Assembly Floor

The Assembly is now in session, I'd like to welcome the 15 Members of the on time caucus. Assemblymember Lackey notices the absence of a quorum sergeant at arms will prepare the chamber and bring in the absent Members. The Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Members, a quorum is present. We ask our guests and visitors in the rear of the Chamber and in the Gallery to please stand for the prayer and the flag salute. The day's prayer will be offered by Assembly Member Ortega.

Today's prayer of gratitude is dedicated to our mothers. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of motherhood. Today we celebrate the loving sacrifice of mothers, both biological and spiritual, who nurture and guide us in your ways. Bless them with joy, strength, and love to continue their selfless devotion. May they feel deeply appreciated and honored, not just this weekend, but every day. Amen.

Thank you, Assembly Member Ortega. Assembly Member Pellerin will lead us in the pledge.

Please join me in our pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

You may be seated. Reading of the previous day's Journal.

Assembly Chamber, Sacramento, Thursday, May 2, 2024. The Assembly met at 9:00 AM.

Mr. Flora seconds that the reading of the previous day's journal be dispensed with. Presentations and petitions. There are none. Introduction and reference of bills will be deferred. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments deemed adopted. Messages from the Governor. There are none. Messages from the Senate. There are none.

Moving to motions and resolutions, the absences for the day will be deemed read and printed in the Journal. Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry, you are recognized for your procedural motions.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly rule 118A to allow Assembly Members Aguiar-Curry, Kalra, Jones-Sawyer, and Muratsuchi to have guests under in the rear of the Chamber and on the floor today.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to re-refer AB 1999, Irwin, from the Rules Committee to the Utilities Energy Committee and the Appropriations Committee.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 56 to allow the following committee to set bills pending a re-referral from other committees: to allow the Appropriations Committee to set AB 3093, Ward, for their hearing on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 pending receipt from the Housing and Community Development Committee, and to allow Appropriations Committee to set AB 1999, Irwin, for their hearing on Thursday, May 16, 2024 pending receipt from the Utilities and Energy Committee.

Without objection, such shall be the order. Moving to guest introductions and announcements. First of all, as an announcement. Members, your attention please. I want you to please note that we have over 100 items on Assembly third reading. Please plan and expect for longer floor sessions beginning Monday, so adjust your schedules accordingly.

We will go later on Monday than we have been going, so. And I just want to thank the 15 Members today of the On Time Caucus. I want to note that it's bipartisan, it's open to all. And they were all here at 9:00 AM when our floor session starts.

I just will note we didn't start our business until 9:20 today. So I would urge you, please, to be more timely in your arrival. Join the On Time Caucus. It's a lot of fun. Moving to Assembly to guest introductions. Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise today to recognize the Colusa High School RedHawks football team for their historic season. Look, all these nice young men that are standing up there. The RedHawks won the school year's CIF Division 6A championship. This is the first state title in the school's history.

But I suspect it won't be their last. Their championship capped off a remarkable 14-0 undefeated season. And just as a side note, they beat my Winter's High School Warriors. So sorry. Through grit and determination and teamwork, they brought home the championship. The Colusa High School Varsity Program prides itself on fostering excellent football skills in its players while developing these young men for the next chapters of their lives.

So I want to celebrate their accomplishments on the field, but I also want to recognize what these young people, their parents, and coaches are doing to make sure they succeed in life. With us today are head coach Mikey Badaluco, assistant coach Curtis Perkins, and players Isaiah Travis, Bo Coronado, Niko Mata, and Will McCoy. Congratulations, and guests, please join me in congratulating the incredible Colusa High School student athletes, staff, and proud parents in the gallery.

Assembly Member Gallagher, you are recognized.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as I formerly represented Colusa before redistricting took that amazing town away from me last time. But it's great to see this small town and these young men who had an amazing season. State championship. Congratulations to the RedHawks and on a truly amazing season on their coaching staff. The dedication of these students, these student athletes, and this amazing town, by the way, that just supports them every step of the way. So just awesome day. And I want to also give my congratulations to Colusa High School. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Gallagher. And once again, welcome. Congratulations.

So it's going to take us a minute. We're actually bringing in Ms. Dixon's group. These items are ready if you wanted to start.

Moving to business on the Daily File, second reading. File items one through 86. The Clerk will read.

[Second Reading]

All bills will be deemed read and all amendments will be deemed adopted. Under reconsideration, file item 8789 through 89. All items shall be continued. Moving back to guest introductions. Assembly Member Dixon, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you. Good morning, and thank you, Chair. And thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am proud to introduce a delegation of patients and advocates from the ALS Association who are visiting Sacramento in conjunction with the California Chronic Care Coalition's Annual Advocacy Day. ALS, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease which is always fatal. As many of you know, I lost my mother to ALS. I joined all of our committed guests in the shared resolve to eradicate this terrible death sentence disease.

As we commemorate ALS Awareness Month, please join me in welcoming our friends in the Gallery, including Spiro Colaris, a patient living with ALS, and his wife Carrie Bortson, Chris Holtz, Pete Johnson and Jodelle Johnson, all of whom have lost loved ones to ALS, and Kelly Goss and Shawna Barcklay with the ALS Association. Welcome all. Thank you.

Thank you Assembly Member Dixon and welcome to your guests. Moving to Assembly third reading, file item 111 AB 3021 by Mister Kalwa for the purpose of amendments, Clerk will read.

Assembly Rule 3021 with amendments by Assembly Member Cara.

Mister Carver, you are recognized.

Thank you Mister speaker. Amendments to AB 3021 define immediate family clarify. Officers do not need to recite the statement verbatim and spells out that if a family Member is detained later, they will still receive a Miranda admonition. Respectfully urge an aye vote.

Without objection. We'll take a voice vote on the amendments. All in favor say aye. Opposed say no. Ayes have it. Amendments are adopted. Bill is out to print and back on file. Moving to file. Item 131, AB 3281, for the purpose of amendments. The Clerk by will.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 3281 with amendments by Assembly Member Kalra.

Kalra, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mister speaker. Amendments for AB 2288 remove references to declaratory relief. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Without objection. We'll take a voice vote on the amendments. All in favor say aye, opposed say no. The ayes have it. Amendments are adopted. The Bill is out to print and back on file. Moving to file Item 132, AB 2309 for the purpose of amendments by Mister Muratsuchi.

The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 2309 with amendments by Assembly Member Muratsuchi.

Mister Muratsuchi, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mister chair. I write to present amendments to AB 2309. AB 2309 simply provides parity for General law cities who want to have the option of prosecuting their own misdemeanors that occur within their city jurisdiction.

Amendments to the Bill simply clarify that the authority to prosecute misdemeanors is revocable by the City Council pursuant to discussions made in the Public Safety Committee. Thank you, respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Without objection. We'll take a voice vote on the amendments. All in favor say aye, opposed say no. The ayes have it. The amendments are adopted. Bills out to print and back on file. Moving to file item 135, AB 2991 by Mister Valencia.

Clerk will read Assembly Bill 2991 with amendments by Assemblymember Valencia.

You are recognized, Mister Valencia. Thank you, Mister Speaker. Buenos Dias. The floor amendments to AB 2991. Clarify that the Bill does not apply. To distribution centers and provide flexibility to retailers so they can choose their EFT provider. Gracias. I appreciate your time and respectfully ask for yes.

Vote without objection. We'll take a voice vote on the amendments. All in favor say aye, opposed say no. The ayes have it. The resolution or the amendments are adopted. Bill is out to print and back on file. Moving to file item 156, AB 2288 by Mister Kaller. For the purpose of amendments, Kirk will.

Read Assembly Bill 2288 with amendments by Assembly Member Cara.

Thank you, Mister Speaker. AB 2288 remove references to declaratory relief.

Respectfully request an aye vote that objection will take a voice vote on the amendments. All in favor say aye, opposed say no. Ayes have it. Amendments are adopted. Bill is out to print and back on file. Moving to file item 183 AB 1862 by Assemblymember Vince Fong. Vince Fong. By Assemblymember Chen. Excuse me.

Clerk will read Assembly Bill 1862 with amendments by Assembly Member Chen.

Mister Chen, you are recognized. Thank you. These amendments will change authorship of the Bill. To myself, I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the amendments. All in favor say aye. Opposed say no. Amendments are adopted. Bill is out to print and back on file. Moving to guest introductions.

Mister Murtsuchi, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Thank you very much. Before I have the privilege of announcing my guests, I want to ask all of you to mark June 24 as the official launch date of the California Japan Legislative Forum.

I've been working on this for the last two years, and I am honored to introduce, representing the nation of Japan, Consul General Osumi yo and Vice Consul Kuroywa Takumi. Please join me in giving them a warm welcome.

Thank you Mister Muratsuchi. Welcome, Consul General. Assemblymember Berman, you are recognized from the majority leader's desk for your guest introductions.

Thank you Mister speaker. And thank you majority leader, for letting me borrow your desk. It is my pleasure to welcome the fourth grade students and teachers from Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School in my district who are up in the gallery right here. It was wonderful meeting with these incredibly impressive fourth graders before session.

To be honest, they asked tougher questions than most of you do in Committee, and I'm glad their teachers organized this visit to Sacramento. Members, please join me in welcoming them to the California State Assembly.

Thank you, Mister Berman. Welcome to your bright and inquisitive guests. Moving back to Assembly, third reading file item 188, ACR 179 respectful attention please to Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer.

The Clerk will read Assembly Concurrent Resolution 179 by Islamic Member Jones Sawyer relative to disabled individuals.

Mister Jones Sawyer, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mister Speaker. I present ACR 179 which commemorates the signing of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act, part of the Rehabilitation act, Section 504 was the first piece of federal legislation to protect individuals from discrimination based on their disabilities. Before Section 504, individuals with disabilities were often denied adequate public education and employment opportunities.

Public transportation, government buildings, and even hospitals lacked basic accommodations like ramps and accessible bathrooms. In 1973, Section 504 prohibited any organization that received federal financial assistance from excluding, denying, or or discriminating against any individual with a disability. After 504, the world opened up for the disabled community.

Disabled individuals had access to jobs, education, public transportation, and critical legal protections to fall back on if they did face discrimination. Section 504 marked a turning point in America and set the foundation for Americans with Disabilities act and subsequent legislation. Today we celebrate the anniversary of this landmark legislation.

We must also acknowledge the work that still needs to be done. Disability rights activists needs to be done. Disability rights activist Denise Jacob said, you can pass the law, but until you change the society's attitude, that law won't mean much.

We all know someone who has a disability, and if we're lucky to live long enough, we'll probably all have a disability at some point. Roughly 25% of California's report having a disability, that the word itself still carries an immense stigma.

The perception that having a disability or asking for accommodation means you are less capable and less productive than others still exist. Because of this, those without a noticeable disability are unlikely to disclose their disability status and seek accommodation.

To those who struggle in silence and live in fear of how they will be perceived, let us first say, be the first to say, we see you, we hear you. We are fighting for you. On a personal note, as I said early at the press conference, my brother is blind. He's been blind since birth.

The Washington, DC school system denied him the ability to bring a c and eye dog, to have braille, and to have a reader. In typical Joan Sawyer fashion, he sat in front of the principal's office for two days in protest.

The Washington Post got heard about the story, wrote about it, and now the DC Sewell system is fully compliant with Ada. But most important, because my brother was able to get all the accommodations that he needed, Doctor Frederick Clifter Jones is now principal at the school. He was denied the accommodations that he needed.

May the anniversary of Section 504 serve as a reminder to all of us the hard work and contribution of disabled Californians, and may it fuel our drive to continue to fight for disease, for equality. Thank you. And I respectfully ask for your. I vote and the first roll to be open for co authors.

Thank you. Mister John Sawyer, Mister Lackey, you are recognized.

Yeah, I'd like to first of all acknowledge and thank my colleague from Los Angeles for organizing the Disability caucus. I'm very proud to be part of that. For those of you who don't know, I started out my career in the special ed profession, and I'm very thankful to be able to serve them now in a different capacity.

There's if you look back over our history and our recent history, this part of our population has been severely overlooked, to the point to where, back in the sixties and seventies, they were kept at home and they were kept a secret.

How shameful we found, we've, we've actually learned from leadership like Frank Lanterman who has actually helped bring these people forward and included them. And you know, they're not the only ones that benefit from this, this new advocacy. We also benefit from them.

And that's something I hope that you'll have the chance to, because the part of the disabled community that I identify with are the developmentally disabled. And I will tell you through our Association, through our advocacy, that we can make them developmentally enabled. And I hope that we will do that collectively as a body.

And I'm proud to be part of it. And I thank my colleague again from Los Angeles for this advocacy that's so well deserved and it helps unite us all. This is not something that we have divided interest in, this is something unites us and we need uniting circumstances.

So I'm very thankful for this advocacy and I hope you'll join us in supporting this very, very valuable piece of legislation.

Thank you Mister Lackey. Seeing and hearing no further debate. Excuse me, my apologies. Assembly Member Joe Patterson, you are recognized.

Great, thank you Mister speaker Members. And I too would like to thank my colleague from South Los Angeles on bringing this resolution to our floor. As you know, I'm also a Member of the Disability caucus. And as you know, every year I've had the opportunity to share with Assemblymember Grayson the Down syndrome awareness resolution in March.

And this has been really important to me and a passion to me. One thing that I've noticed with this just constituents in my district, is that we do still have a lot of work in California. Not just what's happening and things that we can't really control, but even things we can control.

And for the last year and a half, I've been working on something that's really important to me personally, impacts that actually a state agency is impacting people with developmental disabilities from accessing their own health, healthcare. And it's something that I'm working really hard on.

And if I haven't talked to you about it yet, I'd love to have a conversation with you, but I'm hopeful that we as a state can remove the barriers in just helping these individuals fully be implemented into everyday life and express their abilities that they have. But even as a state, we have more work to do.

And I think that that's why it's important, important to have these resolutions so we can have these conversations, not just about bringing a resolution to talk about, but also to recognize that we still have more work to do here.

And so I really appreciate you bringing this and looking forward to working with you and others on issues now and in the future. Thank you.

Thank you Assembly Member Patterson. Doctor Arambula, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mister speaker and Members, I rise today in strong support of ACR 179 and want to thank our colleague from South Los Angeles, our colleagues from Palmdale and from Rockland for standing up for the disability caucus. For too long, there haven't been enough champions who stand on this floor to protect our vulnerable communities.

And I'm grateful today to bring attention to the plight of those who are intellectually and developmentally disabled.

And while it's easy for us to pass this resolution and to stand up for a caucus, it's harder for us to pass a budget that will make sure that we are protecting these values that we are giving to our disability community.

We can pass the Lanterman act, but it's a different thing for us actually to Fund it, and to make sure that the direct service providers are there to give us the access to services. Services that our communities so desperately need.

And so it's time for us as a body, not just to pass resolutions, but to pass a budget that our community desperately needs. And I thank our colleague from South Los Angeles for bringing us this Bill so that we can bring attention to the communities who desperately need our help. Thank you, Mister speaker.

Thank you, Doctor Arambulo. Seeing and hearing no further debate, assemblymember Joan Surrey, you may close.

Thank you. As you can see, this is bicameral and also bipartisan, and that's how important this issue is. But colleagues, with us today is Sherry Farina, CEO of Norcal Services for the deaf and hard of hearing, who's in the back of chambers today.

Thank you. And we'll now move to a vote for co authors on the resolution. The Clerk will open the roll and vote for co authors. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote as a co author of the resolution, all those vote who desire to vote.

Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. There are 64 co authors added without objection, will take a voice vote on the resolution. All in favor say aye. Opposed say no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. And Mister Jones Sawyer has introduced his guests. So go ahead.

House Resolution 94 by Assemblymember Karla and others related to Ao Dai Week.

Members, your attention to Assemblymember Kalra.

Thank you Mister Speaker. House Resolution 94 recognizes Sunday, May 12 to Saturday, May 18 as Ao Dai Week in California. The Ao Dai is a Vietnamese traditional long gown of great cultural, aesthetic and historic significance to the Vietnamese diaspora in the State of California.

In fact, our state is home to one of the most vibrant and outstanding Vietnamese American communities across the world.

The Ao Dai Festival, a multidimensional experience celebrating Vietnamese art and culture founded by Dan Do and the late Jenny Do, has been held biennially in the City of San Jose with the intent of encouraging generations to appreciate and learn about culture.

HR 94 expresses its deep respect for Vietnamese American, Vietnamese refugee and the Vietnamese overseas communities throughout the world and I encourage Californians to take part in this joyous week of celebration. Doi king moi Beng California time za vingzan aoyai gama nyulam thank you.

Thank you Mister Kalra. Mister Assembly Member Ta, you are recognized.

Thank you Mister speaker. Today I rise to support Sr 94 as a representative of Little Saigon, which is home to the largest Vietnamese community outside Vietnam. I stand with my colleagues in San Jose in support of Ao Dai Week. Ao Dai is a Vietnamese traditional outfit with a history that goes back for centuries.

It is not only one festive and important events such as third or Lunar New Year and wedding, but also can be won in daily activities as uniform or vision attire. It is appropriate that Au Dai Week will be celebrated throughout the State of California during Asian and Pacific Islander American head assessment in May.

HR 94 would enhance understanding, promote wider community engagement, and enrich the celebration of the au yai and the Vietnamese culture in General as we celebrate our cultural differences in rich California.

Thank you Assemblymember Ta. All debate having ceased, Mister Kalra, would you like to close?

Thank you Mister speaker. I want to thank my colleague from Orange County and point out the city I represent. San Jose has the largest Vietnamese population of any single city outside of Vietnam, so the Bay Area Orange County connection in terms of representing the Vietnamese community is very strong. Respectfully ask for your aye vote and ask the first roll be open to co authors.

Thank you Mister Kalra. The Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote as a co author. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote as a co author Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. There are 64 co authors added without objection, will take a voice vote on the resolution. All in favor say aye. Opposed say no. The resolution is adopted. Mister Kalra, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you Mister speaker. It's my honor to introduce special guests that have been instrumental in the AO Dai festival in my district and leaders in the Vietnamese community.

Executive Director of the Au Dai Festival, Anna Nguyen, Miss Vietnam California pageant producer Queenie Tran 2020 Miss Vietnam California, Tiffany Ninh, Miss Saigon, California, Angela Nguyen and Mrs. Asia USA International, Bik Lin Nguyen.

This year, the Al Dai festival will be on Saturday, May 18 in downtown San Jose, and we welcome everyone there and I want to thank my guests for being here representing the Ao Dai wonderfully. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Kalra. Welcome to your guests. Moving on to file item 142, ACR-161 by Assemblymember Connolly. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 161 by Assemblymember Connolly. Relative to Compost Awareness Week.

Members, your attention to Assemblymember Connolly.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Good morning. ACR-161 would designate the week of May 5 through May 11, 2024, as Compost Awareness Week.

International Compost Awareness Week takes place this time every year, and it is a time for governments and communities to come together to promote composting and raise awareness about its many benefits.

This year's theme, Compost Nature's Climate Champion, is a great current message for California citizens, municipal leaders, and farmers to continue to learn the benefits to communities, property owners, and agricultural growers.

Returning organic resources remanufactured into compost and applied to the soil reduces water consumption by over 30% on all soil types, conserves water during extreme drought or flooding conditions, decreases dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and decreases erosion and non-point source pollution.

The California Legislature committed to composting back in 2016 when it passed SB-1383 to require the state to divert organic waste from landfills and encourage compost use throughout the state. My resolution last year, ACR-36 similarly established May 7 through 13th as Compost Awareness Week.

So I'm excited to be celebrating compost with all of you again this week as a critical tool to support the state's agriculture, address the changing climate, and help feed the world. I respectfully ask that we open the roll and first vote for co-authors.

Thank you, Mr. Connolly. The Clerk will open the roll for co-authors for the resolution. All in favor, please. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote as a co-author for this resolution. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes.

There are 63 co-authors added. Without objection. We'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All in favor say aye. Both say no. Resolution is adopted. Moving to file item 189, ACR-185 by Assemblymember Hart. The Clerk will read.

The clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 185 by Assembly Member Hart and others, relative to Mental Health Awareness Month.

Mr. Hart, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise to proudly recognize May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Dedicating this month serves to raise awareness of the profound importance of mental health and wellness in the lives of all Californians. Mental health encompasses our emotional, physical, and social well-being and affects how we think, feel, and act. It affects how we handle stress, maintain relationships with loved ones, take care of our physical bodies, and adapt to daily life changes.

Colleagues, I urge your support for this resolution to help create a healthier and more supportive community where all Californians feel empowered to share their experiences and seek assistance. Thank you to everyone--excuse me. With that, I'll ask for co-authors.

Thank you Assembly Member Hart. Assembly Member Pellerin, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I'm grateful to my colleague from Santa Barbara for introducing ACR 185 to designate May as Mental Health Awareness Month in California. We all know someone who struggles with mental health. Perhaps we know those struggles ourselves. So let me ask you, how you doing today?

A simple question we ask and get asked every day, and our standard replies of 'fine,' 'okay,' 'living the dream' are expressed without much thought, but how are you doing, really? Having real conversations with others about mental health is tough. We open ourselves up to vulnerabilities and emotions we may have packed deep inside.

I know all too well what can happen when people don't address their mental health. When the stigma is so widespread, you don't dare tell anyone you are suffering. Emotions get louder than reason. Darkness blocks all light, and sadness, depression, or anxiety moves in full time. Hope is extinguished.

I believe that's how my husband of 25 years, Tom, was feeling when he took his own life on November 19th, 2018. My path from that day has led me to this moment, this incredible opportunity to tell you that it is okay if you have days where the only thing you do is survive.

You see, my mental health journey, and the journey of those near and dear to me, has taught me much about how incredibly important it is for all of us to talk about mental health, to seek help when needed, to call or text the 988 hotline when we are in crisis, to know you are not alone and this feeling will pass, to find ways to give yourself a mental health break, doing what I like to do, stroll through the Capitol's World Peace Garden, smelling that sweet fragrance and reading the inspiring words from youth engraved in the plaques, to be kind and civil to others because you don't know what is happening in their lives.

Stigma and shame surrounding mental health challenges and suicidal thoughts often prevent us from seeking help or sharing our struggles. The fear of judgment, rejection, and social ostracism further isolates us and impedes our access to support and treatment.

Even when we do seek help, inadequate access to mental health services is a significant barrier for many of us struggling with behavioral health issues and suicidal ideation. Limited resources, long wait lines, financial constraints, and cultural barriers can hinder us from receiving timely and appropriate care.

Even for those who have time and money to access care, sometimes it's not possible to be seen quickly and effectively. However, I believe, I mean, Ted Lasso style believe, with all my heart and soul, that California is moving out of the darkness and into the light.

We are making mental health a priority and we are passing laws and dedicating resources to to expand quality, affordable mental health care for all. Wellness centers in our schools, 988 posters to inform people that help is a phone call or text away, mobile mental health care units, care courts, housing and wraparound services for our unhoused, more treatment facilities, recruitment and retention of care providers and programs for our veterans, our seniors, our LGBTQ communities are paving our way to a mentally healthier society. Colleagues, mental health challenges do not discriminate.

We are all on this path together, and let's be real. There is so much work that remains to be done to deliver California out of this mental health crisis. So let's all do our part. Ask the deeper questions. What's feeling good today? What's feeling difficult? Check in with your kids, your partners, grandparents, coworkers, friends and neighbors.

Check in with yourself. Accept and embrace your feelings instead of ignoring or hiding them. And while May is Mental Health Awareness Month, let this be the beginning of an entire year of focusing on and prioritizing mental health and well-being. Let's start by doing something joyful together, by putting on your mental health button and voting aye on ACR 185.

Thank you, Assembly Member Pellerin. Dr. Jackson, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Members, it is my honor to rise as a joint author on ACR 185. As observed in the ACR's language, one in five of our children are suffering from some version of a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral health condition.

In the most recent Department of Health report, it was observed that this year, out of any other group, it is our young girls who are experiencing the ravages of mental health primarily through issues of anxiety. And sadly, suicide is the leading cause of death for those aged ten through 34. Current data tells us that behavioral health is getting worse, not better, that our young people are suffering the most, and that perhaps these trends will continue to get worse.

In other words, no matter how many votes we took last year, no matter what we did in terms of the passage of Proposition 1, we are still in a mental health crisis. So, yes, we checked off many boxes over the last few months, but that doesn't mean our job is done. Many suffer in silence.

Many of our friends and family, many of our friends and foes alike, and there's still someone that each of us knows, but we don't know that they're suffering yet. Someone in our family, the staff that works for us, some of you on this floor, people, continue to suffer in silence. And there's still work to be done. So we must continue to pass reasonable and needed laws based on data, truth, and empathy, and we must do everything that we can to get out--our constituents out of a state of crisis.

And it continues to remind me every year when we're going through this process and how we decide to vote or not to vote, that sometimes we continue to make decisions based upon political calculations that are hurting our own constituents when it comes to mental health, instead of focusing on what our constituents need at any given time.

As Chair of the Select Committee on California's Mental Health Crisis, I remember November when I was traveling to our Vice Chair's district, and as I was literally heading to her district, I got the news that my younger brother was found on the streets and passed away due to mental illness issues, as I was headed to prepare for a mental health hearing in the field. And even while we were listening to testimony, I was still texting family, preparing for his funeral and his arrangements.

And I remember a time when we finally, after he was missing for four years, we didn't know where he was until he was found shot in the streets of Colorado, and we were finally able to bring him home, and, you know, I brought him into my own house, and he had a mental health episode 2:00 in the morning. I finally got him to agree to go into a trauma center to be able to get him the help that he needs. And I remember when he woke up that morning, I said, 'are you ready?'

And he said, 'ready for what?' I said, 'oh, here we go.' And I spent the next two hours convincing him to get in the car so I can drive him there. And in the parking lot, I will never forget, that he looked at me and said, 'does this mean I'm crazy?' Luckily, he went in and was able to be willing to stay the night, to be able to get the medication he needed, but then another thing happened: his prescription ran out. And I could not convince him to get another prescription, and then I slowly saw him decline every day until he went back and was on the streets.

And at that point, I knew it would probably be the last time I saw him. And it turned out to be true. So at the end of the day, we have got to get out of this bubble of Sacramento and remember that there's real people out there and that we have just got to do absolutely everything we can because just because we cast a few votes doesn't mean our work is done and that we can just move on. There's still work to be done. So I thank the Member from Santa Barbara from leading this effort this year, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote on ACR 185.

Thank you, Dr. Jackson. Assembly Member Ramos, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise to request your aye vote for ACR 185, which would designate May as national Mental Health Awareness Month in California. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, one in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year.

In California, this disease affects over 1.2 million adults who have a serious mental illness. And tragically, our children and our youth are increasingly affected by mental illness. One in six young people, ages six to 17 years old, experience a mental health issue each year. In California, over 396,000 children ages 12 to 17 have depression.

In 2020, just before Covid struck, and the issues continue to plague our communities, this body moved forward on AB 2112 to create, for the first time in the state's history, an Office of Suicide Prevention that was then followed up with funding. In 2020, the state made it a priority, and here in 2024, we see that our youth and our young people in the state still suffer from depression. We need to make this a top priority. When we talk about the economy, we talk about jobs, we need to make sure that mental health stability is one up there within the top three here in the State of California.

The creation of the Office of Suicide Prevention will be giving back to this Legislature information. Generational trauma, lack of access to services, and stigmas attached to mental health illness and seeking treatment for those disorders also prevent those in need of assistance from receiving the care they need.

The pain and trauma of these illness affect not only those that are going through it, but the families as well, as was shared by our colleagues here on the floor. It is incumbent upon us to make mental health service more affordable and accessible to all communities, and it is up to us to lead the way in breaking that stigma that if somebody reaches out in need of mental health resources, that we stand there side by side with them.

It's time that this body moves forward, making sure that when we talk about mental health illness and suicide prevention, that we move forward with the funding within our budgets, and we continue, we continue to bring this up, not just in the month of May, but every month of the year. I ask for your vote on ACR 185.

Thank you, Assembly Member Ramos. Assembly Member Quirk-Silva, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, rise in support of ACR 185, brought forward by our Member from Santa Barbara. As we all have heard personal stories on this floor, and many of us have not gone untouched by families suffering from mental illness, when we speak about this publicly, it always offers the opportunities for others to engage and voice their stories and narratives about community members, family members that have suffered from mental illness. I wanted to speak today in the perspective of students.

We know that as we go back a few years ago and we see the impact of the pandemic on our students, that we had many, many students that fell into depression, and really, that was real. But we also know there are communities, many times communities of color, that don't take mental health issues seriously.

It's often not talked about, it's stigmatized, and we also know that there are not--very few resources for families who are struggling, whether it's seeking a counselor, getting an appointment, getting medication. These are all scenarios where one needs to seek out help, and getting that help is often elusive. It often can change, as was noted with medication.

Somebody might get on medication, they don't get their prescription filled, and then they fall backwards. All too often we talk about homelessness here on this floor, and we talk about, 'well, those individuals are all taking drugs and that's why they're homeless.' Often paired with homelessness are people taking drugs, but also suffering mental illness.

There are co-occurring issues that people suffer from. But going back to our young students, representing Orange County, we have one of the largest children's hospital, CHOC, and they opened up an adolescent wing about five years ago, and it was with great cheers.

But when you ask the question why, why did we need an adolescent wing in Orange County to add further patients, the number one issues that we're seeing, again, young women, young girls. We're talking under the age of 12 who are cutting themselves, who are depressed, who are suicidal. So we are losing our youth to suicide.

This is real and we can do something about it. We can do it by the values we put forward in the budget that is coming forward. It is our obligation to put these issues on the table and not stand for delays and cuts because we know that that will result in deaths. And with that, I ask for your support for ACR 185.

Thank you, Assembly Member Quirk-Silva. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assembly Member Hart, you may close.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am so grateful for the profound and personal comments from my colleagues in support of this important resolution. It reminds me that we've come a long way in the past few decades in talking about these issues and, you know, people are willing to share their personal stories.

All of us have family members and friends who've been touched by mental health issues, but it does not change the fact that we do have much more work to do and having this month as recognition, taking the time to talk with our constituents about these issues and encourage them to get their help that they need is important, and I appreciate your support.

But as others have said, this affects our work in so many ways, from policy issues to budget decisions, and if we keep the spirit that we are having today and the sense of solidarity about this issue as we make those tough decisions going forward, this will mean even more than a resolution. So thank you for your support.

Thank you, Assembly Member Hart. Mr. Hart has asked for co-authors, so the clerk will open the roll for co-authors. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote as a co-author. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes.

There are 64 co-authors added without objection. We'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All in favor say, 'aye.' Opposed say 'no.' The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Moving back in the file to Item Number 105: AB 2302 by Assembly Member Addis.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 2302, by Assemblymember Addis and others, an act relating to local government.

Assemblymember Addis, you are recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise to present AB-2302, the Local Meeting Accessibility Act. AB-2302 will simply ensure that local legislative bodies can take advantage of the flexibility that they are already supposed to receive. Under the current law, this Bill has no opposition and received unanimous support in Committee and I respectfully request your aye vote.

Seeing and hearing no further debate, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes, 58. No, 0. Measure passes.

Moving back to introductions, Assemblymember Boerner, you are recognized from the majority leader's desk for your guest introduction. I'm talking slowly for your benefit there. Whenever you're ready.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members in the gallery today, I'd like to welcome students and chaperones from Mission Bay Montessori Academy. It's not every day that people travel all the way up from San Diego to our state's capital, so please join me in giving them a warm welcome.

Thank you, Assemblymember Boerner. Welcome to your guests.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 3176, by Assemblymember Hoover. An accolade into land surveying.

Assemblymember Hoover, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Appreciate the opportunity to present AB-3176. This Bill simply expands the circumstances where a land surveyor or civil engineer must reconstruct or rehabilitate land surveying monuments commonly referred to as property markers. We've taken amendments to address concerns and remove opposition. With that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Seeing and hearing no further debate, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Aye, 60. No, 0. Measure passes. Moving to file item 115, AB-2807, by Assemblymember Villapudua.

The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 2807 by Assembly Member Villapudua, an act relating to vehicles.

Assembly Member Villapudua, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, today I rise to present AB 2807, which will further clarify how to deal with sideshows related activities. This bill has received unanimous bipartisan support. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Seeing and hearing no further debate, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the vote. Ayes 59, no zero. Measure passes. Moving to file item 116, AB 3085, by Assembly Member Gipson.

The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 3085 by Assembly Member Gipson and others, an act relating to vehicles.

Assembly Member Gipson, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise to present Assembly Bill 3085, which authorizes a magistrate judge to pre-conviction to impound a person's vehicle for a motor vehicle speed sideshow, also known as a motor vehicle speed contest or commonly known as a street takeover. This bill would mirror existing law for reckless driving.

Street takeovers and vehicle sideshows are dangerous, unsanctioned events where unruly crowds gather vehicles, block streets and take over public streets intersections, including reckless driving, stunts and other disorderly behavior causing noise pollution, traffic obstructions, property damage, physical injuries, and also death.

And I just want to recall to my colleagues' attention, in 2020, the Los Angeles Police Department received 7,013 reports for street takeover or side shows. Following that year, a number this number rose to 7,654 calls.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department stated that approximately 15 months prior to January 2022 to March 2023, Los Angeles Police Department intervened in over 200 street takeovers and citing over 716 tickets were issued. This includes 363 speeding contest citations. And in my own district, I just want to recall that a 16 year old young man left home around 3:00 in the morning to attend a street side show.

And every street side show or street takeover, there's always guns at the scene, and where he should have been at home in the bed he was watching as a spectator and a gun was brandished. And also he lost his life. And every parent feared getting a knock at the door.

His parents received a knock at a door that their 16 year old son was killed. This bill is very important to Los Angeles and I believe the state of California. I respectfully asked for an aye vote on Assembly Bill 3085.

Thank you, Assembly Member, Gipson. All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 58, no zero. Measure passes. Moving to file item 151, AB 1868 by Assembly Member Friedman.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1868, by Assemblymember Friedman. An act relating to taxation.

Assemblymember Friedman, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB-1868 addresses the wide variance between jurisdictions about how they assess the value of affordable housing so that we can better encourage occupancy by low-income families. This Bill is sponsored by Habitat for Humanity. It's received bipartisan and unanimous support, and I would request an aye vote today. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Friedman. Seeing and hearing no further debate, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote, vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Aye, 61. No 0. Measure passes.

Moving to file item 155, AB-2260 by Assemblymember Calderon. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 2260, by Assemblymember Calderon. An appellating to insurance.

Assemblymember Calderon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB-2260 requires the California Fair Plan to provide a report to the Legislature and the California Department of Insurance that includes important specified information such as where fair plan policies are concentrated and updates on their clearinghouse program.

Additionally, this Bill requires an agent to attempt to move a fair plan policy back into the admitted market, prior to renewal. The Assembly Insurance Committee held several oversight hearings within the last year on the fair plan which helped craft this Bill.

The information requested by the fair plan will help determine whether the insurance market is stabilizing and on its way to recovery. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Seeing and hearing no further debate, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the vote. Ayes, 58. No, 0. Measure passes. Members, we will now move to the second-day consent calendar.

Before we vote, we will take first take up resolutions on the consent calendar for the purpose of adding co-authors. The clerk will read the resolutions on the consent calendar.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 146 by Assembly Member Pellerin, relative to Peer Appreciation Week. Assembly Concurrent Resolution 162 by Assembly Member Petrie-Norris relative to California Youth Climate Action Day. Assembly Concurrent Resolution 183 by Assembly Member Bennett and others relative to IGA the Prophecy Awareness Day.

Clerk will now open the roll to allow any Member to add on as a co-author to the resolution. Oh, I'm sorry, I thought he was done.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 188 by Assembly Member Irwin relative to Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind Day. In-house Resolution 99 by Assembly Member Bains relative to AAPI Women's Equal Pay Day.

Clerk will now open the roll to allow any Member to add on as a co-author to the resolutions. Members, this vote is for co-authors. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote as a co-author. Clerk will close the roll. There are 58 co-authors added.

Moving to a vote on the consent calendar. Does any Member wish to remove an item from the consent calendar? Seeing and hearing none, the Clerk will read the second day consent calendar.

Assembly Bill 2841 by Assembly Member Waldron, an act relating to open meetings and declaring the urgency thereof to take effect immediately.

Clerk will open the roll on the consent calendar. All those Members who vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 60, no zero on the urgency. Ayes 60, no zero on the bill. Clerk will read the remaining items on the consent calendar.

Assembly Bill 2049, Assembly Bill 1784, Assembly Bill 1788, Assembly Bill 1876, Assembly Bill 1929, Assembly Bill 1936, Assembly Bill 1943, Assembly Bill 1957, Assembly Bill 2062, Assembly Bill 2069, Assembly Bill 2072, Assembly Bill 2091, Assembly Bill 2143, Assembly Bill 2176, Assembly Bill 2199, Assembly Bill 2246, Assembly Bill 2276, Assembly Bill 2389, Assembly Bill 2455, Assembly Bill 2620, Assembly Bill 2624, Assembly Bill 2664, Assembly Bill 2694, Assembly Bill 2708, Assembly Bill 2725, Assembly Bill 2743, Assembly Bill 2779, Assembly Bill 2842, Assembly Bill 2876, Assembly Bill 2886, Assembly Bill 2904, Assembly Bill 2922 with urgency.

Assembly Bill 2948, Assembly Bill 2951, Assembly Bill 3004, Assembly Bill 3234, Assembly Bill 3265, Assembly Bill 3285, Assembly Bill 2325, Assembly Bill 2618, Assembly Bill 3198, Assembly Bill 2833, Assembly Bill 3007, Assembly Bill 2663, Assembly Concurrent Resolution 146, Assembly Concurrent Resolution 162, Assembly Concurrent Resolution 183, Assembly Concurrent Resolution 188, and House Resolution 99.

Moving to announcements and as a reminder, Members, please plan for and expect longer floor sessions beginning next week. Session schedule is as follow: Friday, May 10, no floor session no check check in session; Monday, May 13, floor session at 1:00 p.m. All other items will be passed and retained. All motions shall be continued.

Seeing and hearing no further business, I'm ready to entertain a motion to adjourn. Ms. Aguiar-Curry moves. Mr. Gallagher seconds that this House stands adjourned until Monday, May 13 at 1:00 p.m. The quorum call is lifted and the house is adjourned.

Bauer-Kahan vote change, AB 2199, from aye to not voting.

Vote change. Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan, Assembly Bill 2199: aye to not voting.