Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental Organization

Hello. There we go. Good evening, Members. The Assembly Governmental Organization Committee is called to order. Good evening. For the bills heard today, there will be the opportunity for two witnesses in support and two witnesses in opposition to each provide a total of five minutes. And sergeants, can you please call the absent Members?

We notice a lack of a quorum, but we will start as a subcommittee to speed the process up. Let's see. Madam Secretary, can you call the roll? Oh, well, there's no quorum. There's no quorum present. Okay. Assembly Member Laurie Davis. Thank you for being prompt. You may begin.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Members, today I'm here to present 3069. Current Tide House laws generally prohibit a manufacturer from paying for advertising space at any facility where the facility is licensed to sell alcoholic beverages. However, in recent legislative years, the state has made exemptions to this rule for large stadiums and entertainment venues.

AB 3069 is a simple measure to allow for an exemption to this rule for the new Front Wave Arena that is opening up in Oceanside, California. Similar exemptions have been given for arenas like Sofi Stadium and various sporting arenas like Petco Park.

The Front Wave Arena is the first large multipurpose entertainment venue in North County area of San Diego County and will be a huge economic boon to our area. The bill passed the Senate 400, and I respectfully asked for an aye vote. No witnesses.

Thank you.

So moved.

Yes. Thank you. Okay, any witnesses in support? No quorum yet. Witnesses in opposition? Okay, any questions from Committee Members? Okay, thank you very much. There are no questions. When we establish a quorum, we'll take the appropriate action.

At that time, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. All we have is Senator Smallwood-Cuevas coming up, so we'll wait for a few minutes. We're calling down there to make sure she comes up. Thank you.

Good job.

I didn't know. I didn't know you were back there.

Thank you, Senator, for joining us.

Thank you. Sorry, we are all in the middle.

Yes, we are.

So many sessions here.

You may begin. We are a subcommittee at the moment, so when we have a quorum, we'll call quorum.

Got it. Thank you so much, Madam Chair and Members, and I am pleased to present SB 572, which would help facilitate the transfer of state property from the State Employment Development Department, located at 5401 Crenshaw Boulevard in Los Angeles, to a local community land trust group.

In 2019, Newsom signed an Executive Order No. 619, which aimed to address the shortage of housing for Californians, but ordered the Department of General Services and the Department of Housing and Community Development to identify and prioritize access state owned property and to pursue housing projects.

With the ongoing decline of livable wages and escalating housing costs, most families cannot afford to live in an average residential area because the rents are so high at the market rate. SB 572 would allow the city and county decision-makers, along with local community organizations, to make decisions determining the best future uses for the property.

And I want to say the property has been vacant for over a decade. It had been an encampment. Our office works day and night to make sure that it stays clean, along with some of the local community and local offices.

And so, this property is very important for us to think about uses that can be of good service to the community.

And our goal is to not only ensure that the construction of much-needed affordable housing is done, but that we also provide a provision that ensures we continue to do state job training and services as part of that development. And we hope that with that, we will be able to address multiple issues with that location.

And with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Do we have any witnesses in support? Members of the audience in support.

Chair and Members, Mike Monagan on behalf of State Building and Construction Trades Council. We're in very strong support. Thank you.

I think it's on. It's on now. Tiffany Whiten with SEIU California in support alongside Act LA and UT LA. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other Members of the public? Okay. Any Members of the public in opposition? Okay. Seeing none, we'll bring it up to the Committee. Any questions from Committee Members?

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Go ahead.

There is goes.

I thought I did. Okay. Is it on? Okay. About the process. States owned property.

So just according to. Is that the Department of General Services needs to do some kind of a study or audit? Has that. And that was funded to do, but it hasn't been completed, is that correct or?

So, they've done as part of a general audit, I think, of all of the available properties that are not being utilized by the state and EDD, you know, obviously was in that location at some point, but had left that location for many years.

And because of the years of inoperability, there was also a record storm that hit a few years back which completely destroyed the interior of the building. Then I think it was sort of scrapped of all the copper. And so, it really has been a challenge with this building. And so, you know, we.

We are grateful that the state has identified this property as one that could be surplused, and we're really grateful that we will be able to use it to address the housing needs as well as the workforce development needs in the community.

So, have you identified an organization that will you be occupying?

Well, we haven't identified an organization, but we are working with a coalition. You know, there have been a number of efforts in Los Angeles with our mayor leading the charge to reduce homelessness in our community and looking at all of the creative ways to do that. So, we're working with the community land trust.

We're working with housing advocates. We're working with transportation advocates, because this also sits right on a major corridor to really find a use, and what I like to say, multiplier. Right? A use that we can address a number of issues.

The community has always appreciated that there was workforce development training offered at that site for many, many years. And certainly, that community still needs and deserves those services.

And so, we're also excited that there's the opportunity that those services may still be able to be delivered within this development once the decision is made in terms of how it will be developed and what it will be look like. What it will look like.

But at this point, what we are committed to is the housing, and we're committed to making sure that community land trusts will have an opportunity to participate.

Okay, so it is in compliance with the State Surplus Land Act and all the steps are being followed?

Yes, it is.

Okay. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you. Any other. Before we do that, can we establish quorum? Thank you. Madam Secretary, can you call the roll?

On the quorum. [Roll call] We have a quorum

Thank you. Mister Bryan, you had a question? A comment?

Yeah. Definitely not a question. I live on Crenshaw Boulevard in 54th. I can see this building from my house. It is across the street. It's been vacant for a long time. We've tried to turn it back into an EDD building. We've tried to do a lot of things with it.

All of those efforts have had various problems, and the community has been asking why and what we can do. So, I want to thank the Senator for thinking creatively about what we can do with it, and respectfully ask for your aye votes.

Thank you. Any other comments from Committee Members? Okay. And the recommendation is do pass. I had a motion by Assembly Member Addis and second by Assembly Member Dixon. Madam Secretary? Oh, I'm sorry. No. Sorry.

Addis. Davies is second. Thank you. Madam Secretary, can you call the roll, please?

SB 572, Smallwood-Cuevas. The motion is do pass. [Roll call]

The bill has votes. We'll leave it open for additional Members. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

And then I need a motion on AB 3069. Thank you. Motion? Second. Okay, I have a motion by Assembly Member Dixon. Second by Assembly Member Wallis. Call the roll, please.

AB 3069, Davies. The motion is to concur. [Roll call]

The bill has the vote. Oh, we'll, we'll leave it open for Adams. Can you call the roll?

Opening the roll on AB 572, Smallwood-Cuevas. [Roll call]

Thank you. Enjoy dinner.

Did you call her?

Aye

Assembly Member Ramos. Were you. I know. Were you with Mister Gipson and. Oh, you were in local gov.

With Padilla and Garcia.

Can you call?

Opening the role on SB 572, Smallwood-Cuevas. [Roll call] Opening the roll on AB 3069, Davies. [Roll call]

Thank you.

That's it for me?

That's it.

God bless you.

Okay, we'll leave the roll open for another two minutes. I started playing games on my desk, and so now I need that charger. After a while I'm just like oh my God.

It's a long day and there are weird pauses. If you were just like, constantly it would be different.

Well and then yesterday, I got to the Capitol at eight and then, seriously.

Hello. Sorry, multiple committees all at once.

Opening the roll for Assembly Member Haney on SB 572, Smallwood, Cuevas. [Roll call] AB 3069, Assembly Member Davies. [Roll call]

Thank you. I will adjourn the Governmental Organization Committee at 6:14. Thank you.