Assembly Standing Committee on Higher Education

Welcome everyone. The Assembly Higher Education Committee is called to order. Grateful for each and every one of you for being here at our fourth policy hearing of the Assembly Higher Education Committee. Whether you're here in person or watching virtually, I welcome each and every one of you.

I will now go over some key elements of the structure of today's hearing as we proceed with the witnesses and public comment. I want to make sure that everyone understands that the Assembly has rules to ensure that we maintain order and run an efficient and fair hearing.

We apply these rules consistently to all people who participate in our proceedings, regardless of the viewpoint they express, in order to facilitate the goal of hearing as much from the public.

Within the limits of our time, we will not permit conduct that disrupts, disturbs or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of legislative proceedings will not accept disruptive behavior or behavior that incites or threatens violence as you came into the hearing room today, the sergeants directed your attention to the Rules for Public Attendance and Participation which are posted posted outside the door.

The rules for today's hearing includes no talking or loud noises from the audience. Public comment may be provided only at the designated time and place as permitted by the Chair.

Public comment must relate to the subject of the bills being discussed today and no engaging in conduct that disrupts, disturbs or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of this hearing. Please be aware that violations of these rules may subject you to removal or other enforcement actions.

Additionally, please note, while this hearing will not have phone testimony, we are accepting written testimony through the Position Letter portal on the Committee's website at www.ahed.Bills will be taken up in Sign in order. However, Committee Members will typically present their bills after Non Committee Members authors. You can sign in at the Sergeant's desk here in room 127.

Furthermore, please note that the guideline for bills heard in this Committee is to offer testimony from two lead witnesses in support and two lead witnesses in opposition to speak for no more than two minutes each.

Stakeholder groups and entities that are neither in support nor an opposition will be allowed to give testimony for no more than two minutes when I call for tweeners. If a measure has more than two entities in the tweener category, only two would be allowed to speak for two minutes each.

Colleagues, Members of the Committee Members Since our hearings are public and some travel far to be here in respect of them and the author, please allow the author to complete their opening remarks regarding the Bill before making a motion so that the public has an idea as to what the Bill is about.

If a motion is made during the author's opening remarks, I will simply say that the motion will be recognized at the appropriate time.

Additionally, Members, if you'd like to respond to a roll call, ask a question, provide a comment, please be sure to activate your mic and speak into your mic for authors of bills up today Authors, each Member presenting today will provide an opening and closing statement. As previously stated.

Your two lead witnesses will each have two minutes each to provide testimony and we'll take up the consent calendar, we'll have quorum and at this time now we'll go through the file order. So first up I'd like to welcome is Assembler Alvarez presenting Assembly Bill 662, item number five. Welcome Assemblymember Alvarez.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Committee Members. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to present Assembly Bill 662 to you today. I want to thank Chair Fong and his staff and the Committee for their work on this issue. And we often say that about bills, but this one definitely did require work.

And I truly appreciate the work by the Committee Consultant, Mr. Powers, and again the Chair, for allowing us to engage in this conversation about how to get this to where we are today. I want to share with you the journey because it's an important one. This is about the fifth bill I believe I introduced in the Legislature as it relates to higher education opportunities in a college desert in San Diego.

That makes it sound like an oxymoron, but that does exist, I know in a lot of parts of California. But in the areas that I represent in South San Diego County, access to higher education is limited. And this bill is in line with the other work that we've done successfully with other legislative priorities and bills that have been through this Committee and through the Legislature. So I want to thank again all of you for being part of this.

This particular bill, AB 662, seeks to address long standing educational inequities in South San Diego County by exploring the creation of a mixed use intersegmental institution of higher education in the City of Chula Vista to serve South San Diego County. Chula Vista, the city is the second largest in San Diego at over 250,000 people with a population of exceeding 200,000 serving a broader region of well over half a million, in fact 600,000 residents in all of San Diego County.

This lack of access to higher education has created what as we like to call and refer to as a college desert. For too long, the absence of a nearby four year public institution has limited educational and economic opportunities for our residents, particularly our low income, first generation, and underrepresented students that we see throughout the state.

The distance, costs, and other burdens that are associated with attending universities outside the region have discouraged many students from pursuing or completing a college degree, deepening existing inequities in higher education attainment and workforce readiness.

At this moment, I think it's appropriate to recognize we do have two higher education institutions from the UC, UC San Diego, San Diego State that are in San Diego. But nonetheless, a lot of our students, particularly the region that I represent, are very place bound, which means they are. And those two University campuses in particular are very impacted. It's very difficult. They are in the top tier of both the CSU and UC system in terms of acceptance.

And so our students who can't get in, who want to stay and live in San Diego, have no other options when those universities are impacted. So to address this disparity, the City of Chula Vista has taken proactive steps by initiating the development of a University Innovation District with over 380 of publicly owned city owned land.

The ambitious project envisions a binational multi institution hub of higher education and innovation that includes collaboration between the UC, the CSU, and our California Community College Systems, the three segments of higher education in our state. The goal is to streamline educational pathways and align programs from the institutions so that we can serve our workforce needs.

AB 662 builds on this vision by establishing the South County Higher Education Task Force, a collaborative body that will bring together representatives from three higher education segments, the City of Chula Vista, and other stakeholders to evaluate the governance models, funding mechanisms, and other statutory changes that may be required to bring such an institution to life.

The task force will be tasked specifically with assessing intersegmental collaboration and governance structures, not to replicate or duplicate, identifying sustainable funding sources for development and operations, recommending legislative solutions to remove barriers institutional innovation, how to do things differently in our higher education system, and submitting a comprehensive report with its findings and recommendations to the Legislature by July of 2027.

This legislation represents an important first step toward reimagining how we expand access to higher education to public higher education in underserved regions. It offers a thoughtful and inclusive process that will help guide long term solutions to one of the most pressing needs that we have in California's higher education landscape.

Again, we're trying to do more with less, which I think certainly in the time that we are in and as Chair of the Budget Finance Committee, what I serve in that role, trying to identify ways to serve more students in a more efficient way. This is one of the steps that we want to take to be able to do that, uniquely, in the community of San Diego. I'd like to now introduce a strong partner.

And we would not be where we are today as far as the progress we've made. And at the center, so that you understand, higher education at the center of that in our region is our community college district, Southwestern Community College, who is bringing along the UC and the CSU in collaborative ways that we may have not seen to this extent in the past. So I ask Zaneta Encarnacion from the Office of the Superintendent and President of Southwestern College to provide testimony.

Thank you so much, Mr. Alvarez. And before we go to your testimony, just for the record, do you accept the amendments on page 4 and 5 of the analysis?

Yes. Thank you. I skipped over that line. Yes.

Thank you so much, Ms. Alvarez. And just for... We have quorum right now, so I think we'll take a moment to establish quorum. Madam Secretary, roll call, please. Thank you.

[Roll Call]

We have six Members present. Quorum. And we're going to take the consent calendar out this time. Mr. Tangipa, you have 30 more seconds? Okay, we're going to do a file item number one, Assembly Bill 58, and file item number three, Assembly Bill 395. Thank you for your patience. I'm sorry.

File item number one, AB 58. The motion is do pass to the Appropriations Committee. File item number three, AB 395. The motion is do pass as amended to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

I'm sorry. Do we need a motion? Can we get a motion? Motion and a second. All right. Perfect. And I'm an aye. Thank you.

[Roll Call]

Thank you so much. The consent calendar is out. We'll keep the roll open for additional Members. And just for the record, the following Members will present the following bills on behalf of Assembly Member Haney at the appropriate times. Assembly Bill 602 will be presented by Dr. Jackson. Assembly Bill 1470 will be presented by Dr. Patel, and ACA 3 will be presented by Dr. Sharp-Collins. Thank you so much for your patience. And Mr. Alvarez, back to you. We have a motion and a second. And testimony, please. Thank you.

Good afternoon, Chair Fong and esteemed Members of the Committee. I am here today to speak in strong support of AB 662. Southwestern College is proud to serve as a co-convener of the University Now Initiative, a key player in the ongoing effort to expand access to higher education in South San Diego County, particularly in the City of Chula Vista.

For many years, our region has faced significant barriers to access to higher education, as Chula Vista remains the largest city in California without a public university offering bachelor degree programs. This gap, as the Assembly Member has said, has directly impacted educational opportunities and workforce development in the nearly 600,000 residents of South San Diego County.

In perspective, Southwestern College transfer students, when you look at their data and you look at all the universities in the State of California and where they transfer to, all of the universities in California, out of all of them outside of San Diego County, they only take 2% of our students because our students are place based and place bound.

Students who cannot get into our local impacted universities do not get into universities. Through our University Now Initiative, we have worked tirelessly alongside a diverse coalition of interest holders, including our local California State Universities of San Diego State University and Cal State San Marcos, University of California San Diego, our K-12 districts, our municipal leaders, and our local economic development agencies.

In partnership with them, our business Chamber of Commerce, and even our Baja California universities, we have successfully conducted a comprehensive workforce and academic program needs assessment. In 2024, UNI published a white paper that outlined a vision for the academic programming of the University Innovation District in Chula Vista, which is 400 acres that have been set aside for groundbreaking model for a vision of system collaboration at the local level.

The paper recommended the expansion of academic programs to align closely with the region's workforce demands, emphasizing the importance of strengthening partnerships and innovation across the UC, CSU, and the California communication systems. We know there's not money to build new universities, but we certainly can collaborate more strongly together.

This collaboration approach, developed and tested locally, not only addresses the unique educational needs of our region, but also serves as a scalable model that can be replicated at the state level to enhance educational access and workforce alignment throughout California. AB 662 offers an exciting opportunity to build on the work already done through the UNI.

The task force created by this bill will continue the successful model of system collaboration at the local level, bringing together the key partners needed to evaluate governance structures, identify funding mechanisms, and explore ways to overcome statutory barriers.

This will be an important step forward in establishing an intersegmental facility that will serve as a permanent convener for higher education collaboration in Chula Vista. Southwestern College remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing this model of cross system collaboration, which has proven successful at the local level through through the University Now Initiative.

We strongly believe that AB 662 will provide the framework for expanding this collaborative approach, ensuring that the partnerships we built locally can serve as a template for similar efforts across the state. We urge you to support AB 662, as it offers a critical opportunity to establish a more inclusive, interconnected higher education system that will benefit both our students and the broader workforce. Thank you for your time and your consideration.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in the hearing room?

Michelle Rubalcava with Nielsen Merksamer on behalf of the City of Chula Vista in support.

Thank you. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room? Are there tweeners in the hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? Yes, Dr. Sharp-Collins.

I just had a comment. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair Fong. Also, to my colleague from San Diego, thank you so much for bringing forth this bill as well. I just remember over a decade ago having this conversation as a staffer at the time in regards to making sure that we have a campus down in our South Bay Area. And it actually hurts me to know that we're still having the same conversation, knowing that we do have the higher ed desert which is currently down there.

But I do strongly believe that this bill is going to be aligned with one of the principles of Kwanzaa, which is Ujima, which is meaning that it's all of our collective responsibility. And so it being our collective responsibility to educate our students and to make sure that everyone have equal access. So I just had that comment to tell you thank you so much for elevating the conversation, keeping it going, and I do hope that we can figure something out because it is all of our responsibility to get this done for our students. So thank you.

Thank you. Appreciate you.

Thank you so much. Any further comments or questions? Seeing none. We have a motion and a second. Thank you so much, Assembly Member Alvarez. You're welcome to close, please.

Yeah, I just want to thank you and thank our colleague from San Diego for the acknowledgment of the work that's been done by others before and the work that's continuing with us. And I know those of you who serve on our Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance have heard a couple of items on this, trying to do things a little bit differently. We know that resources are challenging. We're not trying to build a new UC campus or CSU campus.

We're trying to find ways to be collaborative across segments, which is difficult to do. And this bill will help us bring the right stakeholders to the table so that we collaborate in the way that we need to to be able to actually accomplish that goal of bringing the university access to this part of San Diego that is so desperately needed. So with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Mr. Alvarez, for bringing this bill forward and for your leadership and efforts around this issue and really uplifting it in Budget Sub as well and really for everything you've been doing here. And I believe the task force will continue the good and collaborative work that has been going on for years in Chula Vista in the South Bay of San Diego. And with that, I look forward to supporting the bill here today. Madam Secretary, roll call, please.

File item number five, AB 662. The motion is do pass as amended to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

That measure has five ayes. We'll keep the roll open for additional Members to add on. Thank you so much. Next up, we'd like to welcome Assembly Member Solache, presenting Assembly Bill 885, item number eight. Welcome, Assembly Member Solache.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, Chair and Members. I am proud to present AB 885, College Access for All. I commend the Chair and the Committee staff for their work and thoughtful analysis on this bill. California's public universities were once accessible to all students regardless of income level.

Today, the rising cost of attending college poses a significant challenge for working and middle class families. 72% of parents in the state are concerned about college affordability, while 61% of Californians believe California support making college affordable is insufficient.

The high cost of tuition coupled with California's high cost of living forces 2/3 of CSU and UC undergraduates to take on student debt. Already nearly 4 million Californians owe over 142 billion in student debt at significant impact for our state's economy. Californians with student debt are less likely to own a home or start a new business and average spend less on consumer products that support the California economy.

Without the state action to address the high cost of attaining a college degree, more and more Californians will be forced to either forego college education or be saddled with crippling student loans. AB 885 would establish a College Access for All Fund. We are also... And here to support the bill are Bryan Ha with California Faculty Association and Alberto Torrico on behalf of UAW Local 4811.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee. Alberto Torrico on behalf of United Auto Workers Local 4811, which represents nearly 50,000 academic workers, graduate students throughout the UC system. Although the bill is as written and intended to cover undergraduate students only, my client, the UAW, that our grad students still believe that it's important to rebuild the ladders to the middle class. I think I'll speak for myself. Seems like most of you are younger than I am.

When I grew up, we can still believe and we could live through the notion that an education was a magic bullet to go from poverty to middle class in one generation. That is no longer the case in today's California. Unfortunately, we have a dwindling middle class, and the ability and the means to become middle class families are less and less.

We think that making sure that a UC education or a CSU undergraduate education is attainable and not out of reach because of lack of financial aid or because of decisions that have to be made if students don't want to take on too much debt. These are not the right types of decisions for this generation.

So this bill is about that, is about finding a stable funding source to make sure that all Californians can attain a college education right here. As you know, as all of you well know, California is home to some of the finest institutions of higher learning, but they're out of reach to too many students. So for those reasons, we respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, Committee Members. Bryan Ha with the California Faculty Association. We also applaud the author for bringing this bill forward. CFA has always had a long standing position on making college free, affordable at least. But in the time being, there's been a lot of attacks to the higher education.

We're also facing a massive cut, and I believe this bill sets a good example. It's a step in the right direction to prepare for any other attacks coming to higher education and protecting our students. And that's what it's really about. We're trying to stick with our long standing comments of education is the greatest equalizer in the state and we need to put our money where our mouth is. So again, appreciate the author, and we urge your aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in the hearing room?

And the sponsors. Thank you.

So you can repeat that one more time? We just turned on the mic.

Tiffany Mock on behalf of CFT, a union of educators and classified professionals, we are processing a support and appreciate the author and the sponsors.

Thank you. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hero? Are there tweeners in the hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? We have a motion and a second. Assemblymember, would you like to close.

Thank you Chair. Again thank you to the entire Committee and again I thank the staff for the engagement in this process. As a proud CSU alumnus who also attended community college for a interpreter sign language program and completed graduate school and did graduate school at USC, I'm just proud to always support our higher education.

I truly believe that higher education and education as a whole transforms communities and we are not just the fourth-largest economy for no reason. It's because of our workforce, our education system.

So I just want to applaud the Committee that as we move forward with this dialogue, this conversation and thank all the sponsors that we look forward to one day making higher education more accessible for all. Thank you and I respect the ask for a aye vote.

Thank you so much, Assemblymember Solache for looking into creative ways to really continue to ensure ongoing affordability of system-wide tuition and fees at the CSU and UC.

I know you were chairing a Committee also on the CSU system as well of legislators and really when we look at the State of California, we have the most robust financial aid program in the nation and over 60% of our students do not pay tuition and fees because of the state and institution aid the students receive.

But we know that we can must continue to do more. Well, I have some concerns as to the necessity of the funds at this time. We're prepared to vote for it and support it as it moves it in the right direction.

And please continue to work with my team and the Committee staff to address concerns as noted in the analysis. With that I look forward to supporting the Bill today. Madam Secretary. Roll call please.

File item number 8 AB 885. The motion is do pass to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

The measure has four ayes and we'll keep your door open for additional Members. Thank you so much.

Thank you all for your time.

Thank you. Next up we'd like to welcome assembler Dr. Joaquin Arambula presenting Assembly Bill 730, presenting of AB 730 item number seven welcome, Dr. Arambula.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members. California has a primary care physician shortage. In the rapidly growing San Joaquin Valley, this shortage is particularly severe. AB 730 will address this shortage by establishing a medical school in the Central Valley. As a medical Director, I oftentimes had a hard time recruiting providers to come and practice in our area.

They would tell me things like, I don't want to breathe the air that you breathe, and I might not want to live where you grew up. And we have an opportunity in the San Joaquin Valley that we've been working on with the San Joaquin Valley Prime plus program.

That is a pathway program for a BS to MD that has its first expected completion at 2031, right around the corner.

Assembly Bill 730 would supplement the state's funding by 15 million to allow us to start hiring the clinical faculty to build the partnerships that are needed, as well as to come up with a foundation and a plan on how to increase class size in the long run.

Thank you for allowing me to present and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in the hearing room. Are there witnesses in opposition In a hearing room? Are there tweeners in the hearing room. Colleagues, any questions or comments? We have a motion. Do we have a second? I'll second the Bill. Any further questions or comments? Assemblymember would like to close, please.

Thank you. I respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Thank you so much, Dr. Arambula, for being a champion of healthcare, not just for the Central Valley, but for the entire State of California. We know the state is facing a challenging fiscal environment, but I believe that this measure is necessary to continue to assist UC Merced in becoming an independent school of medicine.

And with that, I look forward to supporting the measure here today. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Secretary, roll call please.

File item number 7 AB 730. The motion is do pass to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

Thank you so much, colleagues. That measure has three ayes. We'll keep the roll open for additional Members. Thank you. Next up, we'd like to welcome Assemblymember Soria presenting Assembly Bill 1400, item number 14. Welcome, Assemblymember Soria.

Thank you, Chair and Members. AB 1400 will help address our healthcare workforce shortage and improve access and affordability of a nursing degree by establishing a pilot program allowing up to 15 community college districts to establish a nursing bachelor's program.

One of the most significant consequences of COVID-19 of the COVID-19 pandemic in California has been an unprecedented nursing shortage. California is projected to be short over 44,000 registered nurses by 2030.

This shortage is felt the hardest in rural areas like the Central Valley where we've already seen the impacts of this with, you know, over two years ago, the closure of the Madera Community Hospital, in part due to having.

Having to hire over 40% of their nurses as travelers, making it more expensive for the hospital and less sustainable for them to keep their doors open. While our exceptional community college system has provided many students with an associate's degree in nursing, our health care system more frequently demands a bachelor's degree.

While our rural students would love to complete their education at a CSU campus, they don't always have the transportation to reach these schools. And when they do, they, when they do, there may not be any slots available.

We know that for low income, first generation and working adults, they can't always access, always access or attend traditional four year university also because of the cost.

It is all too common for our most promising students to uproot their lives to go to schools in other parts of the state and then never coming back or attend a closer private University where they are burdened with huge amounts of debt.

Our community colleges are the most affordable and accessible higher education option for California students. They are part of the solution to our health care workforce shortage that we have today. They are ready to help us meet the challenge. All we have to do is let them through this pilot program.

AB 1400 does this by directing the community college chancellor's office to select up to 15 community college districts to participate in a pilot project to offer a bachelor's degree in nursing. Today with me here to testify in support, I have Dr. Carol Goldsmith. She's a chancellor of State Center Community College in my district.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you. Good afternoon and thank you Chair Fong and Assemblymembers for your time and consideration on this matter. First, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that this year has been a devastating year for public education across America.

Community colleges, along with our partners at the CSU and the UCs are under attack, harming our students, our faculty and the communities we serve. This legislation, however, is not an attack on the CSUs and we deeply value our partnership with them. Yet we must confront a reality. California's healthcare workforce, needs far exceed the current capacity.

Our public institutions are full. Every year, hundreds of associate degree student graduates are forced to leave the state or turn to costly for profit universities just to complete the BSN. That's not inefficient, it's just unjust. The for-profit universities now produce over 50% of all of California BSN graduates.

Saddling these students with massive debt while offering lower quality programs. Often then by often bypassing the standards and investments that California has made in our public institutions, the California Board of Registered Nursing continues to approve more of these private schools.

So if the narrative is that we have enough BSNs and schools capacity, why are they continuing to approve new programs rapidly expanding, often using a pay to play narrative that helps buy access to our community placements? This model displaces our public colleges, our community colleges and the CSU. Hospital staff are overwhelmed.

Our students lose diversity and the depth of clinical experience. Just for my college, for example, we have over 445 students right now enrolled in the program. Last year we transferred a total of 32 to the CSU.

281 went to out of state or for profit. California's community colleges, 116 of them stand ready and we are an educational powerhouse. AB 1440 is a smart, equitable investment in our higher education system and our state's futures healthcare workforce depends on it. In regions like ours, where hospitals are desperate for nurses, our students need affordable options.

Assemblywoman Soria's Bill is a critical solution. Members of this Committee, AB 1440 is an opportunity to lead, to expand BSN access, to reduce student debt and strengthen California's nursing workforce. Our campuses are ready to deliver. Let's fix the leak in the pipeline.

Let's keep our talented students local and let's build a healthier California with community colleges at the table. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in the hearing room?

Kasha Hunt here with Nosman on behalf of Citrus College, North Orange County Community College District and Mount San Antonio College in support.

Thank you.

Mr. Chair and Members. Dean Chalius with the California Association for. Health Services at Home, serving home health and hospice providers around the state in strong support of the Bill once again this year. Thank you.

Savannah Tapia with the California Hospital Association in support. Thank you.

Thank you.

Mr. Chair and Members, Betsy Armstrong on behalf of the County Health Executives Association representing local health departments in strong support.

Thank you.

Morning Chair and Members, Pat Whalen on behalf of United Nurses Association of, California, UNAC and UHCP in strong support.

Thank you. Chair Members Mark Mac Donald on behalf of the California Community College Baccalaureate Association in support as well as a number of local districts, Antelope Valley, Kern, Los Rios and Foothill De Anza. Thank you.

Thank you. Mark.

Hello, Noona Ghariepian on behalf of the Community College League of California representing the state's 116 colleges and 73 districts in support, thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, Good afternoon. Janice O'Malley with AFSCME California in strong support. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in opposition in a hearing room? Are there tweeners in a hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? Vice Chair Demaio.

Thank you for bringing this Bill forward. We obviously have a shortage of qualified nurses. We want to encourage individuals to pursue the field and make it as cost-efficient as possible. There's been a concern raised that perhaps by extending a bachelor's program at community college districts that it would cannibalize associate degree candidates.

Slots for associate degrees. How would you respond to that criticism?

Yeah, if I can, I would point to our dental hygienist program, which we had an associate degree program turned into a bachelor's program. It did not cannibalize it. In fact, it's expanded.

We've been able to get additional approvals to be able to open it up, have a special cohort for those practicing professionals with the ADN to come back to get their bachelor's. That would be the model that we would continue to do. This would be an add-on and a continuation and an expansion of.

We've done it with our dental hygienist. Many of my colleagues across the state and healthcare programs have done something similar. We think we can do the same with this.

Would the author, since this is a pilot project, would the author be amenable to requiring that as part of the pilot that we study and report the impact to associate degree candidates in the 15 pilot community college districts?

I would be open to considering.

Okay, I have some reservations about encouraging or setting the expectation that somehow the bachelor's degree is a requirement. You can get an associate's degree and become an RN. You can get a bachelor's degree and become an RN.

I will say that a lot of folks in the healthcare area learn a lot more getting in to their job than spending a lot more money to get a bachelor's degree. This Committee is the Higher Education Committee. Most people say, well, higher education, that means colleges and advanced degrees.

No, what it means is how do we make sure that post K through 12, our workers, our students have the ability to pursue skills and what is the most cost-effective way for them to acquire the skills? And so I'm a little concerned about joining in the chorus of you got to get the bachelor's degree.

I know that the argument will be made that if you get that bachelor's degree, you'll earn more money. You have to expend money to get the bachelor's degree. And I'm not sure that it increases quality of care.

I think that some of our hospital systems, some of our healthcare providers have just arbitrarily said, okay, if you want a salary increase, go get yourself a bachelor's degree. We gotta stop it with just simply setting an arbitrary piece of paper. And so I'm very worried about kind of getting on the bandwagon here.

But that's perhaps a problem for us to address in a different form at a different time. But I wanted to put that out there because in the coming years, we need to rethink the definition of higher education.

I'm happy to support today's Bill with again, the concern that we monitor the cannibalization of the associate degree slots in favor of bachelor degree slots. And with that, I move the Bill.

Thank you so much for the motion. A second. Thank you so much. Assemblymember Gonzalez, I believe you had a question or comment. Yes, we'll have the opposition. Yes, opposition, please step up. Name and organization of your lead witnesses. Right here. Okay, you can go to the table. Yeah.

Sorry about that. I even. I even. I slipped up on it.

No, not a problem at all.

We should have heard from you first. Sorry.

Good afternoon, Chair Fong and Members of the Committee. I'm Ramon Attar. I'm the Director of Healthcare Workforce Development at the California State University Office of the Chancellor. The CSU shares the author's commitment to addressing California's urgent nursing workforce needs. We appreciate the attention AB 1400 brings to this important issue.

And at the same time, the CSU respectfully believe that there are more effective ways to meet these shared goals. Ways to build on existing efforts, align systems and maximize impact. As such, the CSU must remain opposed to AB 1400. The CSU's ADN to BSN programs currently have no wait list for qualified applicants.

The limiting factor we face are not program seats, but rather the availability of clinical placements, quality, qualified faculty, and infrastructure needed to support high quality nursing education. These limiting factors are not unique to the CSU but are faced by all nursing programs throughout the state.

These are areas where continued investment and collaboration will make the biggest difference. To date across the state, 13 CSU campuses have partnered with over 35 community colleges to offer ADN to BSN pathways that reduce time to degree, coordinate clinical placements and support accreditation and licensure.

These programs are designed with place-bound and non-traditional students in mind, offering flexible formats and local access to BSN degrees. The CSU remains committed to working with all community colleges to expand access and grow California's nursing workforce and has been focused on partnership-based solutions.

We respectfully believe that strengthening and scaling of these partnerships are a more sustainable solution and is ultimately leading to a collaborative path forward.

To this end, both Fresno State and State Center Community College Districts have been in discussion to find suitable partnerships that will best serve their students and hopefully will support be further supported by the Rebuilding Infrastructure Grant. This is just an example of how systems can come together to meet regional workforce needs.

These type of collaboratives continue to contribute towards expanding access, supporting students success and strengthening local capacity. While the CSU remains opposed to the Bill in print, we look forward to the continued dialogue and thank you for the opportunity to share the CSU's perspective and Assemblymember Soria's continued commitment to address this important issue.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you, thank you for having me and good afternoon. My name is Dr. Ann Stoltz and I am the Associate Director of the University of the Pacific Entry Level Master's Program. I've been the founding Director of the RN and SM Program at Troy University and I was the former Director at SAC State University.

So nursing education is in my is in my bones. And on behalf of the California Association of Colleges of Nursing, I'm speaking in opposition of Assembly Bill 1400. CACN represents all baccalaureate and higher education nursing programs in California and we welcome discussions about how to address nursing education and workforce issues.

This Bill fails to address the underlying challenges preventing an increase in the nursing workforce in California and in fact serves to exacerbate existing barriers. The major impediments to increasing enrollments in nursing programs are the lack of clinical placements and the lack of qualified faculty to teach in the programs. Neither of those issues are addressed in this Bill.

Therefore, we do not believe that this will add one single new nurse to the pipeline in California. I'm sure you're aware that there are programs for students and ADN programs to advance their nursing education through collaborative BSN programs. I actually helped to start the first one at SAC State. I'm very proud of that.

These innovative pipelines provide education through online concurrent enrollment models, with some offering pathways to BSN in as little as three to four semesters. For example, Pacific is offering a BSN pathway to MSN that is only four trimesters and considering an ADN to MSN pathway.

These programs are equipped with the academic resources, adequate clinical placements, distance learning modalities, accreditation, and faculty to teach those programs. If the issue is of rural access, there are online BSN and master's level programs currently offered by most nursing programs in California. ADN programs cannot simply flip a switch and start offering BSN programs.

Community college programs must go through the arduous accreditation process, substantial curriculum revisions, increase clinical placements, and most notably increase the number of faculty prepared at the master's and doctoral levels. As I'm sure you're aware, there is a critical faculty shortage and this will shift faculty away from the current BSN and MSN programs.

In short, AB14 has not addressed the nursing shortage and may have unintended effects that decrease the critical supply of RNs in California and drain already limited resources. Thank you and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you so much. Assemblymember Gonzalez. I'm sorry, let's, we're going to take the rest. Please step up to the mic. If there's anybody in the. Any witnesses in opposition in the hearing room.

Sure. Good afternoon. Alex Graves with the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities in opposition.

Mr. Chair and Members, Jason Murphy on behalf of the University of California in opposition to this Bill.

Thank you. Are there tweeners in the hearing room?

Good afternoon Mr. Chair and Members Brian Howe with the California Faculty Association. We don't have an official position on the Bill, but we appreciate the author for always having a conversation with us and we look forward to working with us.

While we understand that there's a nursing shortage, it's also a violation of master plan. But I do hope that we can find a solution on this Bill. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Assemblymember Gonzalez.

You know in, in my area it's a rural area and we ,shortage is putting it lightly when it comes to health care. So I, I want to find a solution to getting more nurses, physicians, healthcare workers across, across all of California, selfishly in my district. Right. So I have a couple questions just to kind of clarify.

You said out of the 200 some odd students that graduated, 445 students. Can you tell me that that data again?

So just to kind of give you an idea, our number one transfer destination. Unfortunately, I'm a proud Fresno State graduate myself. Alma mater, Pay my check. Love Fresno State. Unfortunately our number one transfer is not a CSU.

Currently right now at Fresno City College and Madera Community College we have about 445 students enrolled in the nursing program graduating about 250, 225 each year. Last year we only transferred about 32 students to a CSU. 281 students transferred to either a private or private for profit institution or somewhere out of state.

Our concern is that oftentimes those students who go out of state don't return to the rural places in which they grew up. I hope that answers your question.

And do you know what that looks like for the state? Because if it's happening in one location, what's that look like anywhere else? Do we know that or if we don't, then that's fine.

I don't have the specifics in terms of, for each region, but that would be some information that we could probably work with the Chancellor's office for the community colleges and get that information specific to your area.

The other piece is obviously, you know, yes, I want them to graduate, but I want them to stay. Yeah, so that's, that's a, that's a big issue in, in our area in my district is that we are educating them and then they're, they're going off and I, I want them to stay because we have a shortage, right.

But I also get the piece with how do we plug in in rural California, we have these students or an addition of students. How do we plug them into the local hospitals or healthcare system? What's that piece of the puzzle?

That's the clinical slots. And I know in our area, that's why I work so hard to reopen Madera Community Hospital, which will have several slots for the community colleges and even Fresno State students to participate in.

But that is an issue that each region has to grapple with in terms of the slots for the hours that the students need to complete.

And if I'm correct in my assumption from my previous college time, in an associates, they got to go through all their gen ed, stop, go into the nursing program as in the second phase of it. Right in, I'm assuming in the bachelor's.

It's kind of the same thing going through your general ed and then your upper level and then stop, and then you're going into your nursing program. Is that the same system or if you can enlighten me on that.

Yes, slightly different. As I shared earlier, we would use something very similar that we've done with our dental hygienist program, the program that we're looking at, it expands the nursing education into leadership. You'd have ethics courses, communication for organizations, those sort of General educations that have already been developed at the higher ed level. Looking at those courses.

And then also, of course, the clinical place for our bachelor students are actually proctored activities that would be done while they're employed or at another place. So necessarily might not impact the clinical sites.

Most of the clinical site placement that we're hearing about happens at the undergraduate level, which we're already doing at Mass along with Fresno State and others and a whole host of private post secondary in our area as well. So again, we believe that this is not either or. It's a yes and. It's, the critical need is that much. It is a yes and.

The gentleman from the Faculty Association had stated that this would be in breach of the master plan. Can you, can you talk a little bit about that?

I think what he was referring to that the master plan indicated that community colleges wouldn't provide bachelor's degrees, however historically. And we can look at, for example, we have a current bachelor's degree program already at the community college and I think we've done several exceptions.

And I think that what this legislative body has done historically is look at the workforce needs and also regents and see what is happening and addressing some of those needs through modifications of allowing community colleges to provide certain bachelors Also, I would say CSUs also provide doctoral programs which were typically only let you know, being done by the University of California.

And so there's been some shifts. I know now CSUs provide EDD programs and other doctoral programs as well. So that was.

Well, you know, one of the pieces that I'm looking at. Excuse me, I'm not, I'm not ready for you yet. One of the pieces that I'm looking at is that my community, we need help and the plan isn't working. Whatever that plan is out there is just not working.

And any help that we can get to think outside the box to make this happen is appreciated and I thank the author for thinking outside the box. And I know you live in a rural area and you're thinking rural, so I appreciate that and for that reason I'll be supporting. Thank you.

Thank you so much Assemblymember Gonzalez, any further questions or comments from colleagues? Dr. Sharp-Collins.

I just wanted to. Add a point of clarification to what my colleague was asking and the statement made about the, the, the degrees being offered. So what it was was the agreement initially was stated that the community colleges can offer the, the bachelor's degree provided that it does not conflict with what the universities currently offer.

And so in this case this, this would conflict with what the university currently offers. So yeah, based on the master plan. So there will be an actual conflict there. And so I just wanted to clarify that for you. So that way.

So there are degrees being offered, but once again, it's in mechanics or it's in other areas that our universities do not currently offer. That's all.

Thank you so much Dr. Sharp-Collins. And there's been robust conversations between the different institutions also on the awarding of bachelor degree programs at community colleges and aware of doctoral programs at our CSUs. So these are ongoing conversations that we're having here in the state. Any further questions or comments? Seeing none, Assemblymember Soria, would you like to close, please.

Thank you. And I appreciate again the comments and the robust debate on this issue. I just want to thank the Chair and all the Members who chimed in and obviously also the folks that are on the opposed side. We're looking forward to continued conversations. It's a long road ahead in this legislative session.

But to the comments made by Assemblymember Gonzalez, I think that it is important that we think outside the box. And this is simply a pilot again attempting to address some of the unique challenges that regions in certain regions of the state are experiencing.

And so I think we owe it to not just the future of the state, but really the people that we serve to think about other solutions to allow them the opportunity to achieve these bachelor degrees which are being now more and more required. It's not something that we're trying to require folks to do, but they're being required.

And so with that, I would ask for an aye vote today. Thank you.

Thank you so much Assemblymember Soria for authoring this Bill and for your tenacity and efforts around this space. I know you and I have had many conversations on this as well. And thank you to everyone who's testified here today. Really appreciate your testimony.

I believe we need to continue to explore every avenue possible to meet the medical and health care needs of all Californians, including our rural areas and up and down the state. And includes pursuing every reasonable way that we can train more nurses, whether it's partnerships, standalone programs, ADN programs, more BSN programs.

Everything should definitely be on the table. I've heard from my colleagues on this issue as well. I'm happy to support this legislation here today. With that, Madam Secretary. Roll call, please.

File item number 14 AB 1400. The motion is do pass to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

That measure has four ayes. We'll keep the roll open for additional Members to add on. Thank you so much. Next up, we'd like to welcome Assemblymember Rogers presenting Assembly Bill 1235, item number 12. Thank you for your patience. Welcome Assemblymember Rogers.

I'll start my witness condition join if that's okay with the Chair.

Please.

Great. I'm here today to present AB 1235. Taxpayer Funded University construction projects should be built to the highest standards, which means using a skilled and trained workforce.

Because there are limited funds available to the higher education system in California for construction, it is critical that these projects be done on time and done right the first time, in the most efficient and safest manner available. AB 1235's requirement for CSUs to utilize a skilled and trained workforce ensures that local workers are involved in the projects, high road contractors are carrying out the work, the workers are paid a prevailing wage, they have access to health and welfare benefits for themselves and their families.

The skilled and trained requirements also ensure that apprentices are being trained under highly trained journeypersons, which creates a pipeline of skilled workers for future projects, that will benefit local residents for years to come. Additionally, a skilled and trained workforce delivers benefits to the entire community, by improving worker standards and putting upward pressure on the overall wage floor.

This Bill will make projects safer and more efficient places to work. It will also incentivize the use of local workers on these projects and help ensure the taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.

AB 1235 not only harmonizes the CSU design build statutes with the rest of the public contract code, but it ensures that a locally based field and trained workforce will work on taxpayer funded CSU projects, for the betterment of the entire community. This Bill passed out of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee on a unanimous bipartisan vote.

With me today is—with the State Building and Construction Trades Council is Keith Dunn, and I'm going to turn it over to him.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members of the Committee. Keith Dunn, on behalf of the State Building Construction Trades Council. I'm gonna keep it real brief. You know, we have a lot of laws that are out there to protect the public and how we build public infrastructure, from the Brooks Act.

The Little Brooks Act deals with how projects are designed, based off learning of building large infrastructure that failed long ago. We've got protections built into design. It's important and critical that we also have those same protections in the construction.

The skilled and trained workforce ensures that we have the proper training to make sure that those buildings are structurally safe. A lot of times, you know, in this instance, we're talking about young people who are inhabiting these in dorms and other things. We've seen failures in the past.

So, we just want to make sure to build with the most trained and skilled workers. We also want to make sure those workers have the opportunity to have health care and retirement, and the skill set that they can take on and move on to the next job, reinvesting in our communities.

So, with that, I just ask for your "Yes" vote. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in the hearing room?

Mr. Chair, Members, Sarah Flocks, California Federation of Labor Unions, in support.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room? Are there tweeners in a hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? Vice Chair Demaio.

Assembly Bill 1235. I just want to be quite clear. This does not create a requirement for any project labor agreement conditions, is that correct?

So, it has the skilled and trained language, but it makes sure that it's consistent across of all of our education system. Right now, the skilled and trained language applies to community colleges and UC, but not CSU.

So, this Bill would create the same standard across all of them.

Okay.

But it would not require that those institutions enter into a project labor agreement?

Correct.

Okay, I want to make that quite clear because a lot of times we have, at the local level, councils that claim that it, it is required to do a project labor agreement, and that that's not the case here.

It certainly would be of concern to me if there were a project labor agreement requirement through this statute. I have, you know, no opposition to ensuring that our laborers get quality training.

As I just mentioned at the—in the prior Bill—I don't believe that we should have everyone have the expectation that they go to a college system and get a bachelor's degree and spend all the money on that.

We have a lot of great apprenticeship programs, training programs. Both union and non-union do a great job on those programs. So that was my second question. Nothing in this legislation, AB 1235, would preclude a non-union apprenticeship program and training program from participating in meeting the requirements.

No, if they meet the requirements, there's no restrictions.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much. Assemblymember Gonzalez.

In, in my reach, I, I always think about my district first, right. What, what's that look like? We have a 17.2 unemployment rate, and we just don't have the capacity out there. We need skilled and trained labor. We need generational employment, generational training, across the board. I'm very happy that this is happening, that we're making it consistent.

And look, there's a, there's a, there's a ton of folks in my region in the union that, if not for the unions, they, they would be struggling. And at a 17.2 unemployment rate, I can't have that. I just can't have that.

Moreover, we can't have—we need to make sure that not only, like, like my colleague talked about, if you want to go to Harvard, go to Harvard. If you want to go be an apprentice, go be an apprentice, right. We're founded on those principles of doing that, and, you know, the protections that a union have.

When I first learned about them, when I went through electrician school, just kind of blew my mind, the history of why they were formed. So, it's because of that.

I agree with the author, and I support the author in making things consistent and getting skilled and trained California workers back on California jobs, so we can start putting California families back to work.

Did I hear my colleague add as a co-author?

Sounds like it. Thank you so much. Assemblymember Sharp-Collins, do you have? Oh okay, cool. All right. Seeing any further questions or comments? Do we have a motion? Moved by Dr. Sharp-Collins. Do we have a second? I'll second a motion. Assemblymember, would you like to close, please?

Yeah, no, I think my colleague articulated, I think, the intent of the Bill very well and the impact of the Bill. So, with that, I just respectfully ask for an "Aye" vote.

Thank you so much, Assembly Rogers, for bringing this Bill forward. As you mentioned, this legislation brings CSU into alignment with many other public entities that use, design, build. Promoting a skilled and trained workforce is just good policy. So, I'm happy to support the Bill today. And with that, Madam Secretary, roll call, please.

[Roll Call]

That measures three ayes. We'll keep the roll open for additional members. Thank you. Next up, we'd like to welcome Assemblymember Garcia. Thank you so much for your patience. Presenting Item Number 13, AB 1247. Welcome.

Well, good afternoon. Thank you, Mr. Chair and Members of the Committee, for the opportunity to present AB 1247, a bill that addresses the increasing issue of contracting out public sector jobs, particularly within our school districts and community colleges. Classified school employee positions are especially vulnerable to being contracted out.

Jobs such as instructional aides, after school program instructors, security officers, custodians, and countless others are now commonly performed by employees of outside contractors with predictably concerning results. These contracted workers rarely receive all of the training required of direct hires.

This means countless education workers across California have not received legally mandated instruction on how to perform CPR, how to prevent sexual harassment, or even how to report child sexual abuse, among other critically important subjects. Despite not meeting the proper job qualifications or possessing the same experience required of direct hires, workers who were contracted by private third parties often make $5-10 more per hour than their directly hired counterparts.

Furthermore, contracted workers are prohibited from participating in CalPERS, leaving them with inadequate retirement security and significantly reducing both worker and employer contributions to that system. AB 1247 will protect our classified school employees and our students by furthering wage parity, training quality, and by creating a more equitable hiring system for all. With me to testify, I have Mitch Steiger representing CFT and Navnit Puryear on behalf of Cal classified school employees.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, Members, and staff. Mitch Steiger with CFT, a Union of Educators and Classified Professionals. Proud to sponsor this bill, proud to be involved for all the reasons stated so well by the author. We think it might help illustrate the severity of this problem by talking a little bit about an example that some of our members are facing.

We represent the workers in a district where 70% of those who do the before and after school programs are now contracted out, which means that a strong majority of the workers there may not have had the mandated reporter training. They may not know how to recognize cardiac arrest. They haven't had the bloodborne pathogens training.

They may not know how to recognize signs of heat illness, all sorts of other things that you very much want in a worker who's conducting an after school program that may not be there for most of these workers. In addition to that, most of the workers that are there have no experience in education, haven't worked with kids before, and will make demands that our members aren't allowed to make. Things like, I won't work on Fridays. I won't change diapers. That create all sorts of additional burdens on our members.

That, according to one of our members that works there, it makes it like having another couple kids to take care of. And then to really add insult to injury, as the author stated, often these workers make more money than our members do. Can be $5-10 an hour or more.

So to deal with a lot of that, that's why we're behind this bill. But we want to be clear that this does not prohibit contracting out. It doesn't say you can't contract out in these or you can only contract out in certain situations. What it says is you can't contract out in a way that harms student safety.

It says you can't contract out in a way that undermines the solvency of retirement and health care plans. It just puts some quality controls in there that make sure students are kept safe and the system works the way it's supposed to. And there are also some additional improvements in there to the training for everyone that we think will further benefit students safety. We think taken together it'll make the system work a lot better, and we urge your support.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, Members of the Committee. My name is Navnit Puryear, and I'm here today on behalf of the California School Employees Association, a union representing 250,000 classified public school employees throughout this state. We're proud to support AB 1247, which would require contracted out classified school employees to meet the same training, experience, and job qualifications as direct hires. Classified school employees are the backbone of our TK-12 schools and community colleges. They ensure schools are clean, that children are fed, and get to school safely.

However, school districts frequently contract out classified positions such as school custodians, security guards, and paraeducators. Contracted employees do not have to meet the same qualification as direct hires and they rarely receive all the training required of direct hires, such as CPR training, sexual harassment training, or even how to report child sexual abuse.

This leaves students unprotected and exposes school districts to potential lawsuits. CSEA members often live alongside students in their communities that they serve. Contracting out these positions not only eliminates local benefited positions, but also the commonality between adults and students that share the same neighborhoods. Now more than ever, it is imperative that students feel they can relate and trust the adults on school campuses. For these reasons, we respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses that support in the hearing room?

Michael Young with the California Teachers Association in support.

Thank you.

Janice O'Malley with AFSCME California in support. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room? Please. Welcome.

Good afternoon. I'm Andrew Martinez for the Community College League of California, and so I must respectfully be opposed to your measure. I apologize. In my mind, the bill does two different things. So there's the first part that deals with contracting out, which we're still trying to figure out.

I acknowledge that there's more work needs to be done on the pension obligation PERS component, which was very... We're unsure how that's going to work in practice. Also secondary, the other part are the different categories. That may be appropriate for some of the jobs in our colleges.

I don't know how many of our employees are doing diapers, that there is some child care on our campuses. Primarily our students are over the age of 18, they're returning adults. And so I'm not sure that some of the issues that are being addressed in the for the K-12 overlap are colleges as much. I'm not sure all those categories necessarily are required for all the positions. Second part of the bill is not about contracting out, it's about training.

So I want to make that point because all of our employees would have to do that, and all the employees that have to do online training have to have someone available in person to respond, a real life person to any online training. That means all online training that's in place right now has to have a real life person. And then secondary, all the other training is also in person.

The other part of that training is also in person, which means that we're probably going to have to dedicate a significant amount of our campus set aside for a month or two every year to have online in person training. So those are our concerns with the bill, and I respectfully hand it over to our colleagues from the K-12 group.

Thank you. Welcome.

Good afternoon, Chair and Members. Brianna Bruns on behalf of the California County Superintendents, representing the 58 County Superintendents of Schools. Thank you to Assembly Member Garcia for taking the time to meet with us to discuss our concerns with the bill.

As we've shared in prior hearings and as is listed in today's analysis, we remain concerned that this bill will ultimately lead to a disruption of essential schools services. Many school districts and community college districts rely on contractors to support urgent or temporary staffing needs.

However, the burdensome restrictions on contracting out services as outlined in the provisions of this bill would significantly limit their ability to do so. With the current education workforce crisis, adding administrative hurdles only delays the necessary services for LEAs and the students they serve.

We are also deeply concerned with the provisions that seem to require employers to make contributions to the state's public pension system on behalf of contracted employees. This provision would not only increase Prop 98 costs greatly, but also runs counter to current state and federal laws.

Moreover, the requirement that training allow for real time questions and answers and those specified trainings be conducted in person present serious logistical and fiscal challenges, as many rely on virtual training to efficiently and effectively train thousands of employees. This bill would, of course, eliminate that flexibility, complicating compliance and increasing costs. For these reasons, we respectfully urge your no vote for this bill.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room?

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and Members. Dorothy Johnson on behalf of the Association of California School Administrators and also for my colleague from the California Association of Suburban School Districts, respectfully opposed.

Thank you.

Lucy Salcido Carter with the Alameda County Office of Education in respectful opposition.

Thank you.

Sara Pietrowski on behalf of the California Association of School Business Officials in opposition.

Thank you. Are there tweeners in the hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments? Vice Chair DeMaio.

Here we go again. So what we do up here is we add all sorts of unfunded mandates to schools, some of them well intended, but none of them ever funded. And we tell these school districts, you have to do this, you have to do that, you have to do this. Oh, by the way, why aren't you meeting these academic standards and why can't you do all these other things? Then along comes this bill, 1247, to add insult to injury, to say we're not even going to give you the flexibility to operate in a cost efficient manner.

This is plain and simple an effort to handcuff our school boards, our local school administrators, from finding the cost savings during a tight budget environment. Whenever we want to think about doing something better, competition is always a good thing. Managed competition, outsourcing, competitive bidding.

The reason why this bill is being sponsored is that the labor unions are demanding that they have no competition, that there be no competitive bidding, that there is no check and balance. And at some point we have to say, okay, you guys already run the show in so many aspects. This is a bridge too far.

We already add so many requirements that are labor driven in this building, and then we turn around and say, and on top of that, you're not allowed to stretch the dollar at the local level. We know exactly what you're trying to do here. You're trying to kill any sort of competitive bidding.

The fact that this also applies to K to 12 schools is particularly galling because those school districts are the ones that are the most disproportionately hit by these unfunded mandates, at least in the UC and the CSU system there are a variety of stabilizers in place. Not so for K through 12.

And so I urge my colleagues this one is a bridge too far. Let's ask that the author go back and come up with a more refined set of proposals that may deal with some of the issues that may need to be ironed out here. But to simply say that they can't do it unless they meet these stringent poison pills. Again, let's call it what it is. It's designed to eliminate any sort of contracting out or competitive bidding by school districts.

Thank you. Any further questions or comments? Dr. Patel.

Thank you for bringing this bill forward. I understand some of the concerns that you're trying to address. I'm wondering whether there are any provisions for being able to have some flexibility for one time funding dollars to have those contracted employees in those places when it's specifically for short term projects that are one time funding for a short duration.

Well, we're always open to making improvements and so something we'll take into consideration. I have to reach out to all the stakeholders as well.

Yeah, understood. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Any further questions or comments? Seeing none. Do we have a motion? Motion. Thank you so much. Do we have a second? I'll second the motion. Assembly Member, would you like to close please?

Well, thank you for the opportunity to present AB 1247. You know, as a school administrator, I had the purview of safety at my campus, and so I know that I was responsible for making sure that staff were having the appropriate AED training in case of emergency as well as CPR.

And those are in person things that needed to happen with the, with the after school programs that we had during ELO-P. I didn't know whether or not these folks were certified in those things. And so it'd be great if we had the option to be able to train them. And so, secondly, the contracting out, I'm sorry, the person...

As a school board member, I know that our school district yearly had to contribute about 25% for the CalPERS as makeup contributions. And so the more that there is contracting out, the more endangered that system is. So I think that this bill does a great job of addressing those two things, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you so much, Assembly Member Garcia, for bringing this measure forward. And as a former trustee for the community colleges as well, I understand that sometimes services do have to be contracted out to do certain jobs. At the same time, I know that also possibly created some challenges for our classified employees at times as well. We know the classified employers are the backbone of our campuses and our schools and our community colleges. So with that, I look forward to supporting the measure here today. Madam Secretary, roll call please.

File item number 13, AB 1247. The motion is do pass to the Appropriations Committee. [Roll Call]

That measure has three ayes, one no, and we'll keep the roll open for additional Members to add on. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Members.

Thank you. Next up, we'd like to welcome Assembly Member Dr. Patel presenting on behalf of Assembly Member Haney. Welcome, Dr. Patel. Presenting Assembly Bill 1470. Welcome.

Hi. Thank you Chair and Committee Members for hearing me out. On behalf of Assemblymember Haney, I'm presenting AB 1470 and will be accepting the Committee's clarifying amendments today on behalf of Mr. Haney.

AB 1470 builds on the California Student Housing Revolving Loan Fund program program of 2022 by allowing California State University, University of California and community college applicants to use up to 20% of their loan funds to construct affordable student, faculty and staff housing in downtown and main commercial or cultural districts nearby.

Student housing crisis in California has worsened in the recent years with more than half of community college students experiencing housing insecurity and nearly 2 million students reporting homelessness. At CSU and UC campuses, thousands of students are placed on wait lists each year due to a severe shortage of campus housing.

Not only do we need more student housing, but we also need downtown revitalization. Post pandemic, our downtowns are struggling and could significantly benefit from more students living in their downtown cities by authorizing up to 20% of the awarded loan funds to be used for building affordable student, faculty and staff housing in downtown or commercial hubs.

This Bill encourages urban revitalization by connecting housing investment with public transit, jobs and services. This Bill does not appropriate new funding, but strengthens the use of existing and future allocations through a more flexible and inclusive approach. With me to testify in support of the Bill is Scott Ford, the Deputy Director of Downtown Sacramento Partnership. Welcome.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Thank you, Chair and Members. My name is Scott Ford, here on behalf of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. We were one of the original property based improvement districts here in the State of California dating back to 1995, and our organization supports policies that create vibrancy, diversity and revitalization in our urban core.

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership had the privilege of welcoming Assemblymember Haney on a walking tour last year during his downtown Revitalization tour, and the key opportunity areas which emerged from that tour were higher education, housing and cultivating diversified hubs of social activity in our downtowns.

Downtowns and mixed use commercial corridors are by definition the most location efficient places we have for development due to their proximity to job opportunities, to education, to transit and to active transportation.

Solutions 2020 taught urban neighborhoods throughout the state that we cannot be overly reliant on any one use type, with an office centric approach being the most obvious liability for downtowns across the state and around the country.

Diversification of use types through the development of housing near educational and employment opportunities is foundational to the economic and environmental sustainability in California, but also for enabling upward socioeconomic mobility through access to education and to jobs without being overly burdened by housing or transportation costs.

I've experienced this firsthand, you know the challenges when I went to University at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, housing insecurity drove me to the point where I lived in a garage for one year and I had no access to reliable transportation. I was fortunate to find ways to overcome those challenges, but not everyone is so lucky.

Talent attraction and retention is foundational to the success of California's future. If we want to remain competitive at keeping our young bright minds in state for college and building their lives and careers hereafter, then we have to start by addressing high housing costs through creative financing techniques.

AB 1470 represents the type of creative financing tool we need to leverage to help address this issue and to re energize and diversify our downtown neighborhoods throughout California.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in support in a hearing room? Are there witnesses in opposition in a hearing room? Are there tweeners in a hearing room? Colleagues, any questions or comments?

I was just going to say it's hard to ask some of the questions because he's not here and so knowing that he has accepted some of the amendments, I will be okay with allowing the Bill to move forward today, but I would like to address the questions directly to him and hopefully he can respond to those as we prepare.

Should this Bill move forward to the floor at that time is when I can Reserve my right to rather not vote for the Bill. But I do have questions. But I don't want to bombard you and the witness without him being able to questions.

Thank you so much Dr. Sharp Collins.

We are happy to answer questions if you want. Now, I was given two pages of question and answer preparations. We can do our best but appreciate that you are willing to speak with the author directly and we'll let him know.

Certainly. Thank you so much. Any further questions or comments? CNN do we have a motion? All right, we'll take a motion. While we have more Members here, Assembly we'd like to close please.

Sure. On behalf of Assemblymember Haney, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you so much Dr. Patel for really presenting this Bill on behalf of Assembly Haney and for somebody Henny and leadership and efforts around the student housing revolving loan Fund. These are robust conversations that we've had to continue to build additional units here in California to provide those opportunities.

Really appreciate all the comments here today and I know there's additional questions that folks Members that have as well. So really appreciate you presenting those on behalf of Mr. Haney and thank you for accepting the Committee amendments and I'm proposed I'm prepared to support the measure here today.

Continue to please work with our Committee staff on page four of the analysis to as this Bill moves forward. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you. Next up we'd like to welcome assembler Sharp Collins presenting on behalf of Summer Haney AC3 item number 16 Welcome a Summer Sharp Collins. Welcome Dr. Sharp Collins presenting on behalf of Summer Haney Item number 16. ACA 3 welcome.

Thank you. All righty. Thank you. Mr. Chair and Members of the Committee, I am proud to present ACA3 on behalf of Assembly Member Haney which extends home ownership opportunities by requiring the University of California to make to make available a limited number of down payment loans to eligible UC support staff who are first time home buyers.

California is experiencing a housing crisis. Rising rents are reducing access to affordable apartments and home prices are skyrocketing and down payments are becoming barriers to homeownership, even for older starter homes.

Homeownership rates in California are the second lowest in the country and many UC workers are especially struggling with housing costs and the actual prospect of homeownerships are being less likely every day. While we look at the medium average wage of about $30 per hour, more than two thirds of the employees meet the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development standard for low or very low income. For over 40 years, the UC has successfully managed self sustaining home ownership assistance. Higher education institutions like the UC use affordable home loans and other products to recruit executives and also faculty. These include adjustable rate mortgages, second mortgages and down payment assistance.

The loans are funded by the UC Office of the President's Central Bank. While Others are funded by the campus discretionary funds. Down payments are often the greatest barrier to home ownership. However, the UC support staff do not have access to the UC Homeownership Assistance Program.

ACA 3 requires the UC to make a valuable what to make available a limited number of down payment loans to eligible UC support staff.

The eligible support staff include all Staff employed at UC for at least five years and are first time homebuyers with 70% of the loan prioritized for support staff with incomes below or at the area median income.

Under this, ACA support staff do not become eligible for the more robust UC Home Low Interest Mortgage and Down Payment Grants program available to Executive and faculty. So this is truly a modest approach that will honestly make home ownership a reality for UC workers.

And with me to testify in support of this Bill is Michael Avant, President of AFSCME 3299 and Liz Perelman, the Executive Director for 32.99 and they are both also available to answer any questions and any technical support.

Thank you so much. Welcome.

Good afternoon chair and Committee Members. My name is Michael Avant and I'm The President of AFSCME 3299 in support in our state's constitution, Article 9, Section 9 requires the approval of the California voters before this workforce housing policy can take effect.

ACA3 is limited to a long term UC support staff who are first time home buyers with modest incomes whether they are union or non union. ACA 3 limits the number of down payment assistance loans.

ACA 3 doesn't give support staff in everything that the UC Home Mortgage Program has given to executives and and faculty for the last 40 years. But by using the same UC short term investment pool, ACA3 won't have any impact on a student's tuitions, taxpayers or the General Fund.

The shared appreciation framework guarantees UC will be repaid and make a fair return. We hope you will place this modest proposal on on a ballot for the voters to decide. Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Welcome Liz Pearlman, Executive Director for AFSCME 3290, available for any questions. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses and support in a hearing room? Name and organization and position please.

Hi, I'm Monica Deon, the hospital secretary for UCI and Joint co workers.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Monica Martinez. Hi, my name is Monica Martinez, an administrative clinical care partner for UCLA and I'm here joined by my co workers in support of ACA3.

Thank you. Hi, I'm Jesse Hernandez. I'm a senior cook from UC Riverside and I Am joined today by my coworkers in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Mr. Chair. Member Sarah Flocks, California Federation of Labor Unions in support. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. Mr. Chair. Members Janice O'Malley with AFSCME California in support.

Thank you.

Tiffany Mok on behalf of CFT, a union of educators and classified professionals in support. Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm Joshua Hutchinson, occupational therapy assistant at UC Davis. And I'm also in support of ACA3.

Thank you.

My name is Timothy Chen. I'm an endoscopy technician from UCSF. I'm here today with my coworkers in support of ACA 3. Thank you.

Hey, I'm Rosalva Montoya, a medical assistant from UCLA. I'm joined today by my coworkers in support of ACA 3.

Thank you. I'm Teondra Brown. I'm from UC Davis. I'm security officer and I'm joined by my co workers and stand in support of AC3.

Thank you.

My name is Francisco Garcia. I work at the University of Santa Barbara as a senior lead. I'm joined by my co workers and I'm here to support AC3. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Esmeralda. I'm a nursing aide from UC San Diego. And I'm enjoyed to support my co workers and I and Aca3.

Thank you.

Hello and good afternoon. I am Joyce Latoygui, a food service worker in the nutrition Department at UC San Diego. I am joined here today with my co workers in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Natisha Booker. I'm environmental services at UC Davis. And I am here with my co workers in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm Naomi Nakamura. I'm a pharmacy technician at UCSF and I'm here today in support of ACA3 with my co workers. Thank you. Thank you.

Housing and dining services. Thank you.

Gracias.

Hi, my name is Serafin Zamora. I am groundskeeper at UC Santa Barbara. I'm here to support AC3 by my co workers. Thank you. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Kevin Parks. I'm a bus driver at UC Santa Cruz. I'm here with my co workers in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Hello, my name is Teresa Ramos. I'm a hospital Biller from UC Irvine. I'm joining here today with my co workers workers in the support of ACA3.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Cynthia Soria. I'm a senior custodian from UC Merced and I'm joined here with my Fellow co workers in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Thank you. Hello, my name is Nathaniel Lopez. I'm a senior custodian from UC Merced. I'm here along with my co workers in support of ACA3.

Thank you.

I'm Ryan Lawler, a gardener from UC Santa Cruz and I'm joined today by my coworkers in support of ACA3.

Thank you. Hi, I'm Jason Neeme. I'm a surgical technician at UCSF. I'm here with my coworkers today in support of ACA3. Thank you.

My name is Yolandi Lee. I'm a nurse from UCSF. I'm joined today by my co workers in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Christina Ortega. I work at UC Davis Medical Center. I'm a coordinator in the ICU and I'm here with my fellow colleagues in support of ACA3.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Lisa Escomilla. I am a phlebotomist in emergency Department at the UC Davis Medical Center. I'm here in support with my co workers in the ACA 3. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi. Elrika Ritona, mental health worker at UC Davis Medical Center. I'm joined today by my coworker in support ACA 3.

Thank you. My name is Aaron Metcalfe. I'm a patient transporter at UC Davis Med Center. I'm here in support and with my co workers in ACA 3. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Deborah. I'm here with my co workers in support of ACA3. I work for the University of California.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Johnisha. I'm a medical assistant at UC Davis Health and I'm here along with my co workers in support of ACA.

Thank you.

My name is Bridget Rom. I'm a nursing assistant from UC Irvine. I am here with my co workers to support AC83.

Thank you.

My name is Tamara Lester. I'm a hospital unit service coordinator at UC Irvine. I'm here with my co workers to support ACA3.

Thank you.

My name is Maria Fer Delcado from nursing assistant from UC Irvine. I'm here to support my co workers to support ACA A3.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Rosa Avalos. I'm from UCI AirBank and I'm here with my coworkers in support of ACA3.

Thank you. My name is Sean Cafferty and I'm a shuttle bus driver for UCSF. And I'm here with my co workers in support of ACA Bill number three. Thank you. Thank you.

Hello, good afternoon. My name is Marco Larcol and I work for UCPD Security Department. And I'm here in support of my co workers and Aca3.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Joel Estrada and I work in dining as a food service worker at UCLA. And I'm here joining my workers in Support of Bill ACA 3.

Thank you.

Good afternoon. My name is Jermyn Gill, pharmacy technician at UCLA Santa Monica Medical center, and I'm here to support my brothers and sisters for the Billabac ACA 3. Thank you. Thank you.

Navnit Puryear, on behalf of the California School Employees Association in support.

Thank you. Hi, my name is Jason Ortiz. I'm a UCLA physical therapy aide. I'm here in support of ACA 3 with my coworkers. Thank you.

Good afternoon, Assembly Members. My name is Eden Rivera. I am a senior LVN at UCLA Medical Center. I'm here to support ACA3 with my brothers and sisters. Sir. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, good afternoon. My name is Daisy Marquez. I work in UCLA. I'm senior custodial. I'm here because I support my coworker, ACA3.

Thank you.

I'm Shanna Rockwell and I'm an LVN at UC Davis and I'm here with my co workers for the ACA3 support.

Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Christopher Contreras. I'm a senior custodian from UC Santa Cruz and I come to support my brothers and sisters for the ACA 3. Thank you. Thank you.

Good afternoon. I'm Reynold Earther. I'm a senior food service worker at UC Santa Cruz and I'm here today in support with my coworkers for ACA 3. Thank you.

Thank you. Good afternoon, everybody. Ken Burnside here from UC Davis Health Center. I'm here with my friends to support ACA 3. Thank you. Thank you.

Hello there. My name is Tim Lam. I'm from UC Davis Med Center. I am a cardiac sonographer and I'm here with my coworkers and friends to support ACA 3. Thank you. Thank you.

Hello. My name is Aurelia Palma. I'm a medical assistant at the UCLA and I'm here today with my coworkers to support ACA 3.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Maria Torres. I'm an admitting worker senior with UC Irvine Los Alamitos Medical Center. I'm joined here today with my coworkers to support ACA 3.

Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Eddie Garcia. I am from from UCI Irvine campus. I'm a service overworker. I'm here to support. I'm here with my co workers to support ACA 3. Thank you.

Thank you. Hi, my name is Tarnesh Singh. I'm from UC Davis Medical Center. I'm an operating room assistant. I'm here with my co workers to support ACA 3. Thank you.

Thank you. My name is Scotty Luke. I'm here. I work at UC Medical center and I work as a EVS worker1 and I'm here to support the ACA3. Thank you.

My name is Tyrone Williams, EVS worker from University Medical Center. I'm joined today by my co workers in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Hi, I'm Niita Ramirez. I'm a patient care assistant at the UCSF St. Mary's Medical center campus. I joined my co workers today in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, good afternoon. My name is Salvi Millard. I'm from UCSF St. Mary's Medical Center. I'm here with my coworker to support ACA 3. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, good afternoon. My name is Yanya Hernandez. I'm a Hospital Assistant 3 coming from UCSF. Here with my coworkers and hoping to gain support for ACA3. Thank you. Thank you.

Hi, good afternoon. I'm Joanna Marie Fernandez. I'm an ophthalmic technician at UCSF and I'm here with my co workers to support ACA3.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Paul Lemus. I work in the Transportation Department, UC Davis Medical Center Hospital. I'm here with my co workers to support ACA 3.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Samia Ingram. I'm a patient care assistant at UCSF Mission Bay Campus and I'm here with my co workers in support of ACA3.

Thank you.

Hi, I'm Jennifer Howard. I'm an X ray tech at UCSF and I'm also joining my co workers in supportive ACA Free. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Billy Yip and I cook for the children of UCSF Mission Bay Hospital. I'm here today by my co workers in support for ACA 3. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Christina Torres. I'm a transplant financial coordinator at UC Davis Medical center and I'm here with my colleagues to support ACA3.

Thank you.

Hi, I'm Veronica Rendone, pharmacy technician. I'm from UC Davis Medical center and I'm here with my colleagues in support of ACA3.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Norma Alvarez. I am a pharmacy technician. I'm from UC Davis Medical center and I'm here to support ACA3.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Kennard Harris. I'm a pharmacy technician at UC Davis Medical center and I'm here with my coworkers in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Leticia Losa, Patient Access Center, UCI Medical Center. I'm here in support my coworkers for ACA3.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Jovenette Ambler. I am a patient support services 3 from UC Davis Medical center and I'm here joining with my coworkers in support of ACA3.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Samantha Rabansik. I'm a patient care assistant from UCSF Mission Bay. And I'm joined today by my coworkers to support ACA 3.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Esther Escobar. I am a senior admitting worker at UCSF Mission Bay and I'm here with my coworkers to support ACA 3.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Donna Mckinley Rowland. I am a guest services representative over at UCSF and I am joined today by my co workers in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Thank you.

My name is Cheryl Mitchell. I am a clinical care partner at UCLA. I am joined with my co workers in support of AC3.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Nicole Brown and I'm the youth secretary of the site Ward at UCLA. And I'm joined by my co workers support ACA3.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Maxine O'Toole. I'm a patient builder 3 at UCSD and I'm here today in support of ACA3.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Lavonne Briggs and I'm here from ucasd. I'm a patient builder three and I'm joined today with my co workers to support ACA 3.

Thank you.

Hi everyone. I'm Michael Ammons. I'm a patient builder three at ucsd. I'm joined today by my co workers in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Hello, I'm Yesenia Val Delmar, Patient Builder 3 from UCSD. I'm joined today by my co workers in support of ACA3.

Thank you.

Hello, I'm Agnes Bolos. I'm a hospital unit service coordinator at UCSF Medical Center for 23 years. I'm joined with my co workers to support ACA3.

Thank you.

I'm Jennifer Berger Coleman. I'm a medical assistant at UC Davis Medical center and I'm joined today by my co workers and support of ACA3.

Thank you.

I am Mariana Ruiz and I am a patient care access rep at UC Davis Health and I am here joined by my co workers in support of ACA3. Thank you.

Thank you.

Hi there. My name is Carmen Lee. I'm a shuttle driver at UCSF Mission Bay and I'm here with my co workers in support of ACA3.

Thank you.

I'm Ilario Girbe, Senior Custodian, UC Davis Campus. I'm joined today by coworker support of ACA3.

Thank YOU. Good afternoon. Rick Bates with Unite Here International Union in support. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Any further comments? All right, I'm sorry.

Go ahead. Sorry. Bryan Ha with the California Faculty Association. We're in strong solidarity and strong support. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room? Welcome. You have two minutes.

Thank you. Mr. Chair. Members, I'm Michael Bedard on behalf of the University of California in respectful opposition to ACA3. ACA3 is unnecessary and represents a major shift from the University's missions of teaching, research and public service. The University does not offer the kind of loans required under ACA 3.

Shared appreciation loans take significant upfront capital and repayment is deferred for many, many years. It is a different financial product than what is offered by the University today. Fortunately, the State of California already offers these exact loans. The Legislature gave almost half $1.0 billion to the California Housing Finance Agency to Fund shared appreciation loans.

Recreating that same program at UC would be a needless use of public resources. Moreover, UC is already working with CALHFA on an agreement for those loans to be offered to UC employees. We expect that agreement to be finalized in the next few weeks and rolled out on a limited basis this summer using campus funds.

Importantly, an agreement between UC and HFA does not require a Bill or a constitutional amendment at all. Second, ACA 3 would significantly impact UC's teaching, research and healthcare operations. As you know, UC is facing unparalleled threats and substantial budget cuts at the state and federal levels.

These cuts are already impacting our ability to operate the medical centers, our research enterprise, and they're impacting our students, faculty and staff. Since shared appreciation loans don't get repaid until after the home is sold or refinanced, on average, 10 to 12 years in California. This leaves a huge hole in UC's budget going forward.

The University recognizes the challenges that Californians everywhere face in securing housing. And we remain committed to our workforce. It's why UC continues to build workforce housing and develop new opportunities, like this agreement with CALHFA. But ACA 3 is a costly and inefficient approach and it fundamentally changes UC's constitutional mission. For these reasons, we respectfully oppose ACA3 and urge your no vote.

Thank you so much. Are there witnesses in opposition in the hearing room?

Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman. Members Janet Lopez, representing UCLA, in opposition.

Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Chair. Miguel Martinez representing UC Berkeley, in opposition. Thank you.

Good afternoon, Mr. Chair. Members Robert Moutrie for California Chamber of Commerce, concerned about workforce training elements and the consequence on UC budget. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there tweeners in the hearing room?

Okay, colleagues, any questions or comments? Vice Chair DeMaio.

So we do have an affordable housing crisis in California. Instead of forcing the politicians that created that crisis to do their job and fix our housing market for all Californians, we're up here picking winners and losers to sit here and create a special loan Fund and a prioritization for government employees to get free loans so they may be able to get a little breathing room on a housing crisis created by this body and by local politicians.

It's offensive. It picks winners and losers. And that's not what we should be doing. We should be creating an environment where everyone gets an equal opportunity. And again, this is creating two classes. Those folks that are in government that are represented by powerful political interests versus the rest of the folks out there just struggling to get by.

The comment was made that senior executives receive these benefits. I have a solution. Let's not give senior executives these benefits either. When you take a look at the compensation structure, particularly when you look at the benefits and the pensions government employees receive, they're compensated in excess of what the labor market provides for private and nonprofit workers.