Senate Floor

[Roll call]

Members, a quorum is present. Would our Members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery please rise. We'll be led in prayer today, this morning by Sister Michelle Gorman, after which we're going to ask you to remain standing as you'll be led in the Pledge of Allegiance. Sister Gorman?

So let us center ourselves in God's presence. The following quote is attributed to elders of the Hopi nation. We have been telling people that this is the 11th hour. Now we must go back and tell the people that this is the hour, and there are things to be considered. Know your garden. Speak your truth. Create your community.

Be good to each other. And do not look outside yourself for your leader. The time of the lone wolf is over. Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. We are the ones we've been waiting for.

So gracious God of all time and of this moment, we thank you for where you would lead us this day in service of your people with compassion, courage, and commitment. And in awe of your making us worthy to be the people we've been waiting for. Amen.

Members, join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance. [Pledge of Allegiance] All right, Members, we're moving to privileges of the floor. Senator Dahle, he's prepared. Senator, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Mister Chairman and Members, I would like to welcome the Big Valley Junior/Senior 8th grade class from Bieber here to the Capitol are up here in the gallery. I'd like to just note that every year I send out a box of See's Candy to every single office in the Assembly and the Senate.

Megan and I do that, and it's a fundraiser for the 8th grade class to come down to the Capitol from our little community of Bieber. So they're here today. They're in the gallery. I ask the Senate to give them a warm welcome.

Welcome on behalf of the California State Senate. Now moving on, Members. Messages from the Governor's will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments adopted. Motions and resolutions and notices.

Members, without objection, rule joint rule 62A will be suspended for Budget Subcommittees 1, 3, and 4 to meet today without four days notice in the daily file. Now moving on to double actions.

Members, without objection, measures reported from the Appropriations Committee with the recommendations do pass will be given their second reading upon being reported in order to third reading. Without rejection, measures reported with the recommendations do pass as amended, will be given their second reading. Amendments adopted and returned to second reading upon being reported. Now recognizing Senator Ashby.

Thank you, presiding officer. I would like to, on behalf of Assemblywoman Nguyen, request to remove file item A30, which is AB 1246 for Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen.

The desk will note. Thank you. Now, Members, we're moving to consideration of daily file. Under second reading, we have two items. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1418. Senate Bill 1051.

Thank you. Now we're moving to Governor's appointments. We have three. Senator Laird, he's prepared. When you're ready, you may begin.

Thank you very much, Mister President. File item number three is the confirmation of Anahi-Marcella Sandoval Araiza for appointment to the California Student Aid Commission. She currently is completing her bachelor's degree in global studies at UC Berkeley. As one of the two student representatives to the Commission, she was approved by the Rules Committee on April 17. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Any further discussion or debate on this item, on this appointment? Hearing none. Members, we're going to call the roll one time. We have a Member off the floor, so we're going to ask that we go through the roll one time and then put it on call. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll call]

The Senator moves the call. Now we're moving to file item four. Senator Laird.

Thank you, Mister President. File item number four is the confirmation of Tai Milder for appointment as Director of the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight at the California Energy Commission. Prior to this role, he was serving as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division at the US Department of Justice. He was approved by the Rules Committee on April 24. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Any further discussion or debate? Senator Skinner.

Thank you, Mister President. Members, I stand in support of this appointment. Mister Milder presented at a oversight hearing recently and he was very professional, thorough, and I think he is an excellent person for this position. And I encourage an aye vote.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate here? Seeing none. Senator Laird, would you like to- oh, Senator Grove.

Thank you, Mister President. I stand in opposition of this appointment. It was created, this appointment was created by SBX12. This appointment is someone who is going after the petroleum market oversight of California.

But what they don't understand is that the penalties that are being applied here and what they're doing is going to do nothing but increase the cost of fuel for the State of California, for all of our constituents. There is no viable solution. A lot of people affected by this, especially producers, are price takers, not price setters.

So they take a global market price, they have no control over the price that's put forward. The issue that everybody, including Mister Milder, who agrees to this, is the issue is a supply issue. But we have eliminated our refining capacity and we have a very minimal supply.

And to continue going down a path that is going to just create higher fuel prices for the State of California is completely absurd. I don't believe that Mister Milder is the person for this job. And I would respectfully ask for a no vote.

Thank you. Any further discussion? Hearing and seeing none. Senator Lehrer, would you like to close?

Thank you very much, Mister President. I appreciate the comments of my colleague from Bakersfield, but that was the debate we had when we adopted this Bill. It passed both houses of the Legislature and the Governor signed it. Those are settled issues with regard to the state.

And now we have to have somebody that's very qualified to implement that Bill. In our Committee hearing, Mister Milder demonstrated that considerably. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Secretary, please call the roll on file item four.

[Roll call]

The Senator moves the call. Now we're moving to file item six. Senator Laird.

Thank you very much, Mister President. File item number six is the confirmation of David Garcia and Jonathan Glater for appointment to the Civil Rights Council. Mister Garcia is a Senior Staff Attorney for the Inner City Law center and an adjunct professor at CSU Los Angeles. He also serves now as the Council's chair.

Mister Glader is a Professor at UC Berkeley School of Law. Previously taught at UCLA School of Law, UC Irvine School of Law, and Stanford Law School. Both appointees were approved by the Rules Committee on May 8. I respectfully asked for an aye vote. Thank you.

Any further discussion? Senator Min.

Thank you, Mister President. I once had the privilege of serving with Professor Glader on the faculty at UC Irvine. Sat in on many focus groups, study groups with him, and I can attest to his thoughtfulness and professionalism. Would urge you all to support his appointment.

Thank you. Seeing no additional microphones, Senator Laird, would you like to close?

I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Secretary, please call the roll on file item six.

[Roll call]

The Senator moves the call. Now, Members were moving to Senate third reading. We have four items. First up is file item 16. Senator Stern. Secretary, you may read.

Senate Bill 1136 by Senator Stern, an act relating to greenhouse gases.

Senator Stern, the floor is yours.

Thank you. Mr. President, I rise to present this oversight measure as the Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies. Back during the passage of the last cap and trade extension, the Legislature agreed that we would maintain ongoing oversight and not just write a blank check to the Administration as they administer our climate programs.

This Bill would strengthen those oversight abilities and hone our focus on the scoping plan that we know is a critical guiding document, but also a place where we needed to drill down. So open for your aye vote here and respectfully ask for it.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate? Hearing and seeing none. Secretary, please call the role on file item 16.

[Roll Call]

Move the call. Senator Moves the call. Now, Members were moving on to file item 57. Senator Rubio. She's prepared.

Secretary, you may read.

Senate resolution 72 by Senator Rubio relative to Maternal and Mental Health Awareness Month.

Senator Rubio.

Thank you, Mister President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, today I proudly rise to present SR 72, a women's caucus resolution which proclaims May 2024 as Maternal and Mental Health Awareness Month.

During this month, we recognize and bring attention to the critical importance of maternal and mental health care for women and all individuals who give birth across our state. Mental health is a critical aspect of reproductive health care, and we cannot ignore the glaring racial and ethnic disparities that continue to persist in our state and our country.

This lack of access can have severe consequences on maternal and infant health outcomes. One area that demands our focus is ensuring equal access to reproductive healthcare options, including infertility and fertility treatments. We must acknowledge the profound impact of maternal mental health conditions during pregnancy or up to one year following pregnancy.

That includes depression, anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, PTSD, bipolar illness, and much more alarmingly, one in five mothers is affected by maternal mental health conditions, affecting 800,000 families each year in the U.S. Social and cultural stigma, among other factors, may also prevent individuals from seeking the support they need during this critical time.

Let us join together in supporting the wellbeing of women and all individuals who give birth across our state. Thank you. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate? Senator Wahab.

Thank you. I rise in support of SR 72, Maternal and Mental Health Awareness Month. The social isolation of the pandemic highlighted the prevalence of postpartum depression, but it also tipped the scales for many women who had undiagnosed mental health disorders.

We are seeing an increase in diagnoses of ADHD and other disorders in adult women in mothers because all their coping mechanisms fell apart with a combination of the pandemic and motherhood. As cliche as it sounds, it does take a village to raise a child.

And we've eroded the village through poor policymaking by failing to protect people from being displaced from the communities where they have established support systems, by failing to pay people fair and equitable wages, by failing to fund our children childcare infrastructure, by failing to establish accessible, quality healthcare.

These are policy choices that create a landscape in which being a parent, being a mother, is so much harder, harder than it needs to be. California is the fifth largest economy in the world, and I do believe that with this budget exercise that we're all going through, we can do better, and we must do better. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Skinner.

Thank you, Mister President. Members, I rise as chair of the Legislative Women's Caucus in support of this resolution. Postpartum depression very often goes undiagnosed, and it is very good that California has programs for home nurse visitation after birth.

Not as robust as we would like, but still, because that is a time when it can be detected if the mother is experiencing postpartum depression. Additionally, we, in the last couple of budget years, added doula care eligibility to our Medi-Cal program. And what the doula care.

One of the real advantages of that, again, is both being able to detect postpartum depression and to support the mother as she goes through it. I myself had postpartum depression that was not diagnosed. I fortunately, recovered from it relatively quickly before the end of the three-month period.

But it is common when there are difficult births or long labors. And if I had not had the friend support group that I had, it would have been very well, I don't have to go into details, but it would have been very tragic. And so, I strongly urge your aye vote on SR 72.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate on this item? Hearing and seeing none? Senator Rubio, would you like to close?

Yes. Well, first of all, I want to just say that we owe an apology to all the women. Excuse me, we own apology to all the women in our history, because this is a critical issue in, and I know that, especially in Latino communities and other communities, this is not something that we're encouraged to talk about.

And so, we suppress, you know, you know, those feelings that those mothers have and prevents them from being diagnosed.

And again, I hope that we can acknowledge that we have done a disservice to women that came before us, but also encourage those that are currently going through it to speak about it, because the more you talk about it, the more we recognize the need, and not only for services, funding, but also the support system that you need in your families.

And I thank everyone that spoke on behalf of this. And with that, I ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you. Secretary, please call the roll on file, item 57.

[Roll call]

Move the call. Now, Members, we're moving on to file item 79. Senator Grove. She's prepared.

Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1270 by Senator Grove, an act relating to agriculture and making an appropriation therefore.

Senator Grove.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise today to present SB 1270, which is brought to me by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The CDFA Market Enforcement Branch provides several important services to farmers throughout our state, and then also provide services of over $40 billion of California agricultural commodities. The branch is also 100% industry funded.

However, the fees haven't been adjusted in almost 10 years. SB 1270 modernizes the fee structure in the Market Enforcement Branch by updating license and application fees and revising complaint fees to be tiered based on the value of the complaint. The bill also establishes a Market Enforcement Advisory Committee as a permanent committee within the branch.

Like I said, it was brought to us by the CDFA. The farming community is in support of it because they do know it protects about $40 billion worth of commodities that we grow here in the State of California. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate on this item? Hearing and seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll on file item 79.

[Roll Call]

Senator Grove moves the call. Now, next up is file item 81 by Senator Newman. He's prepared.

Senate Bill 1449 by Senator Newman. An act relating to post secondary education.

Thank you, Mister President. I rise to present SB 1449, which would expand an existing exemption to the private postsecondary Education act of 2009. To provide regulatory relief to Southwestern Law school in Los Angeles.

In 2010, the US Department of Education issued new rules that required institutions of higher education to maintain a process for receiving and processing consumer complaints. In 2015, the Bureau for Private Post Secondary Education invited Southwestern Law School to enter into a complaints contract to satisfy this requirement.

Recently, however, the bureau notified Southwestern Law School that those contracts were made in error and that, absent WASC accreditation, Southwestern would need to become bureau licensed or fall out of compliance with federal law. SB 1449 rectifies this error and authorizes the bureau to contract with Southwestern Law School pursuant to federal requirements. I am respectfully asking for your aye vote today.

Thank you. Any further discussion or debate on this item hearing, seeing, none. Secretary, please call a roll on file item 81.

[Roll Call]

Senator Newman moves a call. Members, we're going to take a brief pause. Senator Wiener, for what purpose?

Under motions and resolutions, I'd like to. I request that file item 131, SB 1194, be removed from the consent calendar.

The desk will note.

All right, Members, we're going to lift the calls on the outstanding items. First up is file item three. All right, call the roll on file item three.

[Roll Call]

31. noes five. The appointment is confirmed. Now moving on to file item four. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 31 no seven. The appointment is confirmed. Now moving on to file item six. Please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 31. noes two. Appointment is confirmed. Now moving on to file item 16. Please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 34. Noes zero. The measure is approved. Now moving on to file item 57. Please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 35 noes, zero. The measure is approved. Now moving on to file item 79. Please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 38, noes zero. The measure is approved. And now our final item. File item 81.

[Roll Call]

Aye. 38 no, zero. The measure is approved. Now. Members, we're moving to the consent calendar. This would be the time for any Member wishing to remove an item from the consent calendar. Seen no Members desirous of such. Secretary, please call the roll on file item 129. Please read. I'm sorry.

[Consent Calendar]

Ayes. 38 noes zero. The consent calendar is approved now. Members were moving to Committee announcements. Now is the time for Committee announcements. Senator Laird, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mister President. Budget Subcommitee one on education will meet immediately upon adjournment in room 2100 in the swing space.

Budget sub one will meet immediately after adjournment in room 2100. Senator Menjivar. Senator.

Thank you, Mister President. Budget sub three. Health and human Services will meet 15 minutes after session in room 1200.

Budget sub three will meet in room 1200, 15 minutes after session. Senator Padilla.

Thank you, Mister President. Budget sub four on state government and Administration will convene at noon here in room 113 in the Capitol.

Budget sub four, we'll meet at noon here in the Capitol in room 113. Senator Caballero.

Thank you, Mister President. Members, it's a day you've all been waiting for. The Senate Committee on Appropriations will meet 30 minutes after the adjournment of today's session in the O Street building in room 2200. And for Members of the Committee, please be reminded that we can't begin our business until all Members are present.

Appropriations Committee will meet 30 minutes after adjournment in room 2200 in the swing space. Now Members are returning to motions and resolutions. Now is the time for adjourning memories. Members, are you prepared? We'd ask that you give our Members your attention. Senator Atkins, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mister President. I rise today and we'll be joined by my colleague from Encinitas as we adjourn in memory of Joan Klein Jacobs, an incredible community leader and philanthropist who died May 6, 2024 at the age of 91. Joan Klein grew up in New York City and attended Barnard School for girls.

She was the only child of Samuel and Josephine Klein. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University and then worked as a dietician for a school district and a hospital in upstate New York. It was at Cornell that she met her husband, Irwin Jacobs.

They were married in 1954, the same year that she graduated in 1966, they moved to San Diego when Irwin accepted a position as Professor of computer science and engineering at the University of California, San Diego. They put down roots in La Jolla in 1968 and never left.

Irwin was co founder of the telecommunications firm Qualcomm, which provided the couple with the means to support various culture, scientific, charitable and educational institutions in the San Diego region.

The Jacobs were among the original signers of the Giving Pledge campaign organized by Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates to donate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes.

They've donated hundreds of millions of dollars over the years, including contributions to the San Diego Symphony, UCSD's Jacobs School School of Engineering, the Jacobs Medical center, the La Jolla Playhouse, Salk Institute, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, the San Diego Central Library, our Jewish Community Service, the San Diego Food Bank, Planned Parenthood, on and on and on.

Joan got personally involved with several educational and arts organizations. She loved arts and culture. She served on the board of the UC San Diego foundation, the Playhouse La Playhouse, the UCSD Health Advisory Board of the Jacobs Medical foundation, the Symphony Endowment foundation, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, and others.

She and Irwin received the Andrew Carnegie Mellon Philanthropy from Carnegie Foundation and Philanthropy and Arts Award from the Americans for the Arts. Joan was a recipient of the Helen Bull Vandervoort Alumni Achievement Award from Cornell University. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts from the University of Massachusetts.

The one thing I would say, that's a long list of accomplishments for someone who was absolutely considered a matriarch in San Diego philanthropy. But she was someone that didn't like to be in the limelight. Often they gave, and they didn't want their name attached to it unless it would inspire other civic leaders with means to do so.

Joan and Irwin were true partners in every endeavor, including planning where to make their contributions. You seldom saw one without the other. And I recall that if you ask Irwin to participate in something, he always said, always they had to discuss it with Joan, and he would get back to you.

When Joan was diagnosed, I think most of us did not know that she was diagnosed almost well 50 months ago, according to the family, with a serious heart condition. And the doctors told her she had maybe six months to live. She lived 50. Most people think that's because she couldn't conceive of leaving Irwin alone.

It was a wonderful celebration of life this past Monday at the Rady Shell, which is our home on the water, the bay of our symphony. And Joan had a lot to do with the development of the Rady Shell.

And if you get a chance to come to San Diego, I hope you'll take in the symphony or a concert there. It's incredible, the red chairs that are there for the public to sit in, which are so comfortable. She had a say about that.

From the broadest of perspectives to the details, I would say that Irwin and Joan together were the ultimate power couple for a good cause, thoughtful, intelligent to the core. Real class acts through and through. The Union Tribune interviewed a lot of the people that were there, the community that turned out to celebrate her life on Monday.

And I think the byline was a woman of grit, determination, and grace, and definitely a matriarch. Note not just in the words of her granddaughter, Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs, not just a matriarch for the family, but for the community of San Diego. As I said, she's survived by her husband, Irwin.

They were married 70 years, 70, Doctor Irwin Jacobs, and she had four sons, Gary, Hal, Paul and Jeff, and their respective spouses, as well as 14 grandchildren, including Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs and two great grandchildren. Most of them spoke and shared their stories and love of their mother and grandmother and great grandmother.

On Monday, a grateful San Diego community really was in attendance at the Symphonies Rady Shell. To show the love and gratitude for Joan and for the entire family, I ask that we adjourn today in memory of Joan Jacobs. Her legacy will live on through the many organizations that benefited from her generosity.

On behalf of California State Senate, we extend our deepest condolences to the Jacob family and thank her for her amazing contributions. And we ask that you bring the name forward so she can be properly memorialized. Next up is Senator Menjavar. zero, I'm sorry. Senator Blakespear.

Yes, thank you. I am grateful today to also rise in memory to join my San Diego colleague and also rise in memory of Joan Klein Jacobs, a woman whose legacy as a visionary leader, patron of the arts, and global philanthropist will live on through the transformational gifts of her time, talent and treasure that both she and her husband, Irwin, gave so generously.

Joan passed away on May 62024 at age 91, leaving her husband of 69 years, four sons and 14 grandchildren, including Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs and great grandchildren. The old saying is that behind every successful man is a woman. In the case of Irwin Jacobs, Joan was the successful woman beside her husband.

They were truly life partners whose extraordinary level of giving places them among the world's most generous philanthropists. It's a tribute to their shared values that Joan and Irwin Jacobs chose chose to commit decades of their lives and tremendous personal resources to making the world a better place.

In 2018, they were among the first to join Bill Gates and Warren Buffett's Giving Pledge initiative, which calls upon individuals of considerable means to donate the majority of their wealth during their lifetimes to meet pressing needs and challenges. The enormous generosity of the Jacobses touched thousands of organizations and individuals.

The prestigious Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy was one of the many accolades that they received. Their inspiration was deeply rooted in values that they learned early in life.

During their modest childhoods, they absorbed the Jewish values of tzedakah, which means a person's responsibility to contribute to the good of society and care for those in need and mitzvah, the doing of good deeds. They emphasize these practices all of their lives.

A little of the Jacob's early history demonstrates their commitment to not only one another, but to the things they love. The vivacious Joan won the heart of the more reserved engineering student Irwin after they met on a blind date during their sophomore year at Cornell.

They married soon after she graduated with a degree from the college, the College of Human Ecology. Excuse me. Their philanthropic giving followed their interests. Joan loved the arts, culture, and health, while Irwin loved science and technology. In addition, they strongly supported education, humanitarian services, peace and justice.

Growing up in New York City, Joan experienced the wonders of arts and culture through the eyes of a child. Later, she became a champion of the arts. She helped to build museums, public and private art collections, the San Diego Symphony, and a new State of the art concert venue, which my colleague referred to, the Rady Shell at Jacobs park.

She personally chose pieces of the Joan Klein Jacobs healing arts collection that were installed throughout the Jacobs Medical center at UC San Diego because she believed in the healing power of art. In addition to financial support, she volunteered her time and served on private boards and public commissions.

In 2008, she received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from the University of Massachusetts. Soon after her graduation, Joan began contributing to Cornell. Eventually combined, gifts for education and research rose to the hundreds of millions of dollars. Joan and Irwin endowed chairs and scholarships.

They contributed to the construction of science and technology centers, hospitals, labs, and research institutes. Supporting education was a priority for Joan because both she and Irwin personally benefited from philanthropic support when they attended University. Irwin was hired to build a school of engineering at the New University of California in San Diego in 1966.

Joan was a busy mother of four sons, but was also engaged in the University community. Over the years, she chaired and served on numerous boards and committees at UC San Diego.

She emphasized the need for a holistic education for all students so they would graduate as well rounded, socially responsible, and culturally aware young adults, not just brilliant engineers. In 2020, Irwin and Joan were the inaugural recipients of UC San Diego's Lifetime Legacy Award.

Following his academic career, Irwin co founded Link a bit and then Qualcomm, a hugely successful global technology company that developed the basic components of wireless communications. Joan and Irwin's support for good governance, peace, and justice will have enduring global impacts. They gave the ACLU the largest endowment gift in its history.

They funded in perpetuity the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for Shared Society, an initiative at the Israel Democracy Institute that aims to strengthen social solidarity and foster commitment to Democratic values, with a goal of meeting the unique challenges arising from Israel's dual identity as a Jewish nation state and a liberal democracy.

Their gift to the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and strategy supports research on how global economics and politics are changing and how advances in science and technology improve policy and alter the distribution of wealth around the world. And their support of the Tix Institute at National Qingha University in Taiwan encourages innovation and entrepreneurship.

A reoccurring theme in the story of Joan Jacobs is that the gifts that she and Irwin gave were often the largest in the history of the organization that they supported. Joan took her philanthropic giving very seriously and found it tremendously fulfilling. She hoped that she could be a role model for others.

We can all learn from her about the power and joy of giving, regardless of the amount, because every gift makes a difference and can change a life and have a lasting impact. For her generosity and commitment to creating a better world, we honor and thank Joan Klein Jacobs for lighting the way to a better future for us all, and I ask this body to adjourn in her memory. Thank you.

And on behalf of the California State Senate, we extend our deepest condolences to the Jacobs family. Senator Menjavar.

Thank you, Mister President. Colleagues, I rise today to lift up the life and memory of Karen Lombardo, a deeply beloved wife, mother, teacher, and Burbank community member. Her life was suddenly and tragically taken away last week on May 7 at the young age of 57 when she was murdered.

The entire City of Burbank is reeling from the distressing loss. Karen has a rare distinction. We can accurately state that she made a profound and lasting impact on the lives of thousands of people in her community, not just her students.

During her 30 years at Bret Hart elementary, she generously extended her love of teaching to multiple roles beyond her kindergarten classes, including performing arts, chorus, and intervention. The parents appreciated the safety they felt when they left their children in Miss Karen's care, and her dedication to fostering a nurturing learning environment was always present.

Her colleagues admired her collaborative spirit in the workplace, and they are determined to continue the legacy of excellence she left behind. Karen went above and beyond the daily curriculum, devoting time and detailed attention to students unique growth and developmental needs.

Our public school teachers make a difference in the futures of every one of their students, and by all accounts, Karen exemplified the lifelong impact, compassion and positive support one can have in the life of a child. As a teacher that I know so many of my colleagues who were teachers here understand firsthand.

Karen put the well being of others first, to the very end. Her unwavering commitment to her students. Her leadership as an educator and her devotion as a wife and mother cannot be replaced. What we can look towards are the generations of young people who will grow and thrive, carrying on the legacy of Karen's life for many, many years to come.

This disaster has left a huge void in the Burbank community, and I am so honored to have the community come out and show their appreciation through vigils and various locations that we're putting flowers and so forth for this wonderful life that we lost. Karen leaves behind her husband, Vince Lombardo, and their two children.

Senators, I ask that we adjourn in her memory to show her loved ones and the staff and families of Bret Hart Elementary School that our gratitude and admiration are forever with a Burbank leader, Karen Lombardo. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Portantino.

Thank you, Mister President and Members. And my colleague did a wonderful job describing and detailing this impeccable educator and wonderful mom and community Member. The tragedy of her passing has truly touched the community.

As has been said, this is a lifelong educator who gave back to the community, who gave back to generations, who gave back to children, inspired so many people to do well. And that's why the community loved and embraced her while she was alive. And that's why the community is deeply mourning her passing to this day.

The circumstances around this tragedy are horrific, but they also underscore how much she tried to mitigate those circumstances as a human being in the community and in her family that caused this tragedy. And so I joined my colleague in asking this chamber to adjourn in memory of Karen Lombardo, a wonderful person, fantastic educator, and whose lasting legacy will continue to ripple through California for generations. So, thank you.

Thank you again. On behalf of the California State Senate, we extend our deepest condolences to the Lombardo family and ask that you bring the name forward so she can be properly memorialized. Next up, Senator Rubio.

Thank you, Mister President, ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, today I rise to adjourn in the memory of Octavio Gustavo Bubion, who launched the Upward Bound program at the Claremont colleges and who passed away March 14 at the age of 89.

Octavio was a longtime Claremont resident, yet he touched so many lives and so many students with his program. Through the program, Octavio recruited thousands of first generation low income students in my district, from Chino all the way to El Monte, and assisted them in getting into college.

He told his children that he was on the path of juvenile delinquency, but was able to join the clarissian seminary in Dominguez Hill and later on, he followed the footsteps of his brother, joined the military, serving in the 8th Army Infantry Battalion paratrooper unit based in Fort Benning, Georgia, during the Korean conflict.

After graduating from Cal State LA, Octavio began a career of social work and mostly focused on black and brown, Latino, you know, children and families in Los Angeles County and help them escape poverty and help put them in a path of success through the Upward Bound program.

He also saw the opportunity to give his students a better life, that a college education was an engine of social mobility and prosperity, and encouraged them to attend. Thanks to him, the program grew into a nationally recognized model of excellence, developing the program so his students would be exposed to science, technology, politics, policy, and the wilderness.

Although Octavio suffered from Alzheimer's disease, as you know, in the later years, he lost his favorite identities, which was being a father and a husband. And many will remember him, even though he didn't have his memory.

In the end, so many will remember him, not only because of what he did for disadvantaged children, but because they owe his success, their success in later life and their careers, to the upward bound program. He leaves behind his wife, seven children, and 17 grandchildren. A community will flourish because of what he left behind and his contributions.

Please help me join in a journey in the memory of Octavio Gustavo Boubion. Thank you.

Thank you. On behalf of the California State Senate, we extend our deepest condolences and ask that you bring his name forward so it can be properly memorialized in the journal. If there's no other business. Senator Grove, the desk is clear.

Thank you, Mister President. Colleagues, the Senate will be in recess until 330, at which time an adjournment motion will be made. We will reconvene Monday, May 20, at 02:00 in the afternoon. Have a great weekend.

The Senate will be in recess until 03:30 p.m. At which time an adjournment motion will be made. We'll reconvene on Monday, May 20, at 02:00 p.m. Thank you.