Senate Floor
- Steven Glazer
Person
The Senate will come to order. Will the secretary please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, a quorum is present. Good morning. Welcome to the Senate Floor session. Today. I see we have a number of twins in the House. We want to acknowledge and recognize them. I'd like to ask Members and guests beyond the rail and in the gallery to please rise.
- Steven Glazer
Person
We will be led in prayer this morning by our chaplain, Sister Michelle, after which, please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Sister Michelle.
- Sister Michelle
Person
And also on this world day, for cultural diversity, we pray holy mystery. You the one from whom, on different paths, all of us have come. You the one to whom on different paths, all of us are going make strong in our hearts what unites us. Build bridges across what divides us united. Make us rejoice in our diversity.
- Sister Michelle
Person
Make us one in our witness to your peace, a rainbow to your glory. Amen.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please join me in the pledge to our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag. We will begin with privileges of the floor. There are none. Messages from the Governor will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports of Committee will be deemed read and amendments adopted.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, we're going to move next to motions, resolutions and notices. Seeing no microphones up, we will. Excuse me, Senator Cortese.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
Mister President, is this the place to move items to the inactive file? Yes, sir. All right, I would. Thank you very much. I would like to move summary Member tings AB 347 from the. From the inactive file. Remove AB 347 from the inactive file today.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you. The desk will note any further motions, resolutions or notices. Members. All right, we'll move on to the consideration. The daily file. I'd like to ask the secretary begin with second reading. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 93610504128021414134081494. Senate concurrent reservation.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Second reading file will be deemed read. Thank you. We're going to move next to unfinished business. We're going to take an item up in a few minutes and unfinished. Right. I'm just noting that we're going to come back to unfinished business in a moment. And we're going to move now to Senate third reading.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, if you want to know the schedule of activities this morning, I want to give you a heads up so you can be aware that we're going to begin with Senate third reading. We have five bills up. They are file item. If you want to note this, 242-8293 and 34.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Following that, we will move back to unfinished business to take up file item 21 to concur an Assembly amendment. So that's the docket for this morning.
- Steven Glazer
Person
And Members, because we do have a Member off the floor this morning, we will be going through the roll one time and then putting matters on call, so be aware of that for this morning. Okay, we'll go through the roll one time. All right, so we're going to begin with file item 24.
- Steven Glazer
Person
This is Senate Bill 1001 by Senator Skinner. She's prepared. Secretary, please read
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1001 by Senator Skinner. An act relating to criminal procedure.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Skinner, the floor is yours.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Thank you, Mister President, Members, pleased to present SB 1000, 1001. Okay, yes. Sorry, I thought I was going with the other one first. All right, please present SB 1001, which establishes a process for a person who has received a death penalty sentence, but who has a developmental or intellectual disability.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
I'll refer from this point on as intellectual disability. The ability to provide expert evidence that their developmental disability manifested prior to the age of 25.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Now, under our current law, if you have a diagnosis that you had such a disability before the age of 25 and that diagnosis is present when you face a conviction, you are ineligible for a death sentence. And that is consistent with the 8th amendment.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
But we have circumstances where people with these intellectual disabilities, for any number of reasons, did not receive that diagnosis. You could imagine that person didn't have access to healthcare. They weren't at schools that did such testing. There's any number of reasons why they may not have had that diagnosis before the age of 25.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Now, this Bill does not change our current statute in that the presence of the intellectual disability or the developmental disability must have been present in the developmental period. So it must have been present before the age of 25. My Bill does not in any way touch or thwart that. That is still the law.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
But what it does do is allow, if a person can provide the credible evidence with experts who do such testing, medical and other experts, then they would avoid the death penalty. They would still have life without parole, but they would not be able to be executed. Now, you may wonder, why am I bringing this Bill?
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Now, we have a moratorium on executions, but the fact is, the death penalty is still law in California, and executions could begin again. And what this does is helps us ensure that California is consistent with the 8th amendment and protects against the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. And with that, I ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, any discussion on this Bill? Any discussion? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil, aye. Archuleta, aye. Ashby, aye. Atkins, aye. Becker, aye. Blakespear, aye. Bradford, aye. Caballero, aye. Cortese, aye. Dahle, no. Dodd, aye. Durazo, aye. Eggman. Glazer, aye. Gonzalez, aye. Grove. Hurtado. Jones, no. Laird, aye. Limon, aye. McGuire, aye. Menjivar, aye. Min. Newman, aye. Nguyen, no. Niello, no. Ochoa Bogh. Padilla, aye. Portantino, aye. Roth. Rubio, aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Seyarto, no. Skinner, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Umberg, aye. Wahab, Aye. Wiener, aye. Wilk, no.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, I've been informed that we do have a full house now, so we're gonna go through the roll one more time. Secretary, please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Eggman, aye. Grove, no. Hurtado. Min. Ochoa Bogh, no. Roth.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Hurtado. Min. Roth.
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of twenty eight to eight, the measure carries. Members, we're going to move next to file item 28. This is Senate Bill 1272 by Senator Laird. He's prepared. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1272 by Senator Laird. An act relating to consumer protection.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Laird.
- John Laird
Legislator
Thank you very much, Mister President. Consumers have had the option to ask stores to redeem the remaining balance of a gift card below $10 for the last 16 years. There's been significant inflation since then, and the buying power has dropped.
- John Laird
Legislator
This Bill would raise the redeemable dollar amount to dollar 25, with an annual adjustment for inflation rounded to the nearest whole dollar. According to the National Retail Federation, there is the most popular gift of the holiday season. CNN reports that there's $21 billion sitting in unused gift cards.
- John Laird
Legislator
This will update it for the first time in the 16 years. There have been a few arguments against this. One is that it would require stores to keep extra cash on hand. Cash is not the requirement for redeeming, and that is not used by everyone. Now, there have been concerns about retail theft, we have asked for data.
- John Laird
Legislator
We have received none. If we receive any, we will look at this. And there is also concern about a federal limit. But Massachusetts has a scheme that has a limit that's higher than the one in this Bill. So it's time to update this for the consumers. I think it's fair. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, any discussion or debate on this measure? Any discussion or debate? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil. Archuleta. Ashby, aye. Atkins, aye. Becker, aye. Blakespear, aye. Bradford, aye. Caballero, aye. Cortese, aye. Dahle, no. Dodd, aye. Durazo, aye. Eggman, aye. Glazer, aye. Gonzalez, aye. Grove, no. Hurtado. Jones, no. Laird, aye. Limon, aye. McGuire, aye. Menjivar, aye. Min, aye. Newman, aye. Nguyen, no. Niello, no. Ochoa Bogh. Padilla, aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Portantino, aye. Roth, aye. Rubio, aye. Seyarto, no. Skinner, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Umberg, aye. Wahab, aye. Wiener, aye. Wilk.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil, aye. Archuleta. Hurtado, aye. Ochoa Bogh. Wilk.
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 30 to six, the measure carries. Members, we're going to move next to file item 29. This is Senate Bill 1300 by Senator Cortese. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1300 by Senator Cortese. An act relating to health facilities.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Cortese, the floor is yours. Members, please give Senator Cortese your attention.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President and colleagues, I'm pleased to present SB 1300. SB 1300 will help communities prepare for the closures of psychiatric units and maternity wards and hospitals. This Bill requires the health facility to provide 120 day public notice of the elimination of its inpatient psychiatric or maternity ward unit.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
It also requires a health facility to prepare a report that analyzes the impact of the closure on the surrounding community's health system. Finally, the Bill increases public transparency by strongly encouraging each County Board of Supervisors to post a report online and hold a public hearing to provide the community with an overview of the impact report.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, any discussion or debate on this issue? Any discussion or debate? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil. Archuleta. Ashby, aye. Atkins. Becker, aye. Blakespear, aye. Bradford, aye. Caballero, aye. Cortese, aye. Dahle, no. Dodd, aye. Durazo, aye. Eggman. Glazer. Gonzalez, aye. Grove, no. Hurtado, aye. Jones, no. Laird, aye. Limon, aye. McGuire, aye. Menjivar, aye. Min, aye. Newman, aye. Nguyen, no. Niello, no. Ochoa Bogh. Padilla, aye. Portantino, aye. Roth, aye. Rubio. Seyarto, no. Skinner, aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Umberg, aye. Wahab, aye. Wiener, aye. Wilk, no.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil, no. Archuleta, aye. Atkins, aye. Eggman. Glazer. Ochoa Bogh. Rubio, aye. Dodd I had a no.
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 27 to nine, the measure carries. We're going to move next to file item number 30. This is SB 1401. By Senator Blakespear. Secretary, please read.
- Unidentified Speaker
Person
Senate Bill 1401 by Senator Blakespear and Aquilina Childcare. Senator Blakespear, the floor is yours.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
Thank you. President and colleagues, I rise to present SB 1401, which waives state licensure requirements for family child care providers who exclusively care for children of military personnel if they are already certified by the US Department of Defense.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
This Bill is sponsored by the US Department of Defense and addresses a 50% shortage of in home child care providers for military families by creating new military childcare spots. SB 1401 will also help alleviate long child care waitlists for all Californians as fewer military families will need to use civilian options.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
This Bill has no registered opposition and very much supports our military families. I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Unidentified Speaker
Person
Members, any discussion on this measure? Any discussion? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Unidentified Speaker
Person
Allen. Alvarodo- Gil, Aye. Archuleta, Aye. Ashby, Aye. Atkins, Aye. Becker, Aye. Blakespear, Aye. Bradford, Aye. Caballero, Aye. Cortese, Aye. Dahle, Aye. Dodd, Aye. Durazo, Aye. Eggman. Glazer, Aye. Gonzalez, Aye. Grove, Aye. Hurtado, Aye. Jones, Aye. Laird, Aye. limon, Aye. McGuire, Menjavar, Aye. Min, Aye. Newman, Aye. Nguyen, Aye. Niello, Aye. Ochoa Bogh, Aye. Padilla, Aye. Portantino, Aye. Roth, Aye. Rubio, Aye. Seyarto, Aye. Skinner, Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, Aye. Stern, Aye. Umberg, Aye. Wahab, Aye. Wiener, Aye. Wilk. Aye.
- Unidentified Speaker
Person
Please call the absent Members. Allen, Eggman, Aye. McGuire. On a vote of 38 to zero, the measure carries. We're gonna move next to file item 34. This is Senate Bill 924 by Senator Bradford. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 924 by Senator Bradford. An act relating to tenancy.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Bradford.
- Steven Bradford
Person
Thank you, Mister President. 924 simply removes the sunset date of July 1, 2025 from a measure I passed in 2020, SB 1157, that requires landlords of subsidized assistance developments to offer the option to renters to have their credit report reported and effectively make this permanent.
- Steven Bradford
Person
Our rent reporting has helped individuals establish credit and helps individuals with non prime credit improve their credit scores as a straightforward measure. And I simply ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any further discussion or debate on this measure? Any further discussion or debate? Okay, Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil, aye. Archuleta, aye. Ashby, aye. Atkins, aye. Becker., aye. Blakespear, aye. Bradford, aye. Caballero, aye. Cortese, aye. Dahle. Dodd, aye. Durazo, aye. Eggman, aye. Glazer, aye. Gonzalez, aye. Grove. Hurtado, aye. Jones. Laird, aye. Limon. McGuire. Menjivar, aye. Min, aye. Newman, aye. Nguyen. Niello, no. Ochoa Bogh, no. Padilla, aye. Portantino, aye. Roth, aye. Rubio aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Seyarto. Skinner. Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Umberg, aye. Wahab, aye. Wiener, aye. Wilk, aye.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Dahle. Grove, aye. Jones, aye. Limon, aye. Mcguire. Nguyen. Seyarto, no.
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 33 to three, the measure carries. Members, we're going to move back to unfinished business. We have one item to take up. This is file item 21 again on unfinished business. This is SB 233 by Senator Skinner.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Secretary, please read Senator Bill 233 by Senator Skinner. An act relating to hailing arts and declaring the urgency thereof to take effect immediately. Senator Skinner.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Thank you, Mister President. Members, pleased to present SB 233, which will temporarily allow licensed medical professionals, specifically Arizona doctors, to be able to get a temporary medical license in California in order to practice in California to provide abortion care to their Arizona patients who travel to California. These provisions sunset on November 30, 2024.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Arizonans, beginning on June 6, face a total abortion ban based on an 1864 law. That ban triggers two to five year prison sentences for doctors who provide care and other sentencing for any woman who receives such care. Now, while I'm sure you've read the Arizona Legislature has now rescinded the 1864 law.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
And I guess you're wondering, why do we need this law today? Because, like California, you know when we pass a law, even when the Governor signs it, it doesn't come into effect until. Until a certain period of time after our session. In most cases in our session, it would start in January 1 of the following year.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
In Arizona, bills take effect 90 days after the end of their session. Their session is not scheduled to end until the end of July. Thus, Arizonans will not have such protection until at least the end of October or November. This is why SB 233 is still needed.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
And under 233, the Arizona Doctor must hold and verify that they have a medical license in good standing from Arizona and must have performed at least one abortion under their Arizona license within the last two years. This Bill also provides protection, privacy protection, for those physicians and surgeons. And with that, I ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Skinner. That's an aye vote on Assembly amendments to be concurred in. Right, Senator Niello?
- Roger Niello
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. Everything that my colleague from Berkeley just said is true, but she left something out. And that is that the Governor of Arizona, through Executive order, is prohibiting local district attorneys from prosecuting under the civil war era law, and only the Attorney General can.
- Roger Niello
Legislator
And the Attorney General has said that their office will decline to enforce that civil war era law. So the relevant period of this enablement is about four weeks, but in Arizona, it's not going to be needed.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Niello, Senator Wahab, thank you.
- Aisha Wahab
Legislator
I rise in support of SB 233. I will say that this is life saving care for many women. We cannot overstate this enough. More specifically, I want to highlight the fact that as much as possible, as much as we talk about women's rights, the decision over one's body is still in question here in the United States.
- Aisha Wahab
Legislator
Maternal mortality rate in the United States is so much worse than nearly any other developed country. In 2022, there were 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births. These rates are far worse when we shift our lens to women of color.
- Aisha Wahab
Legislator
Specifically, California is the state where we try to provide for every single community, including our neighbors, who are struggling. It was also the Arizona attorney general's call to action that prompted this effort from a neighboring state, like the State of California. So I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any further discussion or debate? Seeing none. Senator Skinner, you may close.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Thank you. In response to my colleague from Fair Oaks, and I hope I have the correct jurisdiction, I think, as he well knows and all of us know, and I know that governors would like their Executive orders to have the force of statute. They unfortunately do not.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
And while in most cases, entities like prosecutors or others will follow an Executive order, the Executive order does not have the force of law.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
And so one could imagine there could be circumstances where there would be prosecutors in Arizona who do not agree with the Governor, as you had a court in Arizona who allowed the upholding of a, as you mentioned, a civil war era law, a law which I will note was passed when women could not vote, when women could not own property, when it was legal for husbands to beat women, and a variety of other things I could list.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
But I won't go further. So this, our law is still needed. I hope that the cases the. That there is no prosecutor who chooses to defy the Governor of Arizona's Executive order.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
But at least we will be acting in such a way that Arizona doctors will be able to determine how best to meet their medical obligations to their patients, and Arizona women who require this essential health care would be able to obtain it. And with that, I ask for your I vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
All debate having ceased. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Second Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 30 to eight on the urgency, 30 to eight on the measure. The Assembly amendments are concurred in.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Members, we have some of our colleagues off the floor. So for the next couple bills, we're going to be doing the roll call just once and then putting it on call until our Members come back. Next on the file item list, we have file item number 35. Senator Laird, are you prepared? Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1280 by Senator Laird, an act relating to waste management.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Laird?
- John Laird
Legislator
Thank you very much, Madam President. And at the beginning, I respectfully request permission to use a prop during this presentation.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Without objection.
- John Laird
Legislator
Okay, I heard Mike object, so I'm going to move ahead. Senate Bill 1280 simply transitions California to more sustainable outdoor recreation by requiring small propane cylinders sold in the state to be reusable or refillable starting on January 1st 2028. Many of you may think this Bill looks familiar. This Bill in this form has passed this house twice before.
- John Laird
Legislator
And the problem is, the problem is this: right now, cities, counties, parks, beaches, everybody has to dispose of these themselves. This is a picture of Yosemite National Park, where they have collected these and put them in trucks and carted off. Cost them $75,000 a year to do this. The cities and counties across the state have to do the same thing.
- John Laird
Legislator
There's a reason that the League of Cities, the Association of Counties, rural counties all support this Bill. Because while it costs $5 to $10 to buy these on the marketplace, the cost varies from $15 to $30 or higher to dispose of them or take them away.
- John Laird
Legislator
Many times we have here decided that the market is the best place to deal with these, and that's what this does. When I was in the Assembly, the latest version of more efficient toilets failed when it was going to be put in the building code.
- John Laird
Legislator
But when it gave the market a few years to phase it in, it passed, and that worked for businesses and that worked for the environment. That's what this does. We are in 2024, and this Bill will not take effect until 2028.
- John Laird
Legislator
The opponents say a number of things - that somehow you'll have to cart many canisters into the parks. When it's refillable and you have one, it is really one. It is not multiple ones. Opponents say this is a ban. This is not a ban.
- John Laird
Legislator
This establishes a requirement for refillable and allows a number of years for the market to catch up and make it work. It is really, right now, a burden on taxpayers across the state and those of us that have beaches or state parks.
- John Laird
Legislator
And I rival Senator Mcguire in having as many state parks as, as any Senator on this floor. You just go and you see them in trash cans, and if there's propane left in them, that's hazardous. And so, the real issue here is to have some extended producer responsibility by having a recyclable propane cylinder.
- John Laird
Legislator
It has passed this house twice. It is supported widely. I respectfully ask for an "Aye" vote.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Blakespear, you're recognized.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
Yes, thank you. Colleagues, I also rise in strong support of SB 1280. It is estimated that in California alone, there are 4 million of those single canister, one pound propane cylinders that are sold. And as the author just said, the cost is borne by taxpayers, but it's also borne by the environment.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
If you backpack, you see piles of these cylinders out in the backcountry because they are heavy and they're not refillable, and people leave them in nature. So, this is a form of preventable waste. And I strongly urge your "Aye" vote.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Any further discussion or debate? Senator Laird, you may close.
- John Laird
Legislator
Thank you. I really appreciate the comments, and I just remind you, this picture is of the status quo. If we don't have any solution, this continues across our parks and beaches, in cities and counties, at the expense of our taxpayers. I respectfully ask for an "Aye" vote.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil.
- Marie Alvarado-Gil
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Archuleta. Ashby.
- Angelique Ashby
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Atkins.
- Toni Atkins
Person
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Becker. Aye. Blakespear.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Bradford.
- Steven Bradford
Person
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Caballero.
- Anna Caballero
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Cortese.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Dahle. Dodd. Durazo.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Eggman.
- Susan Talamantes Eggman
Person
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Glazer. Gonzalez.
- Lena Gonzalez
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Grove.
- Shannon Grove
Legislator
No.
- Committee Secretary
Person
No. Hurtado.
- Melissa Hurtado
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Jones
- Brian Jones
Legislator
No.
- Committee Secretary
Person
No. Laird.
- John Laird
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. McGuire. Menjivar. Min.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. LimĂ³n.
- Monique LimĂ³n
Legislator
Aye.
- Dave Min
Person
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Min. Excuse me, Newman.
- Josh Newman
Person
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Nguyen.
- Janet Nguyen
Person
No.
- Committee Secretary
Person
No. Niello.
- Roger Niello
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Ochoa Bogh. Padilla.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Pontantino. Roth.
- Richard Roth
Person
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Rubio. Seyarto.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
No.
- Committee Secretary
Person
No. Skinner
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas.
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Stern.
- Henry Stern
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Umberg. Wahab.
- Aisha Wahab
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Wiener.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye. Wilk.
- Scott Wilk
Person
Aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Aye.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Member moves to call. Next on the list is file item 38. Senator Caballero, are you prepared? The Senator is prepared. Secretary, please call. Please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1140 by Senator Caballero, an Act relating to local government.
- Anna Caballero
Legislator
Senator Caballero? Good morning, Madam President, and Members. Thank you for the opportunity to present SB 1140, which will reform enhanced infrastructure, financing districts, eifDs, and climate resilient districts, or crds, to streamline and create efficiencies in the formation process and expand the types of projects these tools can finance.
- Anna Caballero
Legislator
SB 1140 will reduce the mandatory meetings from four to three. It broadens the alternative mailing and notification methods to incorporate it all, EIF deformation meetings, annual reports, and potential amendments. SB 1140 eliminates the mandate for the public financing authority to publish meeting notices and newspaper.
- Anna Caballero
Legislator
Instead, it enables the forming district to electronically submit its resolution of intention to establish the district to other taxing entities. Furthermore, it removes the requirement to mail annual report notices via first class mail. As you can tell, this is an efficiency and a reorganization of the way the process works.
- Anna Caballero
Legislator
SB 1140 expands a type of projects that EIFDs and CRDs can finance to include projects that improve air quality. These benefits will significantly improve the ability for EIFDs and CRDs to advance their mission to support economic development and spur climate change resiliency and communities across the state.
- Anna Caballero
Legislator
This Bill has no opposition, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote any. Discussion on file item 38.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
The Senator moves to call. Moving on to file item 3039. Senator Dodd, are you prepared? He is ready.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Secretary, please read Senate Bill 904 by Senator Dodd an accolade to transportation.
- Bill Dodd
Person
Senator, Madam President, Members, Today I'm presenting SB 904. This is a district Bill that updates the enabling legislation of the Sonoma Marin Area rail Transit District, or smart train as they call it, and authorizes smart special district to utilize a voter initiative in order to ensure greater financial stability.
- Bill Dodd
Person
The Smart train is an incredible example of a public transit project that advances many of our state's top goals, increased rail and bicycle use, transit oriented development and collaboration by local governments at a regional scale. Since coming into service in 2017, Smart has overcome wildfires, floods and a global pandemic that devastated public transit.
- Bill Dodd
Person
Despite those obstacles, they keep chugging along and at the end of 2023 became the first transit system in the Bay Area to recover to their pre pandemic ridership numbers. This Bill also empowers the voters of this special district for the first time to pursue their own ballot measures through a voter initiative.
- Bill Dodd
Person
A voter approved, qualified initiative process will provide an opportunity to enhance community engagement and ensure greater accountability and direction for how to best dedicate future resources to operate a small system. I respectfully ask your Aye vote.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Any discussion on file item 39. See none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado- Gil. Archuleta, Aye. Ashby, Aye. Atkins, Aye. Becker, Aye Blakespear, Aye. Bradford, Aye. Caballero, Aye. Cortese, Aye. Dahl, No. Dodd, Aye. Durazo, Aye. Eggman, Aye. Glazer. Gonzalez, Aye. Grove, No. Hurtado, Aye. Jones, No. Laird, Aye. Limon, Aye. Mcguire. Menjavar, Aye. Min. Newman, Aye. Nguyen, No. Niello, No. Ochoa Bogh, No. Padilla, Aye. Portantino, Aye Roth, Aye. Rubio. Seyarto, No. Skinner, Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, Aye. Stern, Aye. Umberg. Wahab, Aye. Wiener, Aye Wilk. No.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Dodd, move sika. Moving towards file item 40. Senator Becker. He is prepared.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Secretary, please read
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1018 by Senator Becker. An act relating to electricity.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Becker.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
Thank you, Madam President. This Bill will allow hydrogen producers to use renewable energy directly from solar or wind farms to make green hydrogen and will allow factories to do the same thing to provide heat to run their processes with clean electricity rather than fossil fuels.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
Our scoping plan predicts 10 gigawatts of hydrogen production powered directly from off grid renewables. But there is a problem. You cannot do this today because of something called the over the fence rule. This rule says if you sell power to anyone, you must be regulated as a public utility, which would kill any project.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
There are a few exemptions to this, limited to power produced on the same property as the buyer or a single adjacent property, hence the name over the fence rule. The problem is that to generate enough power to produce hydrogen or electrify a factory, you need a lot more space for solar wind than just a single adjacent property.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
SB 1018 solves this problem by allowing a large solar or wind farm to sell their output directly to a single customer who will use that power for producing hydrogen or providing industrial heat. By limiting this exemption to allow sales to a single customer, we're keeping the consumer protections under current law in place.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
This Bill will support the growth of green hydrogen and industrial electrification using off grid renewables, which will ensure it makes use of clean energy and avoids putting new stress on the grid or impacting electricity rates. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Do we have any discussion on file item 40? Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil, aye. Archuleta, aye. Ashby, aye. Atkins, aye. Becker, aye. Blakespear, aye. Bradford. Caballero, aye. Cortese, aye. Dahle, no. Dodd. Durazo, aye. Eggman, aye. Glazer. Gonzalez, aye. Grove, no. Hurtado. Jones, no. Laird, aye. Limon, aye. McGuire. Menjivar, aye. Min, aye. Newman, aye. Nguyen, no. Niello, no. Ochoa Bogh, no. Padilla. Portatino, aye. Roth, aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Rubio, aye. Seyarto, no. Skinner, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Umberg. Wahab, aye. Wiener, aye. Wilk, no.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Becker moves to call. The next three items on our list are file item 41, 42 and 43. Senator Roth, you're up first. Is the Senator prepared? He is.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Secretary, please read Senator Bill 1249 by Senator Roth. Enact relating to older adults.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please proceed, Senator.
- Richard Roth
Person
Thank you, Madam President. This Bill seeks to address the needs of California's rapidly aging population by modernizing Californians. California's Older Californians Act.
- Richard Roth
Person
The Bill proposes to reform the Older Californians Act to conform to recent changes in federal regulations which implement the federal Older Americans Act and introduces accountability and performance measures, updates governance structures and establishes timeframes for the California Department of Aging to engage in stakeholder consultation. Ask for NY vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any discussion? Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Roth moves. Leader, are you prepared for item 42? She is ready. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Just need a couple of seconds here.
- Steven Glazer
Person
There we go. Secretary, please read. Fire.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Item 42, Senate Bill 1337 by Senator Gonzalez. Enact relating to elections.
- Lena Gonzalez
Legislator
Please proceed. Thank you, madam President. I rise today to present SB 1337, which will provide greater transparency about the funders of referendum petitions seeking to overturn state law. This Bill will require the top three funders be listed directly on each signature page.
- Lena Gonzalez
Legislator
As we know, direct democracy is an important tool for Californians, but unfortunately, large corporations are abusing this process to overturn legislation passed by this very body.
- Lena Gonzalez
Legislator
And recent petition campaigns to qualify referendums have been rife with examples of paid signature gatherers misrepresenting what a measure would do and refusing to produce the top funders sheet already required under law. SB 1337 will ensure voters can make informed decisions and are aware of who is funding efforts to overturn laws before deciding to sign a petition.
- Lena Gonzalez
Legislator
I respectfully ask for your. I vote on SB 1337. Thank you, Senator.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any discussion on file item 42 C? None. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator moves to call. Moving on to fire number 43. Senator Hurtato is prepared. Secretary, please read file item 43.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1367 by Senator Hurtado an act relating to agriculture and making an appropriation therefore.
- Melissa Hurtado
Legislator
Thank you, Madam President. SB 1367 seeks to safeguard funding for the safe animal feed education program by extending the sunset for the program from January 12025 to January 12031. This Bill has received bipartisan support throughout the Committee process, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any discussion on the item? I'm seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call].
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Hurtado moves to call. The next three items on our list are file item 46, 47 and 48. Senator Eggman is prepared.
- Unidentified Speaker
Person
Secretary, please read Senate Bill 1184 by Senator Eggman an accolade to mental health.
- Susan Talamantes Eggman
Person
Senator, please proceed. Thank you very much, madam President. This Bill goes to try to ensure that people do not compensate during a hold due to the lack of medication.
- Susan Talamantes Eggman
Person
That says that the order and the Reese hearing that was established on the first hold will last until the person regains capacity or the next Reese hearing is held in order to make sure treatment is not disrupted and people are able to return to the highest capacity they can and to make sure their rights are insured.
- Susan Talamantes Eggman
Person
I ask for your Aye vote.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Any discussion on file item 46? Secretary, please call the roll.
- Unidentified Speaker
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil, Aye. Archuleta, Aye. Ashby, Aye. Atkins, Aye. Becker, Aye. Blakespear, Aye. Bradford, Aye. Caballero, Aye. Cortese, Aye. Dahle, Aye. Dodd, Aye. Durazo, Aye. Eggman, Aye. Glazer. Gonzalez, Aye. Grove, Aye. Hurtado, Aye. Jones, Aye. Laird, Aye. Limon, Aye. McGuire. Menjivar, Aye. Min, Aye. Newman, Aye. Nguyen, Aye. Niello, Aye. Ochoa Bach, Aye. Padilla, Aye. Portantino, Aye. Roth, Aye. Rubio, Aye. Seyarto, Aye. Skinner, Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, Aye. Stern, Aye. Umberg. Wahab, Aye. Wiener, Aye. Wilk, Aye.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Eggman moves to call. Colleagues, that will change in what order I gave you earlier. The next three are file item 47, 52 and 53. Senator Min, are you prepared? He is. Secretary please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Please read Senate Bill 1174 by Senator Min. An act relating to elections.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Minh.
- Dave Min
Person
Thank you, madam President. SB 1174 would ensure that local governments cannot implement their own voter identification laws in local elections. It is very clear already as a matter of existing law, that local jurisdictions, including charter cities, are not permitted to impose voter identification requirements that would impact charters, county elections, state elections, or federal elections.
- Dave Min
Person
However, there is some ambiguity, as I read it in the law right now, regarding whether charter cities can implement their own voter ID requirements in a different time and place for their own elections. This Bill would close that any ambiguity and make clear that 100 local jurisdictions cannot implement 100 different voter ID requirements.
- Dave Min
Person
This should be a state matter decide. And, of course, my local City of Huntington Beach has tried to pass this or has passed a voter ID requirement, purportedly which is under litigation based on reports of voter fraud, such as the big lie, which have been proven to be false.
- Dave Min
Person
If evidence was presented to this body of the need for voter identification changes, I think it would be appropriate for us to act. No such evidence has been presented, and Orange County, of course, is known for having some of the safest and most secure voting in the state and in the country.
- Dave Min
Person
And so SB 1174 would try to address this matter and ensure that local jurisdictions cannot impose their own voter ID requirements to try to engage in culture wars and try to disenfranchise voters. So with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senators, do we have any discussion on this item? I see none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil. Archuleta, aye. Ashby, aye. Atkins, aye. Becker, aye. Blakespear, aye. Bradford, aye. Caballero, aye. Cortese, aye. Dahle, no. Dodd, aye. Durazo, aye. Eggman, aye. Glazer. Gonzalez, aye. Grove, no. Hurtado, aye. Jones, no. Laird, aye. Limon, aye. McGuire. Menjivar, aye. Min, aye. Newman, aye. Nguyen, no. Niello, no. Ochoa Bogh, no.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Padilla, aye. Portantino, aye. Roth, aye. Rubio, aye. Seyarto, no. Skinner, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Umberg. Wahab , aye. Wiener. aye. Wilk, no.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Min moves to call. Moving on to file item 52. Senator Skinner, are you prepared? She is prepared.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Secretary, please read Senate Bill 1210 by Senator Skinner. An act relating to utility service.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Senator Skinner, you may proceed. Thank you, madam President. Members, I think you've all been familiar with either individuals who are in the process of building a residential unit. Or even a commercial unit, for that matter. Or large entities who are building such units. And they are then facing very high costs of variety of utility hookups.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Whether for sewage, electricity, water, gas, you name it. And also timelines that can be considered absurd. There are many, many residential units that are ready for occupancy and yet cannot be occupied because they have not yet had that hookup. Now, while my Bill originally tried to address all of that. And I understand that that was. It was.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
It's necessary, but it was too ambitious. What I've done instead with this Bill is at least provided some transparency. So that you can contact whichever utility entity, whether it's electricity, gas, or water, that is going to do that. You will need a hookup for. And you can determine in advance what the cost of that hookup will be.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
So this is simply and solely a transparency measure. It purely requires those entities, meaning California utilities who provide utility hookup service. To have list their fee schedule. So that we know in advance what we are going to expect as to what this cost will be. And with that, I ask for your. I vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator. Colleagues, do we have any discussion on this item? Going once, seeing none. Secretary, please read Alan.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Skinner moves a call. Senator Skinner, you prepare for the next fire. Item. She is. Secretary, please read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Senate Bill 1211 by Senator Skinner, an act relating to land use.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Skinner, you may begin.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Thank you, Madam President, Members. ADUs are one of our California's housing success stories. They are relatively affordable to construct, and I say relatively. They are an official use of existing residential land and existing housing stock.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
And they are now, I think, the recent numbers show that since we began to make it easier to remove some of the obstacles for ADUs, some 100,000 in California have been constructed. So that's since about 2018. Current law allows for ADUs on multifamily properties, but it unnecessarily restricts what is called detached ADUs.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
So our current law requires the ADUs on a multifamily property to be a conversion of something within the building envelope. But I think all of us are aware that there are some multifamily complexes that have lots of land associated with the complex where it could be appropriate to have a detached ADU.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
So what this bill does is provide some flexibility where ADUs can be sited on multifamily properties and allows ministerial approval of up to eight detached ADUs on that multifamily property, as long as it doesn't double the existing units on the bill. So with that, I ask for your aye vote.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Do we have any discussion on this item? File Item 53? I am seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Reading Clerk
Person
[Roll Call].
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Secretary, please call the absent Members.
- Reading Clerk
Person
[Roll Call].
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Secretary, please call the absent Members one more time.
- Reading Clerk
Person
[Roll Call].
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Glazer moves to a call. Moves a call. Moving on to File Item 56. We have 56, 57 and 58. All three on deck. Senator Wilk looks prepared.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please read Senate Bill 1495 by Senator Wilk and accolade to alcoholic beverages.
- Scott Wilk
Person
Senator Wilk. Thank you, Madam President. Members, I present SB 1495, which would allow alcohol licensees to sponsor events or purchase advertising space from the world famous Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. The home venue of the Roastmaster himself. What's his name? Jeff. What, you guys don't know who the Roastmaster is? No, not Jeff Stone.
- Scott Wilk
Person
The cemetery is currently a permanent retail on sale license holder with a type 88 license, which doesn't allow for this arrangement. The narrow tidehouse exemption allowed for under this Bill would help generate important revenues for the care, maintenance and improvement of the cemetery grounds and its ability to continue to host many popular cultural events.
- Scott Wilk
Person
There is no opposition. The Bill pass out of the Geo Committee 16 to zero. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Do we have any discussion or debate on file item 56? I am seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Wilk moves a call. We're gonna go backwards. We're gonna go back to file item 45. Senator Umberg, are you prepared? He is ready. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 940 by Senator Umberg. An act relating to civil disputes.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Humberg, you may begin.
- Thomas Umberg
Legislator
Thank you. Madam President and colleagues, this is a Bill that addresses both consumer arbitration and other kinds of mediation and arbitration. As I think most of us know, it's becoming increasingly evident that disputes are often now being either required to go to arbitration or referred to arbitration. Consumer arbitration is of a different sort.
- Thomas Umberg
Legislator
If you bought a cell phone, you've probably been engaged in a consumer arbitration agreement, whether you know it or not. This Bill simply says that if you've got a dispute that's $12,500 or less, you can opt to go to small claims court rather than going through arbitration.
- Thomas Umberg
Legislator
If you do go to arbitration, that arbitration has to be conducted, for example, in California versus some other place. There are some other elements to the Bill.
- Thomas Umberg
Legislator
One other element of the Bill says that the state bar of California can adopt a process of certifying that arbitration mediation entities, alternate dispute resolution entities, can apply to be certified in that they qualify because they follow certain ethical guidelines, that kind of thing. And it also has provisions that deal with conflict of interest of arbitration firms.
- Thomas Umberg
Legislator
With that, I urge an aye vote.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Thank you. Senator, any discussion? I am seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil, no. Archuleta, aye. Ashby, aye. Atkins, aye. Becker, aye. Blakespear, aye. Bradford. Caballero, aye. Cortese, aye. Dahle, no. Dodd. Dorazo, aye. Eggman, aye. Glazer. Gonzalez, aye. Grove. Hurtado, aye. Jones. Laird, aye. Limon. McGuire. Menjivar, aye. Min, aye. Newman, aye. Nguyen, no. Niello, no. Ochoa Bogh, no. Padilla, aye. Portantino, aye. Roth, aye. Rubio. Seyarto no. Skinner, aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Umberg, aye. Wahab, aye. Wiener. Wilk, no.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Umberg moves a call. The next three we have coming up on file are gonna be file items 57, 58 and 62, starting off with Senator Skinner, file item 57. If the Senator is prepared, she is.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 898 by Senator Skinner an act relating to vehicles.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Thank you, Madam President. Members, there's an interesting phenomenon, well documented, of a high incidence of left sided skin cancers on your arms, face. And this is especially dominant within people who drive for a living. The same phenomenon for right sided skin cancers is evident in those countries where you drive, the driver's seat is on the right side of the car for versus the left side of the car.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
So what this Bill does is provide for uv window filtering just on the passenger, or, excuse me, the driver side window for commercial vehicles where people are driving for a living to protect those drivers from this skin cancer. And this skin cancer disproportionately affects both bus and truck drivers, who obviously, because it's their living, often receive 6 hours of uv exposure while driving per day. So the Bill purely applies to the windows on the driver's side.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Just that one large window for specified large trucks, commercial trucks, not light duty utility trucks or not passenger cars and trucks. And the effective date is moved to 2032. And with that, I ask for your aye vote.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Do we have any discussion or debate? Senator Seyarto, you are recognized.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
Thank you, madam President. I just have something for the body to consider here. When you're looking at bills like this, one of them is the main issue I have with this Bill, even though it is now just for trucks and commercial vehicles, is side windows are tempered glass, and tempered glass is easily, when you punch it, it breaks into little bits and falls down.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
So you have really quick access to get inside in the event of an emergency. When you put a laminate inside the window, it makes it much like a windshield. And a windshield. You cannot just punch out the windshield. Takes a while before you can actually get somebody out of a vehicle via the windshield.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
So if we're going to require this type of treatment to the window, not only does it raise the price of the car might not be. I mean, the vehicle might not be that much, but I'm more concerned about quick access, not just by emergency workers, but also by passersby, who are usually the first on scene of any of these accidents.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
And when it makes the most difference is when these vehicles are on fire and the glass hasn't broken out, the quickest way to get to them is to punch out that window. There are aftermarket treatments that can be used for people that are in the business and that are affected by these type of. By the uv rays. And so those can be applied as needed for the people that have concerns that they are being exposed.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
So for those reasons, I'm going to be opposing this Bill and those like it, because those few seconds are few minutes that it takes to gain better access or to go to the other side of the vehicle and try to access it from the other side can mean the difference between somebody surviving a very bad accident and not.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
And so. And I've seen a few of those, and those aren't fun. So with that, I'll be opposing it. And I encourage you to consider that when you're voting on this Bill. Thank you.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Any further discussion, Senator Skinner, you may close.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Thank you, Madam President. To respond to that. While it is more common for glass manufacturers to use laminate to add that uv protection, tempered glass can also have uv protection, and there are companies who do that.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
And you will note that the Bill, this would not go into effect until 2032. So there's plenty of time for more companies to be able to use the uv protection with tempered glass, which addresses the safety concerns. And the Bill does not preempt federal law because it doesn't affect the vehicle safety standards.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
There are already 20% of cars that have such uv protection on those side windows. And with that, I ask for your aye vote. Thank you, Senator. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Skinner moves a call. File item 58. Senator Durazzo, is ready. Secretary, please read.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senate Bill 1350 by Senator Durazo. An accurate into private employment.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
Senator Durazo? Madam President, SB 1350 simply requires the Department of Industrial Relations to make recommendations to the Legislature on policies the state may adopt to protect domestic workers from work related injuries and illnesses. Despite caring for what we hold most dear, our families in our homes, domestic workers remain without any health and safety protections.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
A year into the pandemic, domestic workers were three times more likely to have contracted Covid-19 than the General population. Additionally, climate accelerated disasters magnify the vulnerability and dangers that domestic workers and day laborers face on a daily basis.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
During the wildfires that devastated California, domestic workers were asked to stay behind to fight fires, guard homes or pets, work in smoky conditions, and clean up toxic ash. Beyond these extreme dangers, domestic workers also face the risk of injury and illness in their day to day work related to lifting, chemical handling and repetitive strain.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
Since the governor's veto last year of my prior legislation removing the exclusion of private pay household domestic service workers from health and safety requirements, I have been in conversation with his office regarding the health and safety of domestic workers.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
I'm hopeful that those conversations will result in a meaningful step forward this year in addressing the legitimate health and safety risks associated with domestic work. This measure has no opposition. I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Senator Dali, you're recognized.
- Brian Dahle
Person
Thank you, Madam President. I must rise in opposition. This is just another opportunity for trial attorneys to have a field day with somebody that's mowing your lawn or working around your property. We have OSHA rules for businesses, and this is just one step further. That's why the Bill got vetoed last year.
- Brian Dahle
Person
For those reasons, I will ask for a no vote on this Bill.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Thank you, Senator. Senator Seyarto, you're recognized.
- Brian Dahle
Person
A question for the author, please.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Will the author take a question?
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
Yes, she will. I'll respond in my closing.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Yes, Senator Seyarto, please proceed with a question.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
Or did she want to respond later? Okay, the question is, which domestic workers are you talking about? Are you talking about full time workers, or are you talking about the person that might come by and leave their card on your door because they want to trim your palm trees?
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
Or are you talking about the person that might clean five or six houses houses a week, but only comes to one house maybe once every couple of weeks, or once every four weeks, once a month? Are we talking about all of them? Is there any further discussion or debate? I'm not done.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
I just needed to answer that question.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
The author mentioned that she would answer in her closing.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
So I'm going to assume that it includes all of them.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
And if that's the case, then we can call this the Domestic Worker Unemployment act, because nobody is going to have OSHA come in and certify their home to be able to hire somebody to come and that wants to come over and trim their palm trees, for instance, because that is a very, that's something that they're seeking.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
They're seeking a temporary work, doing a specific task that they're only going to be there for a little bit. If homeowners are going to be charged with the task or be subject to being sued, as my colleague from Bieber has stated, they're just not going to hire people that probably need that work the most.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
Remember, we're not allowed to be asking people if they are immigrants or illegal or legal or anything like that. You're just left to either hire somebody or not. And if you don't, if you can't because you're afraid of being sued, people that are out there seeking that job, they're not going to have work.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
And so I don't understand how this is going to help them. It certainly isn't going to help homeowners. And it just adds to what is basically a paga issue that we have with businesses, and it exposed them to liability. So for those reasons, I will be opposing this Bill.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
You know, I opposed it last year, and I continue to have concerns about it this year.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Thank you, Senator. Do we have any other discussion on this item? Senator Durazo, you may close. Thank you.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
Let me just clarify here. This Bill requires, simply requires the Department of Industrial Relations to make recommendations. There is no vote on changing the law. It's to make recommendations to the Legislature on policies that the state may adopt, may adopt to protect domestic workers from work related injuries and illnesses.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
This is not, unfortunately, removing the exclusion of domestic workers from what should be something that we all support because we want safe environment in our homes. That's where we live, that's where our kids live. We should want the safest possible place. It is a workplace. There's no disputing that.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
But more than anything, this Bill is only to make recommendations to the Legislature on policies the state may adopt. I respectfully ask for your vote. Thank you, Senator.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Secretary, please call the rom file, item 58.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senator Durazo moves a call. Senators, these are the three next on deck. We still have Members off the floor. Roll call will still be placed on a call after the first round. We have. Up next file item 6465 and 66. Senator Small cuevas is prepared with file item 64.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Secretary, please read.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Senate Bill 1137 by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas an accolade discrimination.
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Legislator
Senator? Thank you, madam President, and good morning, Members. I'm pleased to present SB 1137, which would make California the pioneering state to recognize intersectionality and our civil rights laws by clarifying that discrimination is prohibited not only because of one protected trait, but by any combination of two or more protected traits.
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Legislator
Under current law, all individuals are protected from discrimination. But these cases are exacerbated when an individual has experienced discrimination based on a combination of intersections of protected classes. For example, when a black woman brings forward a discrimination case, she may be forced to address her race and gender claims separately.
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Legislator
In cases where intersectional discrimination occurs, the defense may attempt to use the separation of characteristics to defeat the claim entirely. Courts throughout the nation have ruled on these cases inconsistently and largely on a case by case basis.
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Legislator
The intersectional discrimination is not limited to race and gender discrimination can be expressed based on one's age, race, national origin, or any combination of such classes. Those of us who live at the intersections of multiple protected classes know that these experiences cannot always be neatly separated.
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Legislator
We are one whole self, and we carry all of our identities with us at all times. And it is necessary that our laws reflect that. And I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Do we have any discussion on this item? I see none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Unidentified Speaker
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil, Aye. Archuleta, Aye. Ashby, Aye. Atkins, Aye. Becker, Aye. Blakespear, Aye. Bradford, Aye. Caballero, Aye. Cortese, Aye. Dahle. Dodd, Aye. Durazo, Aye. Eggman, Aye. Glazer. Gonzalez, Aye. Grove. Hurtado, Aye. Jones, No. Laird, Aye. Limon, Aye. McGuire. Menjivar, Aye. Min, Aye. Newman, Aye. Nguyen, No. Niello. Ochoa Bach. Padilla, Aye. Portantino, Aye. Roth, Aye. Rubio. Seyarto, No. Skinner, Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, Aye. Stern, Aye. Umberg, Aye. Wahab, Aye. Wiener. Wilk, No.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Smallwood-Cuevas moves the call. Members, we're gonna go back to file item 44. This is Senate Bill 1170 by Senator Menjivar. She's prepared. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1170 by Senator Menjivar, an act relating to the Political Reform Act of 1974.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. President. Getting a little bit of whiplash here. We're going back and forth. I'm rising for SB 1170. When candidates run for office, they face many issues concerning their safety and well being, to threats, harassment, and hostility often received during the campaign.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
These instances can take a toll on a candidate's mental health, and that can all look differently for the candidate, but run the gamut of increased anxiety, sleep disturbance, and panic attacks. SB 1170 will allow non incumbent candidates running for political office to use campaign funds for campaign related mental health care services.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
I think it's appropriate as where May is Mental Health Awareness month that we look to ensure that we're closing the gaps in this area as much as possible.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
A 2023 survey conducted by the California Women's List found that over 100 Californians who ran for office between 2016 and 2023, more than 80% of them reported receiving online abuse, and over 50% experienced harassment in person. Over 50% of women of color and LGB-plus women experienced stalking on the campaign trail, and over one third of them physical violence.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
The coverage would be for services including therapy provided in a group or private setting, either virtually or in person, by a professional license by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences to address mental health issues or by an associate accruing the hours for such a license.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
We can't stop the harassment from occurring by allowing campaign funds to be used for mental health care costs that are directly from related to experiences in the campaign will help strive to increase their diversity of voices in government. With that, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, any further discussion on this measure? Any further discussion? All right, seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
No. Senator Menjavar moves a call. We're gonna move next to file item 59. This is Senate Bill 1103 by Senator Menjavar. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1103 by Senator Manjavar, an act relating to tenancy.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. Back up on now. SB 1103. Across California, small communities serving businesses and nonprofits are being displaced and going out of business at an alarming rate. Unclear and unfail lease terms, as well as exorbitant added fees, make it extremely difficult to find and stay in a commercial space.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
After working with a lot of Members and the chair and judiciary, I took a lot of amendments that trimmed this Bill. To be clear. Now, SB 1103 will define what is a qualified commercial tenant. Require the tenant to notify the landlord that they are a qualified commercial tenant.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Will then require the landlord, as a response, to inform the tenant to review supporting documentation that justifies an increase in CAm fees, which are maintenance fees that can be compared to an HOA fee for residentials.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
It requires the landlord, upon request of the qualified commercial tenant, to provide supporting documentation that justifies an increase in CAm fees to make sure they're being used for what they're supposed to be used for.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
We're going to put certain parameters on how the Cam fees can be charged again, ensuring that they're used for what legally, they're allowed to be used. And finally, we're going to require that the commercial lease contracts are negotiated in five different languages to include Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
This Bill does not limit commercial rent or impose any form of commercial rent control, and it does not impose or change any requirements for other contracts or financial documents. It only affects a very small subset of commercial leases, respectfully asking for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Is there any discussion or debate on this measure. Any discussion or debate seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Reading Clerk
Person
[Roll Call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Menjivar moves the call. We're gonna go back to our file order, Members. This--we're gonna start with File Item 65. This is Senate Bill 1223 by Senator Becker. Secretary, please read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Senate Bill 1223 by Senator Becker, an act relating to privacy.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. President. I'm here today to present a bill about regulating brain data. Yes, brain data. And if that sounds futuristic, I can tell you everyone who was in a Judiciary Committee that day, listening to my experts, including Rafa Yuste, who inspired President Obama's BRAIN Initiative, everyone was paying rapt attention.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
Nobody was on their phones, nobody was reading anything but paying attention to hear him talk about his Oppenheimer moment when he realized that he was able to not just read the thoughts of mice, but to implant thoughts into mice. So this is not science fiction.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
And a lot of this research is happening here in our area, and the experts themselves are the ones raising the red flag on this. There's been about 19 billion dollars invested globally in over 200 neuroscience companies, including a wristband that will attempt to translate information about intentions and gestures from your wrist.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
So, invasive technologies like you've heard of--maybe Elon Musk's neural link--invasive devices like that actually are already regulated as medical devices. However, there's now over 30 class of neurotech companies that are doing noninvasive neurotech products. These devices record brain data using EEG sensors, but because they're not considered medical devices, they're not so tightly regulated.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
So that allows companies to collect and sell user data without consumer permission, and there's just a recent analysis of the privacy policies of all of these companies. And, yes, they have the right to do whatever they want with brain data in almost all cases. And the CCPA protects personal information, but, again, it doesn't cover neural data.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
So what this bill will do will make sure that neural data is covered by our CCPA by defining and classifying it as sensitive personal information and extending CCPA protections to neural data. Regulating neural technology early is crucial to ensure ethical use, protect privacy, establish standards, and address future challenges. Again, if you haven't heard about this, you will in the near future, and we in California have the chance to get ahead of this and respectfully ask your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Becker. Senator Becker, do you know what I'm thinking?
- Josh Becker
Legislator
Yes.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any further discussion or debate? Is there any further discussion or debate on this issue? Senator Becker knew that. All right, Secretary, please call the roll.
- Reading Clerk
Person
[Roll Call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Becker thinks a call. Moves a call. All right, we're going to move next to File Item 66. This is Senate Bill 1224 by Senator Ochoa Bogh. She is prepared.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1224 by Senator Ochoa Bogh, an act relating to alcoholic beverages.
- Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. Members, Senate Bill 1224 will allow the Riverside County fairgrounds in Indio to serve alcohol on site as long as food service is available to the public at all times during the events.
- Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
Legislator
This change ensures the fair can continue operating as it has for almost two decades, allowing the community to benefit from the substantial revenue that fair events contribute to the local economy. I respectfully ask for an aye vote any discussion or debate on this matter.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any discussion or debate. Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Committee Secretary
Person
Niello? Aye.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Ochoa Bogh moves a call. We're going to move next to file item 67 and 68. These are both measures by Senator Min. Start with file item 67, SB 1271. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1271 by Senator Minh an act realting to public safety.
- Dave Min
Person
Thank you, Mister President. SB 1271 would enhance the safety and regulatory compliance of electric bicycles and electric scooters by requiring all e bikes and e scooters to be manufactured with batteries that meet the stringent standards of the European Union and underwriters laboratories.
- Dave Min
Person
It would also modify the definition of e bike classes to clarify what the appropriate class for a switchable e bike is, if any, helping with safety concerns. In recent years, the sale of e bikes has skyrocketed, and in turn, this has increased the concerns about potential speed and fire risks.
- Dave Min
Person
This measure would help consumers by modifying the definition of e bike classes to clarify what constitutes an e bike, as well as removing lower quality, high fire risk personal mobility device batteries from the market. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, any discussion on this measure? Any discussion on this measure? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, we have a full house again, so we're going to go through the role one more time. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
Here we go. On a vote of 39 to zero, the measure is adopted. We're going to move next to file item 68. This is Senate Bill 1286 by Senator Min. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1286 by Senator Min, an act relating to debt collection.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Min.
- Dave Min
Person
Thank you, Mr President. In recent years, we've seen a rise in predatory debt collection practices targeted at small business owners. SB 1286 would try to address this by protecting small business owners under the Rosenthal Fair Debt Collections Act when there are individuals who have personally signed for their business debt.
- Dave Min
Person
There are over 3 million small businesses in California run by individuals, and these business owners are operating very similarly to individual consumers when navigating the financial marketplace. This was particularly true after the Covid-19 pandemic, as they struggled to acquire capital, especially for minority-owned businesses that often struggled to find credit.
- Dave Min
Person
Providing a personal guarantee for business debt opens the door for small business owners to be subjected personally to abusive debt collection practices of the kind that the Rosenthal Act was meant to prohibit, including threats, contacting borrowers at inconvenient hours, using false statements, or adding unauthorized interest or fees to the amounts owed.
- Dave Min
Person
Under SB 1286, borrowers would still be responsible for paying these debts, but would be protected from unfair, deceptive, or abusive collection practices. I respect for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, any further discussion on this measure? Any further discussion? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, we have a full house, so we're gonna go through the role one last time. Please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 28 to nine, the measure carries. We're going to move next to file item 69. This is Senate Bill 1354 by Senator Wahab. She's prepared.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1354 by Senator Wahab an act relating to health facilities.
- Aisha Wahab
Legislator
Thank you. I rise to present SB 1354, the Protect Seniors at All Costs Act. SB 1354 aligns the law with regulations regarding skilled nursing facilities and protects the rights of residents regardless of their payment source. SB 1354 also requires residents being transferred or discharged be informed that they may be eligible for Medi Cal's long term care program to help pay for their stay.
- Aisha Wahab
Legislator
Payment source discrimination forces Low income seniors to move away from family, friends and their healthcare providers in order to access a facility that will accept Medi Cal, sometimes hundreds of miles away. This practice only exists so skilled nursing facilities can make space for more lucrative private pay or Medicare residents.
- Aisha Wahab
Legislator
SB 1354 will strengthen and enhance the rights of residents in these facilities and protect against discrimination based on their payment source. I respectfully ask for an aye.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members any further discussion on this measure, seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 30 to nine, the measure passes. Members, we're about to go into recess to return here to the chambers at 1:30 sharp. 1:30 sharp. Prior to that, I want to recognize the majority leader, Senator Gonzalez.
- Lena Gonzalez
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. Democratic Members, we're going to have lunch at 12:00 as mentioned by the presiding officer, and then a 12:20 p.m. caucus. Thank you. In the Maddie lounge.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you. And recognizing the minority leader, Senator Jones.
- Brian Jones
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. Members, same for the Republicans. Lunch is being provided and we will meet in Room 215 for our caucus meeting.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Members, for a productive morning. We will be in recess until 1:30 sharp. Good afternoon, Members. The Senate will convene in 30 seconds. Good afternoon, Members. We are back from recess. We're going to go back to third reading, give you a heads-up to the bills that will be coming to you.
- Steven Glazer
Person
We're going to start with file item 71. Moving on to 77. And then to 177. That's out of order. File item 177. So, with the cooperation of our builders in the vicinity, we're going to begin with Senator Dodds. This is file item 71, SB 1379. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1379 by Senator Dodd, an act relating to public retirement and declaring the urgency thereof to take effect immediately.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Dodd, the floor is yours. Please give him your attention, Members.
- Bill Dodd
Person
Thank you, Mister President. Members, today I'm presenting SB 1379. This is a district Bill to temporarily waive the 960 hours limit for retired annuities working for the Solano County sheriff to address a critical staffing need in Vallejo. The Bill will sunset after three years. Can I repeat that? The Bill will sunset after three years.
- Bill Dodd
Person
The Vallejo City Council declared a State of emergency last year during a major police officer staffing shortage. Despite being authorized for 132 officers, Vallejo PD currently only has 32 patrol officers and four detectives.
- Bill Dodd
Person
As a result, the Solano County sheriff is taxed with responding to emergency calls at Valejo and this Bill is essential to assist them with responding to these calls. The Bill requires the sheriff to try to hire full time active deputies before using a retired annuitant and it requires thorough background checks on anyone being hired.
- Bill Dodd
Person
There is precedent for waiving the hour limit when needed. Last year, Governor Newsoms Executive order, in response to winter storms waived this 960 hours limit for retired annuities working for the state recovery rules. Given Vallejo's immediate public safety crisis the city can't afford to wait for more officers to be trained.
- Bill Dodd
Person
Without this Bill, the Solano County Sheriff will not be able to respond to the needs of Vallejo. The Bill has broad local support, no recorded opposition. Respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Dodd. Any discussion on this measure? Any discussion, Members? All right, we're going to. I'm going to ask the secretary to call the roll. But let me remind Members to please. We're going to go through the roll twice. We have a full house. Please don't shout out your name at the completion of the roll. We'll call back through it another time so you can have the opportunity to respond to your name. So with that, secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Ayes 35, Noes four the measure passes on the urgency. Eyes 35 knows four on the measure. We're going to move to file item 77. This is Senate Bill 1418 by Senator Archuleta. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1418 by Senator Archuleta an act relating to land use.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Archuleta.
- Bob Archuleta
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. President. I rise today to present Senate Bill 1418. Senate Bill 1418 simply streamlines the hydrogen fueling station permitting process in the same way that we do for the battery electric vehicle charging stations. A few considerations were raised in the policy Committee that this streamlined permitting process has the potential to be overburdensome for smaller cities.
- Bob Archuleta
Legislator
We've taken the survey. That is not the case. To address these concerns, I amended the bill on the Senate Floor to delay the compliance period for smaller cities by an additional two years. Additionally, I readjusted the population threshold to extend this extended compliance period to even more cities.
- Bob Archuleta
Legislator
In short, we are going to take advantage of the federal funding coming into California through our successful hydrogen hub application. We are going to need policy in place to expedite and development and deployment of hydrogen infrastructure. SB 1418 is one such policy and will help California transition to a cleaner, more sustainable transportation future. For these reasons, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Archuleta. Any discussion on this measure? Senator Stern.
- Henry Stern
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. President. Appreciate the Senator's efforts. My concern today about the measure is the inclusion of storage facilities, which can have safety implications. Fueling stations, one thing, but we know hydrogen is an extremely combustible fuel, so just want to make sure there's still local control. So, looking forward to hopefully finding a way to yes in the future, but won't be supporting the measure today. Thanks.
- Steven Glazer
Person
All right, any further discussion, Members? Any further discussion? Seeing none. Senator Archuleta, you may close.
- Bob Archuleta
Legislator
I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
All debate having ceased, Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 33 to zero, the measure passes. We're gonna make a detour and continue with our file one more item before we move to file item 177. This is file item 77. Senate Bill 1418 by Senator Roth. Excuse me, file item 78. This is SB 902 by Senator Roth.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 902 by Senator Roth and act relating to firearms.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Roth.
- Richard Roth
Person
Thank you, Mister President. This Bill will add an automatic 10-year firearms prohibition to misdemeanor animal abuse convictions. The Bill passed out of the Senate Public Safety Committee with unanimous bipartisan support.
- Richard Roth
Person
As you know, California has a history of ensuring that firearms do not fall into the hands of those who have demonstrated violent tendencies in an attempt to prevent future violence against others. Crimes such as stalking, endangering the health of a child, and endangering the health of an elder or a dependent adult.
- Richard Roth
Person
Research reflects that 41% of intimate partner violence offenders had histories of animal cruelty and that individuals who commit animal abuse are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against humans. Based on the connection, in 2016, the FBI amended the National Incident Based Reporting System to start collecting data on animal abuse.
- Richard Roth
Person
Now, Senators, we're talking about serious animal cruelty here. Incidents convictions of Penal Code Section 597. Convictions for the malicious and intentional maiming, mutilation, torture, wounding, or killing of an animal.
- Richard Roth
Person
Given the numerous studies showing that animal abuse is a predictor of violence against humans, California needs to ensure that people with a history of animal cruelty are prohibited from owning and possessing firearms for at least 10 years.
- Richard Roth
Person
We've been engaged with those in support and in opposition to the measure, and we took amendments to remove the felony for non-compliance with the firearms prohibition, thus limiting the penalty to a misdemeanor. I will respectfully ask for an aye vote at the appropriate time.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Roth. Any discussion on this measure? Any discussion Members? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 36 to one, the measure passes.
- John Laird
Legislator
All right, Members, we're going to make sure you're paying attention. We're going to move next to file item 126. Of course. This is Senate Bill 915 by Senator Cortese. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 915 by Senator Cortese an accolade to autonomous vehicles.
- John Laird
Legislator
Senator Cortese, the floor is yours.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. Colleagues, SB 915 allows cities with a population greater than 250,000 to pass ordinances regulating autonomous vehicle services, or AV's. This is commercial service. Any smaller bordering cities may pass a similar ordinance. These provisions promote a balance between the local control and regional consistency. Currently, the DMV and PUC authorize AB services.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
They hold proceedings to gather public input, but there's no guarantee the state will consider local concerns or has the capacity to do so. Governance of local streets and roads, of course, has long fallen under the shared jurisdiction of local government and state government. The operations of these vehicles should be no different than any other motor vehicles.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
Ordinances cannot be used to ban the operation of these services. Per very express language in the Bill, there's literally a no ban cause in the Bill. The Bill also ensures equitable access for people with disabilities and requires all of these vehicles to have an override system for first responders to address recent issues that have occurred. Thank you.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
And I respectfully ask for your Aye vote. Thank you.
- John Laird
Legislator
Senator Cortese, any discussion or debate on this measure? Members, any discussion or debate? Senator Becker.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
Thank you. Just wanted to say that I know there's been a bunch of concern from the technology industry, some of the companies affected, about some of the provisions. I know there were a number of amendments that were just taken by the author, and I appreciate that. To try to kind of clarify.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
I think there's a concern about kind of creating any kind of patchwork system that would just be. Be really unworkable. But I appreciate the author. I know he's been working diligently to kind of avoid that scenario, and, you know, has we discussed some ideas to continue looking at that going forward.
- Josh Becker
Legislator
So with that, I'll be supporting the Bill and look forward to working with them going forward.
- John Laird
Legislator
Thank you, Senator Becker, any further discussion or debate? Members, any further discussion or debate? Sena and Senator Cortese, you may close. Respectfully ask for your. I vote. Thank you, sir. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil, Aye. Archuleta, Aye. Ashby, Aye. Atkins, Aye. Becker, Aye. Blakespear. Bradford, Aye. Caballero. Cortese, Aye. Dahle, No. Dodd. Durazo, Aye. Eggman, Aye. Glazer. Gonzalez, Aye. Grove. Hurtado, Aye. Jones, No. Laird, Aye. Limon, Aye. McGuire, Aye. Menjivar, Aye. Min, Aye. Newman, Aye. Nguyen, No. Niello, No. Ochoa Bach, No. Padilla, Aye. Portantino, Aye. Roth, Aye. Rubio. Seyarto, No. Skinner, Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas. Stern, Aye. Umberg, Aye. Wahab, Aye. Wiener, No. Wilk.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Cortese moves a call. Members, we're going to go back to our Third Reading file order, starting with File Item 79, followed by 80 and 81. We'll first begin with File Item 79. This is SB 907 by Senator Newman. Secretary, please read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Senate Bill 907 by Senator Newman, an act relating to County Boards of Education.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Newman.
- Josh Newman
Person
Thank you, Mr. President. SB 907 is a district bill which will improve representation and electoral participation in Orange County by making two very sensible changes to the Orange County Board of Education; one: increasing the number of trustees from the current five to seven, and two: shifting the Board's election cycle from the primary ballot as currently conducted and into the general election in November.
- Josh Newman
Person
Since Orange County's Department of Education was established in its modern form, the population of OC has nearly doubled, from 1.8 million in 1977 to its current population of nearly 3.2 million. That makes it the third largest county by population in the state.
- Josh Newman
Person
Of the state's ten largest counties, Orange County is currently one of only four whose County Boards of Education have only five trustees. Of the counties which still have five trustees, the only one comparable in size to Orange County is the County of San Diego.
- Josh Newman
Person
In the nearly five decades since the constitution of the Orange County Board of Education, Orange County's population has also become infinitely more diverse. According to the 2000 Census, more than 50 percent of OC's population at that time was White.
- Josh Newman
Person
By the time in the most recent census, that share had dropped to less than 37 percent, with OC now having become a resoundingly majority-minority county. Expanding the Board from its current five trustees to seven will ensure that this board more fully reflects that diversity within its elected membership.
- Josh Newman
Person
Moving the election of the OCBOE trustees into the November general will ensure higher participation by that more diverse electorate. That would be a positive development in not one, but two directions. First, as mentioned, it will result over time in a board that more closely reflects OC's changing population.
- Josh Newman
Person
Secondly, and just as importantly, including the vote for County Board of Trustees on the November ballot will give voters a better opportunity to engage and connect with candidates and the eventual elected board members as part of that critical task of connecting residents to civic institutions about which they are increasingly uninformed and from which they are increasingly disconnected.
- Josh Newman
Person
As I've emphasized in my conversations with the opposition and with others, the impetus for this bill does not arise out of politics. Enhancing the responsiveness of a governing body and improving participation in the election of that body are objectively good goals, and that's what the provisions of this bill seek to do. I respectfully ask for your aye vote today.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Newman. Discussion and debate? I see microphones up from Senator Min and Senator Nguyen. Start with Senator Min.
- Dave Min
Person
Thank you, Mr. President. I rise as a proud co-author of this bill. As many of you know, I authored legislation last year which unfortunately did not make it across the finish line that would have done substantially much of this.
- Dave Min
Person
And the problem in Orange County is that this is the only elected body in the county that is decided on a won and done in the primary election. No other election in Orange County is like this. And so voters are genuinely confused when I talk to them about--they--most of them don't understand that the vote that they cast or choose not to cast in the primary is the only vote they'll have for the Orange County Board of Education. There is no runoff. There is no general election. There is no top two, as with other elections.
- Dave Min
Person
At the same time, as my author, my colleague from Fullerton has aptly pointed out, Orange County has gotten very big and very diverse, and I think it--given the low turnout in these primary elections, given the confusion among voters, and just by way of context, in the March 2024 Election, we only had 37 percent turnout for Orange County generally. Certainly it was much, much lower for the Orange County Board of Education. So this is not a body that is fully elected with the full representation in mind. So I would urge my colleagues to vote aye on this bill.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator. Senator Min. Senator Nguyen.
- Janet Nguyen
Person
Thank you, Mr. President. I actually rise in opposition, representing majority of Orange County in my district. This bill is peer politics. If it was a good policy bill, it should be a bill for all the counties in the State of California. No, it is specifically targeted to Orange County, and the reason is because of the opposition has continuously lost elections in Orange County through Board of Education. This last election, all the Members were reelected, almost 50--over 50, not--maybe even 60 percent of the total votes.
- Janet Nguyen
Person
So I believe that if it's going to be--if it's a good policy, if the author truly believe it's a good policy, let's make it statewide. Let's make it every county's, every Board of Education in California and not just target to Orange County. With that, I ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Nguyen. Any further discussion or debate? No vote. Senator Nguyen's asking for the no vote. I see Senator Ochoa Bogh.
- Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. President. I do not live in Orange County, but I do--but I am the Vice Chair for the Senate Committee on Education, and this is the second time we've seen this bill in this Committee, and again, I'm going to rise to oppose the bill.
- Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
Legislator
And the reason being is that Orange County, the people in Orange County have the opportunity to do this locally within their own school board. The people in the Orange County have the ability to request this to be done locally, and they have not requested it to do it locally.
- Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
Legislator
They have not done so any in the past at all whatsoever, and yet we're taking the step here forward at the state level to say, 'this is what you need to do.' If they did not have an opportunity in the process to be able to do so locally, then perhaps the state should come in and step in and act upon or act for them. But in this case, they have the opportunity. They have chosen not to do this locally.
- Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
Legislator
And this is why it's an overreach by the state to come in and say, 'this is what you need to do.' And if it were good policy with regards to representation, this would be also applied to the most populous county, which would be Los Angeles, which has a population of ten million residents, and they do not even elect their trustees on the Board of Education, who are appointed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. So if this were actually good policy, it would actually apply to counties such as LA.
- Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
Legislator
So I have to agree with my colleague from Orange County that it is politics. We should let locals allow to use their local systems to change the systems if they see fit and if they see a need. In this case, they do not. And with that, I respectfully ask for a no vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Nguyen. Any further discussion or debate? Seeing none, Senator Newman, you may close.
- Josh Newman
Person
Thank you, and appreciate the discussion. I don't think it is true to say that the voters of Orange County don't want to see this change. I think it's more accurate that this particular Board would like not to see this change.
- Josh Newman
Person
And I would assert, I think you'd all agree, and I think we would all subscribe to the idea that any election that involves more voters is a better election. Any board that results from an election that includes more, not fewer, voters is a more representative public body. That is exactly what we're trying to do here.
- Josh Newman
Person
This Legislature has a long history of fixing problems at the district level. In this case, we from Orange County are trying to solve a problem for Orange County, a problem that has support from the voters of Orange County. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
All debate having ceased, Secretary, please call the roll.
- Reading Clerk
Person
[Roll Call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please call the absentees one last time.
- Reading Clerk
Person
[Roll Call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 29 to nine, the measure passes. Members, we're going to now lift the call on File Item 126. We're going to lift the call. This will be our second time through the roll. This is Senator Cortese's bill. Secretary, please call the absent Members.
- Reading Clerk
Person
[Roll Call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
All right, on a vote of 26 to nine, the measure passes. Okay, we're gonna move next to File Item 80, followed by 81 and 82, I think. Actually, File Item 80, 81, and I think we're going to 62 and 63. So let's begin with File Item 80. This is SB 930 by Senator Laird. He's prepared.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 930 by Senator Laird. An act relating to highways.
- John Laird
Legislator
Thank you very much, Mister President. Of the 642 memorial highways and transportation structures in the State of California, 82% are named for men too long. Women who make up half the population, and next year quite likely will make up half of this body, have been woefully disadvantaged in the memorial naming of transportation structures.
- John Laird
Legislator
This Bill establishes the Memorial Highway Signage Fund to promote equity and memorial highway designations. It does not mean we will not continue to name memorial highways for fallen officers, public officials or others who are men. But this Bill just creates a process for equity to make sure that over time, we catch up.
- John Laird
Legislator
Signs cost between $8,000 and $10,000. Sometimes that very cost turns away people from being able to designate it or being part of that equity. For this reason, this Bill builds on continued work and sets up a process where, over time, we can catch up. There's no registered opposition. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Laird. Any discussion on this measure? Any discussion on this measure? I see microphones up from Senator Grove and Senator Skinner. We'll begin with Senator Grove. Just want to make sure people were paying attention. Senator Grove, let's try that again. Senator Grove, the floor is yours.
- Shannon Grove
Legislator
I think that was a Republican thing that you guys did to me just then. Respectfully, in opposition to this Bill, you know, we designate highway signs and highway memorials. I recently did one for Officer Philip Campas, a SWAT team Member who put his life on the line and lost his life, left his wife and three kids, young kids, because he was saving a young girl from his, her estranged father who had already killed another Member, their family. That's a hero's a hero.
- Shannon Grove
Legislator
Phillip campus is a hero. United States Marine Corps veteran, came back, joined the sheriff's office, became an elite SWAT team Member. A very young age taken from us. And so I think that the policy that we have now is that resources have to be raised, like, we have to continue to raise money for that sign to be replaced by Caltrans every, I think, eight years so that the sign remains in good condition. And I don't, I am unaware, I guess, question of the author. Where is through the chair? Question of the author.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Will the author take a question? I'll take that as a yes. Okay, terrific.
- Shannon Grove
Legislator
So just curious, where are the resources coming from that are going to go in this special Fund that CalTrans will administer? Where do those resources come from?
- John Laird
Legislator
I'm sorry, Mister President, I can't hear. There's a little drilling in the background, which.
- Shannon Grove
Legislator
Are you doing that on purpose? Where do the resources come from that go into the Caltrans Fund to distribute?
- John Laird
Legislator
Under this Bill? It sets up a Fund that would accept donations from interested parties to be able to do that. And it would still leave the designation of any structure to this body as through the traditional process. But it would allow for a funding mechanism because right now there's generally established sources for those, certain of those that are done, and this would make sure there's a funding source for everybody.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Grove, on your time. Go ahead.
- Shannon Grove
Legislator
Thank you. So I guess my understanding is that the funding mechanism now is for individuals to donate to support these projects that they would like to have honored. If there's already a way to make sure that individuals have the opportunity to donate to these projects, I don't see how the Bill is necessary so that it could actually set up a Fund so people could donate to these projects. These projects are put on all over the state.
- Shannon Grove
Legislator
I just shared one that we did last year for Senate or two years ago for Senate for, excuse me, SWAT team Member, campus. And so just respectfully ask for a no vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Grove, Senator Skinner.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Thank you, Mister President. Members, I rise in support of the Bill. I hope that the result of it is that some more things get named after women. I happen to have done asked our transportation Committee to do a little number crunching for me, and in the past, is it 10 years?
- Nancy Skinner
Person
And I'm sure if we did it over a 20 year period, this percent would be even lower. In the past 10 years, the percent of things, roads or highways that the Legislature has named after Omen is less than 7%. If we were to add up and do number crunching on anything that we named, it would even be lower.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
And I basically, with no disrespect to the men that we may have named something after, I stopped voting on all of the bills that named something after a man because I felt that before I die, there would be no public space left to name anything after a woman.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
And I think that the importance of this is that it does cost money to name and usually, and this is, again, with no disrespect to naming any of our highways after an officer who died in duty, in the line of duty. But oftentimes it is the union of that officer that will pay the costs for the naming of the roadway or highway.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
And that as there are less women in sworn officers, and clearly, we should not only be naming things after people that die in the line of duty, since we don't even want anyone to be dying in the line of duty, but rather if we are naming roadways or highways after folks, it is less likely that a woman that we might suggest would have an entity like a labor union or others that is going to cover the costs, which is why such a Fund would be helpful.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
But I think the key point is that we should be aware of the dearth of our naming public spaces after women, and we should do better. And with that, I ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Skinner, Senator Dahle, thank you. Author, take a question.
- Brian Dahle
Person
I would like to get some clarification on the. I saw this in transportation. I was under the assumption that it was going to be taxpayer funded. But what I'm hearing you say, and I just want for the record to be clear, that this is people donating into the Fund, and that Fund would be used, then for the people that don't have resources, such as law enforcement and the likes. I will be supporting your Bill. Thank you.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you. Senator Dahle, any further discussion or debate? Members seeing none, all debate having ceased. Senator Laird, you may close.
- John Laird
Legislator
Thank you. I really appreciate the debate. And the Senator from Berkeley, I think, did a lot of what I would have done in a close. Let me just make one comment, which is, I think there was some confusion in the Committee over the fact that there are many, many highways and transportation structures named after people that are not fallen officers.
- John Laird
Legislator
And if you look, there are a number, and I, just sitting here at my desk, pulled out the names of the following Legislature legislators. Achajian, Mello, Johnson, Belotti, Boatwright, Sturgeon, Ferran, Brown, Gibson, Miller, Nejidly. That were all Members, many of them Members of this body, were Members of the Legislature that were named.
- John Laird
Legislator
And I remind everyone, there was not a woman elected to this body until 1976. So if we were naming roads after Senators, we were not. Disproportionately, we were totally naming them after men. And so this is my much broader than fallen officers, which, as I said in my opening statement, will still happen and will still happen as appropriate, with the exact deference that is deserved in the statement of the Senator from Bakersfield.
- John Laird
Legislator
This just makes sure there's equity across the board over time in what we do with our designations that reflects the population of the people of California. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you. Senator Laird, the debate has closed. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please call the absent Members. On a vote of 32 to six, the measure carries. The measure passes. All right, Members, we were going to begin next with file item 81.
- Steven Glazer
Person
We do not have a floor analysis out on that, so we're going to defer that for the moment and instead move to two other bills by Senator Wiener. First, file item 62, followed by file item 63. File item 62 is Senate Bill 961. Senator Wiener is prepared. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 961 by Senator Wiener, an act relating to vehicles.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Wiener.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
Thank you very much, Mr. President. Colleagues, SB 961 is a bill designed to make our roads safer and to make people more aware of speeding and to reduce speeds. Specifically, SB 961 will require new cars manufactured or sold in California to employ an existing technology.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
It already exists to notify drivers if they go more than 10 miles an hour over the speed limit. Just to be clear, the original version of this bill would have physically prevented people from driving more than 10 miles an hour over the speed limit. The version before you notifies people.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
Research has shown that this does have an impact in getting people to slow down. Particularly since some people drive over, don't even realize how fast their car is going. Colleagues, we know that 4,000 people a year die on California roads. Speed is a significant contributing factor. And we have technology that will help get people to slow down. It will save lives. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Wiener. Any discussion or debate? Members, any discussion or debate on this Bill? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
We're going to go through the role one more time. Secretary, please call the absence members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Archuleta. Bradford. Dodd. Mcguire. Roth. Rubio.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Wiener moves to call. We're gonna move next to file item 63. This is Senate Bill 1037, also by Senator Wiener. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1037 by Senator Wiener. An act relating to housing.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Wiener.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
Thank you very much, Mister President. Colleagues. SB 1037 is a measure that is sponsored by our Attorney General. As you know, we have worked very hard in recent years to enable the construction of the many, many new homes that California needs.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
We need to make sure that the laws that we pass as a Legislature are actually being followed and enforced. There is a loophole in the law right now where cities can flagrantly violate state housing laws, simply blow them off and refuse to follow them.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
And if the Attorney General files a lawsuit against those cities, takes it all the way through litigation and prevails, and wins a court judgment, there is no penalty against that city unless they wait many more months before coming into compliance. So a city has very little incentive, other than paying attorneys fees to actually follow the law.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
SB 1037 will provide that if a city, if the Attorney General sues a city, goes all the way through litigation and wins, then the court can impose penalties on the city.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
Those fines, those penalties will be placed, held in escrow for that city, for affordable housing in that city, so they're not taken into the General Fund or anything like that. This is a good government measure, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Wiener. Senator Dahle.
- Brian Dahle
Person
Thank you, Mister President, Members, I respectfully rise in opposition. And this is, I think, one of the fundamental problems with California and the Legislature thinking that if you sue some city, they're going to be able to do the right thing. Well, first off, developers build houses, not cities or counties.
- Brian Dahle
Person
And the reason developers don't build houses is because we have a process in California that is so cumbersome and so expensive and so risky. We have CEQA, we have all these design build, we have labor agreements, you name it, to build a home, even if it's low income.
- Brian Dahle
Person
And so now the Attorney General is going to go and sue these cities. Again, cities don't build houses, developers do. If we would reduce some of the burdens in California, we could build houses in California, but we continue to increase the cost of housing in California. And quite simply, cities and counties don't build houses.
- Brian Dahle
Person
Why are you suing them? Because they can't meet their element. They do a general plan. They say, here's where we're going to build the houses, and if somebody doesn't come and invest and build the houses, we're going to sue them. What's that going to do? It's going to do nothing but just cause litigation.
- Brian Dahle
Person
At the end of the day, we need to drive down the cost of housing by reducing the environmental impacts, the cost of building houses and allow developers to build houses in California. For those reasons, I oppose SB 1037.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Further discussion or debate? Seeing none. Senator Wiener, you may close.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
Yeah, I just thank my colleague across the aisle for those comments. And I agree. The cities are not the ones, sometimes they do, but typically are not the ones building housing.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
But what this Bill is about is when cities refuse to grant permits to developers who are ready to build housing and are entitled to those permits under state law, and the city says, we're not going to give you the permit to do it.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
So, yes, city's not the one building the housing, but the city has the power to obstruct developers from building those homes. And that's what this Bill is about, when cities are actually obstructing the ability of people to build new homes.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
And I want to also stress that this only applies when the Attorney General has taken the extraordinary step of suing a city and when the city has acted arbitrarily or capriciously. This is not about honest mistakes or someone messes up the paperwork.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
This is when a city has arbitrarily and capriciously refused to, to do something that they're required to do under state law. After, no doubt being told many times, this is what you have to do. They're sued. It goes all the way through the litigation. Judgment is entered.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
There should be a consequence, and the consequence is that you pay a fine that then gets held in escrow for you as a city to be able to build affordable housing. This is a good Bill, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
All debate having ceased. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil. Archuleta. Ashby, aye. Atkins, aye. Becker. Blakespear, aye. Bradford, aye. Caballero, aye. Cortese, aye. Dahle, no. Dodd, aye. Durazo, aye. Eggman, aye. Glazer. Gonzalez, aye. Grove, no. Hurtado, aye. Jones, no. Laird, aye. Limon. McGuire. Menjivar, aye. Min, aye. Newman. Nguyen, no. Niello, no. Ochoa Bogh, no. Padilla, aye. Portantino. Roth, aye Rubio. Seyarto, no. Skinner, aye.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Umberg. Wahab, aye. Wiener, aye. Wilk, no.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil. Archuleta. Becker. Glazer. Limon. McGuire. Newman. Portantino. Rubio. Umberg, aye.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Wiener moves a call.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Members, we're going to now move to file item 81, also by Senator Wiener. This is SB 957. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 957 by Senator Wiener. An act relating to data collection.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Wiener, the floor is yours.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. Colleagues, if this seems familiar, it's because many of you have voted, sometimes repeatedly, to require the California Department of Public Health to collect health data around based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
For anyone who accesses the healthcare system and fills out forms, you'll know that it will ask you voluntary questions about what is your age, what is your gender, what is your race? You don't have to provide that information, but most people do, and it allows us to gather important health data relating to different communities.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
It's the reason why we knew that when Covid-19 hit, that older people were at much greater risk of dying than younger people. Unfortunately, overwhelmingly, healthcare providers are not asking the question about sexual orientation and gender identity. And so, we don't have that data.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
And we know, based on other data that we have, that we believe that there are some significant health disparities impacting LGBTQ people, but we don't have that coming from our healthcare system in the way that it should. In 2020, we required the Department of Public Health to do more.
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
We then had the State Auditor do an audit which showed that the Department of Public Health was falling short and on the large majority of its forms, was not even asking the question. This Bill will require the Department of Public Health to implement the State Auditor's recommendations. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Wiener. Any discussion or debate on this issue? Any discussion or debate? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call]
- Scott Wiener
Legislator
On a vote of 30 to eight, the measure passes. Members, we're going to lift the call on file item 62. We're going to lift the call on file item 62. This is SB 961 by Senator Wiener. Secretary, please open the roll for absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 21 to 13, the measure passes. Can we get a clarification on the last measure? Senator Rubio, did you vote on that last measure? What was your vote? Aye. Okay. Properly recorded. Thank you. So that would be a vote of. Rubio? Aye. That would be a vote of 22 to 13. The measure passes. Thank you. We're going to move next to file item 82. This is Senate Bill 983 by Senator Wahab.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 983 by Senator Wahab, an act relating to energy.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Wahab, the floor is yours.
- Aisha Wahab
Legislator
Thank you. I rise to present SB 983, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Task Force. My ultimate vision is to put alternative fuel options in gas stations to allow for all Californians to be able to use a clean vehicle, even those that don't have access to charging stations.
- Aisha Wahab
Legislator
This task force will determine the fastest and most cost effective path forward for zero emission fuel alternatives while using our existing gasoline infrastructure without putting the finger on the scales or being short sighted regarding technologies of the future. Current investments into alternative fueling infrastructures are only half of what is needed to transition by 2050 or earlier. SB 983 is a crucial step to meet Governor Newsom's mandate to transition vehicles to zero emission sources by 2035. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any discussion or debate on this measure? Any discussion or debate? Seeing none, Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Let's call the absent Members one more time. If we can ask the conversations that go to the back so Members can hear. Call the roll one more time.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
All right, on a vote of 31 to zero, the measure passes. We're going to move now to file item 83. This is Senate Bill 999 by Senator Cortese. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 999 by Senator Cortese. An act relating to health care coverage.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. Colleagues, I'm pleased to present SB 999. SB 999 will ensure that Californians suffering from mental health and substance use disorders either or can access the level of treatment necessary for a full and lasting recovery.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
This Bill requires that utilization review determinations for mental health and substance abuse disorders are performed by a reviewer with appropriate training and relevant experience in the clinical specialty. SB 999 requires reviewers to disclose their name, credentials, and basis for a treatment denial, including a citation of the clinical guidelines that were followed.
- Dave Cortese
Legislator
This Bill will save lives by combating overdose deaths and suicides. And I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any discussion on this measure, Members? Any discussion? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 30 to seven, the measure passes. We're going to move next to file item 84. This is Senate Bill 1022 by Senator Skinner.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1022 by Senator Skinner, an act relating to civil rights.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Skinner.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Thank you, Mr. President, Members. SB 1022 provides our Department of our Civil Rights Department the time needed to effectively investigate and respond to systemic discrimination in workplaces or housing. When I say systemic, I mean multiple complaints over a multiple time period. The Civil Rights Department investigates thousands of these violations annually, and they mediate and settle many cases.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
But there are some complaints, these ones we're referencing as systemic, that can come from multiple parties against the same entity over a period of time. And such complaints, once they begin to be investigated as a group, are referred to as directors complaints, and they can be complex and require additional time to investigate.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
SB 1022 addresses this circumstance by giving the Department the ability to investigate the director's complaints over no more than a seven year time period. Note that SB 1022 does not change any statute of limitations. So if an individual wants to file a lawsuit about a complaint that they made, the statute of limitation holds.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
It does not change any statute of limitations. It purely gives the Office of Civil Rights the ability to investigate these directors complaints or systemic violations over no more than a seven year time period.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
It additionally gives the Department time to negotiate and reach settlements rather than only pursuing lawsuits, because under current law, they would have to initiate a lawsuit in just one year.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
So if part of our objective is to lessen the number of lawsuits, then giving them more time to investigate and to work with the entities for whom the complaints have been lodged to try to work out agreements, then we will have less lawsuits. And with that, I ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Skinner. Any debate on this measure? Any debate, Members? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 29 to nine, the measure passes. We're going to move next to file item 85, followed by file item 88 and 89. File item 85 is SB 1045 by Senator Blakespear.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please read.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senate Bill 1045 by Senator Blakespear, an act relating to composting.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Blakespear.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
Thank you, President and colleagues. I rise to present SB 1045, which requires the Office of Planning and Research to develop a model ordinance for siting compost facilities and requires locals to consider this advisory. Developing this much-needed organic waste infrastructure is critical in having us meet our SB 1383 targets, which we are far from achieving.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
In order to meet these targets, CalRecycle estimates that the state needs approximately 50 to 100 new or expanded organic waste recycling facilities. Right now, it's important to provide the needed tools to local governments to be successful.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
A model ordinance will save time and the need for local governments to start from scratch in an area where many lack expertise. This Bill is supported by great organizations like Californians against Waste, League of California Cities, RCRC, Republic Services, Waste Management and more. There is no registered opposition. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Blakespear. Any discussion on this measure? Any discussion? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Blakespear moves the call and move on to file item 88. This is SB 1066.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1066 by Senator Blakespear, an act relating to hazardous waste.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Blakespear.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
Thank you, President and colleagues. I rise to present SB 1066, which would create an extended producer responsibility program to ensure the safe disposal of pyrotechnic marine flares. California's Division of Boating and Waterways estimates 174,000 flares expire in the state each year, but there are no facilities in California that accept and dispose of them.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
Without viable options, expired flares can often end up dangerously left in the trash in front of local government buildings like police or fire stations, or even disposed of in our precious waterways. These costs are localized onto local taxpayers instead of the boaters who use them.
- Catherine Blakespear
Legislator
SB 1066 is supported by a broad coalition of stakeholders, including local governments, park districts, teamsters, firefighters, waste haulers, harbor districts, and environmental and public health organizations. It received unanimous approval in all Committee votes. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any discussion on this measure? Any further discussion, Members? Meeing none, Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
We have a Member off the floor, Members. So Senator Blakespear moves a call. Next up is file item 89. This is SB 1094 by Senator Limon.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1094 by Senator Limon, an act relating to people instruction.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Limon, the floor is yours.
- Monique LimĂ³n
Legislator
Thank you, colleagues. SB 1094 promotes civic learning in grades one, grade one through eight, by requiring instruction in civic engagement or experience with a governmental institution at the local, state, or national level, at least once between grades one through six and once between grades seven through eight. We respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any discussion on this measure, Members? Any discussion? Seeing none, Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Limon moves to call. We're going to move next to file item 93. This is Senate Bill 1142 by Senator Menjivar.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1142 by Senator Menjivar, and act relating to public utilities.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Menjivar?
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. SB 1142 is seeking to protect California's ratepayers who are behind on their electricity bills and in jeopardy of a shut-off by directing the CPUC to review statute and consider limiting the amount a utility can request from a customer to avoid a shutoff.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Specifically, we're looking to require an electrical or gas corporation to restore service to a residential customer upon the customer paying the agreed-upon amount decided in the amortization agreement not to exceed 24 hours.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
We're looking to require the CPUC on or before July 1st, 2025, to determine whether to direct electrical and gas corporations to take into account a customer's ability to pay before terminating or reconnecting services. We're also asking the CPUC to determine whether to limit the amount an electrical corporation could collect up to 20% of the customer's outstanding balance.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Currently, the utilities have no guidance on how much they can and should request from a customer to avoid a shut-off or get reconnected after a shut-off. When customers are not provided with reasonable payment options to keep or restore service, we are putting communities in a compromising situation, the likelihood of families living without energy increases the likelihood of these families will fall into further bad situations.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
With that, respectfully asking your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Menjivar. Any further conversation, discussion, debate on this measure? Senator Dahle.
- Brian Dahle
Person
Just to the question author, if I may?
- Steven Glazer
Person
Will you take that question, Senator Menjivar?
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
I will.
- Brian Dahle
Person
So, if they're not able to pay and they turn them back on, then who pays for the gas that was used?
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Menjivar.
- Brian Dahle
Person
Or the electricity I guess it is.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Through the President. So, this is asking after the customer reaches out, has a conversation with the utility company, comes to an agreement on what percentage or what amount can be paid.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
This is only after a certain amount, whatever is agreed upon is paid for the utility company to be able to restore the services within 24 hours, not without paying anything. It's only determined after that agreement has been made.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Dahle.
- Brian Dahle
Person
So, maybe just a little more follow-up to get a little more clarification, if I may, through the chair. So, they're getting their. They're not getting it shut off. They're getting it turned on after an agreement. But if they aren't able to pay in the future, does that cost get shifted to the other ratepayers?
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Menjivar?
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
The only thing we're looking to do right now is to ensure that after an agreement is made between the customer and the utility company on a percentage, whether that be 10, 20, 15 whatever they agree upon, that the services get connected. That's the only automatic thing that my Bill is looking to do.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
The other things that I mentioned are for the CPUC to consider adopting the other items that the Senator from Bieber has mentioned. Nothing will change. It's only for them to consider. Additionally, they're also required through the legislation to consider how any future changes would impact customers that are impacted in the issues we're looking to address.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
So, it's only for them to start the conversation on these issues. Nothing will change. It's just I want to make sure that these conversations are happening, and they come together with a plan to make some changes to address these issues.
- Brian Dahle
Person
Thank you.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Dahle. All right, any further discussion on this measure? Any further debate, Members? Seeing none. Senator Menjivar, you may close.
- Caroline Menjivar
Legislator
Respectfully asking for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Menjivar moves the call. We're going to move on next to file item 94. This is Senate Bill 1178 by Senator Padilla. He's prepared. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1178 by Senator Padilla, an act relating to water quality.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Padilla.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. I rise today to present Senate Bill 1178, the California Water Quality and Public Health Protection Act. SB 1178 builds off a longstanding existing statute in the water code, signed the law by California Governor Ronald Reagan that explicitly states that any California company that discharges waste outside of California in a manner that could affect the quality of the waters of the state within any region to report those discharges.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
For generations, sewage and pollution crossing through the Tijuana River have been washing ashore in my district and poisoning our community and state. It is located at the U.S.-Mexico border and was recently named one of the 10 most polluted rivers in the United States.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
Just this past January, storm surge caused 14.5 billion, with a "B," gallons of raw sewage and pollution to wash up on the banks of the river, as well as to overflow into nearby coastal wetlands, one of the few remaining such ecosystems left in Southern California.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
The existing sewage treatment facilities have been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of wastewater flowing into the river, a problem that has persisted for years. Meanwhile, the health concerns caused by this sewage have forced cities like Imperial Beach, California to be closed their beaches for more than two years now.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
But the bacteria present in the sewage hasn't restricted itself to ocean water. Tens of thousands of gallons of raw sewage dumped every day into the river ends up in the ocean, and due to wave activity, that bacteria gets into the air column and floats miles inland.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
This crisis has been making people sick and subjected to horrible stench that lingers over homes, businesses, and schools alike. More of concern, recent studies conducted by the world renowned Scripps Institute of Oceanography attributed over 34,000 illnesses in 2017 alone to water quality, biological and industrial contamination in this location.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
Large multinational corporations have taken advantage of free trade agreements, cheap labor, and near non existent environmental protections to build products cheaper and sell them in California. Unlike most California businesses, they discharged heavy metals, industrial waste and chemicals, and, yes, raw sewage into the river, while avoiding any kind of oversight or responsibility.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
This bill requires large corporations who do not currently have a discharge permit, and I would note that most of our California registered corps are in compliance, but those that are not need to disclose their discharges and would be given the opportunity to basically mitigate, self-mitigate.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
But this bill would require the board to quantify the cost of mitigation for the state, be able to assess a fee, and utilize those fees to mitigate the impacts to California.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
The last note I will make is that the corporations that this would apply to who are deliberately engaging in this type of behavior should not have a business advantage over those that are complying with the existing statute.
- Steve Padilla
Legislator
With respect to this part of the state and my district, San Diegans are fed up, and business at the border should be as usual, should be over and done with. We can no longer tolerate this continued poisoning of our waters and our citizens. And I would respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Padilla. Any discussion or debate on this measure? Discussion or debate? See no microphones up. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Cal]
- John Laird
Legislator
Senator Padilla moves a call. We're going to move next to file item 95. This is Senate Bill 1213 by Senator Atkins.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Secretary, please read Senate Bill 1213 by Senator Atkins an accolade to healthcare programs. Senator Atkins.
- Toni Atkins
Person
Thank you, Mister President. Colleagues are rise to present SB 1213. This would increase the eligibility threshold for the every woman counts program and the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment program from 200% of the federal poverty level, which is $30,120 per year for an individual, to 300% of the federal poverty level, which is $45,180 per year.
- Toni Atkins
Person
These programs provide free breast and cervical cancer screenings and treatment to eligible Californians, ensuring that women can access the timely quality care that they need.
- Toni Atkins
Person
Currently, many lower income women with an income above that 200% of the federal poverty level may not be able to afford insurance or the premiums and out of pocket expenses that can be over $10,000 per year.
- Toni Atkins
Person
They may choose to skip screenings altogether or delay care due to cost, and that, of course, increases the risk of late stage cancer and cancer death. The Bill is a critical part of our efforts to decrease cancer deaths and continue making healthcare more accessible. I ask for your support.
- John Laird
Legislator
Thank you. Senator Atkins, any discussion on this measure? Any further discussion? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil, Aye. Archuleta, Aye. Ashby, Aye. Atkins, Aye. Becker, Aye. Blakespear, Aye. Bradford, Aye. Caballero, Aye. Cortese, Aye. Dahle, Aye. Dodd, Aye. Durazo, Aye. Eggman. Glazer, Aye. Gonzalez, Aye. Grove, Aye. Hurtado, Aye. Jones, Aye. Laird, Aye. Limon, Aye. McGuire. Menjivar. Min, Aye. Newman. Nguyen, Aye. Niello, Aye. Ochoa Bach, Aye. Padilla, Aye. Portantino, Aye. Roth, Aye. Rubio. Seyarto, Aye. Skinner, Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas. Stern, Aye. Umberg, Aye. Wahab, Aye. Wiener, Aye. Wilk, Aye.
- John Laird
Legislator
Senator Atkins moves a call. I know many of the Members share my thoughts to our neighbors to the north. Let them know we hear them, and we'll take their concerns into consideration. All right, we're going to move on to file item 96. This is Senate Bill 1221 by Senator Min.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please read
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1221 by Senator Min. An act relating to gas corporations.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Min, the floor is yours.
- Dave Min
Person
Thank you, Mister President. SB 1221 would require the CPUC to evaluate zero emission alternatives to gas pipeline replacement projects, thereby encouraging utilities to pilot cost effective zero emission alternative projects.
- Dave Min
Person
Currently, there is no process in place for the CPUC to consider zero emission alternatives to long term investments in the natural gas system. Instead, dollar amounts are approved for spending categories, such as pipeline replacements that can cost ratepayers over $3 million per mile.
- Dave Min
Person
That results in California ratepayers committing decades of payments into an energy system that our own mandates and requirements dictate must be obsolete before those expenses are paid off. We need a pathway to decarbonizing our grid.
- Dave Min
Person
And this Bill would start to open the doors to that by piloting cost effective zero emission alternative projects, thereby saving ratepayers money, potentially reducing emissions, and better informing the CPU's long term gas planning rulemaking. I respectfully ask your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Min. Discussion or debate? Senator Dahle.
- Brian Dahle
Person
Thank you, Mister President. Members, I rise in opposition. Look, at the end of the day, yes, we have stated goals that we're going to decarbonize California and we're going to supposedly move away from gas. But at the end of the day, this is about safety. If you don't maintain and take care of those pipelines.
- Brian Dahle
Person
We saw San Bruno, where we had explosions of pipelines. People died. That was a negligence, obviously, from some of the corporations. But at the end of the day, we're not sure by 2035 if we're really going to be not using natural gas.
- Brian Dahle
Person
And so, for those reasons, I think for safety, we need to be very careful in this area and make sure that we take care of those pipelines until there's a sure pathway that we're going to be moving on to some other source of energy. For those reasons, I oppose SB 1221.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Daly. Any further discussion or debate? Any further discussion? Seeing none. Senator Min, you may close.
- Dave Min
Person
I appreciate the Senator's concerns. Just to be clear, this is a set of pilot programs that would try to deal with aging pipeline infrastructure, addressing the very problem the Senator raises. With that, I respectfully ask your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
All debate having ceased. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Allen. Alvarado-Gil. Archuleta. Ashby, aye. Atkins, aye. Becker, aye. Blakespear, aye. Bradford, aye. Caballero, aye. Cortese, aye. Dahle, no. Dodd, aye. Durazo, aye. Eggman. Glazer, aye. Gonzalez. Grove. Hurtado. Jones, no. Laird, aye. Limon, aye. McGuire. Menjivar. Min, aye. Newman, aye. Nguyen, no. Niello, no. Ochoa Bogh, no. Padilla, aye. Portantino, aye. Roth, aye. Rubio. Seyarto, no.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Skinner, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas. Stern, aye. Umberg. Wahab, aye. Wiener, aye. Wilk, no.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Min moves a call. Members, our apologies for moving around on the file today, but we're trying to accommodate Members who are on or off the floor. We're going to move back to file item 90. Move back to file item 90. This is Senate Bill 1116 by Senator Portantino.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1116 by Senator Portantino, an act relating to unemployment compensation and making an appropriation therefore.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Portantino.
- Anthony Portantino
Person
Thank you, Mr. President and Members. I rise to present SB 1116, which would extend Unemployment Insurance benefit to striking workers who have been on strike longer than two weeks. We have come off a tumultuous year, the hot labor summer from last year. We've seen across many industries, angst to say the least.
- Anthony Portantino
Person
No one goes on strike as a first resort, and strikes are not romantic. I still remember my mother in law talking about the impact that my father in law's strike had on her family 40 years ago. So this idea that somehow strikes are romantic, somehow they're this beautiful, wonderful thing is only something for Hollywood.
- Anthony Portantino
Person
In reality, it is families struggling to put food on their table. And if we could provide a modicum of benefits during those long term strikes to help people pay their rent and put food on their table, we should do that. And this bill got off the Senate Floor last year with 27 votes. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote today to provide a modicum of certainty and benefit to those striking families and those striking workers. Thank you.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Portantino. I see mics up from Senators Seyarto and Senator Dahle. Senator Seyarto.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. President. Our current UI debt is $21 billion. This time of the year it goes up as our unemployment has gone up. 5.3 is the last number. And we just had to move $100 million away from the workforce development, or that's being proposed, that we're going to move $100 million from workplace development.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
And part of those programs, $10 million for women in the workplace in construction program going away. We're going to eliminate it so that we could make the additional interest payments payment on the UI debt as it stands today by itself. It's a half a billion dollars. That's how much our UI debt is.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
And the reason that UI debt is a half a billion dollars is because instead of taking the $46.8 billion that the Federal Government gave us two years ago to whittle down some of those costs, we didn't use it to pay off our UI debt. Our debt is increasing, increasing every day.
- Kelly Seyarto
Legislator
This is a nice thought for people that want to voluntarily decide not to work, but we can't afford it. Just like a lot of other of our nice thoughts, we simply can't afford this. Members, I urge you to vote no on this.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Dahle.
- Brian Dahle
Person
Thank you, Mr. President. Members, I too, as a business owner, rise in opposition. Hey, there's nothing sexy about running a business in California. This is the most horrible state in the union to do business. This basically incentivizes workers to not work and negotiate for higher pay, more time off, you name it.
- Brian Dahle
Person
There's a good reason that one of the most liberal governors in this nation vetoed this bill, because this is a bad bill. I urge you, no vote on behalf of all the small business owners and people in California. They actually employ people.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator. Senator Alvarado-Gil.
- Marie Alvarado-Gil
Legislator
Thank you, Mr. President. I rise today to share a little bit of feedback on this bill. So I've been struggling with this bill for quite some time, including voting no on a similar measure last year, sharing many of concerns around the UI Fund as well as others.
- Marie Alvarado-Gil
Legislator
And I've been sharing these concerns with my colleagues and have now brought it into the district. And since then I've had very a handful of good faith conversations with our local labor leaders and rank and file members of the North Valley Labor Federation.
- Marie Alvarado-Gil
Legislator
I've also heard from my constituents in the Central Valley who continue to express support and solidarity on this bill. So although I continue to struggle, I want to share my support, and I'm willing to give this bill an opportunity to leave our house and continue in the process. I will be monitoring this bill.
- Marie Alvarado-Gil
Legislator
As you know, I'm a fiscally conservative member of our majority party, but I also support workers. And I want to encourage the author and the sponsors to work with the opposition and the Assembly so that we could have a cohesive bill that makes it all the way. Thank you.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator. Any further discussion or debate on the matter? Any further discussion or debate? Seeing none. Senator Portantino, you may close.
- Anthony Portantino
Person
Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate the comments from my colleagues. Frankly, it was my hope that this bill would stimulate those conversations. We do need a Fund that has long term solvency. We need to look at how the businesses contribute to that Fund. We need to look at how our workforce benefits from that Fund.
- Anthony Portantino
Person
And I will say the sheer percentage of workers that this would apply to in the long run is relatively small given to the number of overall workers that benefit from Unemployment Insurance. And for me, I think that is something that the state can afford to do. Certainly those workers who will benefit from it will appreciate it.
- Anthony Portantino
Person
And nobody goes on strike because they want to. There's no incentive to drive anybody on strike. A strike is truly a tool of a last resort. And respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
All debate having ceased, Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Portantino moves a call. All right, Members, we're gonna take up two bills by Senator Eggman next. We have file item 97, followed by file item 91. We'll begin with file item 97. This is Senate Bill 1238. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1238 by Senator Eggman, an act relating to behavioral health.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Eggman, the floor is yours.
- Susan Talamantes Eggman
Person
Thank you very much, Mister Speaker. This year the Senate, or last year the Senate, passed gravely disabled SB 43. This is a cleanup Bill to be able to more streamline implement this in working with stakeholders and the Administration. I ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
All right. Any discussion or debate on this measure? Any discussion or debate? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Eggman moves a call. Move now to file item 90. This is Senate Bill 1116. Excuse me, 91. This is Senate Bill 1118. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1118 by Senator Eggman, an act relating to electricity.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Eggman.
- Susan Talamantes Eggman
Person
Thank you very much, Mister President. This Bill simply ensures the SOMA Program that we started some years back is able to also incorporate tribal lands. And I ask for your aye vote
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any discussion or debate on this measure? Any discussion or debate? Seeing none. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Wait, hold on. We have a full house now. We're going to go back through the roll one last time, Members. Secretary, please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Secretary, please call the absent Members one last time.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call]
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 32 to three, the measure passes. We're now going to go back to file item. We're going to move ahead to file item 98, followed by 99 and 102, beginning with 98. This is Senate Bill 1255 by Senator Durazo. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1255 by Senator Durazo an act relating to drinking water.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Durazo, the floor is yours.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. SB 1255 will require the State Water Board to update its annual needs assessment for water systems under the SAFER program to include the need to make water rates affordable for small water systems with under 3000 service connections. California is at the epicenter of water affordability and access crisis, especially for communities of color.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
More than 1.6 million households have an average of $500 water and or sewer utility debt, with more than 150,000 of those households having a dangerously higher debt owed of $1,000 or more. In 2022, water - Governor Newsom called on the water utility sector to address the cost burdens on low income members of the community. SB 1255 is taking the Governor's lead by having the state board understand the cost to support disadvantaged communities to achieve water affordability. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you Senator Durazo. Any discussion on this measure? Any discussion? Seeing none. Secretary. Excuse me, Senator Grove.
- Shannon Grove
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. I rise in support of this Bill. I realize that there on the analysis, it says it's just something that's just going to sit on the shelf and not be used by the State Water Resources Control Board, but we have to do something. Our city in McFarland, which is just north of my district, is really struggling with providing adequate water and resources. It's a poor farming community. Probably 99% of the individuals that live there are people of color and work in the fields. It's a farming town. It's where the original McFarland runners come from.
- Shannon Grove
Legislator
And the problem that we have there is the two wastewater treatment plants and the water that they provide to those individuals. Through the wintertime, we were okay, but with the summer and the increased water use, we're going to be in a lot of trouble. And so if anything can help these individuals to have access to clean drinking water, I would support it. So respectfully ask for an aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator. Any further discussion, Members? Seeing none. Senator Durazo, you may close.
- MarĂa Elena Durazo
Legislator
And thank you very much. And thank you to my colleague for her remarks. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
All debate having seized, Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Durazo moves a call. We're going to move now to File Item 99. This is Senate Bill 1289 by Senator Roth. Secretary, please read.
- Reading Clerk
Person
Senate Bill 1289 by Senator Roth, an act relating to Medi-Cal.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Roth.
- Richard Roth
Person
Thank you, Mr. President. This bill requires the Department of Health Care Services, DHCS, to collect data and develop standards for call centers operated by the counties to assist people with their Medi-Cal claims and enrollment.
- Richard Roth
Person
Federal and state law require that people be able to apply for Medi-Cal, ask questions, turn in information for their Medi-Cal determinations, and call for help over the phone. However, the wait times faced by many Medi-Cal recipients to reach their county workers by phone are way too long. Some people report waiting for hours, some report never getting through at all, and others report calling in only to have the system hang up on them.
- Richard Roth
Person
This bill will require counties to submit data regarding call center wait times and will require DHCS to establish standards so that people on Medi-Cal can get the assistance that they need and they deserve. Respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Any further discussion on this measure? Any further discussion? Seeing none, Secretary, please call the roll.
- Reading Clerk
Person
[Roll Call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
We have all Members now are back on the floor, so we're gonna call the absent Members one last time. Secretary, please call the absent Members.
- Reading Clerk
Person
[Roll Call].
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 38 to zero, the measure passes. Members, we're going to now go to a special calendar item here on the floor. There are four measures that we're going to hear in order. They will begin with File Item 172, followed by File Item 171, 140, and 148. Special order for those four measures.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Everybody up to speed? Okay, we're going to begin with file item 172. This is Senate Bill 1403 by Senator Bradford. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1403 by Senator Bradford, an act relating to state government.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Bradford, the floor is yours.
- Steven Bradford
Person
Thank you, Mister President. I'm here proudly to present 1403, which will establish the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency for the purpose of implementation, oversight and monitoring the policies and laws enacted relating to reparations. It would also require the agency to oversee and monitor existing state agencies and departments tasked with direct implementation of reparations policies.
- Steven Bradford
Person
This Bill is a recommendation from the California Task Force Final Report, which was submitted June of last year and is among the most essential of the report's 115 recommendations. During the last two years, I had the honor of serving on the first in the nation's task force, helping us to explore the harms of slavery in this country.
- Steven Bradford
Person
The task force work was well documented in great detail the history of slavery in California, the patterns of systemic racial injustice that continued long after slavery ended. People will often say, why California? And why should they provide reparations? California was a free state. It was a free state in name only.
- Steven Bradford
Person
California practiced every practice of a slave state. If you came here as a slave, you were treated as such. If you gave birth here as a slave, your child was born a slave. If you ran away, there was a fugitive slave act that returned you to the state ant the plantation that you escaped from.
- Steven Bradford
Person
People will also say, I didn't own a slave. Why should I have to pay? But your ancestors did. I would say to them, if you can inherit generational wealth, you can inherit generational debt. This is a debt. Reparations is a debt that's owed to descendants of slavery. These are not a handout or charity by any measure.
- Steven Bradford
Person
It is what was promised. It's what is owed and what is 160 years overdue. This agency will be necessary foundation for the implementation and success of reparations. The most important responsibility of this agency will have is determine which individuals are eligible for reparations based on the definition of descendants recommended by the task force.
- Steven Bradford
Person
Descendants of chattel slavery are individuals who arrived in this country prior to the 1900s. SB 1403 will create an office of research and confirm an individual's lineage. While in no way does this Bill excuse the Federal Government or local governments from taking their own actions, California still bears great responsibility.
- Steven Bradford
Person
The state government permitted and committed grave injustices against African Americans. These injustices include enslavement, legal and public and private segregation, discrimination in state funding and programming, and stigmatizing African Americans. The majority of Californians agree that the harms of slavery are still felt today. The agency is the first step in California can take in righting these wrongs.
- Steven Bradford
Person
SB 1403 is about demonstrating our state's commitment to not only recognizing the past, but also taking meaningful actions toward an equitable future. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Bradford. Any discussion or debate? Seeing no microphones up. Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
Please call the absent Members.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll call]
- Steven Glazer
Person
On a vote of 30 to seven, the measure passes. We're going to move next to file item 171. This is Senate Bill 1331, also by Senator Bradford. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1331 by Senator Bradford, an act relating to state government.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Bradford.
- Steven Bradford
Person
Thank you, Mr. President. This is a follow up. The cost of reparations will be high, but so is the harm to African Americans in this country. The harm and the disparities it created continues to this very day.
- Steven Bradford
Person
I've had the privilege of serving again in the Legislature for the last 14 years, and we have voted on dozens of bills about wage theft. There has been 250 years of wage thefts for African Americans who were slaves in this country. The harm of this wage theft still exists today. How will California pay for reparations?
- Steven Bradford
Person
SB 1331 would establish a Fund for reparations in reparative justice and authorize it to receive grants from federal, state, local, and private entities. The reparations task force has painstakingly documented California's role in slavery and the decades of systemic discrimination that followed. People can choose to ignore it.
- Steven Bradford
Person
They can be uncomfortable with our history, but they cannot deny the truth. Now is the time to face it, to own up to the debt that is owed to the right, the historic wrongs, to restore and repair damage that has been done. With this, I respectfully ask for aye vote for SB 1331.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Bradford. Senator Skinner.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Thank you, Mr. President, Members. I rise in support of SB 1331, and I want to thank our colleague from Gardena for bringing these forward and for his work on the reparations task force and also appreciation to the reparations task force.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
While as a country or a state, we have not been all that good about reparations for a variety of populations that deserve such, I had the good fortune to, when I was on the Berkeley City Council, to be part of an effort and for our city to pass, where we provided reparations to all of the Japanese Americans who had worked for either the City of Berkeley or the Berkeley Unified School District and then were interned. And so we provided them their back wages for the time for which they were interned.
- Nancy Skinner
Person
Now, while this Fund that's being established and the other work that's being doing been being done for reparations for slavery does not have that level of detail, it does acknowledge that the result of chattel slavery has had serious negative economic consequences on all of the descendants of chattel slavery. And thus, it is very important for us to establish mechanisms for us to address that. And with that, I support the bill and ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Skinner. Any further discussion on SB 1331? Any further discussion? Seeing none. Senator Bradford, you may close.
- Steven Bradford
Person
I want to thank my colleague from Berkeley for drawing that comparison. We have provided reparations in funding for so many programs. We often say the budget is a reflection of our priorities. This should be one of our priorities. And I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
All debate having ceased, Secretary, please call the roll.
- Committee Secretary
Person
[Roll Call]
- Committee Secretary
Person
On a vote of 29 to eight, the measure passes. We're going to move next to file item 140. This is Senate Bill 1050. Secretary, please read.
- Committee Secretary
Person
Senate Bill 1050 by Senator Bradford, an act relating to state government.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Senator Bradford.
- Steven Bradford
Person
Thank you, Mister President. This Bill is a priority of the California legislative Black Caucus. SB 1050 creates a pathway for restitution to Californians who had their land or property taken by the state or local governments by racially motivated reasons and no other reason.
- Steven Bradford
Person
Many people are now familiar with Bruce's beach, the parcel land, and Manhattan Beach.
- Steven Bradford
Person
I was fortunate enough to author that piece of legislation three years ago that led to the return of the property of the descendants of Charles and Willard Bruce, a family that had purchased this property in 1912 with the sole purpose of creating a cafe, a lodge, and an opportunity for African Americans to enjoy beach life just like anyone else in California across this nation.
- Steven Bradford
Person
But the City of Manhattan Beach resented the Bruces' success and popularity and the fact that Black folks were recreating and having a good time, just as they did and wanted to put them out of business.
- Steven Bradford
Person
The city used the power of eminent domain to take the Bruce's land and do so for far less than a fair market value. Again, in 2022, I authored legislation that allowed the current owners, the LA County, Los Angeles County, I should say, to return the land to the descendants of Charles and Willow Bruce.
- Steven Bradford
Person
Just like Bruce's beach, SB 1050 will provide a pathway to justice for others harmed by similar racist policies and practices of the past. We're looking at just now in the City of Santa Monica.
- Steven Bradford
Person
A Black business owner by the name of Silas White acquired a piece of property on PICO Boulevard in Santa Monica in 1958 with the sole purpose of creating the Ebony Beach Club for African Americans only for the city to decide two years later. zero, we need this property for a parking lot.
- Steven Bradford
Person
Well, here we are 65 years later, after the city acquired it. And know what sits there? A four star hotel that the city owns the land and collects rent from on an annual basis. That revenue, if not the property, should be returned to the descendants of the white family of Silas White.
- Steven Bradford
Person
The power of immigrant domain has been used repeatedly to abuse, to move black and brown people off of their land and destroy their homes. We've seen recent examples, even in City of Palm Springs, Section 14, where the Palm Springs Fire Department burned out these families and took the land.
- Steven Bradford
Person
These actions have devastated the opportunity for families to build, enter generational wealth through the owning of land. As we all know, generational wealth is passed on in this country through land. SB 1050 will create a way for the state to review claims of abuse and determine what compensation is warranted. I respectfully ask for aye vote.
- Steven Glazer
Person
Thank you, Senator Bradford. I see microphones up from Senator Smallwood-Cuevas and Senator Niello. We'll begin first with Senator Smallwood-Cuevas.
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Legislator
Thank you, Mister President. And I rise as a Member of the Legislative Black Caucus in support of my great colleague, Senator Bradford. And I want to applaud all of his work as part of the task force over these many years to bring reparations to this historic day. Our ancestors are smiling on us in this moment.
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Legislator
I want to say that the Bill that we're talking about, SB 1050, studies have shown that California allowed for early settlers to bring their enslaved Africans to work in, dig for gold. In many cases, these slaves were able to eventually buy their freedom from the gold they found and to purchase land.
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Legislator
But this land, through Jim Crow, through black codes, through institutional racism and racial terror, left so many families bankrupt. Instead of people who had purchased their freedom and their land being able to pass it on to their descendants, it was stolen.
- Lola Smallwood-Cuevas
Legislator
Stolen through systemic racist property laws that have driven our communities off of their land through violence and intimidation by their white neighbors, and also added to more and more atrocities that we see generational harm done today. This was the California Gold Rush. The land. The ability to own property tha