Assembly Floor

The Assembly is now in session. Assembly Member Santiago notices the absence of a quorum. The Sergeant at Arms will prepare the Chamber and bring in the absent Members. The Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call] Mr. Speaker.

In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful. Almighty God, in this Assembly, we bow before you, seeking your divine guidance. Grant us the vision to see beyond ourselves, the compassion to empathize with others, and the courage to act with righteousness. As we deliberate, may your presence fill this chamber, illuminating our minds and hearts with understanding and grace. Inspire us to work together, transcending differences for the collective welfare of all. In your infinite wisdom, we place our faith. Amin.

Thank you. Assembly Member Quirk-Silva will lead us in the pledge.

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

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

Assembly Chamber, Sacramento, Thursday, May 2, 2024, the Assembly met at 9:00 a.m.

Mr. Flora seconds that the reading of the previous day's journal be dispensed with. Presentations and petitions, there are none. Introduction and reference of bills will be deferred. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments deemed adopted. Messages from the Governor, there are none. Messages from the Senate, there are none. Moving to motions and resolutions, the absences for the day will be deemed read and printed in the journal. Moving to our procedural motions, Assistant Majority Leader Santiago, you are recognized for your procedural motions.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Rule 45.5 to allow Assembly Members Ward, Weber, Friedman to speak on adjournment and memories today.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Rule 118-A allow Assembly Members Haney, Gipson, Dixon, Juan Carrillo, Maienschein to have guests at the rear of the chamber and to allow Assembly Members Haney, Juan Carrillo, and Rendon have seats, guests seats... Sorry, guests seated at their desk today.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

And I'm giving one day file notice to remove bills from the inactive file. File item A-SB 08, at the request of Assembly Member Santiago, myself, and file item A-17, SB 537, Becker, at the request of Assembly Member Hart.

Clerk will note.

And also at the request of authors, to please move the following bills to inactive file, file item six, AB 3155, Friedman, file item seven, AB 2168, Kalra, file item eight, AB 2201, Addis.

Clerk will note. This is a reminder for the Rules Committee Members and alternates, so please go to Room 126 upon adjournment of session for the official Committee photo. I want to thank the On Time Caucus today. It grew to 24 Members. Much appreciated. Also, today is National Mint Julep Day, for all those who celebrate. But not now, please. Assembly Member Carrillo, Juan Carrillo, you are recognized for your guest introductions. Members, your attention please, for Assembly Member Juan Carrillo.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I'm pleased and honored to present to you my twin boys, Wyatt and Sage, who just turned 10 last week. It was a special treat for them to be here. We actually played a soccer cup last night. Some Members kept in score. For some reason, I just wasn't keeping score.

She did it for the fun. It was special to me because I always took them to play soccer, always being on the sidelines watching them play. Same thing with my older son and my wife in the back over there. This time he was their turn to watch me on the sidelines and watch the old man play soccer. Thank you for allowing me to do this and also a special occasion for me. My wife and I will be celebrating our 28th anniversary on Saturday, June 1, and really happy to be here. Thank you, Members. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Carrillo. Welcome to your family, and congratulations on your wedding anniversary. Members, we have, we'll have a lot of guest introductions today, and so we are going to be moving around in the file order. We are going to go to Assembly third reading.

Now we're going to file item 12, ACR 195 by Assemblymember Low. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 195 by Assemblymember Low and others relative to the Vietnamese heritage and freedom flag.

Assemblymember Low, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and colleagues, for allowing me to present Assembly Concurrent Resolution 195, recognizing Vietnamese heritage and the freedom flag.

It's of course, with great distinction and honor as the Chair of the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus that I joined in my colleagues of Vietnamese descent to, including that of Stephanie Nguyen, the first Democratic Vietnamese woman to be elected in state history, as well as my colleague Mr. Ta from Orange County.

Major populations are also represented by incredible champions like my other colleague from San Jose Assemblymember Kalra. I'm honored to introduce this resolution to recognize Vietnamese heritage and the freedom flag for our Vietnamese American community.

After the fall of Saigon on April 30 in 1975, more than 1 million refugees and immigrants from a former Republic of Vietnam immigrated to these United States. The State of California has been home to many, which is nearly...

My apologies, Mr. Low. Members please, your attention to Mr. Low.

Thank you very much Mr. Speaker.

The State of California has become home to nearly 1 million Vietnamese American residents and we are so proud to welcome them in these communities. Again, these major metropolitan areas of Orange County as well as the beautiful City of San Jose.

With bipartisan support, we in the Assembly and Senate recognize the important contributions of the Vietnamese American community and formerly recognize the Vietnamese heritage and freedom flag, which is a symbol of freedom for the Vietnamese American community that resides in our beautiful State of California, the United States and beyond.

And again, recognizing the importance of this day and effort, this is also the reflection and the embodiment and symbolism of freedom. And I want to also thank our colleague Senator Nguyen for also gifting this to me as well to be able to show and demonstrate this. I respectfully ask for bipartisan support and aye vote on ACR 195.

Thank you Assemblymember Low. Assemblymember Ta, you are recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker and Members. I'm here to support ACR 195 which honors the anniversary of the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 and honor the Vietnamese heritage and freedom flag as the identity of the Vietnamese-American community. The South Vietnamese flag means so much more for me and my Vietnamese community who lost our home.

And when I and my, and hundreds of thousands of my Vietnamese fellows left our country and came to this great state, California, the South Vietnamese flag stands for freedom and democracy. And as you are aware that 49 years after the fall of Saigon, the Vietnamese overseas, we continue to fight for freedom and human rights, all Vietnam.

That is the reason that I have the South Vietnamese flag on my desk since my first day of being here. So I truly, truly appreciate Mr. Low from San Jose for introducing this resolution that means a lot to the Vietnamese overseas around the world.

And I respectfully ask for your aye vote because this resolution is really, really important for the Vietnamese Americans. Thank you.

Thank you Mr. Ta, Mr. Kalra, you are recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker, Members, I rise in support of ACR 195 which recognizes the Vietnamese heritage and freedom flag as a symbol of the Vietnamese community's resilience and continued struggle for freedom. I want to thank my colleague from San Jose for bringing this forward.

And as he mentioned, California is home to one of the most vibrant and outstanding Vietnamese communities around the world. And I'm proud to represent little Saigon in San Jose. San Jose, which is a city that has the largest Vietnamese population of any single city outside of Vietnam.

Many Vietnamese Americans have embraced the Vietnamese heritage and freedom flag as a representation of their heritage and to honor their rich culture and history but also to honor their resilience, perseverance, and continued fight for freedom.

In supporting ACR 195, we show our solidarity with the Vietnamese community in their commitment to the principles of democracy, justice, and the protection and advancement of human rights.

So when you go, whether it's San Jose or Orange County or even here in Sacramento, whether it's a Vietnamese event or a Vietnamese restaurant, you will oftentimes see this symbol, see this flag, and I hope you have a better understanding of why it's so important to the Vietnamese community to continue to raise this flag, to continue to honor it.

And I'm proud of the fact that here in California we have the opportunity to stand up and stand in solidarity with our Vietnamese community in honoring the Vietnamese heritage and freedom flag. Respectfully ask for your aye vote on ACR 195.

Thank you, Mr. Kalra, Mr. Jim Patterson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Members and Speaker. I noticed that a million Vietnamese came to the United States. One of those 1 million was a little 18-month-old Vietnamese child who was found on the side of the road.

In April of 1975, when our forces were evacuating and Saigon was falling, those two American GIs stopped their own evacuation to pick this little guy up and take him to a Catholic orphanage.

He was cared for there for several weeks, and then President Ford sent the C-5As as over for the baby lift, and BJ was on the very first flight. That first flight crashed. He survived that, put on another flight, flown to the United States. I have a flagpole in my front yard.

I fly the American flag there regularly today. That flagpole also has the Vietnamese freedom flag flying from a boy. He is such a fresh reminder of what it means to be free and in the United States. He's a plumbing contractor. He's 52 years old, married to an accountant.

Everybody needs a plumber and an accountant in their family, right? That's a good thing. But he will remind me often.

He'll say, dad, if those GIs hadn't picked me up, if that Catholic orphanage hadn't cared for me, if President Ford hadn't sent the C-5As, and if you and mom hadn't adopted, I'd be in a Communist country, probably behind a water buffalo in a rice paddy. But I'm in America.

I own my own home, I have my own business. I'm free, and I'm grateful. And so I live as a dad. I guess there's. I guess I'm the only Member of the Vietnamese father caucus.

But all I'm saying is his entrance into our lives really did change our lives so substantially because we had been married 10 years, fertility issues. Our three kids are now all adopted. But BJ opened that door, and that led to Jason, a county baby, and to Lindsay, a private adoption.

And so I join with my colleagues here and first and foremost reiterating our welcome and gratitude and appreciation for the Vietnamese people in our midst, who are now our friends and colleagues, coworkers, and all. The Vietnamese community in Fresno increasingly is taking leadership roles in business, in education, in the law.

We now have third-generation Vietnamese valedictorians, straight A students, and it's a joy to stand here to recognize the freedom flag. But you know something else? There's another freedom flag flying at my house, and it's the stars and stripes.

And so we're together on this freedom here, and freedom for BJ, my Vietnamese boy, but also freedom for everybody. That's the great gift of being in the United States. And BJ recognizes it, loves his adopted country, and is one of the most patriotic young men I have the privilege to know.

So I rise in support, not just on behalf of Sharon and the family and all of that, but for my boy. This one's for BJ. You got here, you're free, own business, own a home, and you're American.

And so I'm joining with everybody and saluting our Vietnamese friends, family members, and also reminding ourselves that, yes, we support freedom for our Vietnamese folks. Let's not forget, the originator of the freedom flag is the Stars and Stripes.

Thank you, Mr. Patterson.

Thank you, and I ask for your support on this.

Assemblymember Nguyen, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members. This flag was first adopted in 1948, and after the fall of Saigon in 1975, this flag still remains with us today as a symbol of hope against the resistance of oppression. And that this flag here symbolizes the fact that we continue to have hope. Hope for our community, and hope for our people.

The gold represents the unity of the Vietnamese people. The three red horizontal lines represent the north, south and central regions of Vietnam. If you were to Google the Vietnamese flag right now, or look it up on the Internet, this isn't what you see. But this is the only flag that I know.

This is the only flag that my children will know. And this is the only flag that I ask each and every single one of you, you to not only recognize, but educate the community that this is our flag, this is our freedom flag.

And we will continue to fight for our community, for our country, and for our people. I want to thank my colleagues for speaking today. But more than anything, I want to thank my colleague from Sacramento, Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, because he did something really significant here in Sacramento.

A historical moment for us when we dedicated South Sacramento, where many of the Vietnamese refugees who fled during the fall of Saigon now reside. Where my family reside, where I grew up, became little Saigon district. And we proudly display this flag right here.

And what an honor it is for me to now be able to be the representative for that district. I want to thank Assemblymember Low for carrying this and for everybody, everybody on this floor here. I ask not only for your vote, but I ask, I ask you to continue to help us in honoring and recognizing this flag.

Because it takes more than just us, it takes each and every single one of you going back to your district to say, this is the flag of the Vietnamese people. This is the flag that they want, this is the flag that they recognize, and this is the flag that should be decided displayed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you Assemblymember Nguyen. Assemblymember Low, would you like to close?

Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and colleagues.

I thank those who spoke in recognition of the reflection of what the flag means, that it is that of the United States and the State of California that so many have fought for, marched for, been jailed for, and died for the values and principles of freedom that we enjoy here today.

And so this provides an opportunity for us to reaffirm our commitment in a bipartisan fashion to that of democracy, love, and inclusion, and the work that we have ahead of us. I respectfully ask for aye vote on ACR 195.

And Mr. Low, would you like the first roll open for co-authors?

Yes, please. Thank you.

Thank you Mr. Low. With that, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote as a co-author. All those vote who desire to vote.

All those vote who desire to vote, Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. There are 58 co authors added. Without objection. We'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All in favor say aye, opposed say no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Moving back to guest introductions.

Assemblymember Haney, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. I am very proud to welcome back to the chamber two people you may recognize who I had the opportunity to honor last year. My grandparents, Alan and Dorothy, who both recently celebrated their birthdays 96 and 94 years old, and here visiting us again. And I have two other very important people.

My cousins are here visiting from Israel, Tamar and Oded, who are sitting behind me here. So if you'll please join me in welcoming them to the Assembly floor.

Thank you Mr. Haney, welcome to your family. Assemblymember Dixon, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Good morning Mister speaker and colleagues. Thank you. I'm honored to welcome this morning the California Interscholastic Federation, otherwise known as CIF's 2024 Scholar Athletes of the year Quinn Hartman from Assembly District 72, my district and Carissa Lee from Assembly District 24.

Since 1982, the CIF Scholarship Award recognizes college bound high school seniors whose academic and athletic careers have been truly exemplary, whose personal standards of honesty, integrity, and their contributions to their schools and communities are a positive model for others. Two state winners each receive, a male and female, each receive a $10,000 scholarship.

Quinn Hartman is standing at the back as a three sport athlete at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, serving as team captain of the soccer, cross country, and baseball teams.

In his high school career, Quinn served as a freshman mentor, President of the Science National Honor Society, Vice President of CSF, and a Member of the National Honor Society. He additionally founded the Medical Career Club and is founder and President of the Marina Math Club.

Outside the classroom, Quinn serves his community as an aquarium of the Pacific Bilingual Exhibit interpreter, youth baseball assistant coach, and youth soccer coach and referee. Welcome Quinn. Thank you. I also have the honor of welcoming Carissa Lee on behalf of Assemblymember Lee from Milpitas High School.

She is the captain of the cross country team and the President of the math club. Her passions extend well beyond the field in the classroom and Carissa has dedicated herself to giving back to the community.

Carissa is the board Director of the school's leadership Experience Opportunity Club, which offers community service opportunities like park cleanups and volunteer services at senior facilities. She also founded the nonprofit organization, Sage Education to provide extracurricular opportunities for K-12 students such as competitive mathematics, reading comprehension, and vocabulary.

These two honorees contributions to their school and broader community is truly inspiring. Join me in welcoming Quinn Hartman and Carissa Lee. Thank you.

Thank you Assemblymember Dixon and welcome to the scholar-athletes.

Assemblymember McCarty, you are recognized from the majority leader's desk for your guest introductions. Members, your attention please to Assemblymember McCarty.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. I'd like to welcome some guests up here in the gallery from the UC Davis Medical School summer selective program on health policy and advocacy. You may or may not know that the UC Davis Medical School is not in Davis, but right here in Sacramento in the heart of my district.

And these students will be here for the month of June attending hearings, legislative meetings to learn about our structure of government and how how it relates with our health policies throughout California, bridging what they learn in their medical program as well as the work we do here at our state capitol and California government impacting 40 million people and the health of our state.

So let's please give them a warm welcome to our state Capitol and thank you for being here today in the summer.

Thank you Mr. McCarty and welcome to the students. Thank you for being here today. Members, we're going to move back in file order to file item number 17 HR 103 by Assemblymember Gipson. Members, your respectful attention to Assemblymember Dixon. Excuse me, excuse me. To Gipson. I'm sorry, we did, we were. There's just a lot of conversation.

Please your attention to Assemblymember Gipson.

Clerk will read.

The House Resolution 103 by Assembly Member Gipson, relative to National Maritime Day.

Assembly Member Gipson, you are recognized.

Good morning, Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And Members, I rise today to present HR 103, the National Maritime Day. Last week on May 22, we celebrated National Maritime Day. This day is an opportunity for everyone in the state to celebrate our ports and our essential workers at each and every port in the State of California.

As the chair of the chair of the Select Committee on Ports and Goods Movement, I have visited every portion in the state and have seen the importance firsthand of the economic opportunities that these ports provide on a daily basis. California's domestic maritime industry provides an annual of $12.2 billion to our and contributes to our economy and making our state grow, including 3.6 billion in labor income across more than 51,000 jobs.

Those are well paying jobs, union jobs, and they offer the type of jobs that offers the type of pay and benefits needed to survive in the surrounding communities. And these positions are absolutely essential to the efficiency of the supply chains and bolstering California's economy. Recently in Baltimore, we saw consequences of not having maritime abilities.

The ship that ran into and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge did not have a tugboat escort out at the bay during that particular time. As a result, six construction workers lost their lives and the supply chain has been affected and impacted considerably as a result of that bridge being out and the crash. If we want to continue to say that California is the fifth world largest economy, we must continue to prioritize maritime industry. So with that being said, I would like the first roll to be open on HR 103 and ask respectfully for aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Gipson. Seeing and hearing no further debate, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote as a co-author. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote as a co-author. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes.

There are 58 co-authors outed. Without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All in favor say aye. Opposed say no. The ayes have it. Resolution is adopted. Moving to Senate third reading, file item 20, SCR 116, Senator Jones by Assembly Member Maienschein.

The Clerk will read a Senate Concurrent Resolution 116 by Senator Jones relative to Frontotemporal Degeneration Awareness Week so, Mayor Maienschein, you are recognized.

Thank you Mister Speaker and Members. Today I rise to present SCR 116, which raises awareness for frontotemporal degeneration, commonly known as FTD. FTD is a terminal and incurable neurodegenerative disease. It causes impairments to speech, personality, behavior and motor skills. FTD primarily affects individuals in their forties to sixties, but has been diagnosed in individuals as young as 14.

The disease accounts for five to 15% of all dementia cases and affects an estimated 60,000 people in the US. Despite its prevalence, it is often misdiagnosed due to its wide range of symptoms and the lack of awareness among the public and healthcare professionals. FTD Awareness Week is crucial as it shines a spotlight on this often misunderstood disease.

It emphasizes the importance of early detection, accurate diagnosis, and access to appropriate care and support services. This resolution declares September 22 to September 292024 as FTD Awareness Week in California. Please join me in raising awareness of this important disease by voting in support of SCR 116. Thank you, and I respectfully request your aye vote.

And Mister Maienschein, you would like co-authors added?

I would.

Mister Maienschein is requesting co-authors. Seeing and hearing no further debate, the Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote as a co-author of the resolution, all those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote, Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes.

There are 59 co-authors added with without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All in favor say aye. Opposed say no. Ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. And Mister Maienschein, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you. Mister Speaker, I would like to introduce Emma Willis, Susan Dickinson, and Wanda Smith. Emma Willis is a wife, mother, and business owner who became an advocate for FDT awareness after her husband, actor Bruce Willis, received an FTD diagnosis in 2023.

Today, she works with the American Frontotemporal Degeneration Association to ensure that legislators, healthcare providers, and the public understand the illness and its impact on patients, caregivers, and families. Susan Dickinson is the CEO of the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration and brings more than three decades of experience facilitating communication among scientific and medical communities.

Under her leadership, AFTD has expanded programs to meet and advocate for the care and support of FTD families and invested in specific strategies to advance FTD research and drug development. Wanda Smith, the constituent in my district, is a lifelong advocate for frontotemporal degeneration.

Since discovering her mother had one of the genes associated with FTD, it has been her mission to spread information about the differences between Alzheimer's and FTD and the services available to families impacted by the disease.

I would like to also request your attention to the gallery where a group of people from the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration is here showing their support. Thank you Mister speaker.

Thank you Mister Maienschein, Welcome to your guests. Thank you for your advocacy. Thank you for being here today. Please, if you like. It.

Okay, just a note. Under reconsideration, all items shall be continued. We're moving back in file order to file item number five, ACR 193 by Assemblymember Bryan. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 193 by Assembly Member Bryan and others relative to Foster Care Awareness Month.

Assemblymember Bryan, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. I rise to present ACR 193 that would make May Foster Care Awareness month. We didn't do this last year. We did this every year, back when our colleague Ken Cooley was here from Sacramento. And I'm glad we're doing it this year because there's a gap.

Foster care issues are incredibly important to me. I was born to a teenage mother. Many of you know that. She survived a rape, the conditions of which are so terrible, I will never know who my biological father is. She gave me up at birth. There were no family placements for me. Deep poverty, substance abuse.

I went into a temporary foster home immediately at birth and then was a foster child of the Bryan family and adopted by the Bryan family. It's funny, I say the Bryan family, knowing that you all don't have any context for that. But everywhere I grew up, the Bryans were known.

And the reason we were known is my mom and dad were crazy. They did foster care for 26 years, nearly 200 kids. If you ask my mom why they became foster parents, she would say, God told her to. And if you ask my dad, he would say, they were sitting in church one Sunday.

There was a sibling group of five the preacher said had no place to go that day. Church of about 500 people. My mom said, can we do it?

And my dad, being the sharp and savvy guy that he is, to score brownie points and keep good with God, leaned over and said, if nobody else will do it, church of 500. He leaves service. He gets the car, pulls up to the front. She's walking out with five kids. That's how they started their journey.

They did foster care in four states. Texas, Florida, Utah, and California. They adopted nine of us. I have had over 100 foster siblings. I can't name all of them for you, but I certainly remember every single one of them.

And I also recognized early on that being impacted by the child welfare system has an immediate impact on your potential life outcomes. There's almost nothing that my family hasn't seen. We've seen fetal cocaine exposure, fetal alcohol exposure, ADHD. We've seen school push out. I have siblings on level four prison yards right now.

I have siblings who are unhoused. You see the way, when you're touched by the child welfare system, you're less likely to perform well academically. LGBTQ foster youth are pushed out of school at an incredibly alarming and astonishing rate. Once you are pushed out of school, you are more likely to come to contact with the criminal legal system.

Once you come in contact with the criminal legal system, it is unlikely that you ever leave that contact. That's why the work we do here is so incredibly important. And I know that there are foster parents on this floor. I know that there are foster families across our state.

I know that for, I believe, the first time in the Assembly's history, there are two adoptees on this floor.

And I just want to make sure that we bring awareness to the needs of our foster community, because in a good budget year and in a down budget year, it's the gaps that we can close that ultimately create the opportunity outcomes that allow for all children and all families across California to thrive.

And with that, I ask for your support of ACR 193.

Thank you Mr. Gipson. Assemblymember Quirk-Silva, you are recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise to proudly support ACR 193 and would like to thank my colleague from Los Angeles for his leadership on this resolution and his unwavering commitment to the well being of our children and foster youth and foster care, and especially to thank him for sharing his personal story.

I believe these stories and his narrative really allows us to understand more. California's foster system is home to children and youth who deserve safe and stable and nurturing homes. These children, navigating the complexities of foster care, need enduring bonds with loving adults and comprehensive support to thrive.

Historically, foster youth have faced significant challenges, including homelessness, as they transition out of care. Unfortunately, despite the strides we have made, many foster youth still struggle to find stability. We must recognize and honor the invaluable contributions of relatives, foster and adoptive parents who open their hearts and homes to vulnerable children and youth.

Countless individuals and organizations work tirelessly to meet the needs of children and youth in and out of transitioning out of foster care, helping to maintain vital connections to their siblings, and supporting their path to adulthood. As elected leaders, we must remain dedicated to addressing the disproportionate representation of youth of color in the foster care system.

We must improve outcomes, ensuring all children experience fewer placements and higher rates of family reunification. By declaring May 24 as Foster Care Awareness Month, we continue our commitment to supporting the vulnerable children and youth in our foster care system. I respectfully urge an aye vote on ACR 193.

Thank you Assemblymember Quirk-Silva. Assemblymember Hart, you are recognized.

Thank you Mister speaker. Today, Arise is a proud joint co author of ACR 193 to recognize foster Care Awareness Month. There are roughly 60,000 children within the foster care system in California. Like my colleague from Los Angeles, I was very fortunate to be adopted into a loving, supportive family that was a lot smaller than his.

My parents always told me that they had so much love in their hearts that they waited patiently for the opportunity to bring me into their lives. Foster parents provide that same stable, nurturing environment that children in support need until they can safely unite with their families.

Unfortunately, we have a high number of foster youth and not enough resource families to meet the need. If you have it in your heart to be a resource family, please reach out to your county Department of Social Services. You can help provide the safe, supportive home that a foster child needs.

I'd also like to thank and recognize local service providers, social workers, and families, all making their best effort to care for foster children who need their help. Members with that, I ask for your aye vote.

Thank you Mr. Hart. Assemblymember Friedman, you are recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker and Members. I was not intending to speak on this resolution, but hearing the very inspirational words of my colleague from Los Angeles really compelled me to want to stand up and join in support of this resolution.

And I also wanted to take a minute to remind us that a resolution like this is not just something that we should be thinking about today and voting on, but something that we should really take to heart in terms of the policies that we work on and particularly in this time, the funding that we allocate towards foster programs.

We spent, my family spent a few years going through the foster system on our adoption road. And from the adoptive parents, foster adopt parents' perspective, I can tell you that that system is for many people, very gratifying and exactly what they want.

But for far too many parents, it's a labyrinth that becomes impossible to navigate and something that often ends in heartbreak, certainly for the families that are impacted by foster care and by the children. Magnify that labyrinth and that frustration 100 times fold. We can do better for our foster families.

We can do a lot better for our foster youth. I've done legislation every year focusing particularly on emancipating foster youth, a population that we often don't think about. And this state does do care, going beyond the traditional age of emancipation, which is wonderful, but we still see foster youth disproportionately represented on our streets as our homeless population.

Young people impacted by the foster care system, disproportionately represented in our prisons. We don't have to allow that to happen. These are choices that we have made through policy.

Because data shows that putting resources very early on for women who are pregnant and vulnerable, particularly women in deep poverty, makes a huge difference in people's ability to parent and also their ability to have healthy children.

Putting resources into emancipating foster youth, resources towards making sure they have housing before they emancipate resources to make sure they have all the documents they need to succeed. Something that is not always done through our agencies can help prevent homelessness and help to give the foundation that that youth needs to succeed.

The fact that we still allow foster youth who are our children, these are a population that we have taken responsibility for as a state state that we allow so many of them to not have the extra support they need because they are traumatized to this population. They are often traumatized.

They don't have the kind of support that other young people have. They need extra support. And that's on all of us as policymakers through the policies we pass and through the resources that we put into that system. And that system is under-resourced.

So I wanted to take a minute to send that plea out in a tough budget year when we have so many needs to not forget this group, because these are our children. With that, I would urge an aye vote and continued action and support. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Friedman. Assemblymember Gipson, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Members. I, like my colleague from the valley, was not prepared to speak on this item today, but I'm glad I'm raising my microphone to do so. I want to thank my colleague from Los Angeles, a Member of the California Legislative Black Caucus, for being transparent to uplifting his narrative.

That brings us all in. When I was electED in 2014, trying to follow after then-Speaker Karen Bass, to making sure that we never leave out or forget those who have been in the foster care system, especially those who live in Los Angeles County. And I set out on that mission to do every single year.

There's not a year that's gone by that I have not worked in this space.

But until you got elected, until you got elected, to talk about your narrative, how you have fought to get here on this, on this floor, to change the lives of foster youth now in this State of California, and be an example for others, it is absolutely imperative that the work that you, we needed to champion someone who has been in this space.

And I want to say thank you very much for never forgetting about your past, because your past has prepared you for a time like this. To making sure that your microphone is elevated each and every time that we talk about a narrative, looking at our children in the foster care space. They need champions, they need heroes.

They need someone they can emulate and look up to. And I'm glad to call you a colleague. When I heard over the years that I've carried legislation where foster youth have been displaced 32 different times. What does that mean?

That means 32 different schools, 32 different beds, and they have the audacity to bring a trash bag to school, to put their belongings in a trash bag and take them to the 31st new placement and set it out to making sure that that trauma doesn't continue on and we changed the narrative and the trajectory.

So I stand in total support and thank my colleague from Los Angeles and ask for a strong aye vote on ACR 193.

Thank you, Mister Gipson. Assemblymember Bryan, would you like to close?

Respectfully ask that the first row be open for co-authors.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bryan. Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote as a co-author. All those vote who desire to vote.

All those vote who desire as a co-author, vote as a co author. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. There are 63 co-authors added without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All in favor say aye. Opposed say no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted.

And Mr. Bryan, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The California Youth Connection is a youth led organization that develops and grows leaders who empower each other and our communities to transform the foster care and intersecting systems through community led organizing, legislative policy, and practice change. Due to CYC's advocacy over the last 30 years, I think it's appropriate that we thank them and all of the youth for the work that they do to better the lives of foster youth here in the State of California. They're joining us up in the balcony.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bryan. Welcome to your guests. Mr. Gipson, are you... I'd like to recognize Mr. Gipson for his guest introduction from the Majority Leader's desk. Mr. Gipson, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise to welcome the actor, the producer, the humanitarian, the political activist, the legend himself, Mr. Danny Glover. Mr. Glover was born and raised in San Francisco, California. As a graduate of San Francisco University in the late 1960s...

While attending San Francisco University, he played roles in the 1968 student strike, which led to the creation of the first ethnic studies department in the country. Additionally, Mr. Glover's career as an actor began in college where he played numerous roles in plays. In 1979, he went on to act in his first featured film, Escape from Alcatraz.

Mr. Glover has been noted for his role in the Color Purple, the popular Lethal Weapon series, Predators 2, To sleep with Anger, and Angels in the Outfield. He served as a narrator of the animated film the Prince of Egypt and Our Friend Martin. In 1994, Mr. Glover, co-founder of the Robey Theatre Company, a Los Angeles based nonprofit with a mission to develop new plays about the black American experience. Mr. Glover wide reach community activist and philanthropy efforts embrace economic justice and access to healthcare and education across the world.

He was appointed to be the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund Goodwill Ambassador in 2004. This involved him to travel to Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbeans. He first went to Ethiopia, Africa, where he met and listened to stories of children. Mr. Glover immediately called on the nation to to speak against the oppression and ratify the Mine Ban Treaty. Mr. Glover has a great credit in accolades.

Some of those accolades include in 1991 the Independent Spirit Award, Best Male Lead as Harry in the Sleep with Anger, in 2011, Pioneer Award from the National Civil Rights Museum, and the list goes on. 2018, the NAACP President Award. There on this floor is certainly a living legend. He's with his wife and his daughter. Members, would you please help me welcome the legend Mr. Danny Glover on the Green Carpet in the people's house.

Thank you so much for being here with us, Mr. Glover. I hope you feel the love coming from our colleagues. Thank you for your advocacy, and welcome to the floor of the State Assembly. Mr. Gabriel, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We have some other VIP guests with us today. 52 4th grade students from Wise school A are in the Gallery along with eight teachers led by Tatiana Broukhim. Wise is one of the largest reform Jewish schools and synagogues in the world. It is a wonderful community with wonderful families and wonderful students. Members, please help me welcome some amazing future leaders to the State Assembly.

Thank you, Mr. Gabriel, and welcome to your guests. Okay. Members, the quorum call is lifted. Please take your conversations off the floor. We do have adjournments in memory today, but please take your conversations off the floor. The quorum call is lifted. Members, please take your conversations off the floor.

Members, either have a seat or take your conversations off the floor. Members, please take your conversations off the floor. One more time. Members, please take your conversations off the floor. Ask that you please give your respectful attention to those who were granted prior permission to speak on an adjournment in memory. Moving to Assembly Member Friedman, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise to ask that we adjourn in the memory of Raul Porto Sr, the patriarch of the very famous Porto's bakery empire. Many of you have, I am sure, enjoyed the yellow box of Cuban pastries from Porto's. In fact, just a few weeks ago, I was on the Southwest plane coming up from Burbank and the flight attendant said, okay, it's time to leave. Be sure you put up your seat back and close your seatbelts and put away those Porto's boxes. That's how well known Porto's is in my part of the world.

Porto's has been a part of celebrations, part of graduations, a part of life in Los Angeles for decades. Raul Porto Sr and his wife Rosa came to the United States from Manzanillo, Cuba, to build a better life. They placed themselves on the waiting list during Fidel Castro's rule.

During a period when Raul was sent to a labor camp and Rosa lost her job, Rosa began baking cakes and pastels to support the family, and those recipes came with her when they emigrated in 1971. Those recipes were the foundation of the amazing legacy that was to come.

When they arrived in Los Angeles, Raul found work as a janitor and other jobs while Rosa's bakery business took off. After several years of tireless work, Raul was able to join Rosa full time. Their partnership, their hard work, their humility, and dedication not only built a business, but they became a community cornerstone.

And I can tell you, as someone who lives in Glendale with one of the main Porto's branches down the road from me, Porto's is well known as an excellent employer who truly cares about their dozens and dozens of employees, providing scholarships for the children of their employees, providing health insurance, going above and beyond what is required by law.

They also are known for donating their amazing baked goods to nonprofits when they ask for their events, for their fundraisers. Porto's is always there for the community. They also take pride in keeping their prices low because Betty Porto always tells me they want to make sure that everybody can afford Porto's, that it's not something rarefied, that it's an everyday thing for the people of her community. That is very, very important to Porto's, as well as their incredible quality.

And if you've eaten here, you'll know they never phone it in. They take care with each of in every item that they produce. What began in a Silver Lake strip mall in 1976 has grown to their flagship in Glendale and shops in Burbank, Downey, Buena Park, West Covina, and Northridge.

For years, the Portos have donated to countless charities across the region, not just in terms of donating baked goods, but in monetary donations. Their dedication to the community has impacted the lives of thousands. They are more than just one of our small businesses businesses.

They have made themselves integral to our community and a partner to all of the philanthropists in the area. Now, Raul himself was known for being humble. He was devoted to Rosa, to his children, and to their business. Raul is survived by his three children, my friend Betty Porto, Raul Junior, and Margarita.

He leaves a legacy of love for the community and, of course, the most amazing potato balls you'll ever try. Our hearts go out to the Porto family, but we are here to celebrate a life well lived. May his incredible memory be a blessing to all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Assembly Member Friedman, Assembly Member Ward, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise today to adjourn in the memory of my constituent, the great Bill Walton. Bill was a proud San Diegan, a six foot 11 center basketball star, award winning sports analyst, cyclist, philanthropist, activist, self proclaimed luckiest guy in the world, and diehard Grateful Dead fan, once given the title Mr. San Diego.

Born and raised in La Mesa, Bill attended Helix High School before heading to UCLA where he played college basketball for the Bruins. While there, he led the team to the NCAA championships on an 88 game winning streak and won the National College Player of the year three years in a row. Following his college success, Bill joined the NBA, winning the 1977 NBA Championship with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he was named MVP. He soon returned home to San Diego to play with the Clippers before his retirement with the Boston Celtics.

Former President Barack Obama, an avid fan, said this week that Walton was one of the greatest basketball players of all time, a champion at every level, and the embodiment of unselfish team play, while also a wonderful spirit full of curiosity, humor, and kindness. Off the court, Bill was an unofficial ambassador to San Diego.

Known for his sunny disposition, Bill often attended a Padres baseball game, concerts, and played drums in a Grateful Dead cover band, the Electric Waste Band. A true San Diegan, he was often heard remarking that he loved his bike, San Diego, and solar power. When he wasn't out riding his bike, Bill was advocating for his community, helping to push for pedestrian only areas of Balboa Park, supporting various philanthropy initiatives like the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the Lucky Duck Foundation, and more.

I was proud to know Bill as a neighbor and his wife Lori, and he was humble and gracious to even so much as open his home to invite neighbors over to have coffee and pastries with their representatives. Something we should do more of, to talk through very serious issues like neighbors.

Bill is an icon and a role model for San Diego who worked every day to make his hometown a better place for everyone. Bill passed away this Monday at the age of 71, leaving behind his wife Lori and four children. Please join me in keeping Bill Walton and his family in our thoughts as we adjourn in his memory today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ward. Dr. Weber, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise for the second time this month to adjourn in memory of another one of San Diego's champions that have made their transition. Bill Walton was born in my Assembly District in La Mesa, California, where I served as Council Member and Vice Mayor.

He also attended Helix High School in La Mesa before he went to UCLA to propel his basketball career. Bill's passing this week due to battle with cancer leaves a void not only in the world of sports, but in the world of hearts he touched with his incredible talent and unwavering commitment to community service.

Bill was literally a towering presence. But if you ever met him, you know just how tall he was, but he was just as humble and down to earth with the biggest smile. From his collegiate days at UCLA, where he led the Bruins to two consecutive NCAA championships, to his professional career, including NBA championships and an MVP title, Bill's skills on the court set a standard for excellence. He went on to become an Emmy Award winner sports broadcaster.

Since Bill's passing, many people have shown a lot of love for who Bill is. Off the court, he had a dedication to community service. He used his platform to advocate for causes he believed in, including homelessness and social justice. His efforts to make a world a better place continues to be inspiring. To his family, we extend our deepest condolences during this very difficult time. May they find solace in the memories of a man who not only excelled in his craft, but also lived a life of purpose and compassion. Thank you.

Thank you, Dr. Weber. Members, please bring the names to the desk to be printed in the journal. All requests to adjourn in memory will be deemed read and printed in the journal. Moving to announcements. Committee hearings upon adjournment, the Budget Committee will meet in the Swing Space, Room 1100. Session schedule is as follows.

Friday, May 31, no floor session, no check in session. Monday, June 3, floor session at 1:00 p.m. All other items will be passed and retained. All motion shall be continued. Seeing in hearing no further business. Mr. Muratsuchi. Well, actually, I'm happy to entertain a motion to adjourn. Mr. Muratsuchi moves. Dr. Weber seconds that this house stand adjourned until Monday, June 3 at 1:00 p.m. The house is adjourned.