Assembly Floor

The Assembly is now in session. Assemblymember Holden notices the absence of a quorum. The sergeants of arms will prepare the chamber and bring in the absent Members. The Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Members, a quorum is present. We asked our guests and visitors in the rear of the chamber and the gallery to please stand for the prayer and flag salute. Members, today's prayer will be offered by Assembly chaplain Imam Yasir Khan.

In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful, almighty God, as we gather in this Assembly, we seek your presence and your wisdom. Grant us clarity of thought, compassion in our hearts, and strength in our actions. May your light shine upon our deliberations, guiding us to decisions that honor the dignity of all.

May we listen with open minds, speak with words of kindness, and work with hands of justice. Bless our endeavors with success, that they may bring about positive change and benefit to all whom we serve. In your name we pray. Ameen.

Leading us in the flag sloot will be Assembly Member McCarty.

Salute. Pledge. I pledge allegiance to the.

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

Assembly Chamber Sacramento Thursday, May 2, 2024 the Assembly met at 09:00 a.m. the Honorable Jim Woods, speaker pro temporary of the Assembly, Presiding Chief Clerk Sue Parker at the desk reading Clerk David Abelman read.

Aguiar-Curry moves and Mister Flora seconds that the reading of the previous day 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 today for personal businesses, Assemblymember Chen for medical Leave Assemblymember Mathis for illness Assembly Member Bonta for legislative business, Assemblymember Wood, Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry, you are recognized for your procedural motion.

Good morning, Madam Chair. I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 45.5 to allow Assemblymember Quirk Silva to speak on an adjournment of memory today.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 118 to allow assemblymember Friedman to have a guest seated at her desk and to allow Assemblymembers Pacheco and Reyes to have guests in the rear of the chamber today.

Without objection. Such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 56 to allow the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee to notice SB 532 Wiener for their hearing on Tuesday, July 2 pending rereferral from the Transportation Committee.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

At the request of Member Assemblymember Maienschein please remove item 51, SB 251 Newman from the consent calendar. The Clerk will note, I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 56 and joint Rule 62 a the file notice requirement to allow the Privacy and consumer Protection Committee to notice and hear SB 1524 Dodd at their 01:30 p.m. hearing tomorrow pending rereferral from the Judiciary Committee.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to withdraw AB 1871 Alanis and AB 1821 Ramos from enrollment and order the bills to return to the Senate for the purpose of amendment.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to return item 23 AB 1805 Ta to the Senate for further action.

Without objections. Such shall be the order.

At the request of the author, please remove item a five AB 262 Holden from the inactive file and return the Bill to the Senate. The Clerk will note, pursuant to the Assembly Rules 97, I request unanimous consent to re refer item 34, AB 2813 Aguiar-Curry to the Rules Committee

Without objection. Such shall be the order. Pursuant to Members pursuant to rules Assembly 77.2, I am re referring items number 21 AB 1955 award to the education Committee. Moving to guest introductions and announcements. Member we have some birthdays in the House. Let's give a warm, happy birthday to Assembly Member Alanis who celebrates today.

Let's also wish an early happy birthday to Assembly Member Connolly who celebrates Wednesday. Assemblymember Pacheco, you are recognized for your guest introduction at Assemblymember Wick's Desk.

Madam Speaker and Members, today I rise to recognize the retirement of a longtime Rules Committee employee, Garth Burleson. There are numerous individuals that assist in the behind the scenes operations of the Assembly, and Garth Burleson is one of those people. Garth retired on April 30 from Reprographics Department within Assembly Rules Committee.

However, I felt it it was important to bring Garth back to the floor to recognize his 42 years of service to the Assembly. He was the longest serving Assembly employee when he retired. Garth developed an interest in reprographics at an early age when he took printing trades class in high school.

He began his Assembly career in repro graphics on February 1, 1982. After working for two years in the bindery, he was quickly promoted to the press room, where he spent the next 35 years producing Member stationery certificates and other gold foil products for your constituents as well as other important district and legislative materials.

For the past five years, Garth has been in the role of purchaser for reprographics, ensuring the business needs of your mail products get processed correctly and timely. In fact, when Garth first started, reprographics printed about 10,000 mail pieces. Today, the team can run 22 million pieces in a year.

Recently, when asked his most memorable moment of the past 42 years working in the Assembly, Garth responded by saying, getting the job? I was lucky. Well, I just want to say we were lucky as well. You have been a leader in the Department.

You took pride in your work and mentored and shared your decades of experience with Assembly staff. We will greatly Miss Garth's pleasant demeanor, dependable spirit, and valuable knowledge of his trade as well as his instructional knowledge.

But Garth loves the outdoors and maintains an active lifestyle, so we know he will get to do something fun in his retirement and not miss printing those millions of mail pieces. Or maybe he will. Okay, maybe not. So please join me in recognizing Garth Burleson and his incredible career of 42 years in the Assembly.

Today, he is joined by his colleagues from the Reprographics Department, Assembly rural staff, his daughter Sydney, son Cole and DCO employee extraordinaire Suzanne Rainey.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am honored to welcome the fellow fellows from the Asian Pacific Islander Capital Association Summer Fellowship, otherwise known as APICA. APICA interns are up here to learn the legislative process, get mentorship, and also get very, very valuable work experience. We're proud that the fellowship. Yes, please give them applause.

Our fellows are also proudly getting a living wage this summer. We're so excited to welcome you. So welcome to Sacramento.

Thank you, Assembly Member Ting. Members, we're going to be moving to business on the daily file, the Clerk will.

Read the Senate bills 94898 with amendments 1094 with amendments 1315 with amendments 1429 with amendments 4831445939 with amendments 997 with amendments 1318 with amendments 1411 with amendments 1471 with amendments 937 with amendments 1140 with amendments 11691405. Senate Bill 991 with amendments and Senate Bill 1194 with amendments.

All bills will be deemed read and all amendments will be deemed adopted. Moving on to concurrence in Senate amendments, we're going to start with file item number 20, AB 2634. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 2634 by Assemblymember McCarty and others. And accolades to transportation.

Assemblymember McCarty, you may open.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. This is a district bill back on concurrence expands public transportation for seniors in Sacramento County. Ask your aye vote. Thank you.

Seeing no others wishing to speak, the Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes 60, no zero. Senate amendments are concurred in.

We are going to now take up item number 24 AB 1916 by Assembly Member Maienschein.

The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 1916 by Assembly Member Maienschein an act relating to business.

Assemblymember Maienschein, you may open.

Thank you very much Madam Speaker. Pleased to arise to present AB 1916 establishing clear guidelines for self storage owners on handling personal property left behind after a rental agreement is over. The amendments made were technical and clarifying in nature. Thank you and I respectfully request an aye vote.

Seeing no others wishing to speak, the Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote all those votes who desire to vote all those votes who desire to vote all those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll aye's 56, no's 0. Senate amendments are concurred in all items shall be continued.

Moving on to Assembly third reading item number 35. We're going to move to item number 36, ACR 192, the Clerk will read

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 192 by Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer and others relative to Juneteenth.

Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mister speaker. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Excuse me. Today I rise to present ACR 192, the California Legislative Black Caucus's annual commemoration of June 19, as Juneteenth Freedom Day.

For those of you who may not know, Juneteenth is the annual celebration when word of freedom finally reached the last enslaved black people on June 191865 in Galveston, Texas, the final confederate state with slavery still in place.

Two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, the bell of Freedom Rang true for over 3 million black Americans, marking the beginning of the fight to secure that freedom for those still enslaved and provide fair and equal treatment for the formerly enslaved.

Today, Juneteenth is both a time to reflect and rejoice in all of the work that took place to reach this point, as well as a reminder that true equality is not accomplished overnight.

While there have been great strides to acknowledge and address the history and plight of black Americans, society as a whole still has a long way to go.

Juneteenth is an opportunity to educate all communities that we may not repeat the injustices and abuses committed in the past, especially at a time when other states are passing policies that systematically erase our history and laws that are reminiscent of the Jim Crow South.

In 2022, I authored AB 1655, which added Juneteenth to the list of holidays to align the Legislature with the UC, CSU, and the community colleges.

Because of that Bill, at the beginning of this year, Assembly employees are granted an additional personal holiday that may be used to observe any holiday or ceremony of the employees religion, culture, or heritage, including but limited to Lunar New Year, Genocide Remembrance Day.

Juneteenth and Native American Day Members today marks 129 years of freedom celebration, but also 159 years of struggle, determination, and perseverance. And on a personal note, I know a lot of times we run for office and talk about things that we want to do to improve not only what's happening in the district, but of all people.

And a lot of times we don't get that opportunity to do that. In my 12 years here, I can say I have done something for all African Americans in the State of California that has been tried before but never been accomplished. African Americans all across California talked about Juneteenth and celebrating it.

I have the honor of actually having it done and actually being able to give African Americans in this state an opportunity to celebrate their freedom, their freedom that was long ago fought for and accomplished. And so with that, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Jones Sawyer. Doctor Weber, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise on behalf of the Legislative Women's Caucus in support of ACR 192, the celebration of Juneteenth and the freedom of black Americans.

By now, those on this floor should all know the history of Juneteenth that despite the emancipation proclamation becoming law in 1863, thousands of enslaved descendants of Africans in Texas did not learn about their liberation until 1865.

For an extra two and a half years, the State of Texas continued to benefit from the free labor black Texans were forced to provide. But on June 19, 1865 they finally received their hard won freedom for the first time.

It was on this day that Union General Gordon Granger led troops into Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of the Civil War and the insidious institution of American slavery.

Most of us, especially those who have never lived in Texas, would not know about this day if it were not for a remarkable woman by the name of Opal Lee. Also known as the grandmother of Juneteenth, she campaigned for decades to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

She ran around the country educating people about Juneteenth and led 2.5 miles walks each year, representing the two and a half years it took for the news of emancipation to reach Texas.

At the age of 89, she conducted a symbolic walk from her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, DC, leaving in September of 2016 and arriving in January of 2017.

After decades of work by activists, political leaders, and several walking campaigns by Opal Lee, Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021, and she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024.

She represents the millions of women throughout the history of this country who have worked tirelessly to ensure that our history is not erased, reframed, nor ignored, and America lives up to its constitutional promise for all citizens. Juneteenth is now widely celebrated across the United States as Black Independence Day.

Families come together for intimate gatherings and fun activities, engage with black businesses and organizations, and have important and necessary conversations centered on black progress. And excellent Juneteenth provides the opportunity to celebrate the beauty that is blackness across this nation and across California. However, Juneteenth should also remind us that we still have a very long way to go.

Juneteenth provides us an opportunity to reflect on how injustice is still prevalent in the lives of black Americans in labor, Healthcare, housing, education, criminal justice system and so much more. So I encourage you all to take a moment this Juneteenth to reflect on our ability to make real progressive changes in the lives for black Californians.

And with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote on ACR 192. Thank you.

Thank you, Doctor Weber. Assemblymember Reyes, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, Members, today I rise on behalf of the California Legislative Latino Caucus in support of Assembly Concurrent Resolution 192 to honor and celebrate Juneteenth. Juneteenth marks the date that the last people who were enslaved in the US were finally declared free in 1865.

This marks the 159th anniversary of its recognition and third anniversary as a federal holiday. This is not simply a symbolic gesture, but an acknowledgement of the legacy of enslavement. Enslavement and the remembrance that freedom and justice have always been delayed for our black communities. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people.

It is also a time for Afro Latinos in the US to celebrate the emancipation of all people in the Americas. Juneteenth is a transnational commemoration of black American liberation, demonstrating how beautiful and broad the African diaspora is. In fact, California has the second largest number of Afro Latinos, with 237 million in total in the US.

Of Afro Latinos, 6 million people identify as Afro Latino. Afro Latinos have endured many of the same injustices that African Americans have endured in this country through violent institutions.

Institutions, in fact, while not often talked about, Spanish colonies were by far bigger participants in the transatlantic slave trade, as a majority of enslaved people were brought to Latin America. Celebrating Juneteenth is an opportunity to remind successive generations of the history and contributions of the black experience in the United States and Latin America.

Juneteenth prompts us all to self reflect on how far we have come, the continued work needed to push for cultural awareness and the need to eradicate systemic racism and inequity in our society. Let us not forget that the freedom we celebrate came at the bloodshed of many enslaved people who never lived to see it.

This freedom is one we still fight for today. It is precisely why we must endure collective consciousness and reparations to demand justice and equal rights for all. For these reasons, I respectfully ask for an aye vote on Assembly Concurrent Resolution 192 and thank my colleague from Los Angeles and the Black Caucus for bringing this resolution forward.

Thank you, Assemblymember Reyes. Assemblymember Jim Patterson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise also to join with everyone here in celebrating Juneteenth. I have at my home the civil war saber of my great great grandfather, he fought for the union, and he was an abolitionist.

That influenced my grandfather with his first radio station in San Francisco, to be one of the originators of black music radio formatting. It was on Ksan in San Francisco. And I can remember in the sixties, as a young high school student who was really interested in getting into broadcasting.

I kind of sneak into the studio and go over and sit close to the DJ's, man. They were hip. They were really good. I was impressed. Two of my favorites was Jumpin George and Rockin Lucky.

And I have vivid memories, but that infused in my grandfather and also in my own father, an appreciation of the heritage of great great grandpa Patterson. And so in the radio stations that they owned and the radio stations that I owned, there was always a special place for several hours of black radio programming.

And so I joyfully rise to know that somewhere in my history, at the risk of his own demise, my great great grandfather stood for freedom, the end of slavery, did so on the battlefield. But also, he was a strong abolitionist, and we have history and records of that, my great great grandpa.

And it's inspiring to go through the information and read about him. And so I recall with a great deal of joy and appreciation that I can stand here today and join with you and be a part of this and have a little bit of your soul in me, because I hung around jumping George and rocking lucky.

And so I'm asking all of you to please join us as we support this. And I'm going to push my aye button in honor of my great great grandpa, who.

Who at a time, risked so much for his belief that all men are created equal, endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, and he fought a war for it. God bless him, and God bless Juneteenth and what this freedom means to African Americans in Fresno and around the State of California.

I join with you in saying, free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, free at last.

Thank you, Assembly Member Jim Patterson. Assembly Member Ramos, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. And today I rise on behalf of the California Native American Legislative Caucus, standing side by side with our caucus here today and bringing to light. Bringing to light the history. And it's a day for us to celebrate the many accomplishments and contributions of African Americans in our nation's history.

It's also a time to reflect on their resiliency and strength as they overcame being torn from their homelands, being torn from their homelands, and then denied the inalienable right called out by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, Native Americans in the United States, and our African American brothers and sisters, we share a common thread.

Fleeing that persecution, many found safe havens with tribes in the United States. And on September 22, 1862 President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. But it still took almost three years more for the last slaves in America to be free.

And some will say that because of the things that are still happening here in the United States and in California, that we haven't completely been freed through all these different areas, today we celebrate the end of slavery in the United States and the new federal holiday that stands as a beacon of hope to really overcome those historical traumas of where we're all at today by standing side by side with our brothers and sisters moving forward, but also take the time to learn about the history, the true history of the United States and the State of California, and to learn more about the history of our African American brothers and sisters.

And remember that freedom and identity are treasures to be protected and cherished. I stand wholeheartedly with our black caucus, and I urge your aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Ramos. Assembly Member Wilson, you are recognized.

Madam Speaker, Members, I rise today with great pride on behalf of the California Legislative Black Caucus as chair, and I urge your strong support of ACR 192, a resolution that holds immense significance for our state and its people.

June 192024 marks Juneteenth as a day that symbolizes freedom, resilience, and the enduring spirit of African Americans in our nation's history. On this day, we commemorate the full emancipation of enslaved individuals. This day serves as a reminder of the struggles and triumphs of African Americans throughout American history. It is a time for reflection, but also celebration.

It is a call to action for all Californians to interrogate the system that leaves others in bondage. I urge you to join the California Legislative Black Caucus in supporting ACR 192, which, as noted, recognizes June 19, 2024 as Juneteenth in the State of California.

Also recognizing that Juneteenth is not a black holiday, but Juneteenth is an American holiday. Now, as a gift, you'll note on your desk this sound waves, and it is words from the song golden by Jill Scott that truly captures the spirit of Juneteenth.

In essence, it is saying that I'm taking my freedom and living my life like I'm golden. And so I ask that not only black Californians today, but every Californian recognize that today is where we take our freedom. And with that, I urge a strong support for ACR 192.

Let us stand united in our commitment to a more inclusive and equitable California for generations to come.

Thank you, Assembly Member Wilson. Doctor Jackson, you are recognized.

Thank you very much. Madam Speaker. Today should cause us all to reflect on the earnest question, what does it mean to be free? When I reflect on my own lineage and the history of this nation, we find that many African Americans and many other communities weren't really truly free until 1964.

Because it's in 1964 when we were actually granted civil rights. Therefore, freedom is more than just shackles. It is the full access, expression, opportunity and dignity of the human expression that in many cases is still being denied to many communities today.

Because of the lack of civil rights and human rights until the 1960s, I reflect that my own parents were not born free. Therefore, it was my siblings who were the first in our families to actually be born free.

In the words of Nelson Mandela, he says, to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

But despite the significant efforts by both federal and state governments to acknowledge the history and address the plight of the Black American community, the LGBTQ community and many more are still waiting to be free. Too many of us still refuse to live and engage in the type of politics that enhances the freedom of others.

Even still, within our state constitution, California allows for slavery of individuals by continuing to allow involuntary servitude as a form of criminal punishment. Even still, our state has not properly atoned for its participation in the institutional and legal support of chattel slavery.

Even still, has the state not redressed in the inequitable taking of Black Americans property through eminent domain. Even still, the LGBTQ community continues to fight for its full humanity. Even still, our API, our Jewish, our Muslim and immigrant communities have seasons where they still live in fear due to political and cultural persecution.

Even still, we are debating a bill in this session whether we should give our Native American brothers and sisters in our own courts. Even still, we must remind ourselves that we must never be fooled by the timeless lie that makes any of us believe that our freedoms are at risk if other communities receive theirs.

But we must always remember that none of us are truly free until we all are free.

So, on behalf of the California Legislative LGBTQ caucus and proud to join with my fellow members of the Black Caucus to honor Juneteenth, let us be reminded that our fight for true freedom and equality is yet to be won, and there was much work to be done. Thank you to our colleague from South LA.

I respectfully ask for an aye vote for ACR 192.

Thank you, Doctor Jackson. Seeing no others wishing to speak, Assemblymember Joan Sawyer, your closing remarks.

Yes, I want to thank everyone for their kind and thoughtful remarks, and I respectfully request that the first roll be open for co-authors on ACR 192.

The Clerk will open the roll. Members, this is for co-authors. All those votes who desire to vote. Members, this is for co-authors. All those votes who desire to vote, all those vote who desire to vote, all those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. There are 71 co-authors added.

Without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor indicate by saying aye. Opposed say no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. We are going to go back to item number 35, ACR 202. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 202 by Assemblymember McCarty relative to loving day.

Assemblymember McCarty, you may open.

Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. Members. Happy Loving Month. Yes, you heard me right. Happy Loving Month. Actually, five days ago was Loving Day. Let me tell you a story. 57 years ago, a man, Richard Loving, told the court, please tell the judge that I love my wife.

Again, he said, please tell the judge that I love my wife. Why? Because he had the crime of being a white male in Virginia marrying an African American woman, and was literally sentenced to a jail, sentenced to a year in jail for deciding to marry the love of his life.

And so it's hard to believe in this day and age that a generation ago, an individual was incarcerated, husband and wife, for getting married. But here we are 57 years later, talking about Loving Day. Why is this so important to us today? We'll hear about that later on with a relevance to California today.

But I'm a loving kid. For those of you that don't know, I'm a product of a biracial marriage. My father's African American. My mom's Caucasian. They married and moved to Virginia in 1970. I was born two years later in DC and lived in Virginia.

So five years earlier, my parents legally could not be married in the place where I was born. So this is a very personal issue for so many Californians today. I know we have colleagues on our floor from Fresno, from Merced, from Alameda, but have loving families. I may have missed a few others. In California, we have millions of loving families.

Kids in this day and age don't even think it's an issue. Why is this even an issue? But it really was. And why is it so important? Because we need to remember the past to move on to the future.

So, again, 57 years ago, a brave family in Virginia, Richard and Mildred Loving, decided to get married. Actually, 1948, they had a sheriff knock on their door. Say what you're doing is illegal cohabitating and being married as an interracial couple, unbelievable in our society just a generation ago. But here we are.

And California, I will note, was a leader in this as well. In 1948, our California Supreme Court decided in the Perez versus Sharp case that they also ruled to ban interracial, ruled to overturn the prohibition of interracial marriages here in California.

So again, Members, I ask that we support and always remember Loving Day June 12 of every year, even though today is a few days later. And again, Members, happy Loving Month in California 2024. Thank you. Respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker and Colleagues, for allowing me to join in the course in recognizing that it's always a good day to love.

As we celebrate and recognize the recognition of ACR 202 on Loving Day, it is important to also recall that in 2024, we are actually, actually talking about interracial marriage being on the chopping block.

As we recall from the United States Supreme Court and the Dobbs decision turning back Roe v. Wade, two justices cited the justification in going after same sex couples protections in a burger felt and specifically loving. That is correct. Turning back and rolling back the clocks of time on love for interracial merits and same sex couples to marry.

Luckily, in this resolution, we in the State of California have a unique opportunity to enshrine constitutional protections for interracial couples to marry in 2024. That is what we're dealing with right in this period of time. So this is not just a perfunctory resolution.

This is to be reminded that our rights must continually be celebrated, protected, that we must fight for them each and every day. And so I urge your aye support on ACR 202.

Seeing no others wishing to speak, Assemblymember McCarty, your closing remarks. The Clerk will open the roll for co-authors. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. Members, this is for co-authors. All those vote who desire to vote. Members, this is for co-authors. All those votes who desire to vote.

The Clerk will close the roll. There are 68 co-authors added without objection. We will take a voice of votes. All those in favor indicate by saying aye. Opposed say no. The ayes have it. Resolution is adopted. Moving on to item number 37, HR 104.

The Clerk will read.

House Resolution 104 by Assemblymember Reyes relative to veterans.

Assemblymember Reyes, you may open.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Members, I rise to present HR 104, which would recognize the month of June as California Veterans Awareness Month. HR 104 recognizes and brings awareness to our veterans who have provided the highest level of service and sacrifice.

While I am proud to honor our veterans, they do not always receive the resources befitting the level of service they have provided. Across California and the nation, veterans have had to suffer through homelessness, suicide, post-traumatic stress disorder, and food insecurity.

To address these issues, the state last year reformed California's behavioral health system and modernized it with funding dedicated to housing veterans who have behavioral health needs or substance use disorders. We have, through the Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention program, helped produce over 100 affordable housing developments with 6389 affordable units since 2014.

And the state has worked to secure over $81 million from federal sources, along with an additional 1.5 million to the staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant program, coordinating suicide prevention services for veterans and for their families.

While the state has been able to reduce the number of veterans living on the streets by 9% between 2020 and 2022, there are still thousands of veterans living below the poverty line.

I will share that San Bernardino County, when they had their point in time count, addressed the issue of homeless veterans and made an intentional decision that they would house all of our homeless veterans and within one year had succeeded and that is intentionality.

Clearly, we have more work to do, and we need to work with our veteran partners to address these shortcomings. I appreciate the many different agencies working to provide services for veterans, such as the California Association of Veteran Service Agencies, CAVSA who work tirelessly for our veterans.

HR 104 honors those who have served and highlights the needs of our veterans. I ask that the first role be open for co-authors, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Reyes. Assemblymember Schiavo, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise to support HR 104 and thank the author for bringing this forward. I rise as the Chair of the Military and Veteran Affairs Committee in support of this measure.

And as a daughter of veterans, sister of veterans my dad fought in the Vietnam War, and he is actually battling cancer for the third time because of his exposure to Agent Orange. I know how important access to services is for our veterans. The VA has saved my dad's life more times than I can count at this point.

And so through our work in the Military and Veteran Affairs Committee, we really have been focusing on making sure that access to services, access to housing for veterans, is at the forefront of the work that we're doing. We know that in California, we shouldn't have one veteran who is experiencing homelessness.

I actually got to tour and visit housing that I fought for in my community that is providing housing to veterans experiencing homelessness. And we're seeing that we're actually making a dent here in California. Veteran homelessness is the one area of homelessness that is going down while other communities' homelessness numbers are rising.

And we have to continue to be steadfast on continuing to move forward on this issue and not letting up when we know that this is an area where we're making important progress.

We also fought so hard for a VSO in our community because we know that having a VSO is how you have access to veterans' services and to the VA, and we did not have a dedicated one.

We know that there are VSOs who are needed more throughout our whole state and that these are critical resources to make sure that veterans are getting these services. So we're going to continue to work with the author, work with our colleagues here to ensure that our Committee is moving forward all of the issues that are going to support our veterans.

Who, after they have made such a great sacrifice for our country, need the support that we can give them. And we're dedicated to doing that, strongly encourage an aye vote on HR 104. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Schiavo. Assemblymember Alanis, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I want to first thank my colleague from San Bernardino for bringing this resolution forward. Every day, nonprofit organizations throughout California work to provide essential services to the brave veterans who have sacrificed everything for their country. These services include mental health support, housing assistance, job training, and social programs.

And they're just part of a larger network that serves to help the many veterans struggling to adapt to civilian life upon returning home from service.

There has been significant progress in the way we care for our veterans in recent years, yet there is still a lot of work to be done, especially with regards to mental health and homelessness. And I look forward to working with all of you in tackling these important issues.

Once again, thank you to the author for her leadership in recognizing California Veterans Awareness Month. And I join her in recognizing the California Association of Veterans Services Agencies and all of the service professionals throughout the state that work every day supporting our veterans. I ask you for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Alanis. Assemblymember Davies, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Serving Vice Chair on the Military and Veterans has been such an honor. And my district also has Camp Pendleton. So I thank my colleague from San Bernardino bringing this up, because I think for a long time we're like, they only get one day, and a month is fantastic.

I know that we do, though, honor them every single day, 365 days a year. So I thank you for that. One thing I do want to bring up, though, is that we are losing a lot of our veterans because they're moving out. We are one state.

There's one other state besides ours that continues to tax pensions and retirements of our veterans to the point where they can't afford to stay here anymore. And I think that we really owe them that.

And I think hopefully next year that we'll have an opportunity to get creative and figure out how we can make them have the opportunity to be able to stay here, a state that they love and they deserve to stay here. So for that, I ask for an aye vote. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Assemblymember Davies. Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I also like to start by saying thank you to my colleague from Inland Empire for introducing this measure. Today we are addressing an issue of great importance, the welfare of our veterans. Post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness, and food insecurity disproportionately affect veterans in California and nationwide.

7.5 of veterans in California are living below the poverty line, and these heroes deserve our unwavering support. Legislative advocacy for affordable housing, mental health care services, and other forms of aid is critical in the lives of those who made tremendous sacrifices for our country.

In my district, we have a significant veteran population who contribute immensely to our community. Their well-being is of high importance, and we must honor them with actions that make a real difference in their lives. Thank you. And I ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, Assemblymember Quirk-Silva, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I, too, stand and rise in support of HR 104 and thank the author for introducing this measure. Orange County is home to an estimated 130,000 veterans, and we know that we have a very small percentage of Americans who sign on the line, men and women, to serve our country.

I come from a veteran's family, with my father serving in the Korean War, where he was injured, where my brother was in the Coast Guard, and many nephews that are currently serving one in Coronado right now in the Marines.

Throughout the years, I've also served as a veteran's Chair, and I know from the last 10 years, we have been working tirelessly to house our veterans as they return home. We've made progress, and yet there is more work to do.

I'm very proud that my own county, we just opened a homeless veteran shelter in Placentia, right next to the city I live in in Fullerton. But the work is not finished until all of our veterans return home to a home. We also know that many of our veterans, when they return home, need support.

Not only support for mental health, for physical health, and they need access to these services. All too often, our support systems are housed, sometimes in county offices and hospitals, and this is not accessible to many veterans. We need these services to be out in the community, so they have access.

One of the things that I found out as Chair of the Veterans Committee is that when our veterans leave service, oftentimes they get an orientation as they leave, but they have a long list of steps that they need to take. 26 steps I understand that they need to take in order to access their benefits. 26 steps.

What we find is many times these young individuals want to return home and they don't make it through all of those steps and many times aren't accessing their benefits. And that's why we find sometimes when veterans are on our streets, it's that they haven't made it through all of those steps.

So we need to figure out a way to make sure that we can have them get the benefits that they have earned and deserved. We know that our veterans are somebody who give their life. Many have given their life. But we need to honor them not just by words, but by actions.

With that, I respectfully urge an aye vote.

Thank you. Assemblymember Quirk-Silva. Seeing no others wishing to speak, Assemblymember Reyes, your closing remarks.

Thank you. I'd like to thank my colleagues for their wonderful comments regarding our veterans. I think that is one group that we all agree we need to honor, and with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote first roll open for co-authors.

The Clerk will open the roll. All those votes who desire to vote, this is for co-authors, Members, all those votes who desire to vote, all those votes who desire to vote, once again, this is for co-authors. All those votes who desire to vote, the Clerk will close the roll.

There are 72 co-authors added. Without objection, we will take a voice vote. All those in favor indicate by saying aye, oppose say no. The ayes have it. Resolution is adopted. Assemblymember Reyes, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, Members, it gives me great honor to welcome our guests from the board.

These are the board Members of the California Association of Veterans Services Agencies, Chuck Helget, Executive Director Stephen Peck, US Vets President and CEO Michael Blecker, swords to plowshares Executive Director Chris Johnson, nation's finest President and CEO Deborah Johnson, California Veterans Assistance foundation President and CEO Aquila Templeton, Veterans Village of San Diego President and CEO and Leo Cuadrado new directions for veterans COo.

Members we're going to continue with Senate's third read in reading. Pardon me, item 44, SB 1353. The Clerk will read.

Senate Bill 1353 with amendments by Assemblymember Ting.

Assemblymember Ting, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, I rise to present amendments to SB 1353 on behalf of Senator Wahab. Amendments are technical in nature. Respect your ask for I vote on these amendments and ask that the Bill go out to print and back on file.

Without objection. We will take a voice vote on the amendments. All those in favor indicate by saying aye. Opposed say no. The ayes have it. Amendments are adopted. The Bill is out to print and back on file. Moving to a vote on the consent calendar, we will pass and retain file item 53.

We will vote on file item 54 on the consent calendar. Does any Member wish to remove this item from the consent calendar? Seeing and hearing none. The Clerk will read the second day consent calendar.

Senate Bill 1051 by Senator Eggman in accolade in the tenancies.

The Clerk will open the roll on the consent calendar. All those votes who desire to vote. All those those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. All those votes who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll. Ayes 68, noes zero. Calendar is adopted. Members, the quorum call is still in place.

Please give your respectful moving to announcements. Committee hearings. Natural resources meets at 02:30 p.m. in the Capitol, room number 447. Transportation meets at 02:30 p.m. in swing space, room 1100. Banking and finance meets at 03:30 p.m. in room in the capital, room 444. Session schedule is as follows. Tuesday, June 18, check in session.

Wednesday, June 19, check in session. Thursday, June 20 floor session at 09:00 a.m. all other items remaining will be passed and retained. All motions shall be continued. Seeing and hearing no further business, I am ready to entertain a motion to adjourn.

Miss Aguirre Curry moves and Mister Flora seconds that this house stands adjourned until Thursday, June 20, at 09:00 a.m. the quorum call is lifted and the house is adjourned.