Assembly Floor

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

[Roll Call]

Please join me in a moment of reflection. When I was about 19 years old, while driving back, while backing out of a friend's driveway, my rear tires became stuck in a shallow ditch that was carved out for street repair. As I applied power, my car popped out of the ditch and shot out into the street.

I scraped the entire side of a car driving by. It was the first accident that I had caused and I felt so bad for days. I was visibly upset with myself. After a few days, my mother said sternly, okay, that's enough. You got in an accident. Then she said slowly, it was an accident.

You didn't do it on purpose. If you did it on purpose, then we'd never let you drive again. But you got in an accident. You didn't get in a purpose. I think because English was her second language, she would sometimes speak so literally, unintentionally, she made me laugh trying to imagine getting in a purpose. But I understood.

Sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes things go terribly wrong. And although we know so many things could have been done better, we also know that what happened last week at Washington D.C. s Reagan Airport and in Philadelphia were horrific accidents. They are being investigated. Responsibilities will be assessed, shared and taken.

But right now still remains a time for grieving, a time for empathy and caring. A time when we recall when our lives have been blindsided by tragedy and our hearts go out to the victims and their families. Last Thursday morning, we opened our floor session with a moment of silence.

Let every moment of silence we share also be our wake up call. That in an instant our lives can be blindsided by tragedy. In realizing again that life holds no guarantee of tomorrow, our wisdom eyes open and we know that we must hold close the people we love while we have them. Love them now. Thank them now.

Not tomorrow, not the next time we see them. With wisdom, eyes open, we know again not to take for granted the time we have to be together. Let us live with kindness and gratitude beyond words.

We ask our guests and visitors to remain standing to join us in the flag salute. Assembly Member Ramos will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Hand over heart. I pledge allegiance.

You may be seated. To our guests and visitors today, State law prohibits persons in the gallery from interfering with legislative proceedings or disrupting the orderly conduct of official business. Persons disrupting legislative Proceedings are subject to removal, arrest or other appropriate legal remedies.

Reading of the previous day's Journal Assembly Chamber Sacramento, Thursday, January 16, 2025 the Assembly met at 7am The Honorable Tri Ta Assembly Member, 70th District Presiding.

Aguiar Curry moves and Mr. Flora seconds that the reading of the previous day's journal be distant, be dispensed with with presentations and petitions. There are none. Introductions and references 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 on to motions and resolutions. The absences for the day. Assembly Members Pellerin, Assembly Members Calderon, Jeff Gonzalez and Assemblymember Sanchez. Majority Leader Aguiar Curry, you're recognized for your procedural motion.

Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 45.5 to allow Assembly Members Patterson and Mark Gonzalez to speak on an adjournment in memory today. Without objection, I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly rule 118A to allow Assembly Members Addis and Wallis to have guests in the rear of the chamber.

Without objection. Such shall be the order. Members, we're going to move to guest introductions. Assembly Member Addis, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members, today I'm pleased to welcome representatives from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo to the California State Assembly.

Joining us on the Assembly floor is Cal Poly's President, Jeff Armstrong, and two students, Jack Bush, a Master's of Agricultural Education major from Salinas, and Eva Moylan, a biological sciences major from Morro Bay who went to school with my child as well.

And in the gallery we have 22 additional students who have won individual and team awards as well as 33 Associated Student Incorporated Student leaders. We are here today to celebrate and recognize the amazing achievements of these exceptional Cal Poly students. The students present are among the best and the brightest at Cal Poly.

They reflect the learn by doing education practiced by this excellent academic institution. And each student has distinguished themselves as an individual or on a team that has received a national Industry Award or in other high profile events. For example, Jack and his team placed second at the National Growers Association Foundation Student Case study competition.

And Eva received the 2024 American Ornithological Society Student Presentation Nellie Johnson Baroody Award for the best presentation on any topic in Orn. The students in the gallery representing each of the six Cal Poly colleges all received similar recognition in their academic and extracurricular disciplines.

And I would like to thank President Jeff Armstrong, his Administration, the faculty of Cal Poly, and of course, the families of all these students for educating such an amazing group that will go on to serve the Central coast and California and our nation's communities and economies. So please join me in giving them a warm welcome and a round of applause.

Welcome to the California Assembly. We're so proud and grateful of your work. Thank you. Assemblymember Wallis. You are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, on behalf of our colleague from Indio who's homesick today, I have the pleasure to welcome Ellen Way and Josh and Mary Pickering to the Capitol. Our first guest, Ellen Way, is actually my friend and a constituent.

She's the owner of Sanders Family Almond Ranch and is currently the President of the Riverside County Farm Bureau. She also works with the Boys and Girls Club of the Coachella Valley and it's worth noting she's a part of the Assembly family as a former staffer for Assemblyman Jim Batten.

Next is Josh Pickering, here today representing family owned Pickering Events along with his wife Mary. Pickering Events now operates the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival which began in 1947 at its current site. The event celebrates our region's annual date harvest, which produce produces roughly 75% of the nation's date fruit.

The Pickering family is a strong supporter of Riverside County, providing scholarships to high school students through the Date Festival Scholarship Program and they annually donate tickets to veterans and first responders for the Date Fest and Fair.

And a Quick Plug the 77th annual Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival will take place February 13th through March 2nd in the City of Indio. Another good reason to visit our districts. Please join me in welcoming our distinguished guests Ellen Way and Josh and Mary Pickering at the rear of the chambers.

Welcome to the California Assembly.

Members will be moving on to business on the Daily File File Item 1 House Resolution 8 by Assemblymember Fong the Clerk will read

House Resolution 8 by Assembly Member Fong and others relative to the Lunar New Year.

As Chair of the Asian, California, Asian American and Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. I rise to present HR 8 and wish everyone a happy Lunar New Year this year. Lunar New year was on January 29 with family dinners and community celebrations taking over place over the next few weeks.

To many Asian Americans in California, Lunar New Year is one of the most auspicious, important holidays of the year and includes long standing cultural traditions welcoming luck and prosperity. The State of California was the first in the nation to recognize Lunar New Year as an official state holiday with other states following suit.

The lunar calendar rotates through 12 year cycles, with each year representing an animal from the zodiac and through 60 year cycles, with each animal associated with one of the five elements. The 2025 Lunar New Year is Year of the Wood Snake, which symbolizes versatility, adaptability, growth and creativity.

Some notable individuals born in the Year of the Snake include John F. Kennedy, Bob Dylan, Stephen Hawking, Oprah Winfrey and Taylor Swift. Nearly 6 million AAPIs reside in California, with 2.5 million celebrating the Lunar New Year Holiday by recognizing Lunar New Year, we show our commitment to celebrating the great cultural diversity of our state. I respectfully asked for an aye vote on HR 8 and wish everyone a joyous, healthy and prosperous Year of the Snake. I ask that the first row open be open for co authors thank you,

thank you Assemblymember Fong, Assemblymember Ta, you are recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. I rise to support HR 8 from the Member from Alhambra and I want to thank our Member from Alhambra for introducing this resolution to honor and recognize Lunar New Year from the Asian community. And over the weekend in my district we have a lot of events.

We have the parade, we have the festival, we have celebration to recognize and honor the third that is Vietnamese Lunar New Year. And I also want to thank our Member from Inyo came all the way to my district to be with me, my family and my team in the parade.

So this New Year is the Year of the Snake and the celebration is occasion for the community to celebrate, to be in unity and continue to have hope for the future. So I hope that with the spirit of New Year, we continue to work together, we continue to more hope for Californians and we could have a good year. Happy New Year.

Assemblymember Gonzalez, you are recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. On behalf of the Latino Caucus, it is my pleasure to rise in support of HR 8 which recognizes and celebrates Wednesday, January 29, 2025 as a start of the Lunar New Year. California is the most populous and culturally diverse state in the country.

It is home to more than 6 million Californians of AAPI descent and as a Representative for one of the most diverse districts in the state, I am proud to say Happy New Year or Un feliz y prospero Ano Nuevo.

To all my AAPI sisters, brothers and siblings, the contributions of the Asian and Pacific Islander American community are invaluable to our state. They have transcended barriers and have reshaped our communities for the better. From education to advocacy, art, sports, politics and beyond Lunar New Year is an annual celebration of good fortune, prosperity and family.

And in 2025, beginning of the year, the Wood Snake, which symbolizes wisdom, growth and renewal. Those born as a snake are known for their intelligence, calm and determination to achieve their goals. So let's embrace these traits in the new Year in continuing to create a California for all.

My district in the City of Los Angeles is home to several historically recognized Asian American communities, including Chinatown, Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Little Bangladesh, and Historic Filipino Town. Latinos also live in these communities where we live together, work together, eat together, attend school together, raise families together, caregivers together, share music together, and so much more.

I'm a proud resident of Chinatown myself and can speak firsthand to our shared community and our shared values. Every year I look forward to the Lunar New Year celebrations, including the Chinatown Firecracker Run and Golden Dragon Parade.

In fact, on my community swearing in just a couple weeks ago, we had the East Wind Foundation, Lion Dancers and Harang youth drummers. The Latino Caucus joins you in wishing good health, fortune and prosperity to you and your families.

Thank you to my colleagues from Alhambra, my colleague from Alhambra, and the entire AAPI Legislative Caucus for bringing this resolution forward. Happy New Year and I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Gonzalez. Assemblymember Lee, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today on behalf of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus and as a Member of the AAPI Caucus in support of HR 8 in commemoration of Lunar New Year. The year of the Wood Snake represents growth and rebirth, reminding us to embrace new ideas and opportunities.

The symbol of the snake, representing problem solving and skilled communication inspires us to advocate for change and unity and to champion the rights of AAPI and LGBTQ individuals. As we enter the New Year, we honor icons like Alec Mapa, who was born in the Year of the Wood Snake.

He has been a trailblazer for Filipino representation, and his natural intuition, communication skills and charisma embodied the spirit of the snake. His profound contributions, particularly to the LGBTQ community, underscore the remarkable potential within us all to make transformative change.

This celebration is a testament to the cultural traditions of the AAPI community brought to California, including those from LGBTQ backgrounds and Members. I want to wish everyone at Sun Ning Phailo and Konghui Fat Tsoi for those reasons, I hope you will vote for HR 88 being a lucky number in our tradition. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Lee. Assemblymember Ahrens, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus in support of HR 8 in celebration of Lunar New Year. As a caucus, we are proud to participate in the long standing traditions and rich culture of our Asian and Pacific Islander colleagues and communities.

Our Jewish community shares many traditions within the AAPI community in celebrating Lunar New Year when many return home to reconnect with their families, to take comfort in good company, good fortune and great food.

For many in our community, the rituals and customs are also act as a yearly reminder of the important cultural values that should be brought into the next year. Unfortunately, our communities also face many of the same challenges, including an ongoing rise in hate.

We recognize that Asian and Pacific Islander communities continue to face hardships and as a result of hate, motivated violence. But we are deeply moved by the resilience and the courage of our Asian and Pacific Islander neighbors and families.

And we are deeply grateful for the AAPI colleagues and neighbors and allies who have shown unwavering support amidst recent challenges facing both of our communities. I am sure both of our communities look forward towards the symbols for this year of the Wood snake, tolerance and brightness, hoping that they may be found in abundance through this next year. And in that spirit, I rise on behalf of the Jewish Caucus in support of HR 8.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ahrens. Assemblymember Haney, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I want to thank my colleague from Los Angeles for bringing this resolution forward and to the AAPI Caucus for your leadership and for helping us celebrate the Lunar New Year this year. I want to wish everyone around the country, around our state, around the world who is celebrating the Lunar New Year a very happy New year.

Sunny Filock Ganghae Fat Choi I am very proud to represent a district and the city and County of San Francisco with my other colleague that is one of the oldest and largest API communities in our country.

San Francisco had the first Chinese community in our state and holds the largest and oldest Chinatown outside of China in the world. It was established during 1848 during the California Gold Rush and there are countless contributions that have been made from residents of our city in Chinatown and beyond.

We also are very proud to host the largest Lunar New Year parade in the country that attracts over 3 million visitors, spectators and television viewers with lion dances, vibrant floats and a 288 foot golden dragon. I want to invite everybody to join us at that parade which will be held this year on February 15th.

The parade dates back to the 1860s, making it over 160 years old. It was originally created by Chinese immigrants who wanted to share their culture with the wider San Francisco community. This year we welcome the Year of the Snake, which symbolizes patience, love and resilience.

I'm very proud to represent Chinatown and the vibrant and thriving broader API community in San Francisco. This is a very special moment for the entire world, for everyone who celebrates for our state and for my city, which celebrates this with a tremendous of purpose, unity and joy.

And I want to thank my colleagues again for bringing this forward and recognizing this holiday. A happy Lunar New Year. Sunny Filock and I urge an aye vote on this resolution. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Haney. Assemblymember Caloza, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of HR 8 to support my colleague from Alhambra. I am a proud Member of the Women's Caucus of the AAPI Caucus and also stand before you as the first Filipina elected to the state Legislature.

Really excited also to be supporting this resolution along with five other AAPI women in the state Legislature, which is the most AAPI women we've ever had in our California State representation. My District, Assembly, District 52 includes Northeast LA, East LA and South Glendale and has a robust Asian American community.

My district has a big Chinese American community, a Filipino American community. And so there's so many countries and communities who celebrate this really important holiday. And so I rise in support of this and hope that my colleagues do so as well. So thank you so much and happy Lunar New Year.

Thank you, Assemblymember Caloza. Assemblymember Nguyen, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise on behalf of the Legislative Women's Caucus and as a Vietnamese American, in the Vietnamese community, we consider Lunar New Year aesthetic. And for the longest time, everybody referred to Lunar New Year as Chinese New Year. I myself growing up calling it Chinese New Year.

And it wasn't until recently that that we've all learned that it's called Lunar New Year. Because I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the Lunar New Year is celebrated by our Chinese American, our Vietnamese American, our Korean Americans and our Mien community as well.

And while you think of the New Year as just a day of celebration, I can tell you that I spent the days, nights preparing for this day, meaning I made sure the laundry was done, the dishes was done, vacuumed, mopped, the windows were cleaned.

It is one of these days where we spend hours, days up until 11:59, to ensure that the house is super clean. Because a clean house is going to reference the home for the rest of the year. It referenced the entire life. If your home is messy, your life will be messy.

As we think about the snake this year, a snake sheds and they get rid of that skin and they start the new year. And so what's going to happen or what did happen as we think about the Wood snake is that let's be like a snake. Shed the skin of 2024 and welcome 2020. I ask for your aye vote HR 8. Lucky number eight.

And thank you, Assemblymember Nguyen. Assemblymember Gipson, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and Members. I want to thank my brother from the Los Angeles area, Alhambra. Thank you very much for bringing this HR before us. Today I rise on behalf of the Legislative Black Caucus. And I was looking at my notes and mostly everyone on this floor has already captured what my notes reflected.

So I won't bore you. I simply say that, you know, a fun fact, which means that in a number of countries, the Asian country includes China, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Thailand. And so just like the Legislative Black Caucus, certainly the API Caucus have seen so much discrimination over years.

But we stand in solidarity to uplift as brothers and sisters in this Lunar New Year celebration. And we want to thank you for the beautiful gifts. I know that someone's going to mention it at some point in time, but I want to say thank you very much because we can reach across the aisle and find common good.

And we celebrate the year of the snake with each and every one of you. And I want to thank my sister from Sacramento for sharing about the shedding of the skin because I think that we need to shed skin and start anew. And it represents a freshness, it represents a brand new start. It gives us an opportunity to pause. So thank you very much for the education. I respectfully ask for an aye vote on HR 8.

Thank you, Assembly Member Gipson. Assemblymember Kalra, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank our AAPI caucus chair for bringing HR 8 forward to celebrate Lunar New Year, which is of course because of the work of this body, now an official, considered official state holiday.

And representing San Jose, certainly want to extend my wishes to our vibrant community that's celebrating, including our Chinese green and of course our Vietnamese community. Many folks don't know that in San Jose there was a Chinatown, actually several of them dating back to 19th century that were, that was.

They were repeatedly burned down because of racism and xenophobia. And the resilience of the community continued to rebuild. And of course we know that San Jose Being the city that has the largest Vietnamese community of any single city outside of Vietnam is an example of resilience and an example of rebuilding one's lives in a new country.

We have the historic fact that we at the same time have two Vietnamese Americans that are representing this body, which is I think a great sign of how strong the Vietnamese community has been in becoming a fabric of not just this country, but I can tell you in San Jose, the Vietnamese community is inseparable from our city and our community.

And as was mentioned by our colleague from Orange County and by our colleague from here in the Sacramento area, there are many celebrations. I've been to already three or four that celebrations. We'll have a few more to go over the next couple weeks as well as celebrations within our Chinese, Korean and other communities.

And I think when I think back when I first came to this country, to San Jose In 19, we had many thousands of refugees that left their war torn home and came to San Jose and so many other communities many times welcomed, many times they were not.

But we know that they were escaping horrors, they were escaping, they were escaping their loss of freedom to come to a place that accepted them. And for many years and decades later we still have folks from South East Asia coming and seeking asylum here.

And I think that we need to remember that this country has always been that beacon of hope that has accepted immigrants. Even before there was a thing called papers. We accepted immigrants from all over the world and especially our Asian American brothers and sisters who are celebrating Lunar New Year that brings so much culture to our community.

And so I want to thank the Member from Alhambra for bringing this forward. I want to wish all of my community and all Californians a happy Lunar New Year. Xin Ning Kweila, Sehe Bok Mani, Badi SEO and of course Chik Mang Namai. Thank you.

Thank you Assemblymember Kalra seeing and hearing no further debate. Assemblymember Fong, you may close.

Thank you so much to the Members from Los Angeles, Westminster, San Jose, San Francisco, Sunnyvale, San Jose, Sacramento, Carson and all the Diversity caucus for uplifting HR 8. Really appreciate that and ask the first rope and be open for co authors. Thank you.

Thank you Assemblymember Fong. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll for co authors Members. This vote is for co authors. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. There are 72 CO authors added. Excuse me, Clerk will close the roll. There are 72 CO authors added without objection.

We'll now take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor say Aye. All those opposed Nay. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Members, we will now recess the regular session to convene the first extraordinary session.

Without objection, we will substitute the prayer pledge and other orders of business from the 202526 regular session for those items in the first extraordinary session, our speaker is asked to address the.

Good morning, Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker Pro Tem. We are gathered here this morning or this afternoon in a chamber whose centerpiece is this portrait of Abraham Lincoln right above this dais. Abraham Lincoln, he kept our public together at a time in our history when we were the most divided, and yet he saw the humanity in every person.

And I know that all 79 of us here, representing 40 million Californians, we were inspired to public service because we want to make life better for people and hopefully, hopefully leave a legacy. This year, our focus is on the cost of living and housing and other issues that deserve our urgency.

They said in December at our organizational session, our constituents, they don't feel that the State of California is working for them. And their primary concern is the cost of living here at home. We all know that because we hear it. They're telling us repeatedly. So our task is.

It's urgent and it's clear, to make life more affordable for every resident of our state. Of course, we will face challenges that we didn't know were coming, like the horrific fires in Los Angeles. And unfortunately, we know that more challenges will come.

And these are times when we must come together, find consensus, not rush to social media to point fingers. Our job, above all else, is to protect our residents, whether the threat is wildfires or other natural disasters or threats to their civil liberties and freedoms. And let me be blunt.

Right now, Californians are being threatened by an out of control Administration in Washington that doesn't care about the Constitution, that thinks there are no limits to its power. Increasingly, our own residents are being threatened by actions taken by the Trump Administration. And it is our duty to rise to the moment.

We must ensure that our residents receive the federal services, the federal benefits that they have contributed to and that they deserve. Given the many Executive orders that have been issued over the past two weeks, I can say with clarity, we do not trust President Donald Trump. Just consider the words and actions coming from our President.

He has referred to undocumented immigrants as animals. He directed a draconian federal freeze on critical resources. Resources for school lunches, life saving medicine, veterans benefits, resources for the LGBTQ community. The list goes on and on and on.

This decision, this memo caused chaos around the country, resulted in dozens of lawsuits filed on behalf of multiple states who moved swiftly to defend vulnerable residents. He said the horrible disaster at Reagan International Airport last week was because of DEI diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Can you imagine?

And he said this with no evidence in the first hours, when families are just learning about lost loved ones. Then we learned that just the Week prior, President Trump had fired the entire Aviation Security Advisory Commission Committee. He's given the keys. He's given the world's richest man more than a seat at the table.

He gave him the keys to the White House, to our federal payment system. Together, they are indiscriminately cutting funds from public safety and reproductive health care to HIV and AIDS prevention. They're intent on enacting retribution under the guise of austerity.

And as we all know, President Trump, one of his first actions, pardoned violent criminals who viciously attacked U.S. capitol Police officers with metal pipes, baseball bats, flag poles, leading to injuries, deaths and suicides. How can we trust a President who calls for law and order, yet pardons his own supporters when they attack law enforcement?

Now, our President has given Ayes agents the authority to enter schools, churches and hospitals, all for Showy Raids that make the evening news. They're sweeping up many immigrants with no criminal history at all, separated from their families, subject to deportation without due process. These are the facts. Here in California, there are 1.8 million undocumented people.

People who pay about 8.5 billion, $8.5 billion in state and local taxes every single year. They raise families, they contribute to our communities. These law abiding immigrants, they are Californians. They are not criminals. Now look, there has been a long standing policy in our country that undocumented residents who do commit serious crimes, they must be deported.

They must be held accountable. This happened under President Biden, it happened under President Obama. It isn't new. What's new is this strategy of fear and chaos. The denial of due process, the plans for mass deportation on an unprecedented scale. They want to end asylum, change the Constitution, to remove birthright citizenship. These radical plans, they threaten our residents.

So we will do what is necessary to defend our residents. We must defend them. And not just from this immediate threat, but from all the chaos, all of the abuse of power that we're going to see coming from Washington D.C. over the next four years.

I want to speak directly to the millions of immigrants who call California home. Immigrants who have worked hard to build a better life for themselves, for their families. You are a vital part of our communities. You are loved, you are respected. And you belong here in the State of California.

To my fellow colleagues, I know that we are all up to the challenge. It is an honor to work with each and every one of you. There is so much talent and knowledge in this room. Of course there will be differences of opinion, but I know all of us want to make life better for Californians.

I hope that we can all take inspiration from this portrait of Abraham Lincoln. That's why it is here. During difficult times, he kept his head. He knew what he believed in. He stayed true to his values, but he never lost sight of the humanity of all Americans. Chaos has no place here.

Fear and hatred have no place here. We will be professional, collaborative and focused. We are not going to be distracted from our mission to protect our residents, to protect our economy, and to deliver the best possible public services to the 40 million Californians we all represent. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Members. Thank you, Members. Moving to business. On the file, item 1, Senate Bill 1 by Assembly Member Gabriel with amendments. The Clerk will read

Senate Bill 1. With amendments by Assemblymember Demaio.

Assemblymember Demaio, you're recognized on the amendments.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, I appreciate your commitment to, quote, be professional and be collaborative. We may have disagreements about policy, but we can debate our disagreements and hear both sides. And I hope that that commitment is followed through the remainder of this term.

I offer an amendment for my colleagues to consider that would clarify that not a single penny in this measure would go to provide legal defense to a state or local politician or a Senate confirmed cabinet officer if the Federal Government brings charges against them for impeding federal law enforcement duties. I think it's important that we understand who's really aided or benefited by this Bill.

And there are a lot of instances where issues have been raised about the appropriateness or the legality of elected officials, government officers engaging in conduct that some may consider aiding and abetting criminals or interfering with the Federal Government's authority and right to enforce federal law.

I would commend to you a letter distributed to a number of elected officials throughout the State of California in December by America First Legal that lays out a number of federal laws that state and local officials in California may run afoul of.

Now, I know that many of my colleagues will say they disagree, and that's certainly a good position for you to take. It's one position. But if you were so confident that the law's on your side, we shouldn't force taxpayers into footing the Bill for criminal defense and legal defense.

Attorneys for politicians, if they're so bullish, if they're so confident that they're not breaking the law by engaging in certain activities, let them. Let them put their neck on the line. Now, nothing in my amendment prohibits them from affording themselves the attorney provided to every single individual in society a public defender, but not some high priced government attorney that only the exclusive are able to access.

So I urge my colleagues to adopt this resolution, this amendment, to clarify that this Bill will not go to provide legal defense to California State and local politicians who I believe are recklessly engaging in interference with the Federal Government on a number of fronts, on a number of policies that not only do not serve the constituents of this state, but would bring legal jeopardy to themselves.

I think it's important we can actually help these officials think twice. If they thought that they would have to afford themselves, they would have to pay for their own legal counsel to defend their actions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Assemblymember Demaio. Assemblymember Bauer Kahan. You are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members, I want to thank my colleague from San Diego first for his comments regarding debate on this floor. As a former presiding officer, I couldn't agree more that I hope debate on this floor remains open, respectful and continued. And that's why I rise in opposition to these amendments.

I think it's incredibly important that this body understands the breadth of this amendment. First of all, I want to say that I believe, and I've served with many of you for many, many years, that each of us took that oath of office on the first day to stand by the law to uphold the Constitution of this Great state and the United States of America.

And I actually believe that all 79 of us try to do that every day and do that to the best of our ability. I also believe our local elected officials, public servants who serve their communities day in and day out are doing their best. But this amendment would stop any payment of legal services.

And I want to make a point about the law. And I know you guys have had my law school lessons before, so here's another one. But the State of California has sovereign immunity under the Constitution. So someone doesn't like what the state is doing, they can't sue the state. But you know who they can sue?

Each and every one of us. And if that were to happen for the actions of the state, the state would defend us in those lawsuits. I think that is wholly appropriate. And so that is part of the reason why I don't think this amendment is appropriate.

I would respectfully submit that we do continue, even after today, to control the purse strings on every dollar that is spent by the Attorney General and others that would defend us. And if there was some specific instance that we found inappropriate, we do control those purse strings and we could.

But the breadth of this amendment, that would stop all defense of us at a time, especially when we're being threatened with legal actions for doing our jobs. For protecting Californians, I think is just too much, too far and not appropriate. And with that, I respectfully ask for your no vote on these amendments.

Thank you, Assemblymember Bauer Kahan. Majority Leader Aguirre Curry, you are recognized. This requires a second. Seconded by Assemblymember Garcia. This motion is not debatable. It takes a majority of those present and voting Members. This is a procedural vote. The Clerk will open the roll.

All those vote who desire to vote. The Majority Leader is asking for an aye vote. Assemblymember Demaio is asking for a no vote. All those vote who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 52 noes 17 amendments are laid on the table. Senate Bill 1 by Assemblymember Gabriel. Clerk will read

Senate Bill 1 by Senator Wiener and others in accolades of the state budget making an appropriation therefore. To take effect immediately. Budget Bill.

Assemblymember Gabriel, you may open.

Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I rise to proudly present SB1, which authorizes funding for the Department of Justice for litigation involving unlawful or unconstitutional actions by the Federal Government. Let me be clear.

While we always hope to collaborate with our federal partners, we also have a responsibility to protect California taxpayers and to defend the fundamental rights of all Californians. For this reason, we cannot and we will not stand idly by while the Trump Administration breaks the law or violates the U.S. constitution. And this is not theoretical.

As you heard our speaker so eloquently lay out. In the last few weeks, we have seen efforts by the Trump Administration to unilaterally rewrite the Constitution and to withhold critical funding from California residents. Californians should rest assured that their elected representatives will vigorously protect both their fair share of federal dollars and their fundamental constitutional rights.

Colleagues, it's important to understand that this Bill simply authorizes funding up to 25 million. We are not spending 25 million today. And we hope that the Administration will back away from its efforts to violate the Constitution and unlawfully withhold money from Californians.

Colleagues, this Bill includes important reporting and transparency language and will ensure that we are prepared to protect California taxpayers and defend their sacred constitutional rights. I respectfully ask for an aye vote on SB1.

Thank you, Assemblymember Gabriel. Assemblymember Essayli, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to to this Bill, SB1. And as for the comments we just heard by the speaker, they were the one. It was some of the most partisan divisive and factually inaccurate statements I've ever heard. The President of the United States is not undermining the Constitution.

Mr. Bryan, you're recognized for your point of order.

The Member from Corona is not speaking on the merits of the Bill. And I ask that the Speaker respectfully admonish him and suggest that he keep his comments to the merits of the Bill.

Thank you, Mr. Bryan. Your point is well taken. However, Mr. Essayli would like to give you as much room as possible to make your point. Please Continue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Now just note that the the Member whose Bill it is started his comments by referring to the Speaker's comments and to the actions of our President. I'd like to respond and address those because apparently this legislation is to protect us from the President, which is absolutely ridiculous.

The President of the United States was overwhelmingly elected in the Electoral College and in the popular vote. He had a mandate to come into office and to enforce the laws of the United States. That's exactly what he's doing. He is not undermining the Constitution. He has not signed one thing that's contrary to the Constitution.

He's enforcing the Constitution. He's enforcing our immigration laws. He's removing criminal illegal immigrants from our society, from our communities and returning them to their homes where they belong. That is what the American people voted for and that is what the American people want.

And for this body to appropriate $50 million to sue and block and obfuscate the President of the United States, I think is outrageous. We need to be focused on the State of California. We need to look at our home and community and fix our state. We need to fireproof our state.

We need to enforce Prop 36, give the resources to the counties that they need to enforce Prop 36. We need to make California affordable by rolling back the disastrous policies, regulations and taxes passed mostly by this body. So I believe we should be working with the President of the United States, not fighting him and suing him.

That is not a good measure of good faith and trying to work with our federal partners, especially at a time when we're asking for billions of dollars in aid.

So I strongly oppose this Bill and ask my colleagues to consider the tone and context of this Bill and what you are trying to get out of the Federal Government and how this is going to be perceived. This is not going to look favorable upon us when we're asking for aid for our state. Mr. Speaker, I ask for a hard no on this Bill.

Thank you, Assembly Member Essayli, Assembly Member Ward, you are recognized Members. Please. No applause.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Rise in strong support for SB1. I want to thank our colleague from Los Angeles for bringing this measure forward. I want to thank our colleague in the Senate from San Francisco for introducing this measure. Because it's been a long time coming, in fact, two and a half months now, that so many in our community have been fearful about what the new future would look like for them and the Californians that we so desperately protect.

As the chair of our LGBT Legislative Caucus, I can tell you that the fear and the worry has been real and palpable. And just in fact, this last weekend, have a talk with a number of our community leaders.

We recognize that these hits are already coming to many of our social service providers, those that are seeing their contracts canceled, that are providing behavioral health services, that are providing STD counseling and HIV prevention services, and the list will go on and on and on.

But worse, some of the Executive orders that have already been coming that are attacking Californians, transgender Californians, for service Members, for their ability to access health care for their children, for service Members themselves, and their ability to actually serve openly and honestly for who they are when they're doing a great job serving our nation, for our educational institutions, both K12 institutions, as well as our higher educational institutions.

And the list goes on and on. We are a state. We are a great State of 40 million people who deserve us to be able to stand up and be able to support the vision that we have for California and the support systems that we have for the brighter opportunity for all of them in education, in healthcare. And the list goes on and on and on.

We know that our state, under then Attorney General during between 2017 and 2020, was able to successfully sue the federal Administration for violations of the Constitution, for violations of our rights, and was able to recover so much more than the down payment that we are authorizing like a Bill here today to be able to make sure that we get our fair share.

I'd be remiss if we don't use every opportunity to remind all Californians that we are a donor state, that we send so much to the Federal Government than we get back in resources. And so just remember that as we are voting on SB 1, because we are fighting here for our fair share.

We're fighting to be able to protect our vision, and we're fighting to make sure that the effects, the negative and harmful effects that I had heard referenced earlier as being positive effects, they could be anything further from the truth. They are divisive, they are hurtful, they sow chaos and they will ultimately set us back in a free and an honorable society. I think that we are all trying to be able to promote. For that reason, I'm in strong support of SB1.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ward. Dr. Baines, you are recognized.

Thank you, speaker and Members. When this Bill was first put forward, I had real questions about whether we were responding to a serious threat or simply trying to score some cheap political points. But this new Administration has erased any doubts that I may have had.

The President and the speaker of the House have shown us the kind of men they are. They've looked into the eyes of fire victims and all they've seen is an opportunity to use this. Use them as pawns of their culture war.

They want to handcuff our first responders, pause our disaster recovery and delay home rebuilding because they want to brag about sticking it to California. Imagine standing surrounded by the ashes of the LA fires where thousands have lost everything they've owned and having the audacity to say, we'll help you rebuild, but first change your state's voting laws.

I spent time deployed to the fire zone and I've seen firsthand the destruction and the impact on families. To say they haven't been through enough isn't just callous, it's a fundamental betrayal of American values. Look, state policies have undoubtedly played a major role in increasing the cost of living in California.

And that's why I've routinely voted against many of the bills that my fellow Democrats have authored and passed off this floor. But there's a time for fighting and a time for being a team player and working together.

Whether homes are burning in a blue or a red state, the American people need to know their government is capable of working instead of fighting. Look, in the emergency room, I don't ask for someone's voter registration before I attend them. As a Doctor, a firefighter doesn't check your political yard sign before putting out your house fire.

All I can say is thank God the President and the speaker of the House are not first responders, because instead of running towards the emergency, they are literally running away from it. The President has made a habit of calling our Governor scum on his fake version of Twitter. Mr.

President, what would you call someone who holds disaster aid hostage and uses fire victims for political gain? Because I can think of a name for someone like that. California needs to fight for the lives of the people. The President and the speaker of the House have decided that they are just collateral damage. If Washington won't do its job, then we'll do it for them. This is what this Bill is all about. And I urge a strong aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Baines. Assemblymember Schultz, you are recognized.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I was not planning to address the body today, but I felt moved to do so when I heard both from our speaker, who I echo every single point that the speaker said today. And I also felt compelled to speak when I heard from my colleague from Corona.

Now, my colleague from Corona mentioned that there were some inaccuracies, misstatements in the Speaker's comments. I disagree. And that's a fine point to bear. We can disagree in this body. But I also heard what I believe are incomplete statements from my colleague. And therefore I simply want to on the record, before we take a vote that the entire state, and I would argue the entire country, may be watching, I want to point out two things that my colleague may not be aware of.

First of all, this Administration is willfully and knowingly changing, attempting to change the Constitution of the United States. I simply ask everyone today, Google Article 5 to the United States Constitution. You will not find the words President or Executive anywhere in there.

The only way in which the United States Constitution may be amended or changed is by the state legislatures or by the Congress and not the Executive branch. With regards to the pause or the freeze on federal funding, I'll simply add that Article 1, Section 9 grants no such authority to the Executive branch.

The actions of this Administration violate not only the impoundment act of 1974, but violate the Constitution itself. And so I'll simply close with this. Mr. Speaker, I know I'm new here, but not that long ago we all took an oath together to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California, and to defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

We have an obligation, in the absence of congressional leadership, to stand up and to safeguard the Constitution that we all swore to uphold, the Constitution that President Lincoln himself fought to defend. And if we won't do that in this moment, this moment in which we will all be judged, I simply ask, what the heck are we all doing here? I strongly urge a vote on yes for SB1.

Thank you, Assemblymember Schultz. Assemblymember McKinnor, you are recognized.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. Let's be clear. This measure is not about one American. This measure is about 40 million Americans who live right here in California and who rely upon us and our Federal Government to protect us during natural disasters and to respect the due process of the law that is guaranteed to US in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution to respect the rights afforded to California and all states under the 10th Amendment of the Constitution to respect the voting rights afforded to Californians and all U.S.

citizens under the 14th Amendment, the 15th Amendment, the 19th Amendment, the 24th Amendment and the 26th Amendment of the Constitution. We would be derelict in our duty to not protect this great state from threats, both foreign or domestic, that seek to undermine rule of law in the United States.

The destructive chaos from this Administration in just the last 72 hours is proof that these funds are needed to protect vulnerable Californians. I received panic phone calls from constituents last week fearful of the housing choice vouchers, funds that their family relies upon to keep them from becoming homeless had been canceled and asking for help to pay February's rent.

I received panic phone calls from landlords that receive housing choice vouchers asking if they will be paid this month and how they will pay their mortgage or or their property on their property if federal housing programs are suspended or eliminated.

I received tearful pleas from veterans, seniors in my district asking what will happen to their ability to access health care if funding for VA and Medicare are suspended. Members, these are real threats to real Californians. Every Member in this chamber raised their right hand and took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution.

Today's action will give California the resources we need to protect our people from a very real domestic threat to the Constitution and to protect the residents of this state that we all here in this chamber swore to protect and defend. It's time to act and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you Assemblymember McKinnor. Assemblymember Demaio, you are recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank my colleague from the Bay Area for confirming what this Bill is about in large sense. And that is, it's not about the people. It's not about our constituents. It's about the politicians who knew that if they gave up their taxpayer funded lawyers that they would have to think twice about their actions.

It's a lot easier to do something that is reckless, not consistent with the law when you know that your constituents will foot the Bill for the highest priced lawyer you can possibly hire with government funds.

If you were so certain of the legitimacy, the legality of your actions, you would go it alone on principle because you have nothing to worry about. But you know, you know that the taxpayer funded lawyers in this Bill are more about the politicians than the people.

Let me tell you some of the other policies that these lawsuits the legal action that will be funded by these dollars that you're appropriating. Let's give some specific examples. The speaker says, zero, he's so worried about the cost of living.

You know that the cost of living has been at a crisis point and this Legislature has not acted on that for several years, several cycles. But under this Bill, we will take legal action against the Trump Administration to defend the ban on natural gas appliances.

Natural gas powered vehicles, those policies that you're going to now sue over are very costly to working families. A home retrofit is at least $30,000 to take all the natural gas appliances out. And don't even start to explain where we're going to get the energy because we're not going to have energy reliability if we switch entirely to electricity.

You say you want to protect children, but I can see this Bill funding litigation to stop DNA testing of migrant children at the border so that children continue to be trafficked because we don't know their true identity. You say you want to defend LGBT children.

Questioning children should not be encouraged to make a decision, a life altering, inalterable decision, so early. But you will use taxpayer funds to defend a reckless policy. Again, let's put specifics to the sorts of litigation that you want to Fund with this Bill and you'll find that all the lofty rhetoric, it's not real.

The reality is Californians will be hurt by the litigation that you're bringing. You are putting us on a collision course with the National Administration and you're doubling down on policies that hurt Californians. But the most important thing you accomplished today, you kept your taxpayer funded lawyers.

Thank you, Assemblymember Demaio. Assemblymembers Zbur, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of Senate Bill 1. It's unfortunate that some in the minority seek to portray the motivation for this funding as partisan or political or that it's about protecting politicians. There could be nothing further from the truth. This is about protecting our people, Californians and our economy.

There is nothing partisan about ensuring that hungry kids have food to eat. Or protecting families from being ripped apart in churches. Or standing up for brave service Members risking their lives for our country. Or ensuring that emergency assistance for wildfire victims make it to those in need.

Last week, the President tried to illegally stop payments for programs that all Californians depend on. Not just in blue districts or red districts or Democratic counties or Republican counties, but everywhere and for everyone. California was locked out of our Medicaid payment system. In Tulare County 63% of residents rely on Medi Cal for basic health care.

In Imperial, it's 57%. In Glenn, county, it's 49%. And in Riverside County, it's 42%. Across the state, critical services were threatened.

Funding to hire firefighters in Orange County and Modesto for bulletproof vests to protect police officers in Yuba City and in Indio for small farmers in San Diego County and the Central Valley to grow food for hungry families. Firefighters and police officers and farmers don't care which party controls the White House or our state government.

They care about serving our communities. And they need the resources to do it. Our Attorney General secured a temporary restraining order blocking the President's actions. But it's temporary, and we must continue to defend the rule of law. I don't believe that any Member here would rather not spend these funds on other priorities.

But the Administration in Washington has forced our hands. It would be a dereliction of duty to do nothing as they violate the law and harm our families, our communities and our economy. The President may betray his oath of his oath to uphold and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, but we cannot. I respectfully ask for your aye vote on Senate Bill 1.

Thank you, Assemblymember Zbur. Assemblymember Bennett, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's beyond preposterous. It's sad. It's beyond laughable. It's truly sad for someone to stand up and hear and tell us the President of the United States is not putting the children of California at risk, that the President of the United States is not putting every vulnerable person in California at risk.

That the President of the United States is not putting all of us at risk. And the simple, straightforward piece of evidence that proves how preposterous, laughable and sad those statements are is the fact that during this President's First Administration, the State of California sued the Administration more than 100 times.

And in more than two thirds of those cases, the courts ruled that this current President's Administration was violating the law or the Constitution or both. That should be case closed.

But what's truly sad is that there are a number of good people sitting on this floor today who know how sad it is these statements being made and will not be able to stand up and vote in the right way today. I feel sorry for some of my colleagues in that situation, truly. But it is beyond sad that we are in this state, in this country right now. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Bennett. Assemblymember Muratsuchi, you are recognized.

Thank you very much. You know, I also lament that we are in this situation where we have the President of the United States attempting to dismantle our democratic government and our Constitution.

But at this time, in this moment, where our democracy is under attack, our Constitution is under attack, where we have the President issuing Executive order after Executive order, blatantly unconstitutional, blatantly unlawful, such as trying to unilaterally take back the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, to unilaterally freeze federal funding.

When we all learn in high school civics that it is the Congress that appropriates funds and that the President cannot unilaterally withhold funds that have been appropriated by Congress. All we have to fight for Californians is to resort to the courts.

And we hope that our courts will uphold the Constitution and our laws when our President and the Republican majority in Congress are failing to do so. That is why this measure is necessary, because we only have the courts to uphold our Constitution and our laws.

As chair of the Education Committee, I have been focused on his actions attacking public education. And I just want to emphasize again how this measure is necessary to ensure that federal funds continue to support our most vulnerable students. Our biggest sources of federal funds for public education are Title 1 for Low income kids and special education.

Those Low income kids that rely on Title 1 funds, those special needs kids that rely on federal funds, those are Republican kids, Democratic kids, independent kids, they are California kids. And that's why this measure is necessary.

Because it's not our fault that the President or the Republican majority in Congress is not defending the Constitution and upholding the laws of our country. And so that's why it's incumbent on us to fight back to defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America.

Thank you, Assembly Muratsuchi. Assemblymember Patterson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sometimes I wonder if people in this body understand that 6.1 million people voted for Donald Trump, including in all of your districts. I have people in my district that voted against me. And I go to work every day thinking about how I represent everybody in my district.

But this session is nothing but everything. Against all the people who voted against you. You're not representing them. You are representing the majority of the people. Only when you pass this measure, you're saying, I want to fight with the person who you voted for. I want to fight against what the people who didn't vote for me because I don't care what they say.

So I'm going to sit here and do a lawsuit, spend millions of dollars on a lawsuit that really. You don't need this session. We don't need this session. You know who has cut funding for critical services in California? Not Donald J. Trump. You did. You know who cut funding for kids with developmental disabilities? Not Donald Trump.

You did. You know who cut billions of dollars just last year in education dollars? Not Donald J. Trump. You did. Who cut billions of dollars from forest management? Not Donald J. Trump. You did. So what we're going to do here is we're going to Fund, we're having a special session for unnecessary litigation.

Without a special session under Donald J. Trump's last Administration, what were you able to Fund? $6 million. 122 lawsuits. So now we want to spend up to $25 million. Are we going to 500 lawsuits against Donald Trump? The fact of the matter is we do not need this special session. You all know it.

I actually, I feel kind of bad for you that the Governor would put you in this position because you know as well as I do this special session is completely unnecessary. And it is nothing more than, than a political point against Donald J. Trump.

And we talk about, and you're right, you know, we talk about social media early and who's going to be making posts on this. Some of us may in here. I've been known to do that from time to time. But who's going to benefit the most is Governor Newsom.

He's probably going to have a big old signing ceremony that, hey, we're protecting Californians and so on and so forth.

Assembly Member Patterson, can you state to the merits of the Bill, please?

Yes, we do not need not only this session, but we don't need this legislation. The Attorney General and the Governor can sue Donald Trump for whatever they want without this special session.

And please don't think that you're not going to spend every single dime of that $25 million instead of funding some of the valuable programs that this body cut. Not Donald J. Trump. With that, I ask for a very hard no vote.

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

Good afternoon, colleagues. As someone who proudly represents a purple district and where about half of my constituents voted for our current President, one thing is clear. They did not vote to make life less affordable or for their hard earned tax dollars to be stolen by the Federal Government, risking vital services that are a lifeline for so many.

That's why this is so alarming that last week we learned that our hard earned tax dollars as a donor state that pays more in federal taxes then we get back billions that California sends to the Federal Government with the expectation that they will continue to be sent back to us for critical programs and services were being withheld.

This is in an act that my dad in his brilliance would call ask backwards where you freeze funds and then you look into whether or not it's wasteful. I don't think kids, school lunches, what may be the only meal that they eat in a day, is wasteful.

I don't think that meals on Wheels, the only meal that seniors may be getting, is wasteful. So let me be very clear. This is an attempt to steal our money. It is unconstitutional and we will not let it stand. It is Congress and not the President, as we've heard today, who has the constitutional power to approve spending.

As an Assembly woman, I took the oath to protect and defend the Constitution as we all did. And I promised that I would always fight for my constituents. That is exactly what I will do in this situation that we are faced with today, including the decisive action we're taking here to vote for both of these bills.

We have seen that stealing from Californians, plain and simple, is what this is. Withholding our hard earned tax dollars and other actions currently being taken by this Administration means our groceries and other day to day expenses will increase. It means that at a time when far too many are struggling, the cost of living will go up.

So many in our community, including myself, moved to our district because we knew that housing was more affordable and we had great schools. But when our tax dollars are being withheld, it means taking away housing people can afford, pushing people into homelessness.

It means slashing school funding for students who we need to invest more in and not take away from. So kids are going to lose teachers and neighborhood schools will close. We'll lose social workers supporting our kids in the middle of a mental health crisis. We will lose meals that fill empty bellies and kids safety will be threatened.

It means cutting services for victims of crimes. Those escaping human trafficking and domestic violence will be left without a van to pick them up, without a shelter to escape to, without a stable housing that will stabilize them and, and their families.

And I know this because the domestic violence shelter in my district right now is trying to figure out how they're going to survive if they lose federal funding.

That's what I spent the last week doing, was talking to law enforcement in my district, the chamber, talking to businesses that are the safety net in our community, providing seniors meals, providing schools after school programs. They all are scared. This is not a drill.

The actions being taken by this Administration are threatening our state, our city and county budgets that Fund our law enforcement and in turn are threatening our families and our community safety if they are successful.

If this Administration is successful in taking billions and billions of dollars from our state, we cannot Fund these important programs ourselves, even if all of that funding is restored.

As the chair of the Military and Veteran Affairs Committee, representing a large veteran community, I spoke with veteran organizations who said they will not be able to pay rent if these funds disappear for hundreds of veterans. They will only be able to make the next payroll, meaning mental health services and other services completely disappear for veterans.

And we know that people relying on the GI Bill right now because of hiring freezes have not gotten their Bill to pay for rent. And it's the third and rent was due on the first. Just if I may one more thing. This is the human financial cost of the illegal and unconstitutional actions. This action today to stand up to protect our tax dollars and our pocketbook and our safety is why I'm supporting these bills.

Thank you, Assemblymember. Thank you, Assemblymember Berman, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wasn't really preparing to speak on this, on this Bill, but the gaslighting that we've heard on this floor has been staggering. One colleague mentioned sort of with disdain, using taxpayer funded lawyers to defend what what officials in government do.

Another another colleague laughingly claimed that President Trump hasn't done anything illegal in his first two weeks in office, hasn't done anything unconstitutional. But the reality is just one of the two lawsuits that California has already brought against this Administration perfectly exemplifies why both of those statements are so amusingly wrong.

And that was when in his first day in office, President Trump tried to unilaterally strike from the Constitution the 14th Amendment. And a lawsuit was brought. A lawsuit was brought by a government, excuse me, a lawsuit was brought by California. And President Trump, using his high paid government lawyers, tried to defend his obviously unconstitutional action.

And don't take my word for how unconstitutional that action was, because here is what the obvious the judge who was appointed by the obviously woke liberal Ronald Reagan put it when he was discussing how ridiculous and illegal President Trump's Executive order was. U.S.

District Court Judge John Kufner wrote, quote, I am having trouble understanding how a Member of the bar could state unequivocally that this order is constitutional. It just boggles my mind. I've been on the bench for over four decades.

Mr. Essayli, state your point of order. Your point is well taken. Mr. Berman.

Permission to read. Mr. Speaker

Is there an objection to reading? Just a moment, Mr. Berman,

please.

And this is not debatable, Mr. Essayli, your objection is noted. We will move to a vote, all those present and voting on whether or not the Member can continue to read. Clerk will call the roll.

Majority of those present and voting. Clerk will call the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. You're voting on the motion to permit Assemblymember Berman to read in his comments. Clerk will close the roll. Ayes 58, nos. 4. The objection fails. Mr. Berman, you may read.

Thank you for the permission to read. Mr. Speaker. Why don't I take it from the top once again, for those who might not have caught it, this is US District Court Judge John Kufenhauer, appointed by that woke liberal President Ronald Reagan in declaring why President Trump's Executive order on his first day in office was so obviously unconstitutional.

And I quote, I'm having trouble understanding how a Member of the bar could state unequivocally that this order is constitutional. It just boggles my mind. I've been on the bench for over four decades. I can't remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order.

That was one of the two lawsuits that California has brought so far. The other lawsuit, as a lot of my colleagues in the chamber have spoken to, was President Trump's Executive order to freeze $3 trillion in federal funding. And it was mentioned on the floor. Why are Democrats only defending Democrat voters?

Why are Democrats only defending voters who voted for Kamala Harris and not those voters who voted for Donald J. Trump? Well, let's talk about some of the programs that President Donald J. Trump wanted to cut. He wanted to cut the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention grant Program.

He wanted to cut VA Homeless Provider Grants, VA Supportive Services for Veteran Families programs, Legal Services for Veterans grant programs, State Veterans Home Care Payments to states for programs to promote the hiring and retention of nurses at state veterans homes and veterans cemetery grant programs. Those were the programs that President Donald J.

Trump used, tried to cut for Californians. And I assure you that not everyone, not every Californian that utilizes those programs voted for Kamala Harris. I would be willing to bet that a majority of them voted for President Donald J. Trump.

But those are the constituents, all Californians are the constituents that we have an obligation to defend on this floor. And that is exactly what we're doing. It is clear and obvious to anybody who's really being honest with themselves that California has an obligation to defend its citizens from federal overreach from any presidential Administration.

And we are in a clear threat from this one. So I think this is a small amount to pay. And we've seen from four years ago how much money Californians, California taxpayers save from these lawsuits against federal overreach by the Trump Administration.

So that is why for those interested in a return on investment, so those interested in, in fiscal financial policies, this is an obvious investment to make. I strongly encourage your support for SB 1.

Thank you. Assemblymember Berman, Assemblymember Bauer Kahan, you are recognized.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise in support of SB 1. You know, this debate started with our colleague from, I want to say Corona, but I apologize if I misstating where you're from. Our colleague from Corona is saying that we should work with the President. So I want to start by saying I would love nothing more.

I would like us to all be united in taking care of Californians. To me, this is not about fighting any President. To me, this is about delivering for the people of California. As many of you know, I'm the granddaughter of immigrants who fled a fascist regime. And they taught me a love of democracy, a love of democracy that is so deep in me that I believe in states rights with everything I've got.

I ran for office, in fact, six years ago because I understood that when you disagree with the Federal Government and you need someone to stand up for the people of the state, it's the state government that will do that. That's our job. That's how our country was built. And it's beautiful.

It's beautiful in times when I agree with the Federal Government. It's beautiful in times when I don't. It is the checks and balances that keep us safe and that prevent the kind of horrors that my grandparents experienced.

And so, you know, as was mentioned by our colleague from Palo Alto, and I have to say I agree with everything he said. As usual, two lawsuits have been filed. In both of those lawsuits, judges believe the law has been violated.

But there's no question that attorneys and Members of the bars could easily argue that the law has been violated. No laws will be filed, no lawsuits will be filed by the Attorney General of this great state unless the President violates the law.

And when he does so, or anyone does so, for that matter, because by the way, the Attorney General files lawsuits against people other than the Federal Government. It is absolutely the role of our Attorney General to do that, to protect us. That's his job. That's why we elected him.

And so it is truly with gratitude that I watched. I've watched him do that. As you heard, both of the lawsuits filed, the one where the President has tried to unilaterally amend the Constitution, which is clearly not lawful, and the other where he tried to take funds away from every Californian were lawsuits that were wholly appropriate.

And so I trust him to continue to do that and to protect the Californians that we were brought here to represent. And so I am so grateful to appropriate these funds to make sure that he does uphold our democracy.

And in so doing, he will protect the Californians, the veterans, the seniors, the unhoused, the people who need the resources that the Federal Government has tried to take, the victims of the fires in Southern California. He will fight to make sure those FEMA dollars come to California if he needs to.

And that is what we need him to do. And that is why we are sending these dollars. And it is critically important we do this. And I wish we could do it in a bipartisan way, because at the end of the day, I also represent a district that is purple and has plenty of people who don't vote for me.

But I know those people need me to stand up for them just as much, and they need their Attorney General to stand up for them just as much in order for our democracy to be strong, our communities to be strong, our economy to be strong. And I know that that is what will happen in the years that come. And with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Bauer Kahan. Assemblymember Gallagher, you are recognized.

Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. You know, I think what we really need here this morning is perspective. And what I mean by perspective is when we actually take a step. Let's take a step back and look at the overall view here of where we sit here today.

I agree with the speaker with the very first admonition that he gave us that we do need much more unity in this House, and we also need to put a big focus on affordability. But what have we been doing the first month of our legislative session?

Have we been busy in our committees discussing how we can make things more affordable for everyday Californians who have been having bipartisan work groups talking about how we can lower costs, how we can remove maybe regulatory barriers, how we can lower utility bills, how we can make housing more affordable? No, we haven't. And why.

Take a step back. Why are we here? Is it because that you guys called this special session? No, this body didn't even ask for this. This was a special session called by the Governor right after the election for political purposes only.

And we know that he's going to trump proof California, and he made it political from day one. And that's why we're here today. And we're debating this Bill, instead of talking about that important issue, affordability, and then what do we do? We respond to that, right? We respond with our ideas because we say, hey, this isn't right.

We say, actually, we should be talking about wildfire. And you guys actually agree we should be talking about wildfire. Right? But then we get to. We do relief. And that's great. Bipartisan. We passed it. And then we say, you know what? Let's talk about prevention. Let's talk about the things that stop these fires from happening again.

And I give an impassioned plea to this floor. Very respectful, civil. I see you nodding your heads in agreement. Yeah, let's work on those things. You come over, you say, yeah, let's work on those things.

Mr. Gallagher, please keep your comments germane to the tenants of this Bill.

And what do we do instead? That gets voted down on a party line vote. Right? Because that's what we do around here. We go right back to those corners. Right? And we push through. Instead, we're not talking about wildfire anymore. We're talking about Trump. Proof California Donald Trump is bad. We must fight him.

You know what also is funny? I was there in LA when the President came, and I didn't hear the President saying, I want to punish you. In fact, what is the first thing that he said when he showed up? I want to remove every permit, every barrier to relief and make sure that recovery is quick.

That's exactly what he said. A President who said, hey, I'm here to help. That could have been an opportunity for us to say, you know what? Yeah, let's remove the barriers, let's remove the requirements, let's remove anything that stops a quick recovery. Let's talk about wildfire prevention.

The only thing that's really stopping us from doing that, guys, is us. I hear that people are mad about hostile amendments. We brought exactly one. Two now, one on wildfire prevention. I've been fighting on that issue for 10 years.

Mr Gallagher, please keep your comments to the tenets of this Bill.

Rather than sitting here today arguing over how we're gonna fight Donald Trump and how we're gonna give more money to government lawyers. That is what we're doing to go fight Donald Trump. We could be talking about how we make things more affordable. We could be talking about wildfire. The funny thing is, we want to work with you.

And in fact, there was a lot of conversations early on in this session, bipartisan ones. I know amongst many of you saying, let's work together on this, let's work together on this. Issue. And now I hear no, we're not going to do that. We're going to go into our corners. We're going to go fight each other.

We're going to push through Trump proof California to benefit who? The Governor. Because he wants to run for President. Why? And thank you, the gentleman from Los Angeles who brought up separation of powers and who brought up the fact that the Legislature is the one that has the power and we shouldn't let a Governor rule by Executive order.

Thank you, Mr.

I said that a couple years ago. I wish you were here then. We have the power as a Legislature to do things differently. Let's do it today. That's all that we're saying. And we're going to bring up. We're going to disagree on things. That's okay, but let's actually do something that's good for our constituents. And that is what I propose to do today instead of this. Thank you.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, I wish we had the luxury of taking a step back. I reminisce of the days of bipartisanship in the manner we had during. Frankly, the first Trump Administration didn't always agree on things, but there was still this desire to see how we can move California forward even if we didn't agree on every issue.

We have history as an example this time around as opposed to the first Trump Administration. The First Trump Administration, yes, we did spend several million dollars with over 120 lawsuits. Now we didn't want to bring any lawsuits. And the reality is we won over two thirds of them.

A lawsuit won't even be heard unless you have standing, which means the Administration was bringing the fight to us. And we had to defend California. We had to defend our people regardless of what their political party is, regardless of what they do for a living, regardless of whether they were rich or poor.

This time around we have the benefit of hindsight. We have the benefit of not only what we went through the first time. And by the way, that 6 million or so million dollar investment with 120 lawsuits brought back many billions of dollars back to Californians.

This time around, the hostility that the President is showing towards us is even greater. And the reality is that there are words and there are actions we know as elected officials here trying our best to represent Californians.

We want to believe the words of the President, but our history teaches us that we have to be prepared for him continuing to bring the fight against us here in California. This is not, as other colleagues have said, something that we choose to do. But the reality is it would be unwise for us.

It would be unwise for us to not be prepared and not be prepared to fight. I really do reminisce about the past because the reality is that now we have the opportunity to stand up united to protect all Californians.

And I, for one, am going to do whatever I can to ensure that our treasury is not being raided by the Federal Government to make sure that we can stand up for California values, not the values of billionaires dining with the President in Mar a Lago. We need to stand up. And if they're going to bring the fight to us, if the President and his oligarchs are going to bring the fight to us, we got to stand up and fight back.

Thank you, Assemblymember Kalra, seeing and hearing no further debate. Assemblymember Gabriel, would you like to close?

Yes. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And first, let me thank all the Democratic colleagues that stood up and spoke today. I was profoundly moved by the comments of each and every one of you. I think they made a clear and compelling case for why this is so necessary and why this is so important.

Why I think all of us are going to be really proud to pass this Bill today and send it to our Governor to sign it into law, to make sure that our Attorney General and lawyers can do the work that they need to do.

The minority leader suggested that we take a step back, that we look at the bigger picture. And I think that's wise, because I think when we do that, this Bill comes down to three the US Constitution, the rule of law, and the people of the State of California.

A few short weeks ago, all of us stood on this floor. We raised our right hands in front of our loved ones, in front of our families, in front of faith leaders, in front of the people of the State of California. And we swore an oath. We didn't swear an oath to a king.

We didn't swear an oath to the President of the United States. We swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. This funding is about upholding the Constitution of the United States of America. This funding is about upholding the rule of law.

This funding is about protecting Californians of every background, of every political party and of every religious affiliation, of every immigration status. It is about protecting the people of the State of California. So I ask all of my colleagues today stand with the California. Stand for the Constitution. Stand for the rule of law. Stand for your constituents. Vote Aye on SB1.

Thank you, Assemblymember Gabriel. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes. 57. No. 0. The measure passes. Excuse me. No. 17 without objection.

Immediate transmittal to the Senate for enrollment. Members, we'll take a brief moment to. zero, my goodness. She just left the chamber. We're about to wish happy birthday. We'll do that in a moment. Instead, we will recognize my cousin Cliff, who's up here with his partner Haley, visit us from out of town. Looked up to him. My.

My entire life, I looked up to my cousin Cliff. Assemblymember Borner will have to wait for our good wishes. And instead, Assemblymember Borner. Members, please join me in wishing Assemblymember Borner a very happy birthday today. Both sides of the aisle can agree that we love having you in this chamber. Moving on. Item 2, Senate Bill 2 by Assembly Member Gabriel with amendments. The Clerk will read

Senate Bill 2 with amendments by Assemblymember Castillo.

Assemblymember Castillo, you are recognized on the amendments.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, today I rise to present critical amendments to SBX1-2 and urge your support. These amendments send an unambiguous message. California will not use taxpayer dollars to shield convicted felons, including those who illegally reside in our state, from federal law enforcement measures.

Those convicted of egregious felonies such as child trafficking, child pornography, sexual abuse of minors, violent crimes, drug trafficking, and other serious criminal offenses must be held fully accountable, and they should not be allowed to remain in our communities without consequences.

Yet, without these amendments, state resources could still flow to organizations that obstruct federal efforts to bring these criminals to justice. Protecting our communities and ensuring that criminals face the consequences of their actions should not be a partisan issue. It should be common sense. The citizens of California have made their position on this state soft on crime policies

very clear through the overwhelming passage of Proposition 36. This amendment is in total alignment with the demand of our constituents and simply upholds our representative commitment to them. Nothing more and nothing less.

If we fail to act, we risk creating loopholes that will allow convicted felons to commit to continue to harm the citizens of our state through misguided empathy of organizations funded by this measure when they should be facing the full consequences of their actions.

While we may disagree on the final product of this Bill, let's try to find common ground through these amendments. Supporting them is the right thing to do. Regardless of your opinion on the policies or leadership of our Federal Government. Colleagues today, I ask you to seriously consider supporting these amendments. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Castillo. Assemblymember Gabriel, you were recognized.

Yes. Mr. Speaker, point of parliamentary inquiry. Is there a letter pertaining to this Bill at the desk, and if so, could the Clerk read it into the record?

There is a letter at the desk. Clerk will read the letter at the desk.

Letter to the journal regarding SB2. Dear Mrs. Parker, rewrite as joint authors to SB2 to clarify the intent of the Bill with respect to its appropriation of 25 million for civil legal assistance for Californians.

The intent of this funding is to support pro Bono legal services for especially vulnerable Californians, including undocumented families and other immigrants, veterans, people with disabilities, homeless, youth, seniors, Members of the LGBTQ community, victims of domestic violence, wage theft, and human trafficking, people facing evictions, and more.

None of the funding in SB2 is intended to be used for immigration related services for individuals with serious or violent felony convictions. Sincerely, Jesse Gabriel, Assemblymember 46th District, and Scott Wiener, Senator, 11th District.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and I just want to respond to a few of the comments from our other colleague from Corona. I think, first of all, if you ever want to talk about these issues, the door is always open.

There are some limitations on this funding and existing law that I'd be happy to walk you through. I also think that the amendment represents a fundamental misunderstanding of how these programs work. These are programs that help victims of domestic violence. These are programs that help victims of human trafficking.

Many of these legal aid programs have traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support. Many of them have been in existence for more than 25 years. And many of your Republican colleagues have routinely supported funding for these programs. So this is an unnecessary amendment. I hope we will dispense with it quickly and move on to debate on the Bill.

Madam Majority Leader, you are recognized.

I move to lay the amendments on the table.

State your inquiry. Mr.Essayli

Speaker, were the letter was the. Letter that was just read. Will any of that text be in the legislation itself?

Just a moment. Mr. Essayli. Thank you. It.

Thank you for your patience, Mr. Essayli. It is not in the legislation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Madam Majority Leader, can you please restate your motion? I believe that you moved to lay the amendments on the table. Is that correct?

Move to lay the amendments on the table.

Is there a second? Mr. Garcia seconds. This motion is not debatable. It takes the majority of those present and voting Members. This is a procedural vote. Clerk will open the roll. Majority Leader is asking for an aye vote. Assemblymember Castillo is asking for a no vote. All those vote who desire to vote.

All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Eyes, 54. noes 18. The amendments are laid on the table. Senate Bill 2 by Assemblymember Gabriel. The Clerk will read.

Senate Bill 2 by Senator Wiener and others. And accolades to the state budget, making it appropriation, therefore, to take effect immediately. Budget Bill.

Assemblymember Gabriel, you may open.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to present SB 2, a Bill that increases funding for legal aid services by $25 million in the current year.

These programs serve some of the most vulnerable people in California, including undocumented families, veterans, people with disabilities, homeless youth, seniors, Members of the LGBTQ community, victims of domestic violence, wage theft and human trafficking, people facing evictions, military families, and more.

This funding also will provide vulnerable Californians the information and resources they need to protect important legal and and constitutional rights. That is why the state has invested in these programs for years.

They have traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support and are important priorities for the State Bar, the Judicial Council, and our judicial branch of government, which help to oversee them. For example, the one California program that will be funded here was established in 2015, prior to the first Trump Administration. These are not new programs, and they deserve our support.

Colleagues, we know that many of our most vulnerable communities are feeling deeply threatened in this moment, and we must stand with them. I respectfully ask for your aye vote on SB 2.

Thank you, Assemblymember Gabriel. Assemblymember Demaio, you are recognized.

So here we go again. We're doing one thing, but we really don't want to do it. This body just had an opportunity to vote on an amendment that would formalize in law that we will not use taxpayer funds to defend people who have felony records, felony criminals, and to help keep them in this country and release them back onto our streets into your communities, where they could go out and recommit crimes.

You say you're doing something, but you're not. You had a chance to vote on the amendment, to actually make it happen. Words are cheap. Actions mean everything. It's the only thing that matters to protect our communities actions. And it just dumbfounds me why you wouldn't accept this amendment.

Every single Californian should be asking, should be demanding an answer to that question from every single one of you who voted down this amendment. Why did you actually not put it into the force of law by including it in the Bill? This is what your weekend has been spent on.

This is what the Democrat caucus has been debating and torn apart over. oh golly, how do we get around this amendment? What do we do? Well, maybe we'll put a post it note on the COVID of the Bill which has no effect in law. It will not do one darn thing to keep funding from going to a felony criminal and keeping them in this country. I've heard a lot of gaslighting on the issue of immigration.

The claim, the false claim, that somehow a secure border and deporting criminals from our country to keep our neighborhood safe, that somehow that is somehow inconsistent with a welcoming, embracing country, a nation of immigrants.

No action by the Trump Administration, no position by my colleagues on this side of the aisle is meant in any way to undermine our rich heritage as a nation of immigrants. How lucky are we that we get the best and brightest wanting to come to our country from around the world.

So many want to come here that we actually don't have the capacity to take everyone who wants to come here every year. That's not a partisan issue, that's just reality. And to say that we want to vet people is not mean spirited or anti immigrant. It's logical. It's about putting security first. It's about putting sustainability first.

What we are asking today is to protect our neighborhoods from criminals. Sanctuary policies are not victimless policies. They do create victims. And in fact this body in previous sessions has made it harder for the public to know the immigration status of a felon.

Because perhaps we don't want the public to know how many serious violent crimes are actually being committed by people who shouldn't be here in the first place. The least you could do is stop spending taxpayer funds to keep violent criminals in our country. I ask you to reconsider your position on this issue or vote no on the Bill.

Thank you, Assemblymember Demaio. Assemblymember Bryan, you are recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker and colleagues. Thank you to our colleague from San Diego for his remarks. I always appreciate a good gas lighting on this floor. We didn't actually spend the weekend talking about this amendment at all.

We spent the weekend talking about the message and not the message that we're going to send to the unelected man running our country or his beholden friend. We were thinking about the message we wanted to send to the millions of undocumented families, including trafficking survivors, who are terrified that their cries for asylum and refuge will go unanswered.

A message to the millions of legal immigrants who are afraid to go outside because their country, their home, their nation, has begun to normalize the most dangerous forms of racial profiling, othering and criminalization. The message we wanted to send to our youth who are afraid to go to school and learn.

Students who in the absence of true safety and security, are being taught that their constitutional rights can be erased and eroded one illegal Executive order at a time. We were thinking about the message we wanted to send to every community across California who's afraid to simply exist. I think today our message is pretty clear.

You are not alone. California will not abandon you. This body will not abandon you. You have rights. And we will fight to protect and defend those rights, even when it's hard. And that's a message that's rooted in love, A message rooted in compassion and opportunity. It's a message purer than misinformation, more powerful than divisive rhetoric.

It's the California message. And I'm proud to stand on this floor today and deliver that message to all of the Californians who are looking for us to do what's right. To do it when it's hard, to do it when it's polarized, to do it when it's misconstrued, misrepresented, and used to demonize and criminalize whole communities.

That is when our work is the most important. That is what we were elected to do. And I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Bryan. Assemblymember Essayli, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Not only have we heard a lot of gaslighting today, we've also heard a lot of fear mongering. And the reason communities are scared right now is they're being given misinformation about what's actually happening at the federal level. There are not raids going on at elementary schools. That's not true.

People are not being indiscriminately picked up. What's happening is there's an organized effort to get criminals who are here unlawfully out of our communities and out of the country.

And we would not, the Federal Government would not need to go into the community If California would cooperate with the government and hand the criminals over in the jails, if we would just hand the criminals over in jail to Ayes, Ayes would not need to go into the community, which would scare people.

So that's the result of policies of this body. But since we're going to talk about the Constitution, it's been invoked many times today. And the Member of Corona, as the Member of Corona, has been asked about it. I'm happy to discuss these Executive orders. You guys have referred to birthright citizenship issue.

The Executive order signed by the President is consistent with the 14th Amendment, which says any person born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof is a citizen. What does subject to the jurisdiction thereof mean? It means something. It doesn't mean nothing. And that's what the courts will wrestle with.

No court in the United States has ever said illegal immigrants who step foot in the United States and have a child are automatically entitled to citizenship. That is not the intent of the framers of the 14th Amendment. This issue has now been teed up to go to the Supreme Court. That is what we're going to litigate.

That is the issue to be resolved. So I ask you, what does it mean? I'm happy to have that debate with you. Subject to the jurisdiction thereof. Look it up. But we can talk about the Constitution. I'm encouraged that there's a renewed effort to defend the Constitution. I love it. I love it.

I hope we're going to defend the entire Constitution, the Second Amendment, the Electoral College, minority rights. I love it. Let's defend it. Let's make it mean something. But the reason we need the amendments that were proposed by the minority party is because we don't have clarity on these programs. I was on the Budget Committee.

I asked the Governor staff, can you assure me none of this money will be used to defend criminal, illegal immigrants? And they said, we cannot give you that guarantee. This money will be used to pay for attorneys to defend immigrants, illegal immigrants, from deportation proceedings.

We need assurances that they are not going to defend criminal illegal immigrants in deportation proceedings. And we just had an opportunity to add that clarity into the Bill, and it was rejected by this body. And it's my understanding the Governor actually supports the clarification that we proposed. The Governor wants it. So why aren't we doing it?

Is it because we were threatened by the Senate? The Senate said, don't you dare change it and send it over. Well, who's in charge, us or the Senate? We should make the changes and send it over. We should do the right thing. Nobody who elected you wants you spending money on criminal legal immigrants. Find me one person.

I don't think there is. So you need to now, unfortunately, reject this Bill because it doesn't have the amendments that are required to protect our tax dollars. So with that, I urge a no vote. Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Essayli. Assemblymember Banta, you are recognized Members.

I rise today to speak in support of SB X1 2. Our vote in support of this Bill is essential. It is as essential as the immigrants who fuel this economy in our state and who contribute every single day to our very livelihoods. Immigrants help keep the state running and Fund.

Ultimately, that funding goes to help both documented and undocumented communities. Immigrants as a whole continue to contribute nearly $1.0 trillion to the California economy each year. Undocumented immigrants alone contribute $8.5 billion in state and local taxes in 2022, a number that would rise actually to $10.3 billion if these taxpayers were granted work authorization.

And as health Chair, I have to mention our workforce is entirely dependent in many sectors on our immigrant community. 50% of certified nursing assistants in California's nursing homes are immigrants. 47% of direct care workers are immigrants, and including 46% of nursing assistants and 47% of personal care aides who are foreign born.

Our state literally runs on the backs of immigrants. Our healthcare system is entirely dependent on our immigrants who we cannot afford to not support this Bill. This funding is an incredibly small fraction of that trillion dollar contribution.

I'm voting for this Bill because I support helping the struggling college student who qualifies for a visa but never knew he qualified nor had the resources to pay for the application. I support the mother escaping violence who turns to legal aid organization for help getting on her feet.

And despite what our colleague from Corona said and our colleague from San Diego said, fear mongering and chaos is how we are operating today in the United States with these Executive orders that have come one after the other to teach us as immigrants, as undocumented, that we do not belong, that we are people who need to be in the dark while we contribute every single day to this economy, every single day to the fabric of our society.

Make no mistake, afoot in this United States today is a purpose, an intentional purpose, to keep us in the dark, to keep us in the shadows. And California for far too long, has stood boldly to ensure that every person who contributes to our economy and our society belongs here in our California.

That is the California that I belong to. That is the California that this Bill supports to ensure that our community Members have the ability to know that they have the resources to support them. And make no mistake, a letter to the Journal is actually clarifying qualifying intent language that ensures that we know how to spend that money.

Criminal illegals. The last time I checked, it was the position of this federal Administration that anyone who is undocumented and entered into this country illegally or by other means is actually an illegal and a criminal. That is the position that we are fighting against.

That is the position that we make sure, need to make sure that we are resourcing in this very moment. I know my district feels this every single day. I had a mother call me and say, I'm worried about my son going into a government building.

30 seconds.

Because of the draconian immigration policies and the raids that she saw, teachers in my district want to be able to reassure their children and their families that it's okay to go to school. But in reality, they are scared, too. So today we must rise and we must support this.

This measure.

Thank you, Assembly Member Bonta, Assembly Member Gipson, you are recognized.

Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise in support of SBX12 by Wiener on the matter that lies on the hearts of our nation. Identity. Immigration.

From the very foundation of this great country, immigrants have been the architect of progress, the hand that has built our cities, our states, our country and the minds that ignite our innovation. They are not just a number on a page. They are vibrant threads that woven in the fabric of this society.

In this country, immigrants are not just Latinos. It's those from Nigeria, Filipinos, Chinese, Ethiopia. These are our brothers and our sisters. Immigrants bring with them a dream of aspirations, a spirit that fueled our economy with rich history. They remind us that diversity is our strength in this state.

With a different perspective of fostering creativity and resilience in this State of California that we love, that we embrace.

In every corner, every corner of our state, of our land, you will find the stories of triumphs of our families who have overcome diversity and contribute greatly, greatly to this country, to this state that we love, that we call the Golden State.

California has always been a beacon of light and hope and have led in this space to protect our brothers and sisters. Makes no difference. The language you speak. Makes no difference. Who your mama, who your daddy is, your zip code. You belong here. This is home. And we say this without pause or any reservation.

Immigrants workers contribute over $1 trillion to California's economy. Immigrants. They are our brothers and our sisters. They are the people we go to church with, the people we go to school with, they teach our children, they care for our crops and our fields.

And when we have the audacity to go to expensive hotels, they're the ones who clean our room after we leave. They're the ones who serve us the food that we eat each and every day.

It's mind boggling to me that we're having a debate on something that is so right and we're buying into this divisive and division that has poisoned the very fabric of this country.

Our democracy is being challenged and I'm trying to look at every one of you, in your eyes and even those who may vote against is our responsibility, dammit. We protect the least of these that society have labeled invisible, insignificant and left for dead. We stand up. And it's our responsibility to do just that. To stand up.

They build the lives, leaving their own country, coming to a familiar country and making it. They're the store owners, they're the people who own car dealerships. Even in my community, the Bakers. And it's our responsibility to making sure not any of us.

When we go to a hospital, are we asking whether or not those individuals caring for us carry a green card or are they citizens? No. Because they're going to care for you regardless. Regardless if you're a Democrat or Republican. They're going to care for you whether or not you voted for the guy, whatever his name is.

They're going to care for you regardless. Because they care. 30 seconds. And if we forget, we can't go back. Because I'm reminded in my own culture of what happened in 1963 with Emmett Till. I'm reminded and know what happened in 1965 in the Watts riot. Breonna Taylor. And the list goes on and on.

So we won't go back. I strongly encourage you to please vote Aye.

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

Thank you. Members, I rise to send a message to my colleagues, a message that my parents have sent to this country when they came here as undocumented immigrants with me as a three year old and my brother at six months old.

They said they wanted to come here in search of the American dream, but not just to reap the benefits, but to contribute. And they did.

And it's because of that hard work that I dedicated my life to service and ran for office and stand here every single Monday and Thursday pledging allegiance to the flag, the American flag of the United States, and say justice for all Members.

This Bill allocates funds to defend the rights of California residents against the illegal overreach we are seeing in our streets and cities today. Many of you have distributed Know youw Rights materials online and on little cards to be carried around in our wallets.

I had a Know Your Rights workshop this weekend with hundreds of Members attending from my community and sharing stories of being terrified of being picked up by Ayes or not being able to come home after work, or listening to their children cry, being scared of what's happening to their parents.

The message on these materials are just a very few simple things. Say nothing. No digasnada. Talk to a lawyer. Here's a phone number to call and ask for someone. Those phone numbers are for local and state nonprofits who have the experience to help them and whom community Members trust. Not government lawyers, but community legal aid organizations.

But if we are going to vote no, then we should stop telling people to know their rights because they won't do them any good. There will be no help on the other end of the line and that American dream we've all worked so hard for will not be there when they call. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ortega. Assemblymember Lee, you are recognized.

Thank you. Members, of course I rise in strong support today of SB2, but much has been said about the 14th Amendment and I want to bring some clarity to it. I think today we celebrate Lunar New Year. I'm wearing the garb of my ancestors.

It's a bit important reminder, especially for those on the other side of the aisle, that the 14th Amendment birthright citizenship was made solid because of a Supreme Court case in 1898 by Wong Kim Mark, a San Franciscan of Chinese descent, born in California.

Now, the 14th amendment, and rightly so, our speaker alluded to the great works of Abraham Lincoln, who fought to preserve the republic. And his work which outlived him was to guarantee citizenship to the people who were freed from slavery, which is the basis of the 14th Amendment.

So of course it alarms many of us on this side of the aisle. There are people in this room who defend the President to get rid of birthright citizenship, which has been the bedrock of society, of our immigration system for over 100 years.

And it was a Chinese American who made that very real because some people wanted to make sure that was denied to people. And yet we're seeing history again repeat itself. And so I get very tired of hearing from people at the federal level or even from this House that pay lip service to legal immigrants.

My colleague from Oakland puts it right, this federal Administration wants to criminalize the very existence of people. Doesn't matter if you stole something or hurt someone, just you existing your legal status is a crime in of itself enough to be sent on a plane and put in Guantanamo Bay. That is what they want to do.

And I'm not exaggerating here, go on the White House social media, that's what they say themselves. And so I get very tired of hearing about this lip service because even that Executive order would affect your legal constituents and their children. Under that Executive order, all visa holding immigrants, their children would not even be citizens anymore.

So I, if this Executive order had happened when I was much younger, I would not have been a citizen. And then I asked my colleagues, what do you do about those illegal kids now, the ones that are born here, born to legal visa holders?

Are you also going to put them on a plane and send them away because they are criminals? Because they were born too early to take the test? Because that sounds like the vision of a future that certain party is spreading and going back in the past.

So I think today it is very important and very salient that our speaker brought up the works of our President, Abraham Lincoln, because we, our country is torn apart before to fight against a white supremacist abusive regime.

And now today, I see echoes of it again, trying to put people back in their place, getting undesirables out of the country. And that is not hyperbole.

And I really hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle understand that this legal defense Fund is for people that, that are facing domestic violence, eviction crises, or other things they need help in. And they also happen to be immigrants. Their immigrant status doesn't define them.

Yet certain people in the political spectrum want to define them solely by their immigration status and treat them as such. That's not the case in California. We have people who work in the fields, people work in offices, and yes, people who also make a bunch of crypto money who are immigrants right now.

And without us, our country would not look anything like it. And without our immigrants supporting, especially in my district in Silicon Valley, I don't think that we would all do all the great things that are the other side of the aisle want to also Fund. So we have to be very careful and talk about this.

But I also want to set the record straight that this would affect all immigrants, not just the ones that you make sound scary and do all these crazy things, but also the very legal folks who fought very hard to get through an inhumane immigration system.

And so the solution, if my colleagues really want to always fix the immigration problem, is really to make immigration work again in this country. And that's something I think we all want to do.

But instead, there's certain people here who focus on the most sensationalist aspects of immigration instead of actually focusing on the root problem, is that our immigration system is broken in the first place.

So let's stand up for immigrant community, all the issues they face, and this is a small pot of money to make sure that their everyday struggles, they can actually have a voice in court. I ask for support.

Thank you, Assemblymember Lee, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan, you are recognized.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise in support of SB2. As many of you know, I was raised by refugees. My grandparents both came to this country as refugees from Nazi Austria. But I'll say my grandmother always wanted to be called a survivor, not a refugee. She said she was strong, she was a survivor.

And, you know, as I was thinking about coming today to take this vote, it was their story that was in my heart. In 1939, they knew Kristallnacht was coming. My great grandmother took them to the opera so they wouldn't be rounded up and taken to their deaths.

The only reason my great grandfather didn't end up at a concentration camp was because they were at the opera. My other great grandfather did end up in Dachau. Jews were being round up and sent to the most horrific death any of us could ever imagine. Gassed in rooms full of people, sent to the crematoriums.

And so they sought refuge in this country. And it wasn't easy. As many of you know, boats of Jews were turned away to be sent back and killed by the Nazis. When my grandmother died and I was helping my dad go through her house, my grandmother was very tidy.

And I opened a drawer, and it was not tidy. And in it, I found stacks of documents in German. My dad came over, who was raised by German speakers, and started to read them.

They were the documents from when they were trying to flee, the papers carried across borders that showed that they were the next to go to the death camps. The rejections, the numbers way down the list where they wouldn't survive. So my grandmother and grandfather were sent off before their parents.

My grandmother would describe the day she left, saying goodbye to her mother, her father, her beloved dog, and her grandmother, who she would never see again. And she went off to England and hoped and prayed they would make it to this country. And then they did.

She described the boat trip from England to New York as the best days of her life. She danced in the hull of the boat with the other folks who knew their lives had been saved by this great nation. As she sailed into New York harbor, she saw the Statue of Liberty.

And as she walked onto Ellis island, where she would get her first taste of being an American, she realized she had been saved. And it was the people who helped my grandparents get to this country, the organization that supported them in resettlement, that saved their lives. And it's the reason I'm standing here today.

And so, as I became a lawyer, immigration practice was an important part of what I believed I needed to do. Because, like our colleague from San Leandro, I was taught that this country gave us everything and we owed everything back. And it isn't an accident that the two of us are standing on this floor as public servants.

We. We were taught we have to serve this country. We have to make it the great nation that was promised to us when we were given the American dream or even just a chance to live. And that is what Immigrants are to this nation.

But when, like my family, you're coming to a country with nothing, you need help. It's not simple to seek asylum. You have to figure out how the elements of the case.

And we know that people who have a lawyer who are seeking asylum are granted refuge more often than those who do not, because access to justice involves counsel. It is why I became a lawyer. It is why I'm proud to be a Member of the bar.

And so, as I have had the privilege of representing people in the immigration system, many of whom don't get asylum, but some who do, who get the chance my family got, I know that we are saving generations of people, and that is what we are doing today. Members.

We are giving people like me a chance when they come to this country, Fearing for their Lives to get a moment in court, a moment of justice and a second chance at life and the opportunity to give back and serve this nation and make it stronger. So I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan. Assemblymember Patterson, you are recognized.

Great. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Probably in Republican circles, in fact, I know this, there's probably a spectrum of beliefs on what should happen with immigration policy, not only in California, but nationally as well. I've shared with many of you, and sometimes on this floor, you know, about my own family situation.

Many of you know my brothers, my stepdad came here and my brothers are born. They're all Mexican. They're born here, citizens. I mean, we, you know, the hyperbole that goes in. I really, I don't lose any sleep that they're going to be deported. They've never even been to Mexico, a lot of them.

But that's not to say that there isn't some level of fear. And I think there has to be some level of understanding that a lot of the fear out there, I mean, I just hate to say a lot of the fear is caused by maybe some people on the other side say the messaging at the Administration.

But also it's the messaging of many people in this chamber on the other side of the aisle. And I just wonder if the immigrant community was brought a message of instead of, hey, this is a bad guy. They're trying to Deport everybody. It's like, hey, look, these are the things that, this is why California is great.

We are actually going to address all of these concerns that you're talking about. But it's like you're perpetuating, in my view, the fear in the immigrant community.

But I think the reason why there's a lot of distrust on my side of the aisle when it comes to, when it comes to immigration is because the policies in this chamber really have been extreme. SB54 does have major gaps in it that protect people that should not be in this country.

And the fact that any, there's like no acknowledgement of that and that's what we're trying to address with the amendments earlier was, was that and I don't even think there's a lot.

In fact I'm, I think there was a poll on this recently that most Americans agree that there shouldn't be protections for people that are committing crimes in this country.

But the policies just get so extreme here that it's hard to trust that some organizations aren't going to be using this money to help people that should not be in this country. I want it. If it's going to go anywhere, it should go help the people that many of you are talking about right now.

I don't agree we should be spending any of this money. You know, when we did the immigration paperwork for my family Members, you know, we figured that out with our Member of Congress and we did it ourselves. We called the field rep over there. And I know that's not an easy process.

It's complicated, very multi year process by the way. And it is a difficult process. But I just think there's, you know, look, both sides are doing is fine, you know, this that you know saying trying to put words in the side of the other words in the other side. But none of that matters.

I just, if there was just some realization that some of the policies that get crammed down our throats over here are so extreme and there's no desire to even acknowledge that.

It just makes it difficult that this money for us to trust that this money isn't going to go pay for criminals to stay in this country and a letter to the Journal does not do it. I had prepared here a list of crimes by the way that are not serious or violent.

Just to give an example of one. Human trafficking is one of those. There are other non serious drug kingpins killing people in my, killing my family Members. That is not a serious or violent felony. So I think just like hear us out a little bit and we were trying to put an end to that.

Not because we're trying to make a point, because we have actual concerns about policies in this state. With that I ask for a no vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Patterson. Assemblymember Elhawary. You are recognized.

I rise in support of SB2. As the daughter of immigrants, my mother is from Guatemala, my father from Egypt, and raised by a stepfather who was undocumented from Mexico.

The importance of us standing up for our communities, for our families who raised us to give back, who know the importance of ensuring that our communities have the supports that they need.

We are doing this because we know we were elected to do something and to do everything we can to support every single one of our community Members, especially our immigrant communities who are struggling right now. Permission to read without objection. One of my community Members, in addition to many others, reached out over the last couple weeks.

Since these Executive orders, one person read sade. Do something. Our community is terrified right now. Lots of people don't know their rights. The anxiety of having our family taken away. They're targeting our schools, they're targeting our children, they're targeting every single one of us. And to say that this is just about criminals is wrong.

They are knocking at every single door in our communities. In communities like South Central Los Angeles, where so many of our folks are undocumented, we cannot sit idly by. We must do something. And we did not come to play. We came to do something. And we will do something because that's what our communities deserve.

I respectfully ask for your Aye vote..

Thank you, Assemblymember Elhawary. Assemblymember Castillo, you are recognized.

Thank you. Members, again, I stand in opposition for SBX1 2. My opposition is not rooted in hostility towards immigrants. I am the daughter of immigrants. I'm a first generation Mexican American. My father came to this country through the Bracero program. He lived in Tijuana with my mother while he came across and worked the fields through Central California.

My three oldest siblings were born in Tijuana. They had their green cards. My dad had his green card. The three youngest, we were born here in the United States. This is not about immigrants or this country not wanting immigrants. This is about a process that's done and it's done legally.

My father submitted paperwork for my mother's, all her siblings and all of them became either had their green card or became US citizens. The youngest ones. He has been a US citizen for about three years now. His paperwork.

My dad passed away in 1999 and he submitted the paperwork for my mother's two youngest siblings before he passed away. And that's how long that process took. So there is a process to it. I come across people every day. I tell them, stop looking over your shoulder. Get an attorney if you need to.

There is a process to do this. There is a way to do it instead of paying for a car, this and that, pay for an attorney to be able to do it the right way. So you can stop looking over your shoulder. That's all I'm saying. And I oppose this.

Thank you, Assembly Member Castillo, Assemblymember Carrillo, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I really got encouraged to speak about my personal story because of my colleague Bauer-Kahan and my colleague Ortega. I'm the oldest of eight. In 1985, I saw my father leave his family to come to California.

He came here in search of a better future for his family and later on to achieve the American dream. In 1987, my mom left her kids to come join my father in California. We were left with grandma.

And not until you really leave the experience of seeing your parents leave in search of a better life for their kids, then you realize how much it means to come to reach the American dream. In 1988, she went back and brought me with my two little sisters. We left behind the rest of my siblings.

In 1989, the rest of my siblings joined us here in California. I'm proud to say that we all reached the American dream. And that's what we immigrants do. We come in search of a better life. We are law abiding citizens. Then we serve our communities.

I became a public servant as a city planner and I did that for about 20 years. I became a public servant being an elected official for the Palmdale School District, for the City of Palmdale City Council. And here I am today. The American Dream is possible.

And speaking of the merits of the Bill, there are those organizations that do those things for all immigrants, including myself and my family. I remember getting Christmas presents from people that I did not know about. One Christmas, they came knocking on my door and they gave us Christmas presents. And that's the power these organizations do.

They help immigrants become law abiding citizens. And I just wanted to share that story again because I got encouraged by my colleague Barbara Kennedy and my co chair of the Latino Caucus, Lisa Ortega. We are here to do the hard work. We are here to contribute and continue the fabric of the United States. That's my experience.

Sometimes solvenit is an opportunity. That opportunity comes with a risk. Crossing the border. Imagine you leaving your children. Imagine you leaving your spouse, your significant other in search of a better life. And that's why we're here in California and the United States. Because this is where dreams come true.

And I urge you to vote I on this because this is not about me. It's not about my siblings. My father passed away five years ago. But it's about the future of the United States of America. It's about the future of California. Think about the future. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Carrillo. Assemblymember Alvarez, you are recognized.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker. I, too, rise without prepared remarks in response to our colleagues who have spoken about their personal story, and I want to briefly share mine. My father came to this country undocumented. So did my mother. So did my five siblings. They all came to this country without any documentation. And they were.

They came here with that American dream in mind. So for me, this issue is about how do we keep the American dream alive for future generations? That dream that my parents worked so hard to accomplish, the legacy that they left for me and the responsibility that now I feel that I bear on my shoulders.

I don't want to stand here and lecture our colleagues who will not support this, but I would like them to open their hearts a little bit to the stories of people like me who have lived in fear, those of us who come from undocumented families.