Senate Floor

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call].

Members, if we can return to our desks, we will be starting. A quorum is present. Would we please rise? Members and guests behind the railing, please rise. We would be led in prayer today by Senator Laird, after which please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Senator Laird.

Thank you, Madam President. Oh God, make us Your salt for the Earth, that in our own humble hidden acts of generosity and peace, we may reveal Your love in the midst of us all. Make us Your light for the world that we may reflect your compassion and forgiveness, the light and warmth of Your love in the midst of a cold winter. Make us Your city on a hill, the vision of Your dream of a world united in Your justice and mercy. We ask this in Your name. Amen.

Please join me in the pledge. I pledge allegiance...

[Pledge of Allegiance].

Without objection, Senate Rule 55 will be suspended to allow guests on the floor for today's session. Members, today we are joined by the 16 honorees from the California Legislative Black Caucus's Black Business Brunch. They are small businesses--business owners from throughout the state that were recognized for their entrepreneurship and major contributions to our economy.

We are joined by Jay King, President and CEO of the California Black Chamber of Commerce and Tracey Hurd-Parker, former longtime Senate staffer and now legislative liaison to the Chamber. They're with us in the gallery. Please give them a warm welcome to the California State Senate.

Continuing on the Privileges of the Floor, we have a couple of special guest introduction that will be conducted from the Majority Leader's desk. We're going to start off with the members who are going to be introducing this year's 2025 James Irvin Foundation Leadership Award recipients. Kicking us off is going to be our Pro Tem, Senator Mike McGuire.

Thank you so much, Madam President. This is truly a special day for all of us in the California State Senate. It is a pleasure to be able to honor this all-women group who are making true positive change throughout the Golden State.

The James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards celebrate people whose work improves the lives of countless Californians, who create opportunity and make our state candidly a better place to live. There were hundreds of nominations that were submitted, Madam President, and only seven, seven inspiring leaders from six organizations were chosen for this year's coveted Leadership Award.

And they're tackling some of the Golden State's most pressing challenges, including advancing Indigenous scientists and food sovereignty, strengthening Latina civic leadership, fighting for environmental justice, improving Black maternal health, expanding equity in library services, and ensuring greater representation in entertainment, one of the largest economic sectors here in California.

I would now like to be able to introduce our first recipients here today, and it is a deep honor to be able to introduce two incredible women who are making a difference on the North Coast and who are now Leadership Award recipients. If we could please give a round of applause to Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy and Dr. Kaitlin Reed, please. Now, both of these leaders were born and raised in Humboldt County, and they are deeply connected to their tribal heritage.

Today they are shaping, they are shaping the future of Indigenous food systems, land justice, and of course, Indigenous scientists in higher education as co-directors of the Food Sovereignty Lab and Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute at Cal Poly Humboldt. It is the first university science lab of its kind in California and was built from the ground up by these two amazing leaders.

Their leadership has also led to the creation of Wiyot Plaza, an outdoor cultural learning space, and the Indigenous Garden, where hundreds of volunteers grow traditional medicinal plants. At a time when Indigenous scientists have too often been overlooked, these doctors, they are leading the charge.

They are leading the charge to ensure Native knowledge and leadership is valued and fully integrated on how to solve some of California's most pressing issues, including climate change. They are transforming Cal Poly Humboldt into a place where all students, but in particular Native students, don't have to choose between higher education and their culture because what they know and what we know because of them is the two go hand in hand.

And candidly, their impact doesn't stop there. They are building a national model to show how universities and Indigenous communities can work together to bring positive change, some of the most deserving students. Can we please give a warm thank you, a warm thank you on behalf of the California State Senate, thank these leaders for their contributions. Ladies and gentlemen, let's give them a round of applause. And now it is my pleasure to be able to introduce our colleague from Merced to introduce the next award recipient.

Senator Caballero from the Majority Leader's desk.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, I rise today to introduce a remarkable leader whose work is transforming maternal and infant health for African American families in California: Shantay Davies-Balch, an African-- pause.

African American mothers and babies deserve the highest quality care and support, yet they continue to face higher risk during pregnancy and birth due to systematic barriers and implicit bias in healthcare. In fact, African American women are nearly three times more likely to experience pregnancy-related complications than White women, and African American infants face a significantly higher risk of mortality, both which are unacceptable.

These outcomes are not inevitable, they are preventable. Ms. Davies-Balch is tackling this crisis head-on through the Black Wellness and Prosperity Center and the Black Doula Network, which trains and certifies doulas to provide culturally competent care.

This is particularly important because many of the hospitals have abandoned labor and delivery services in their hospital. Her program has tripled the number of Black doulas in Fresno County, secured hospital privileges for doulas, and expanded insurance coverage, ensuring more families get the care that they deserve.

During the pandemic, she also led the African American Coalition, which provided testing, community care, and vaccinated 39% of Fresno's Black residents, a model of how equity-focused healthcare can save lives. With California committed to cutting maternal deaths in half by 2026, leaders like Ms. Davies-Balch are essential to making that goal a reality.

Her work is creating healthier mothers, healthier babies, and a stronger future for all Californians. Senators, please join me in recognizing and honoring Shantay Davies-Balch for her groundbreaking leadership and dedication to health equity.

Senator, I believe you have another guest. Please proceed.

Thank you, Mr--Madam President. Now it is my privilege to introduce Nayamin Martinez, a leader in the fight for environmental justice and community health in California. The Central Valley is home to resilient, hardworking communities that power our state's economy, yet these same communities face disproportionate environmental challenges: air pollution, pesticide exposure, unsafe drinking water, and extreme heat.

Many residents are ready to take action, but need the right tools and access to decision makers to drive meaningful change. That's where Nayamin Martinez and the Central California Environmental Justice Network step in. Under her leadership, CCEJN equips residents with the knowledge, resources, and advocacy skills to protect their families and inform policy.

At the same time, CCEJN provides immediate relief, distributing air purifiers, clean water filters, and protective masks to keep communities safe while they fight for long-term solutions. Ms. Martinez's leadership has secured landmark policy wins, including California's first pesticide notification system, stronger protections against oil drilling near homes and schools, and greater accountability for workplace safety.

And she's not stopping there. She's working to ensure farm workers and frontline communities are included in California's Clean Energy Transition. As we work towards a healthier, more sustainable California, leaders like Ms. Martinez are making sure every community has a voice, the tools to act, and a path forward. Senators, one more time, please join me in recognizing and honoring Nayamin Martinez for her powerful leadership and the change that she worked so hard for.

We will now turn over to Senator Archuleta to introduce his guest.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, ladies and gentlemen in the gallery, today I'm honored to recognize Skye Patrick, a visionary leader who is redefining the role of libraries as a hub of inclusive and innovation. Through her iCount initiative, Skye has made libraries more inclusive and welcoming for everyone.

She's expanded programs like Summer Stars, which help thousands of students improve their literacy skills in reading and math, and enjoying the library once again and participating, knowing that their future perhaps would start at the library. Skye launched mobile service units that bring books, technology, and science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education directly to the underserved communities.

LA County's 86 library locations are now lifelines, offering mental health resources, job training programs, and even public health initiatives like nanoxin distribution that would save lives. During heat waves and wildfires, libraries even serve as cooling centers in emergency--as emergency shelters. Skye Patrick isn't just transforming libraries. She's redefining leadership in the roles of a librarian.

As the only Black and openly LGBTQ county librarian and CEO among California's ten largest library systems, she is paving the way for greater diversity in the field and proving the power of representation. Her work is setting an example for libraries and librarians across the State of California to get involved with the community, be a strong leader, and bring everyone into the library.

In a time when communities need access to information, education, and public space and access more than ever, Skye has proved the libraries are essential infrastructure to our future and the future of so many young veterans, seniors, men and women who find the library a second home.

Members, please join me in recognizing Skye Patrick for her vision, leadership, and commitment to making libraries a place where everyone could learn, grow, and thrive and become the future of California. Please put your hands together for Skye and the work she's done.

Kicking it over to Senator Allen.

Well, thank you so much, Senator Archuleta. Members, I'm so delighted today to have the privilege of introducing someone who has been devoting her career to changing the face of entertainment, the face of Hollywood, Dr. Stacy Smith. Unfortunately, we all know that Hollywood, for so many years, left lots of voices out of the picture, and this is something that Dr. Smith has devoted her career to addressing.

Nearly 20 years ago, she founded the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at USC, a research powerhouse that's dedicated to bringing much-needed accountability to Hollywood, and she didn't just set out to highlight the problem, but she offered solutions.

She created the 'inclusion rider,' a game-changing tool that allows actors, directors, producers to demand diverse hiring in their contracts. She's worked with Netflix and NBCUniversal and Amazon to develop policies that actually open doors for women and people of color in a pillar industry of our economy which employs hundreds of thousands of Californians.

Her impact is grown out of all of these many tireless efforts, include 85 published reports, accelerator programs to support diverse actors and filmmakers, leadership of the 4% Challenge, which pushed Hollywood to hire more female directors.

She also taught nearly 10,000 students, sharing her knowledge, her experience, her passion to help seed and shape the next generation of inclusion efforts across the industry. Stacy Smith has devoted her life to changing Hollywood to make it more reflective of our broader society, and I'd like you to join me in recognizing her achievements today. A force for fairness and a champion for change, Dr. Stacy Smith.

Majority Leader Senator Gonzalez has the last two awardees. Majority Leader.

Thank you, Madam President. It is an honor to stand here today on behalf of my colleague, Senator Gómez Reyes, to recognize an incredible leader and fierce advocate, Helen Iris Torres. As a--yeah, all right--as a HOPE alumna myself, I know firsthand the impact of her work.

As CEO of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality or HOPE, Helen has trained over 60,000 Latinas to step into leadership on school boards, city councils, commission, and even elected office. The results speak for themselves. Sixty-one percent of HOPE Leadership Institute graduates serve on boards or commissions, and 16% of us have run for office.

This work is critical because Latinas are vastly underrepresented in leadership. The wage gap is worse here than anywhere else in the country, and without action, it could take nearly 200 years for Latinas to reach pay equity. Helen is changing that reality, not just by training leaders, but by shaping policy, expanding opportunities, and strengthening democracy.

Under her leadership, HOPE launched new regional leadership programs to prepare Latinas for public service at the local level, ensuring that more voices are heard in our school board, city councils, State Senate, and beyond, and she's thinking even bigger, building a binational network of Latina leaders to tackle issues that impact communities across the Western Hemisphere.

She isn't just opening doors, she's making sure Latinas walk through them with confidence, purpose, and the power to create lasting change. Her leadership has strengthened our communities, our state, and our democracy. Colleagues, please join me in congratulating Helen Iris Torres on this well-deserved recognition.

I'd like to turn it to our Majority Leader for closing remarks first before we take any photos.

Thank you, Madam President. Celebrating these seven remarkable Californians has been truly inspiring. They represent the very best of our state, embodying the kind of leadership we need to build a more equitable and sustainable future for all. They are shining examples of what's possible when we commit to positive change and work tirelessly for the betterment of our communities.

Thank you to everyone here for joining us in this celebration. Let's give one more huge Senate round of applause for recipients of the 2025 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards.

If I could get the powerhouses all in the middle here, we'll take a group photo. Selfies and group photo time.

We'll come back to business in 30 seconds. Thirty seconds, members. Members, if we can bring back our attention, we have one final item under Privileges of the Floor. Senator Richardson.

Good afternoon, Mr. Pro Tem and members of the Senate. I rise to acknowledge a constituent from my district, Mr. Herbert Herb Hudson. Mr. Hudson is the visionary founder of the internationally renowned Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles, a Southern California soul food restaurant chain, and I'm sorry, but we did not cater for after-session votes today.

Roscoe--I'm getting there, I'm getting there--Roscoe's is a beloved institution that began as a dream that aspired to bring Southern style comfort food with a unique twist to the West Coast. This dream was realized back in 1975. Yes, I said 1975 when he opened his first restaurant in Hollywood, California.

Since then, he's opened eight additional restaurants in Hollywood, as I mentioned, Anaheim, Long Beach, Manchester and Main, Union Station, Inglewood, La Brea, and coming soon to San Diego, Palm Springs, San Jose, and expanding in Mexico.

Famed for his signature dish, chicken and waffles, served both together and separately--I always order the Scoe's Special, which is two pieces of chicken and two waffles--it often comes with sides, grits and greens. Yes, I know I'm making you hungry today. Roscoe's has become a culinary staple in the industry. In addition to that for over 50 years.

How many of us know restaurant owners where it's tough to survive the first year, the second year, let alone 50 years, and to keep growing? Roscoe's Chicken 'N Waffles has delighted patrons with its mouth-watering dishes, securing its legacy in the culinary world.

And in addition to that, I wanted to share with you, when I first met met Herb, it was really interesting because above the restaurant, he started teaching culinary skills to his workers because he hires from the community where the restaurants exist. And so he teaches young people how to serve, which side of the individual do you serve, what do you say, how can you have excellent customer service?

This was long before culinary skills were taught in our local high schools and colleges. Additionally, Mr. Hudson received the prestigious Culinary Icon Award at the National Fried Chicken Festival presented by Raising Cane's. Roscoe's has also become an iconic part of African pulp culture--pop culture, excuse me--featured in various movies, TV shows, and songs.

Finally, Roscoe's fame and food attraction, many noteworthy celebrities have also come: President Obama, Shaquille O'Neal, Snoop Dogg, Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, myself, and I promised our Pro Tem that he has to bring his son when he comes to Southern California to enjoy the food.

Please join me in welcoming a businessman, someone who's always carried himself with respect, has grown in many of our communities, has employed many people, and is a true testament to what businesses can do and thrive, and dreams come true in California. Please welcome--not Roscoe--Mr. Herb Hudson.

Welcome sir, to the State Senate.

I now welcome any other member who wishes to participate in a group photo.

Moving right along, messages from the Governor will be deemed read, messages from the Assembly will be deemed read, Reports of Committee will be deemed read. Moving on to Motions, Resolutions, and Notices. We have a motion to approve Senate Journals. Without objection, the Senate Journals for February 3rd, 2025 through February 6th, 2025 will be approved as corrected by the minute clerk. Now on to introduction and First Reading of bills. Secretary, please read.

[First Reading].

Under consideration of the Daily File, we have File Item One under Second Reading File. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution Four.

Now moving on to Governor Appointments. We have Items Five and Seven, both by Senator Grove. She is ready to go. Secretary, when you're ready. Oh, you don't need to read anything. Senator, please proceed.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, File Item Five is the confirmation of Chief Kirk Haynes for reappointment and Sheriff Eric Taylor for appointment to the Board of State of Community Corrections. Chief Haynes is a Fresno County--County's Chief Probation Officer and has served on the Board since 2021, and Sheriff Taylor is the Sheriff Coroner for San Benito County in the Sheriff's Department and is new to the Board but brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. They were approved by the Rules Committee on a five/zero vote. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Any member wish to speak on this appointment? I see none. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call].

Please call the absent members.

[Roll Call].

Ayes: 34; no: zero. The appointments are confirmed. Senator Grove, please proceed with File Item Seven.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, File Item Seven is the confirmation of Heather Berkinoff--or excuse me--yeah, Bernikoff. I apologize, Ms. Bernikoff--for the appointment of the California Exposition and State Fair Board. Ms. Bernikoff is a project manager and a tribal liaison with the California Association of Rescue Conservation Districts and an enrolled member of the Yaqui Nation. She also runs a small ranch in Western Mariposa County. She was approved by the Rules Committee on a five/zero vote. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

I'm seeing no mics up for--oh. Senator Alvarado-Gil, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I just want to speak on behalf of support for this appointee, Heather Bernikoff. She's a constituent in Mariposa County who has worked throughout her career to help support not only healthcare, but also the environment. We welcome her to the Exposition of State and Fair Boards, and we ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Grove, you may close.

Respectfully ask for an aye vote, Madam President.

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call].

Please call the absent members.

[Roll Call].

Ayes: 34; no: zero. The appointment is confirmed. We're now going back to Motions and Resolutions. This is a time for adjourn in memories. Members, we have two adjourn in memories today. Senator Stern will start with his. Members, if you're having a conversation during this time, respectfully asking that you take them off the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, I rise in honor of the memory of Lyle Reeves, a beloved teacher, coach, and friend. Lyle is the father of one of our very own, Dan Reeves in Senator Padilla's office. He recently passed away at 90, but he was born way back in 1934 in Camden, New Jersey.

Lyle was part of that Depression Era where you had the choice in his town of working at the RCA plant, the Campbell Soup Cannery, or the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. He enlisted in the Naval Reserves while in high school and later joined the U.S. Air Force where he worked as a mechanic at the Edwards Air Force Base and also competed in judo, winning a state championship.

And those skills got him in a little bit of trouble when he caught the attention of a four-star general by the name of Curtis LeMay, who was at the time the Chief of Staff to the Strategic Air Forces and thought he would allow Lyle to show--attempt to show him a thing or two about bare knuckle fighting and it ended with General LeMay on the mat.

So that stint though for Lyle led then to him actually going all the way to Japan to study under Judo Masters and continue with his illustrious military career. After his service, Lyle came home and met his future wife, Mary Ann, at junior college.

They both earned their teaching credentials and Lyle worked at the North County Correctional Facility Library--speaking of libraries--before becoming a history teacher and a coach at North Hollywood High. He stayed a history teacher there for about 30 years.

He taught AP U.S. history and his students' success led him to actually be one of the graders of the AP test at Princeton University. When they came up through the valley, Lyle and Mary Ann, you know, they were at San Fernando Valley State College, and today that's called Cal State Northridge, but Mary Ann stuck with him all the way. And Lyle, when he went into the library system, took a different look at it. Not just your average library when you're working in a correctional facility in Santa Clarita Valley.

So Lyle had a very different approach to life, to teaching, to his family, and to what it means to be hard-working. His life was a testament to the California Dream, and even though he grew up with little, he built a career and raised a beautiful family. Carrie, Derek, and his son Dan, as well as six grandchildren, will dearly miss him and so, humbly ask that we adjourn in the memory of Lyle Reeves today.

Thank you, Senator, for those beautiful words. Please bring his name forward so that he may be properly memorialized. Senator Allen.

Members, it's with a heavy heart that I rise to--ask that we adjourn in the memory of Erlinda Chavez Zbur, the beloved mother of our colleague in the Assembly, Rick Chavez Zbur. His mother, Erlinda, passed away peacefully in her sleep back in late November at the age of 100.

Tomorrow, February 11th--I guess today--would have been her 101st birthday. Sorry, that's tomorrow. Erlinda grappled with dementia in her later years, yet even as some of her memories faded, she remains rooted by the same charge that she would give her children and grandchildren: Remember, you are a Chavez.

And lest we mistake it for simple family pride from a matriarch, we have to understand what that name meant to her and her community. She was born to Josefina and Francisco Chavez in the small farming town of Peralta, New Mexico, just south of Albuquerque.

One of the eight Chavez children on the family's modest dairy farm, she immediately joined her family's multi-generational legacy of living, working, and investing in the Rio Grande Valley community. On top of helping her parents with the farm and the animals, she started her first job at ten years old at the local grocery store, where the owners made a point of hiring the Chavez kids since they were very driven and trustworthy. She had a strong sense of heritage that was coupled with an independent streak that was years ahead of her time.

She dreamt of--when she was young--of going to a university and building a career for herself, but unfortunately there weren't those kinds of opportunities for her in Peralta as a girl at the time, but she did ultimately find her future on the University of New Mexico campus.

She threw herself into the more traditional track of Christian missionary work, initially, though she left the service after a few years. She approached the rest of her life with a belief there is good in everyone; sometimes you need to just try a little harder to find it.

She moved to an apartment in Albuquerque with her best friend, which was a maverick move for a young woman at the time, got a job at the coffee shop on the university campus, which is where she met her soon-to-be husband, Richard Zbur.

And just as she was drawn to the campus in pursuit of her truest self, Richard arrived there in the midst of his own transformation, returning from his service in Korea without a high school diploma, now on his way to earn a PhD in geophysics, and not long after they met, they married and they had their very first child, our friend Rick.

Having sensed the impending success of their first child-rearing effort, the couple--this must have been written by his staff--the couple had three more kids over the next few years as they moved around the southwest for Richard's education, eventually returning to Erlinda's hometown to help care for Josefina and Francisco. Their return to the Rio Grande Valley marked the start of the formative years in which Rick and his siblings, JoAnne, Jacqueline, and John learned so many things.

They learned the values and traditions at the heart of the family's heritage. They learned about politics. Ten-year-old Rick and his father passed out election literature in the lines of the local polling place, and ultimately what I learned is that there's a long history of heritage in New Mexico and the family.

In fact, Rick and his mother Erlinda are direct descendants of Francisco Javier Chavez, who was the Primer Vocal, the first speaker of the New Mexico Legislature in 1822 when Mexico became independent from Spain. So it's fun now to have him here serving with us in the State Legislature.

Erlinda's impact on her community is evidenced by all those who she left behind, her children: Rick, JoAnne, and John, and her grandchildren: Rick's kids, Shireen, Rose, and Raphael. She leaves behind the memories of her devotion, her kindness, and her belief in her fellow man, and her impact lives on both in the people of the Rio Grande Valley who loved her, in Los Angeles, and indeed, through her son, right here in this Legislature. So I ask that you adjourn today in the memory of someone very special to someone special to us, Erlinda Chavez Zbur in a life well-lived.

Senator Durazo, you're recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I rise also to stand in with condolences to our brother, Assembly Member Rick Chavez Zbur, and as I was read, I didn't have the fortune of meeting his mother or getting to know her, but from the Assembly Member's own words, it says a lot about the kind of person she was and also how a lot of that transferred over to him as well.

He says we were--if I could read a sentence--'we were taught to respect people and put the needs of others ahead of our own. There is good in everyone. Sometimes you just need to try hard to find it.' I think those kind of sentiments are the kinds of sentiments that we all strive for, and I'm very proud that he is here with us and that it was because of her sort of training of him that he will be--has been a very good legislator for California. Thank you very much.

Senator Allen, please bring our colleague's mom's name forward and please send a Senate warm hug to the Assembly Member so that his mom may be properly memorialized in the Senate. If there is no other business, Mr. Pro Tem, the desk is clear.

Thank you so much. Ladies and gentlemen, the next floor session--this is amazing. Know how many folks would like to be able to spend Valentine's Day with colleagues? Well, this is the year, everybody. Valentine's Day is the next time for a floor session: Friday, February 14th at 9:00 a.m. We'll share some love for California.

Bring your pinks and your reds. The Senate will be in recess until 3:30 p.m. at which the adjourn in motion will be made. We will reconvene Friday, Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.