And I'm tempted to make a Dungeness crab joke here, but you also don't want bartenders to train without tasting and being able to understand a correctly portioned martini or the difference between rum and rye.

But current law does not allow for that kind of tasting in the course of a training program that we run. Because we're a non profit and not a two or four year accredited education institution, it's unclear what our access to an ABC license is. AB 2378 would allow apprenticeship programs like ours.

We are the only one in existence now, but we hope that there will be more that will flourish, will allow us to allow bartenders in training above the age of 21 to taste alcohol as part of their training. It's a small change to the law.

It's a small administrative fix, but can really be game changing for hundreds and hundreds of people in our region and across the state to give access to excellent jobs in this industry. So we urge your support respectfully and thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Before we talk about this Bill, I think it's very important to note that banana slugs are indeed edible. And the only thing is they have to be purged first. You have to keep them around and feed them lettuce to purge their system, after which you could eat them.

But they're so cute, it becomes difficult, but they are very tasty. Bourguignon or in slug butter.

Awesome.

Okay, so now that we've clarified that.

I understand they taste like chicken.

Taste more like escargot, of course. And they tend to lose their color when you cook them.

Now that we've lost total control. Continue please.

Happy to be part of the loss of control. So this change in the Bill is very important to be able to have bartenders understand the process of making proper drinks, and our training program is a very, very stringent one that trains to a very, very high level.

It's important that the students are able to taste the beverages. The tastes we're talking about are taken with a straw like this. Okay? So it's placed in a drink, fingers put on top, you end up with about. Well, it is a 16th of a teaspoon per taste, so 16 tastes like this would equal a teaspoon.

We don't anticipate any student tasting more than about 20, max 30 times during the course of a day. So we're talking a couple of teaspoons of alcohol that might be consumed, but then we'll also have an unsavory term, but spit buckets available for them to spit into. And we'll encourage the students to spit as well.

So really tiny little bits of alcohol will be consumed. And we don't bring students into our program who are under the age of 21 anyway. So we hope that you'll support this change and that we can move forward with our program. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Anybody else in the room in support? Please come forward.

Excuse me. [Name] On behalf of the California Labor Federation, in support.

Thank you. Anybody else? Anybody in opposition? Seeing none. We'll bring it back to the Committee. Okay. We'll go right down the line. Archuleta, you're up.

Assemblymember, it's a great Bill. I had no idea that it took so much instruction and number of months and months to actually be a good, qualified bartender to this degree.

And of course, you know, we always want our students to reach the top upscale hotels and resorts and everything else. And I guess the quality of education is so important, and I can see how vital this is. I think it's a great bill, and I would like to move it when it's appropriate, but I congratulate you for bringing it onto us. So thank you so very much.

Thank you, Senator.

Senator Jones.

Thank you. Assemblywoman, can you speak to the part of the Bill that it's union only? And why not open it up to all kinds of apprenticeships? And maybe including your answer, why is an apprenticeship even necessary? Don't most bartenders just learn on the job anyways?

I don't know about most bartenders. I know that I'm going to defer to my witness.

That'd be fine. And then if you can, after that answer, if you could speak to the why union only, I'd appreciate that.

I can address both of those, actually, as well. So the union only part, our organization is allied with the union. We are not the union. We're Switzerland. We don't take sides. But the jobs that we train for are very highly paid and they come with excellent benefits for which the employees pay zero.

They pay no copays, they don't pay for the insurance at all. That's all included. So what we're leading our students into are really career jobs, a job that will support them, support their family, and they have the protection to make sure that they're continuing on if their manager, for some reason, is annoyed at them.

And with our population, that's very important because again, we're drawing from populations who are difficulty breaking into these jobs. They don't have the background, the family backgrounds to lead them to find these jobs and get trained for them or to pay for the training. So that's the first part of it.

Many bartenders, well, some bartenders learn on the job. They start as bar backs. They're fetching ice, they're cleaning, things like this. Those jobs do not pay as well. So our training program, as with our culinary program and our other apprenticeships, train to an extraordinarily high level so they can step in.

At least the top end of the class in particular can step in. And as a bartender, initially, they'll be frightened, but they can do the job. So it gives them a step up and moving ahead. And we have our employer partners within our system who support the mission, support the goal and spend time training these people.

Whereas in other establishments, perhaps they don't. They're looking for people only with experience, and we're able to get people in the door in a more effective way.

Thank you. Anybody else have a question?

I'm going to expand on that a little bit. I'm a little confused. So they go into the class, your class is neutral, and then they can go into a union job or they can not go into a union job. They can be hired by anybody?

Listen, they have free will.

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

We encourage them to go into a job where they can support their family and have the support of the.

Absolutely. We're not against any of that. I'm just saying the actual access to the program is anybody. And get to do what they want.

We place people with their background issues in non union jobs as well until their background is clear enough that we could put them in a job that perhaps pays better.

Yeah. It may be worth saying a bit about the structure of our organization. We're a labor management partnership. So a partnership between the union and UNITE HERE Local 11 and participating employers. Our board is 50% union, 50% employers. The goal of the organization overall is to train new workers and upskill current workers who work at those employers.

But as Chef Mitchell said, while we can ensure that at the end of the program a graduate will have a job offer, it's up to them whether they're going to take it or not or go somewhere else.

But the goal of the organization is really to be the training arm of the union and it's contributing employers, which include Disney, Hilton, Marriott- most of the major- Levy, Compass Group, foodservice, most of the major employers and hospitality in our region.

Might point out that there was a Bill, I think it was my Bill, if I'm not mistaken, before COVID that we had, which allowed hospitality programs at our community colleges, state universities, and UCs to do the same exact thing. So there is precedent for this. Anybody else?

I just want to add. Mister Chair, I'm appreciating the presentation and the questions. I think what I appreciate about apprenticeship is that it's career driven.

In my district, as you know, we are an entertainment capital and there is an opportunity to work in high end, high road hospitality jobs from independent hotels to entertainment centers to convention centers. And what I appreciate about this program is that someone can come in as a barista but get trained to be able to move up that career ladder.

And so, this program is very important. Didn't know that we had to get this kind of policy to make sure that we're training people at the highest level and really appreciate the author for bringing it in, making sure that these are careers, not jobs, but careers that folks can move up and provide the workforce that we need in a place like LA County. So thank you.

Perfect. Thanks. Okay, anybody else? Seeing none. Would you like to close?

Yes. I respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you very much. So we have a motion, sorry, Senator Archuleta, but Senator Padilla got there before you. That's on AB 2378. The motion is do pass is amended to the Appropriations Committee. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll call] 11.

It has 11 votes. We'll put that on call.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Assemblymember. It's my understand that Senator Nguyen is going to present File Item Number 9, AB-2504 by Assemblymember Dixon. Good morning. Good afternoon again.

Thank you Mr. Chairman and Members, I'm here today to present AB-2504 on behalf of Assemblymember Diane Dixon. AB-2504 will recognize the black abalone as the official state seashell of California. California is home to a beautiful vast coastline and a biodiversity hotspot.

It is virtually important to the preservation of our ecosystem that we recognize key features that make California so special. The black abalone is unique to the rocky zones of California and Mexico. The shell of the black abalone has great historical significance and was used by Native American tribes for food, trade, jewelry, and even royal ceremony.

In the eighties, the shell was almost completely eliminated from outshores because of a fatal disease of the abalone digestive organs in Southern California after an El Nino event. Since then, the black abalone has been considered an endangered species. I ask that you join me in supporting this measure to bring recognition to the black abalone in California.

Thank you. Any witnesses in support? Any witnesses in opposition? We'll bring it back to the Committee. Senator Roth moves. Would you like to close?

I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Okay. Thank you very much. We do have a motion on AB-2504. It's been moved by Senator Roth. The motion is. Would you like to talk, Senator Jones? Okay. I just wanted to make sure. The motion is Do-Pass to the Senate Floor. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]. 11.

It has 11 votes. Leave that open. So that Bill is out. So we're gonna start on these. We're gonna go move to the consent items. I've already listed all the consent items, so please open the roll.

[Roll Call]

So that's 12. So we'll keep that on call. Could we have, so we have.

That's it.

No, no. But what I want to do is I want to make a call to these Members that aren't here. Because I don't want to keep this meeting open. No one else is coming? This is a beautiful thing. Okay, so we're going to go to Item Number One. File Item Number One.

Wilk moves.

So Wilk moves. File Item Number One. Please call the roll.

AB-1797. Motion is Do-Pass to the floor. [Roll Call]. 11.

11. That Bill is out. Move to File Item Number 2. AB-1850 Pellerin. We have 8 ayes and 0 noes. We'll open the roll, please.

[Roll Call]

Bill has 11. That Bill is out. File Item Number 7. AB-2359 Ting. It has 10 votes. Please open the roll.

[Roll Call]

Bill has 12. That Bill is out. File Item Number 8. AB-2378 Calderon. The Bill has nine votes. Please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

11 votes. That Bill is out. It was on the consent items. File Item Number 9. AB-2504 Dixon, if everybody's done it, we close it out. That completes the business before this Committee today. Yeah, we did. This meeting, as funny as it was, is adjourned. Thanks to the staff, everybody. Great work.