Assembly Floor

Assembly is now in session. Assemblymember Ta notices the absence of a quorum. The sergeant arms will prepare the chamber. Bring in the absent Members. Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Members, quorum is present. We ask our guests and visitors in the rear of the chamber and in the gallery to please stand for the prayer. Assemblymember Wilson will offer today's prayer. Assemblymember Wilson.

Creator of the heavens and earth, we come before you as leaders of this great state. We will not be anxious for anything, but in everything. Through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, we will let our requests be made known to you. For in you all things were created. Things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.

Whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. You have created all things through you and for you, and you hold all things together. We pray for all people, and especially those who are in high positions, so we may lead a peaceful and quiet life worthy of you and dignified in every way.

Give each of us a wise and discerning heart. Although the decisions before us may not be clear, we know that you are not an author of confusion. So we trust you to guide us on the right path that will benefit the people of California. May your blessings pour out without hindrance.

May your love shine bright in our hearts and minds. And may your joy overflow to every corner of this state. In these times of division, help us to be united. Guide us in wisdom to live up to our motto as a country out of many one.

May our prayers be according to your will and acceptable in your sight and your power. We pray. Amen.

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

Members, please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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, March 6th, 2025 the Assembly met at 9am The Honorable Josh Lowenthal, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly, presiding. Chief Clerk Sue Parker at the desk.

Ms. Aguiar-Curry moves and Mr. Flores seconds that the reading of the previous day's journal be dispensed with presentations and petitions. There are none. Introduction and reference of bills will be deferred. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments deemed adopted. Messages from the Governor? There are none. Messages from the Senate There are none.

Moving to motions and resolutions. The absences for the day. For personal business. Assemblymembers Alvarez and Wicks. Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry, you are recognized for your procedural motions.

Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 45.5 to allow Assemblymembers Chen and Calderon to speak on an enjoyment of memory today.

Without objection. Such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 118A to allow Assemblymember Hart to have a guest at the rear of the chamber and allow Assemblymember Hadwick to have a guest seated at her desk.

Without objection. Such shall be the order.

Pursuant to Assembly Rule 96, I request unanimous consent to re refer the following bills to committee. AB 588 Patel from the Human Services Committee to the Emergency Management Committee, and AB 1157 Kalra from the Judiciary to the Housing and Community Development Committee and then back to the Judiciary Committee.

Without objection. Such shall be the order.

I move to order- I move to order Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 Mcguire to the third reading file.

Assemblymember Flora, you are recognized.

Thank you, Assemblymember Flora. Members, the majority leader's motion has been seconded by Assemblymember Garcia. This motion is not debatable. Requires 41 votes. Clerk will open the roll. Majority Leader is asking for an aye vote. Mr.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Withhold consent and ask for a roll call vote.

Flora is asking for a no vote. Majority Leader is asking for an aye vote. Mr. Flora 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. Ayes, 46. noes, 14. Motion carries.

Members, we're going to move on to guest introductions, beginning with Assemblymember Hadwick. You are recognized for your very important guest introduction.

Thank you. Today I have with me my youngest son, Zachary. He's a junior and 16 years old and down here to look for some colleges. And he is very tall. He does not play basketball. He's the tallest in our family, so that's usually how the conversations go. But excited to have him in Sacramento. Thank you.

Welcome, Zachary. Welcome to the California Assembly. Assemblymember Hart, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And Members, I'd like to recognize and welcome Hugh Montgomery, the President of the Santa Barbara County Firefighters Local 2046. Hugh, thank you for your dedication to public service and tireless efforts in protecting the residents of Santa Barbara County. We warmly welcome you to the floor of the California State Assembly.

Welcome, Hugh. The entire Los Angeles delegation wishes to thank you. And your members for their support during our fires. Okay, we're moving on to the business on the daily files. Second reading. Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 809 with amendments.

All bills would be deemed read. All amendments will be deemed adopted. Assembly third reading. We're going to pass temporarily on file items two through 36 and move to the Senate. Third reading. File item 37, Senate Bill 26 by Assemblymember Kalra. The Clerk will read.

Senate Bill 26 by Senator Umberg and others, an act relating to civil actions and declaring the urgency thereof to take effect immediately.

Assemblymember Kalra, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Rise present SP26 on behalf of Senator Umberg. This Bill is a clean up effort to last year's AB 1755 and reflects a compromise proposed by the Governor when signing that Bill.

As a result of a growing backlog in the state civil court system, last year, the Legislature enacted AB 1755 to streamline discovery in lemon law civil cases. While that Bill should streamline litigation process for most automakers and consumers alike, some auto manufacturers express serious concerns that the procedures laid out in AB 1755 would be unworkable.

Recognizing that there are two primary business models for handling defective vehicles, SB26 enables automatic automakers to opt out of the AB 1755 framework. Much like its predecessor, this Bill does not alter the underlying rights and remedies provided by the state's lemon laws, but merely focuses on civil litigation procedures. This Bill has received widespread bipartisan support.

I respectfully request an aye vote and immediate transmittal to the Senate.

Thank you, Assembly Member Kalra. Seeing and hearing no further debate, 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. Kirk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes, 62 nos 0 on the urgency. Ayes 62 no 0 on the Bill passes.

The measure passes.

Speaker Rivas, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker Pro Tem. I know we're scheduled to take up a series of bills here, momentarily, and in December. When we embarked on this legislative session, I spoke of the urgent need to address affordability and that our first priority needed to be around building more housing, doing so, quickly.

And today we'll vote on bills to alter the trajectory of California's housing crisis and will make it easier for Californians to build, and ultimately, make housing more affordable in this state. Those bills will reduce bureaucracy, red tape.

They will lead to fewer construction, some delays or cost overruns, and they will create more certainty for builders and homeowners going through the building process here in California. Now, these bills are a first step toward putting California back on a path to build more housing, and to do so, quickly.

In January, many of us stood together, united in Los Angeles, and Members there introduced several of these bills here today, in response to the devastating firestorms. And with your vote today, this Assembly will be following through on our commitment—on our commitment to support and assist recovery efforts in Los Angeles.

And some of these bills, they do have opposition, and our Office and the authors of these bills and their offices—we remain committed to continuing those discussions, to address any, and all, concerns. But today, we must all commit to taking on California's greatest challenge, even in the face of opposition.

This means building more affordable housing, delivering for the Los Angeles area, and doing so, quickly and with urgency. These bills are part of our ongoing work to address affordability. Excited to share more on this in the coming days but certainly ask you to join me today, as we stand together and cast these votes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker Pro Tem.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, we are going to be moving on to the Bills that the speaker spoke of.

Beginning with file item number two by Assembly Member McKinnor. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 311 by Assembly Member McKinnor and others, an act relating to the property and declaring the urgency thereof to take effect immediately.

Assembly Member McKinnor, you are recognized.

Mr. Speaker, Members. AB 311 is joint authored with Speaker Rivas and would allow a tenant of temporarily house a person or family and their pet displaced by a declared State of Emergency. Members, the January 2025 LA County wildfires destroyed 18,000 structures and displaced over 150,000 people, many of whom continue to struggle to find stable housing amidst California's ongoing housing crisis.

For many displaced individuals, temporarily moving in with family or friends is an ideal solution, but friends and family who are rented might not have the flexibility in their lease that would allow guests for longer periods of time, allowing subleasing, or allow additional tenants to be added or removed.

AB 311 provides an important option for displaced residents and their pets to temporarily reside in a friend or family member's rental home. Offers these families time to heal from this devastating natural disaster and begin the process of rebuilding their lives from the ashes of the January fires.

My office had productive conversations with stakeholders and are committed to continue these conversations when the bill moves to the State Senate. This bill has no opposition and received bipartisan support in policy committee. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Assembly Member McKinnor. Assembly Member Harabedian, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Member from Inglewood and the Speaker for this bill. I rise in strong support of AB 311. As many of you know, so many Angelenos have been displaced. Many of them have moved from rental to rental, now on their sixth or seventh home. This bill provides critical relief.

It provides stability, and it is something that is much needed in my district and the Assembly Member from the Palisades district. We all know this is temporary. These are temporary fixes. We need more long term housing. But I am so happy to support this measure, and I request an aye vote as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Harabedian. Assembly Member Elhawary, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. And to my colleague from Inglewood for bringing this forward. I rise in strong support of AB 311 because too many Californians, especially in my district, are just one crisis away from losing their homes. And when disaster strikes, the reality is harsh. People are left with nowhere to go.

We've seen it time and time again. Wildfires devastate communities, displacing families overnight, including my own family, as you all know. And while some can rely on savings, insurance, many don't have that luxury. They're left scrambling for shelter, often with no clear options, which was the reality for my sister when she lost everything.

In my district, where Skid Row is already at the center of our housing crisis, I see firsthand what happens when we don't act fast enough. A temporary housing solution could be the difference between a family recovering or ending up on the streets indefinitely. AB 311 is about neighbors helping neighbors, about making sure people don't fall through the cracks when they need support the most.

We can't control natural disasters, but we can control how we respond. This bill is about stepping up in moments of crisis and providing real, immediate solutions, not excuses. We can't afford to keep waiting while more people are pushed onto the streets. We have the tools to address this crisis. We just need to act. I respectfully urge you all to join me in supporting AB 311. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Elhawary. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assembly Member McKinnor, would you like to close?

Yes. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this bill. Look, these people have been devastated. And going to stay in a cold hotel is one thing, but being able to go stay in a loving friends or family homes means everything to some people. And so I urge you to vote aye on this bill.

Thank you, Assembly Member McKinnor. 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. The Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 70, noes 0 on the urgency. Ayes 70, noes 0 on the bill.

The measure passes. We're going to pass and retain on file item number three. We are also going to announce immediate transmittal to the Senate of file item 37, SB 26 by Senator Umberg and Assemblymember Kalra. We're going to go to File item number four, A.B. 299 by Assemblymember Gabriel.

The Clerk will read Assembly Vote 299 by Assembly Member Gabriel and others in act relating to tenancy and declare the urgency thereof to take effect immediately.

Assembly Member Gabriel, you are recognized.

Thank you very much. Good afternoon Mr. Speaker and colleagues. I rise today to present AB 299 which will ensure families displaced by the Southern California wildfires as well as future disasters can access stable temporary housing at hotels, motels and short term rentals.

While Shorter stays are straightforward, existing laws can complicate stays longer than 30 days as lodging providers are wary of establishing a landlord tenant relationship. As a result, operators may result to shuffling guests between rooms or removing them from properties to avoid legal risk which can be deeply destabilizing, particularly for families with school age children.

California has already addressed this very issue in the homelessness context. In 2022 I authored AB 1991 to address this challenge for shelter programs. AB 299 seeks to address the same issue for families displaced by a disaster, allowing them to stay at a hotel, motel or short term rental for longer than 30 days.

By extending these critical protections, AB299 will directly help provide stability and security to individuals and families following a natural disaster. This legislation is supported by a coalition of housing and community advocates, including the LA County Board of Supervisors, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, CA YIMBY and has no registered opposition and has received bipartisan support.

Thank you and respectfully request your I vote on AB299.

Thank you Assembly Member 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. The Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 70, no 0 on the urgency. Ayes 70, no 0 ON THE Bill.

The measure passes. We're going to pass and retain on File Item Number 5, which gets us to File Item Number 6, Assembly Bill 226, by Assemblymember Calderon. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 22, by Assemblymember Calderon and others, an act relating to insurance, making an appropriation, therefore. Declaring the urgency thereof to take effect immediately.

Assemblymember Calderon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to present AB 226, joint authored by Assemblyman Alvarez and I. This Bill authorizes the California Fair Plan to request the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to issue bonds, in scenarios where the Fair Plan faces financial strain, due to catastrophic events. Members, I can't emphasize enough the importance of this Bill.

The Assembly Insurance Committee has held several oversight hearings on the California Fair Plan. This Measure is a result of these hearings. The Fair Plan needs every financial tool at their disposal. The Fair Plan is Californians' insurance safety net.

When others say no, the California Fair Plan is there to pick up the pieces and ensure our housing markets stays functional. But the Fair Plan was not designed to absorb the number of policyholders at the current rate.

This came to a head in February, when the Fair Plan requested financial assistance from its member companies, to ensure claims continue to be paid from the Palisades and Eaton Fires. This measure provides the Fair Plan additional resources to ensure they have adequate claims paying capacity. Stabilizing the financial structure of the Fair Plan helps all Californians.

I want to thank my colleague, Assemblymember Alvarez, for working with me this year and taking this measure on again. Thank you. And I respectfully ask for your "Aye" vote on AB 226.

Thank you, Assemblymember Calderon. 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. The Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes.

[Roll Call]

We're going to pass and retain on File Item Number 7, which gets us to File Item Number 8, AB 253, by Assemblymember Ward.

The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 253 by Assemblymember Ward and others and act related to housing and declaring the urgency thereof to take effect immediately.

Assembly Member Ward, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB 253 is before the body here today. And it certainly would be able to help our communities in Los Angeles devastated by the wildfires and looking for opportunities to cut through the process and be able to rebuild very quickly.

But it really also helps many other communities with an alternative pipeline and option to be able to smooth out the workload and get your residential construction happening a little bit faster.

If you've ever had the chance of remodeling your home, building a new home, constructing an edu, possibly doing a small scale development, you're probably pretty incensed that you would go before a city having done that architectural review, having done a lot of that plan check to have something sit there for six months, eight months or longer.

You want to get that check done. You want to be able to get building and so AB253 is the response. It would allow homeowners and developers to hire licensed third party professionals to conduct plan checks if it would take the local building Department more than 30 days to conduct that same review.

Under our current law, local governments review building plans to ensure compliance with state building codes and local ordinances. It's a process that's prone to delays due to a lot of our fluctuating workloads and resource constraints at local building departments.

These lengthy review periods hinder housing production by delaying the transition from approved projects to active construction, affecting the overall construction costs for housing in California. AB253 addresses a lot of that administrative hurdle by ensuring timely post entitlement plan checks for small residential projects, providing an alternative mechanism for applicants to use licensed private professionals at this stage.

This approach is consistent with some of the best practices adopted in other states and is already in use by some of our local communities across California. I respectfully ask for your I vote.

Thank you Assembly Member Ward 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. The Clerk will close the roll tally. The votes ayes 72 no 0 on the urgency I 72 no 0 on the Bill.

The measure passes. Next up, File item number 9 AB301 by Assemblymember Schiavo.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 301 by Assembly Member Schiavo and others, an act relating to housing and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

Assembly Member Schiavo, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I am grateful for the opportunity to present AB 301. Members, as we know, our state is facing a severe housing crisis and it's imperative that we take decisive action to streamline the process of delivering an adequate supply of homes.

The devastation of the fires at the Eaton, Palisades, and what could have been in my own district with the Hughes Fire demands swift reconstruction, fueling economic growth, revitalizing neighborhoods, and restoring stability. AB 301 builds upon the previous work of Mr. Speaker and establishes clear and consistent timelines ensuring that state agencies adhere to the same permitting deadlines as local jurisdictions already do.

This alignment will eliminate unnecessary delays at the state level, expediting the approval process. The Committee's fiscal analysis indicates that the costs associated with this legislation are minor and absorbable and the bill has no no votes and bipartisan support. Respectfully request an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Schiavo. Assembly Member Haney, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise as the Chair of the Assembly Housing Committee, and I want to commend my colleague from Santa Clarita and the Speaker and all of the authors of these incredibly important bills. Now this one I think stuck out for me for a number of reasons.

You know, we have a challenge in our state, even before these fires, with moving fast enough to get housing approved and built. California has some of the worst and longest timelines for approval and building housing, which adds costs and has led to the affordability crisis that we're facing.

In California, it takes nearly a year just to get approval on average for a single family home and 23 months on average for five units or more. This is far too long. And our Legislature has acted to put strict requirements on local governments for how long they need to approve and get housing built.

But we haven't been practicing what we preach and applying those to state departments. This is an opportunity for us to not only practice what we preach but be able to tell local governments that we're abiding by the same requirements that they are.

It's incredibly important, not only for rebuilding post-fires, but but for us to be able to demonstrate what it takes to move with speed for something that could not be more urgent, which is a roof over your head. And with that, I respectfully urge your aye vote, not only on this bill but on this entire package.

Thank you, Assembly Member Haney. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assembly Member Schiavo, would you like to close?

Respectfully request an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Schiavo. 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. The Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Ayes 73, noes 0 on the urgency. Ayes 73, noes 0 on the bill.

The measure passes. Moving to file item 10 by Assembly Member A.B. 306 by assemblymember Schultz.

The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 306 by Assembly Member Schultz and others and act relating to building standards and declaring the urgency thereof to take effect immediately. Member Schultz, you are recognized.

Yes. Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker Brom and Members. I rise today proudly to present Assembly Bill 306 on my behalf and of our joint author, our speaker Robert Reavis, and the many co authors who've joined the Bill.

Assembly Bill 306 imposes a six year moratorium on new updates to the state building code that would affect residential construction and would temporarily limit local governments from making new modifications to those standards, except, of course, for emergency changes necessary to protect health and safety.

We all know, and we have come from our prior lives as local elected officials and as state legislators, we know we have a housing affordability crisis in the State of California. California home prices are double the national average and the rent is too damn high. So many folks cannot afford to live in California.

That underlying affordability crisis was exacerbated in January when devastating wildfires resulted in the destruction of over 10,000 structures in Los Angeles and the displacement of thousands of Angelenos. Now, California's building codes are some of the most energy efficient and protective of health and safety, not just in the country, but in the world.

And it's a fact that we should be proud of. But it does come at a real cost that impacts every single resident of our districts.

Industry stakeholders estimate, for example, that the upfront cost of recent code changes made in just the last 15 years has contributed to the range of 50 to $100,000 in additional cost per single family unit. That adds cost pressures. It has tangible results.

It makes it that much harder to achieve the California dream of homeownership and that much harder to find a reasonable apartment to live and to call home. Now, this pause on AB306 will provide stability and certainty in the housing construction market by temporarily freezing the standards by which people need to meet to construct their home.

It is about affordability. Is it? It is about a response to the wildfire. And I humbly ask for your aye vote on 306.

Thank you, Assemblymember Schultz. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. zero, excuse me. I stand corrected. Summit Member DeMaio. Forgive me. I did not see your microphone raised.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to commend my colleagues on the other side for bringing forward thoughtful legislation. These are all good bills. My hope, Mr.

Speaker, that we will have a sense of urgency to move even beyond this starting point to more ambitious goals, ambitious changes in statute and regulatory programs of the State of California that are adding substantial costs.

A pause, though, for five years in any new state building codes recognizes that we have a patient in the ICU that's on its deathbed, and that is the California housing market. It's the California family that cannot afford these high costs that we've added for the past 15 years.

The author of the Bill correctly notes studies show 50 to $100,000 per single family unit in higher costs just in the last 15 years of added regulations in our state building code. But today's Bill only says that we won't do additional harm. We had a an emergency session of this Legislature in the wake of the horrific fires.

We then decided to dispense with that emergency session, but we were promised bold, big, comprehensive reform. With all due respect, this is not enough for those families seeking to rebuild. And in the coming days, that will become all too more apparent.

And so I will take my colleagues on the other side at their word that they do want to fix the problem. And so I would encourage all of us to amp it up, to step it up, to speed it up, because this is not going to be enough.

I'd also point out that as much as we want to do to limit local building code changes, I'm very concerned about the unbridled, unchecked power that this body has delegated to unelected state bureaucrats who impose sweeping and very costly regulations on. On businesses and homeowners alike.

For example, the California Air Resources Board continues to try to push a very costly mandate to ban natural gas appliances. And many of our air quality districts are trying to impose even more costly retrofit mandates, which the National Association of Home Builders estimates at $30,000 per home per unit.

And so, again, I support this bill, but I really want to make sure that we don't give ourselves the pats on the back just yet. We have to show more results, more progress, and I hope to see that in the coming weeks and months.

Thank you, Assemblymember Demaio, zero. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assemblymember Schultz, would you like to close briefly?

Mr. Speaker? AB306 passed overwhelmingly out of housing and appropriations on a bipartisan basis, and we hope today it takes the next step. Humbly ask for your I vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Schultz. 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 and tally the votes. Ayes. 67 no. 0 on the urgency. I 67 no. 0 on the Bill.

The measure passes.

Up next is File Item Number 11, AB 462, by Assemblymember Lowenthal. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 462, by Assembly Member Lowenthal and others, an act relating to land use and declaring the urgency thereof to take effect immediately.

Assemblymember—oh, pardon me. You are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members, I'm pleased to present AB 462, which will exempt the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, from coastal development permit requirements in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles County faces a severe housing crisis, which became immediately worse with the devastating loss of thousands of homes, in the Palisades and Eaton fires earlier this year.

Department of Housing and Community Development determined that Los Angeles County should add 812,000 new homes by 2029, to meet the required housing needs of current and future residents. As of the beginning of this year, only 71,000 homes were built.

Due to the devastating and catastrophic loss caused by the wildfires, there are now entire communities in Los Angeles that are unexpectedly looking for housing, putting more strain on the already existing housing shortage. With displaced residents and the reduction in available housing, Los Angeles needs assistance to assure it can adequately accommodate its population and promptly increase its housing supply.

One way the state has successfully facilitated rapid housing production is by facilitating the construction of ADUs. Under current law, ADUs are generally allowed by right, in all residentially zoned parcels in the state. ADUs must be reviewed and approved in a streamlined and ministerial fashion, at the local level, within 60 days.

Recent legislation has helped ADUs become a huge success in enhancing the housing supply. Now, one in five new homes constructed in the state are ADUs. Unfortunately, homeowners in California's coastal zone do not enjoy the same streamlined process.

The coastal development permitting process to build an ADU is costly and can take years for a homeowner to successfully navigate, compared to the 60-day permitting time frame mandated by state law, for ADUs outside of the coastal zone.

This poses a barrier for homeowners seeking to add much -needed housing supply, especially in Los Angeles County, where ADUs can be used to house those displaced by the fires, assist in freeing up other housing inventory, and increase the housing stock. This will relieve pressure on the rental market overall.

This Bill also makes an exemption available to coastal communities that experience destruction from natural disasters in the future. AB 462 seeks to provide vital relief to the rental market in Los Angeles that was already facing a serious housing crisis, prior to the loss of property caused by the fires.

It is essential for California to implement policies that facilitate the efficient construction of housing, in order to be prepared when a natural disaster strikes again. I respectfully ask for your "Aye" vote.

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

Great, thank you. I rise in support of this measure. This is my third year serving on the Housing Committee, actually as Vice Chair.

And over time, we've had many bills, whether it's this Committee, or that Committee, or natural resources, that we're having to draft laws to help put, in check, regulatory agencies that have gotten way beyond what they should be doing.

In fact, last year in Natural Resources Committee, the Coastal Commission sent a government-paid lobbyist to lobby against a Bill that would have helped people build ADUs on their own properties, close to the coast. You know, because it damaged somebody else's view or something like that.

The Coastal Commission has gone way beyond their authority and what they should be doing, and they—I'm shocked that they haven't opposed this Bill, to be honest, and it's great that they haven't.

But make no mistake about it, they will be showing up in committees this year as they've read—you've read the articles—they've ramped up their lobbying corps to oppose legislation exactly like this. And they are responsible for making housing more expensive on the coast.

And we, we shouldn't have to do bills to take away the authority of the Coastal Commission, to allow somebody to build a small ADU in their backyard, so somebody can actually afford to live on the coast. This is a great Bill. It's a very modest Bill. We should go a lot stronger than this.

And I, I hope to never see the Coastal Commission show up lobbying against bills like this. With that, I ask for an "Aye" vote.

Seeing and hearing no further debate. Assemblymember Lowenthal, would you like to close?

Assemblymember Lowenthal?

Respectfully ask for your "Aye" vote on this very commonsense solution.

While 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. The Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes.

[Roll Call]

Okay, we are going to pass and retain on File item number 12 gets us to file item number 13. Assembly Bill 493 by Assemblymember Harbedian.

Clerk will read Assembly Bill 493 by Assembly Member Harbidean and accolades the mortgages and declaring the urgency thereups take effect immediately.

Assembly Member Harbedian, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker as wildfires have devastated so many communities as we have spoken about today, homeowners are having extreme difficulties in actually rebuilding their lives and they need all the money that they can get.

There is a common practice in the banking industry where certain escrow funds like property tax actually earns interest and is paid to the homeowner for some unapparent reason. In post loss insurance payout situations the lender keeps the interest on money owed to the homeowner and the homeowner doesn't actually get that interest payment. We need to fix it.

AB493 actually has a very common sense fix where a homeowner who has a loss and is paid out an insurance payment is paid interest on the money while it's being held on to by a lender.

This will help people in my community and throughout the state if they are facing any sort of devastation of a wildfire, earthquake, flood, etc. Get more money in their pocket. I would like to thank the Governor for his partnership on this Bill and I respectfully ask for your I vote.

Thank you Assembly Member Harbidian. 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. Ayes72 no 0 on the urgency Ayes72 no 0 on the Bill.

The measure passes which takes us to File item number 14 Assembly Bill597 by Assemblymember Harbidian.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 597 by Assembly Member Harabedian, an act relating to insurance and declaring the urgency thereof to take effect immediately.

Assembly Member Harabedian, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When disaster strikes, homeowners often rely on their insurance policies for help. Oftentimes, it is actually very difficult to navigate that process and many homeowners have to rely on public adjusters, and public adjusters do great work for so many homeowners. So many of them are being helped right now by public adjusters.

However, gaps in the law have led to abuses from public adjusters to homeowners going through this devastation. This bill AB 597 will actually close those gaps. It will do important things like making sure that we are banning predatory solicitation practices. It actually caps public adjuster fees and it strengthens contract transparency. It's a very common sense consumer protection bill, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Harabedian. 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 and tally the votes. Ayes 73, noes zero on the urgency. Ayes 73, noes zero on the bill.

The measure passes. Members, that was the last of the bills that we will be addressing with urgency today. Remaining bills will be 41 vote bills. We're going to pass and retain on file items number 15 and 16, which brings us to file item number 17, AB 293 by Assembly Member Bennett. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 293 by Assembly Member Bennett, an act relating to groundwater.

Assembly Member Bennett, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Members. AB 293 will enhance transparency and accountability in groundwater management by requiring groundwater sustainability agencies to publish on their website or local agencies websites the membership of their board of directors and a link to the Fair Political Practice Commission's website where director statements of economic interest or Form 700s can be seen.

While many GSAs already published their membership list of their boards of directors, it's vital that we ensure the public can easily access the information across all 260 of California's GSAs. Dozens of public officials, including planning commissions, already are required to maintain a link to the FPPC on their website In addition to publishing the names of officials who file Form 700s.

AB 293 ensures the public can access information about the individuals responsible for managing our groundwater. This bill is a simple step to build public trust, strengthen accountability, and protect one of California's most vital resources for future generations. If you believe in transparency in our local governments, it's important. If you believe transparency in local governments is important, I urge you to support this bill. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Bennett. Assembly Member Patterson, you are recognized.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. I think every government agency ought to put the people in charge of that government agency on their website and they also ought to disclose the financial statement of financial interests on their website.

I don't understand an argument against that. Oftentimes, actually, when I was on the Rocklin City Council, we started a process in which our city should, every government agency should be required to put their financial interests online so the public can actually look at it.

But the problem with a lot of the local agencies and things like that, despite all the great work they do, is some people have no idea who's in charge. And I think it's a very reasonable approach if I just wanted to find out information about a government agency that I can log onto a website and see who's in charge so I can actually hold them accountable in some way if I needed to. So Citizen Joe respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Thank you, Citizen Joe. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assembly Member Bennett, would you like to close?

I'd like to thank the Assembly Member from Rocklin, i.e. Citizen Joe, for his support for the bill. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Bennett. 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 and tally the votes. Ayes 59, noes 5. Measure passes.

Moving on to file item number 18, AB 251 by assemblymember Kalra.

The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 251 by Assembly Member Karla and accolade to elders and dependent adults.

Assembly Member Kra, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB 251 gives a judge discretion to apply the preponderance of the evidence standard as the burden of proof if the court finds intentional destruction of evidence by a defendant, skilled nursing facility or residential care facility for the elderly in relation to a civil case under the elder abuse and dependent adult civil protection act.

The Bill before you addresses the governor's veto on a Bill from last year by allowing judges to apply the lower standard or not after determination that intentional destruction of material evidence occurred.

Often, elder abuse victims are unable to provide testimony due to sickness or death, and the unusually high burden of proof in the act can make it nearly impossible to justify a claim. This difficulty is compounded when there is intentional and willful destruction of evidence relevant to the case.

This is narrow, and we have worked out amendments with the California Association of Health facilities who are now neutral on the Bill. I respectfully asked for an I vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Kalra. 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 desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 52, nos. 8. The measure passes.

We're going to pass and retain on file items 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. That brings us to file item 26, AB 59 by majority leader Aguiar-Curry. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 59 by Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry. An act relating to reclamation districts.

Madam majority leader, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. Members, this is a non-controversial district bill that removes a sunset for Reclamation District 108. Currently, RD 108's authority to participate in hydropower projects is set to expand expire on January 1, 2026. The district has already identified potential opportunities for small hydropower facilities in the existing canals in Yolo and Colusa County. AB 59 will remove the current sunset ensuring RD 108 can confidentially, excuse me, confidently plan for and participate in future projects. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Madam Majority Leader. 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 and tally the votes. Ayes 71, no 0. The measure passes. Moving on to file item number 27.

AB 417 by Assemblymember Carrillo.

Clerk will read Assembly Bill 417 by Assemblymember Carrillo. And I pled into local government. Assembly Member Carrillo, you are recognized.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker and Members, I am happy to present Assembly Bill 417 today. In order to respond to the needs. Of our communities, local governments have to. Come up with creative ways to Fund critical infrastructure.

Tax increment financing tools like Enhanced Infrastructure financing districts or EIFs and community revitalization and investment authorities or CREAs have become increasingly important in funding local infrastructure projects. AB 417 improves the functionality and usefulness of EIFCs and CRIAs by streamlining administrative processes and providing other crucial clarification to existing law while maintaining public participation and transparency.

I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Carrillo. 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. The Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 57, no 0. The measure passes.

We're going to pass and retain on file items number 28, 29, 30. That brings us to file item 31, AB 312 by Assemblymember Alanis. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 312 by Assemblymember Alanis. An act relating to agricultural theft.

Member Alanis, you are recognized.

Thank you. When agricultural theft occurs, our county agriculture commissioners become responsible for managing the stolen goods. It is the rightful owner, if the rightful owner has not come forward to claim the commodities, it is either sold or donated, typically within three days.

AB 312 gives the rightful owner still an opportunity to claim the profits for a period of no less than three months after the sale, which used to be six months, and with the rise of digital tools like social media and online bulletins, commodity owners can now be located much more quickly.

However, oftentimes no owner is located and the bill allows a county Agriculture Commissioner to transfer these otherwise idle funds into the County General Fund up to four times per year instead of holding funds for six months. This bill is a simple update to the operations and enforcement efforts against agriculture theft. This has no opposition and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you Assemblymember Alanis. 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. The clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 69, noes 0. The measure passes. We're going to pass and retain on file item number 32. Last item we will be taking up today. On third reading file item number 33, ACR number 6 by Assemblymember Ta. The clerk will read.

Clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 6 by Assemblymember Ta and others relative to Black April memorial month.

Assemblymember Ta, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and member. I'm honored to present ACR 6. ACR 6 would recognize April 30th as a Black April in solemn remembrance of 58th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. On April 30th, 1975, the Communists from North Vietnam took over the South Vietnam and since then millions of Vietnamese left the country, tried to escape the country in seeking freedom. I came to the US in 1992 as a political refugee. My father was imprisoned along with 100,000 of other South Vietnamese after fall of Saigon.

I still remember on Christmas Eve 1978 when my family we were ready for dinner several communist agents they came to my house and they did a lot of searching. After a few hours, they took my father away. My father was in prison for several years and after he was released the US Government sponsored my family to come here. So I left Vietnam on April 30, 1992 at the age of 19. Millions of Vietnamese left the country after fall of Saigon and many hundreds of thousands of them lost their lives during the journey of seeking for freedom.

So I really appreciate my colleagues in this body for always supporting our Black April, for always standing with the Vietnamese American Committee for always standing for freedom. California is home for more than 700,000 of Vietnamese Americans and every year the Vietnamese American Committee organize the Black April event to honor the sacrifices of more than 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers and 58,000 American soldiers who fought side by side with the Vietnam War for freedom. ACR 6 also recognizes all the challenges of the Vietnamese American community or the Juno or the hard working of every single Vietnamese American here to build a strong community in Orange County, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.

ACR 6 is also encouraged the Vietnamese, the South Vietnamese heritage, and freedom flag that had been recognized last year to be flow throughout the state. If you go to any Black April events in the Vietnamese American community, you will recognize the South Vietnam flag.

It is on my desk every day and I'm very, very thankful of my colleagues here for always supporting Black April Month every year. I truly believe that ACR 6 is a resolution that bring everyone together. We here to stand for freedom. After 50 years, Vietnam is still a Communist regime.

There is no human rights, no democracy in Vietnam. So I'm very, very thankful of your support. I believe your support will continue to give hope for the Vietnamese American community who live in California and that someday Vietnam will be free. I respectfully ask for your aye vote and I'd like to say something in Vietnamese.

[Speaking in Vietnamese].

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to our colleague from Westminster for introducing this resolution that I'm proud to join on and more significantly sharing some of his both personal and community's experiences that we are here to recognize today in support of ACR 6, which does recognize the 50th anniversary of Black April by proclaiming April as Black April Memorial Month.

And it is something that we've done every year that been in the Legislature. And I think it's an important reminder, but especially this year, given that it is the 50th anniversary of Black April, which reminds us not only of the fall of Saigon, but of the beginning of a mass exodus of Vietnamese refugees and other Southeast Asian refugees in search of of freedom.

Our Vietnamese brothers and sisters left their homeland in pursuit of freedom and liberty. Santa Clara County, Orange County, Los Angeles County were three of the counties that were chosen to relocate refugees that had left everything they had ever known, came to a new country that speaks a language they didn't know.

And still with the memories, their recent tragic memories of the loss they had endured, both personally as well as a nation. Five decades later, each Black April commemoration aims to provide a respectful and meaningful opportunity for each of us to reflect on the significance of a dark day in Vietnamese history. It's important for the next generations to learn about the resilience of Vietnamese history and heritage.

And I'm very proud to see in San Jose, Orange County, and many other places that Black April is being remembered, that it is the next generation that is helping to organize many of these events, not only to honor their parents and grandparents, but to reflect on what it means to them, what Black April means to them, and what their heritage means to them.

That struggle for freedom and heroic individual stories continue to inspire us to recognize the heroism and strength our Vietnamese communities possess. And oftentimes, you know, when you think about kind of the political activism in our democracy, and we talk about this as many different communities, the AAPI community tends to not have a very high voter turnout.

And there's an exception there. The exception is the Vietnamese community, because when you've had freedom and then you lose it, you take advantage of every opportunity you have, when you have an opportunity to have your voice heard.

The other aspect of it being so widely celebrated to this day, even though it's been 50 years, is that that struggle is not just a struggle that's considered to be in the past. In the Vietnamese American community, they still fight for those that are back in Vietnam, those that have been politically oppressed, those from the media, those that have spoken out as activists without due process are taken away and imprisoned and jailed, tortured and sometimes even killed. That's what we have to remember when we see nations slip into that level of tyranny.

What ends up happening is what we saw with the fall of Saigon. And so the Vietnamese community is a stark reminder of what can happen. It also to look at the silver lining. The Vietnamese American community is such an example of resilience and overcoming tragedy in order to become such a vibrant part of our community. In supporting ACR 6, we show our solidarity with the Vietnamese community and their commitment to the principles of democracy, justice and the protection and advancement of human rights. I respectfully ask for your aye vote on ACR 6.

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

I'd like to thank Assemblymember from San Jose for always standing with the Vietnamese American community. So it's really important, important resolution for every Vietnamese American who live in California and the nation. I think that we, I really appreciate all the members here. We continue to stand with the committee to continue to fight for freedom, human rights and democracy for Vietnam. So I ask my first vote to be open for co-author. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ta. All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll for co-authors. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. This is for co-authors. All those vote who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. There are 74 co-authors added without objection.

We'll now take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. We will pass and retain on file items 34, 35, and 36. Now moving on to a vote on the Consent Calendar file items 41 to 47.

Does any Member wish to remove an item from the Consent Calendar? Seeing and hearing none. The Clerk will read the Second Day Consent Calendar.

Assembly Bill 498, by Assemblymember Michelle Rodriguez and...self-service storage facilities.

Clerk will open the roll on the Consent calendar.

[Roll Call]

Members, a quorum call is in place. We are moving to adjournments and memory. Please give your respectful attention to those who are granted prior permission to speak on their adjournment in memory. I ask that you please take your conversations off the floor. Thank you, Members. Please take your conversations off the floor.

Thank you, Members. Assembly Member Chen, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I rise in adjournment in the memory of David Myers. Dave was a co-founder of Wildlife Conservancy, and his advocacy led to the first ever designation of Chino Hills as part of the California State Park System—the only state park in my district. Dave represented the very best of California.

He developed a love for the state's natural beauty as a young boy, during his frequent trips across the state. He was influenced by the writings of John Muir, one of California's original Conservationists. Dave knew just how fragile our ecosystem was and how much it needed to be protected for future generations of Californians to come.

He uses an act for real estate to buy up land across the region. He built wildlife preserves, expanded these public playgrounds for generations of Californians to enjoy. Dave's legacy is what is so remarkable.

He saved hundreds of thousands of acres for public use, to protect the state that we all love, and ensure the next generation of Californians, who have an affinity for the outdoors, would be able to enjoy it as well. To honor his legacy, he would want all of us to spend more time reconnecting with nature and to recycle his famous motto, "Behold the beauty."

Dave is survived by his wife, two brothers, two sisters, and many nieces and nephews. And with that, Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that we adjourn in the memory of David Myers.

Thank you, Assembly Member Chen. Assemblymember Calderon, you're recognized for your adjournment and memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to adjourn in memory of Olivia Guerrero, a bright, compassionate young woman. Her untimely passing on November 4th, 2024, has brought immense sorrow to all those whose lives she touched. Born in 2002, Olivia's educational journey began at Broadoaks School at Whittier College, where she was a student from preschool to eighth grade.

She later graduated with honors from Loyola High School of Los Angeles. I first met Olivia when she was a student at Broadoaks. She was truly a bright light and absolutely brilliant.

Olivia's passion for learning led her to Harvey Mudd College, which was her dream school, where she was in the midst of completing her fourth year, toward a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science, with a concentration on Chinese language.

Outside of her academics, Olivia was a creative spirit with the love for gourmet cooking and for exploring new musical instruments. As a teenager, she created online modifications for her favorite video games and guided tabletop game groups. Olivia left us too soon.

On behalf of my own family, we are so grateful to have known her and we will always keep her in our hearts. She is survived by her parents, Jolene and Francisco Guerrero, her sister Marissa, and her beloved dog, Luna. I respectfully request that we adjourn in the memory of Olivia Guerrero.

Thank you, Assemblymember Calderon. Please bring the names to the desk to be printed in the Journal. All requests to adjourn in memory will be deemed read and printed in the Journal. Moving on to announcements, members of the following committees meet today upon adjournment—Budget Subcommittee 5 on State Administration meets in Capitol Room 447.

Privacy and Consumer Protection meets in Capitol Room 437. Public Safety meets in Capitol Room 126, and Health meets in Swing Space, Room 1100. Again, these Committees are meeting today upon adjournment. Session schedules as follows—Wednesday, April 2nd, check in session.

Thursday, April 3, floor session at 9:00 AM. Seeing and hearing no further business, I'm ready to entertain a motion to adjourn. Ms. Aguiar-Curry moves and Mr. Patterson seconds that this House stands adjourned till Thursday, April 3rd, at 9:00 AM. Quorum call is lifted and we are adjourned.

[Voting Changes]