Assembly Floor

Assembly is now in session. Assemblymember Berner notices the absence of a corner quorum. Sergeant Arms will prepare the chamber and bring in the absent Members. Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Members of quorum is present. We ask our guests and visitors in the rear of the chamber and in the gallery to please stand for the daily prayer. Today's prayer will be offered by Reverend Oshita. Reverend Oshita.

Please join me in a moment of reflection. In 1945, Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer created the Bulletin for Atomic Scientists. The concerns of these scientists gave birth to the Doomsday Clock. Using the image of the apocalypse being midnight, the Doomsday Clock conveys how close we are to nuclear annihilation.

This year, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists set the clock for the closest to midnight that it has ever been. Considering international relations, global conflicts, climate change and disease and pandemic potential. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has assessed that the world is 89 seconds from doomsday.

In the announcement, the Bulletin stated blindly, continuing on the current path is a form of madness. The United States, China and Russia have the collective power to destroy civilization. These three countries have prime responsibility to pull the world back from the brink. I grew up having to practice atomic bomb drills in elementary school.

The siren would signal us to move into the hallways, away from the windows covering our heads. Sitting huddled together where the walls were the thickest. The world was naive and we imagined surviving. We know that in the event of a nuclear war, there will be no winners.

It is meaningless for coUntries to threaten each other with mutual destruction. The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu described his spirituality with the Zulu word Un, which means I am human because I belong to the whole, to the commUnity, to the nation, to the Earth.

With our wisdom, eyes open, we know that all of humanity lives sharing this one and only Earth. And we must nurture and care for it. And for each other. Namo Amidavas. Let us live with kindness and gratitude beyond words.

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

Please place your hand over your heart as we. As we honor our great flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under power, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

You may be seated. To our guests and visitors. Today, state law prohibits persons in the gallery from interfering with legislative proceedings or disrupting the orderly conduct of official business. Persons disrupting legislative proceedings are subject to removal, arrest or other appropriate legal remedies. Reading of the previous day's Journal Assembly.

Chamber Sacramento Wednesday, May 14, 2025 the Assembly met at 7:00am the Honorable Juan, Assembly Member 22nd District Presiding Chief Clerk.

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

Moving on to motions and resolutions. The absences for the day will be deemed. Read and printed in the Journal. Now moving on to procedural motions. Madam Majority Leader, you are recognized for your procedural motion.

Good morning. I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly rule 118A to allow Assembly Members Fong, Rubio, Elhawary, Pelerin and Garcia to have guests at the rear of the chambers today.

Without objection, such shall be the order. Members, if you'll bear with me today, we are going to be sprinkling in guest introductions throughout the business on the Daily File today. And we are going to try to move as rapidly as possible through the File to get through as many bills as possible. As we conclude, a guest introduction.

While photography is being done, we will move on to the next Bill on the Daily File. We're getting there, guys. Thank you. Members, if I could have your attention, please. Assemblymember Pellerin, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker and Members, on behalf of my colleague from Sunnyvale, we'd like to welcome Jackie Wheeler. She is an incredible advocate for women in leadership in Santa Clara County, and we welcome her to our State Capitol.

Welcome, Ms. Wheeler. Welcome to the California Assembly. Assemblymember Elhawary, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise today with immense pride and joy to recognize Gavin Jean Baptiste Iriberon better known as Gav. Gav the Gavinator or Little G. Gavin has served as a SAC semester intern in my office, and I'm proud to say he was my very first capital intern.

I truly couldn't have asked for a better one to set the tone. From day one, Gavin brought an unwavering commitment to public service, a team first attitude, and a quiet drive to make a real difference for the people of California. No task was ever too small for Gavin.

Whether it was policy research, attending briefings, or supporting our staff with warmth and humor, he approached everything with professionalism, curiosity, and integrity. His contributions have been invaluable. And let's be honest, on days when we needed a laugh, Gavin came through.

Whether it was dropping fun facts about world flags or giving us a lesson on Basque history, or even teaching us new Gen Z slang, Gavin kept the vibes up and the brains turning. Now, some of you may know Gavin for his strong policy expertise, but don't let that distract you from his true passion.

Trying to outshine me in the curly hair Department. Yes, that competition has been fierce. And I have to admit, the volume, the definition, it's impressive. During his time with us, he missed our community swearing in and was devastated, mostly because he wanted to meet the mayor of Los Angeles. But the universe heard him loud and clear.

And a few weeks later, after an Ayes cream social here at the Capitol, Gavin ran into both the LA Mayor and a Senator of Basque descent. We've never seen him so happy. But in all seriousness, Gavin has such a bright future ahead. He'll be attending Sacramento State this fall to pursue a Master's in Political Science.

And I have no doubt we'll be seeing him back in these halls very soon. So. So if you're hiring come fall and you want someone who brings knowledge, kindness, and a great sense of humor, look no further than R. Gavin.

Please join me in recognizing and celebrating Gavin for his hard work, heart, and service to the people in California. Thank you.

I'm looking for the regents. Thank you. Gavin. Gavin. I don't say this very often, but I have hair envy.

Members, we have a very special guest introduction. I'd like to ask for your attention and decorum. Thank you, members. Assemblymember Fong, you are recognized from the majority leader's desk.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker and members. I rise today to welcome and recognize University of California President Dr. Michael Drake for his tremendous service and leadership to the University of California. Dr. Michael Drake is stepping down in a couple of months. President Drake was selected as the University of California's 21st President in 2020 and has led the University of California successfully through some very challenging and difficult times, including a pandemic, economic and political unrest.

Despite these challenges, President Drake has made major strides in expanding California resident enrollment, prioritize affordability and student support, and expanded University of California's health research and reach into our communities with limited or distressed medical facilities in order to provide excellent, affordable care to all who need it.

President Drake, you've been a tremendous thought partner, tremendous colleague, and terrific colleague to work with. I'm so grateful for your friendship, for your leadership at the University of California. Thank you for everything you've done to expand higher education opportunities here in California. And we salute and thank you for your 30 years of service to the University of California and to our state. We wish you the best and all good health, happiness, and success in your future endeavors.

And a warm welcome to all of your family members who are gathered here today, and to your wife, Brenda Drake, to Harold Jackson, Laura Jackson, Ken Jackson, and Debbie Lee. And to celebrate this momentous occasion, there'll be a reception in 317 upon adjournment of the session. So, colleagues, please join me in congratulating President Drake for his tremendous service and leadership to the University of California. Thank you so much.

Members, we have many other members that would like to address Mr. Drake, we could wait for our salutations until the end, please. Thank you, members. Assemblymember Gabriel, you are recognized. And members, let's hold our applause until all members have been able to speak.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I know we have quite a few colleagues that want to speak, so I will be brief, but I just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of those thanking President Drake for his tremendous service and leadership to the UC and to the people of the State of California.

I cannot imagine the pride of his family for the excellent career that he has had, for the extraordinary record of public service. And, you know, I would tell him often in our very candid conversations that he picked a complicated moment in history to be to lead our UC system.

And, you know, Told him on many occasions that I thought he has one of the toughest jobs in America. But he handled it with tremendous integrity, tremendous grace, tremendous intelligence, tremendous wisdom, tremendous kindness. Was an incredible champion for equity and lifting up folks and making UC live out its promise of being a pathway into the middle class.

And so I just wanted to extend my personal thanks, President Drake, for all your service. I hope you get some rest, I hope you get some relaxation, I hope you get a nice vacation. You have certainly earned it and just want to say thank you for everything you've done for California.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Colleagues, I rise today to honor a transformational leader in higher education, President Michael Drake, for his unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity, equity, and affordability across the University of California system. President Drake's leadership has had a profound impact on UC campuses statewide, including UCLA, which I'm proud to represent in Assembly District 51.

Thanks to his vision, debt-free UC initiative is now a reality, providing nearly 70% of new UC students with a pathway to earn their degrees without taking on student debt. This is a life changing shift for California families. He also secured an additional 163 million in need based financial aid reaching more than 100,000 low and middle income students, opening doors for those who may have once thought a UC education was out of reach.

President Drake has never, never wavered in his belief that every single student, no matter their zip code or background, deserves access to a world class public higher education without being burdened by longtime debt. It's his leadership over the past five years that's reshaped what's possible for generations of Californians. Thank you President Drake, for your extraordinary leadership and steadfast commitment to students and families across this state. Thank you very much.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's my privilege to recognize not only President Michael Drake, but also Brenda Drake, who joins us today and is herself an alumna of UC Berkeley. Brenda, a longtime lecturer at UC Irvine and Oregon State University, has been a steadfast supporter throughout President Drake's career. Her strength is not someone who's simply behind the scenes.

Her contributions to the community, particularly in advocating for arts and education throughout California have been invaluable. Mrs. Drake has received numerous prestigious honors for her service, including the UC Irvine Medal and the King Arts Legends and Legacy Award.

So thank you Brenda for being an inspiration and for your terrific work with groups like like The Urban League, City Arts in San Francisco, and the Berkeley Art Museum and Film Archive. And President Drake, you have made a deeply personal impact on my life throughout your thoughtful leadership, quiet strength, and unwavering commitment to equity and education.

Your presence is both grounding and inspiring. You lead not with ego, but with empathy, always taking time to listen and connect in a genuine way. Whether in moments of celebration or challenge, you carry yourself with grace and steady belief in the power of community. And your example reminds me to lead with integrity, compassion, and purpose. And I am better for having crossed paths with you. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Pellerin. Lastly, Assemblymember Soria, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to recognize and thank the UC California President, Michael Drake, for his remarkable, remarkable service and leadership across the UC system. Personally, as a representative of UC Merced, I want to say thank you. Thank you, President Drake.

Because not only have you led with vision and integrity, you've also shown a deep and personal commitment to equity, access, and opportunity for students across California. And that includes the Central Valley. So thank you for your work, especially your commitment to making sure that the medical school actually becomes a reality for our valley.

Under your leadership, UC Merced has continued to grow into a beacon of excellence and inclusion for our region. And perhaps most importantly, I know that President Drake has been a tireless advocate for the creation of that medical school. As I mentioned, California's first public medical school in the Central Valley.

His belief in the promise of our students, the needs of our communities, and the future of healthcare in underserved regions will leave a lasting legacy for generations to come. And you've been a part of that every single step of the way.

So, on behalf of the families that I represent, the future physicians of the Central Valley, I want to offer my sincere gratitude. Congratulations on just a life of service to our system, to our students, and to the future of California. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Soria. Assemblymember Wicks, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I just want to add on to the chorus of accolades and appreciation for your commitment, most importantly to our students, to our future. You always put them first. And you've been a calm during many storms. You've always been so approachable and so thoughtful and without ego. And your leadership has just been so tremendous to so many, so many Californians. So thank you so much for this well earned accolade. And we just deeply appreciate you.

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

President Drake, I wanted to thank you, as so many others have, for leading the university with such integrity. This has been an incredibly challenging time for the university the past few years and now. And it really could have been a time when what the university has represented for so many millions of Californians was at stake.

And you ensured that it was protected and that it grew. There were even times, I know, that we didn't agree on some things, and you handled that so incredibly well. And we were thoughtful and you were fair and you communicated. And I know that you did that in every challenge that the university faced. And I wanted to thank you for your leadership during this time and congratulate you and your family and for all of your service to the University in the State of California.

Members, let us all congratulate this historic Californian President Drake, for his service to our great state. Members, while we are greeting our great President Drake, let us also take this opportunity to recognize former Speaker Robert Hertzberg in the back of the room. Okay, members, if I could have your attention please. Please return to your desk. Assemblymember Hoover, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know we have a long day ahead, but I just want to take a moment to recognize some amazing public safety advocates in my community, small business owners and my constituents from Rancho Cordova, Ryan and Alicia Strange. Please join me in welcoming them to the Assembly.

Welcome. Assemblymember Rubio, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members, for allowing me to rise today and recognize my amazing constituent, Aquilin Hsiao. Aquilin is a student at Edgewood High School in West Covina and one of this year's two recipients of the California Interscholastic Federation Scholar Athlete of the Year Award.

The prestigious CIF Scholar Award program has been awarded since 1982 and recognizes student athletes based on excellence in athletics, academics, and character. Aquilin is a two sport athlete, having participated in swimming and tennis all four years of high school. Additionally, she is a two year captain of the Science Olympiad team, President of the Speech and Debate team, and a three year member of the National English Honor Society.

After noticing that many peers avoided the IB program due to its perceived rigor and the lack of awareness about available support, Aquilin founded the International Baccalaureate IB Ambassadors Program at her school and she also serves as a tutor at Edgewood Learning Center Lounge.

Given all of these achievements and the remarkable dedication Aquilin has displayed, I am confident that she will continue to be successful as she pursues her next endeavor. Members, please join me in welcoming Aquilin Hsiao to the Assembly floor.

Yes or no? I told her you probably. Okay, members, it is time to move on to business on the daily file. Please give your respectful attention to the authors. Keep your conversation tones down as you work your bills. I'm going to start with concurrence and Senate amendments. File item number one, ACR 75 by Assemblymember Alanis.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 75 by Assembly Member Alanis and others, relative to food and agriculture.

Assembly Member Alanis, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. ACR is back on concurrence, California Farm Week. I respectfully aske for your aye vote. This is a Law Caucus priority. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Alanis. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 59, noes 0. The resolution, the Senate amendments are concurred in.

Pass and retain on File Item 2. Reconsideration. This item shall be continued. Moving on to the Assembly third reading. We're going to pass and retain on File Items 3 through File Item 9. That brings us to File Item Number 10, AJR 7, by Assemblymember Addis.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Joint Resolution 7 by Assemblymember Addis and others, relative to special education.

Assemblymember Addis, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Today I rise to present Assembly Joint Resolution 7 on protecting federal funding and services for students with disabilities. As you all know, I am a Special Education Teacher who serves children of all ages with autism, emotional disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, learning disabilities, and more.

And in every case, these students thrived when treated with dignity, kindness, and the assumption that their rightful place in school was within the—was with their general education peers. When treated as if they had a condition, or a problem, or just didn't measure up, the hurt was deep, and learning declined.

As we all know, every child deserves the very best from us, and every family needs and expects our education system to deliver on its promise to provide high levels of learning in environments that welcome and affirm each child for who they are and the unique gifts that they bring.

And in my time in the Legislature, I have been heartened by the bipartisan commitment to serving children with disabilities. It shows up in legislation that I have authored and almost the entire body has supported, as well as bipartisan participation in the select Committee on Serving Students with Disabilities that I chair.

And while this body has come together, the Executive Branch of our Federal Government threatens to erode our progress with its dangerous threats to defund and close the Department of Education and transfer the administration of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, to the Department of Health and Human Services.

This will result in the return to a medical model of disability, a model that sees children as having defects to be treated rather than as valuable learners who should be included in every aspect of school life. Reverting to such a medical model will stigmatize, segregate, and isolate our children.

While it has taken decades for us to make progress, we cannot, and we must not, go back. Nationwide, over 95% of students with disabilities are educated in our public school system, and these students rely upon our sustained support and that of experienced and compassionate professionals on the local, state, and importantly, the federal levels of government.

The wrecking ball of the Trump Administration to the Department of Education will do nothing more than harm millions of students across the United States, and we cannot let this happen. So, colleagues, I hope you will join me in calling for the unceasing support of our most vulnerable students by supporting AJR 7.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of AJR 7, a resolution that calls on the President and our Congress to honor their responsibility to students with disabilities by fully funding the IDEA formula and ensuring no disruption in essential services.

For 50 years, the IDEA Act has stood as a promise, a promise that every child with a disability is entitled to a free and appropriate quality public education. That promise is not just policy. It is a lifeline and a civil right. I just want to note that I've heard many concerns from constituents in my community.

I want to thank my colleague from San Luis Obispo for bringing this forward and for standing up for our most vulnerable students. Respectfully ask for your "Aye" vote.

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

Yeah. I just want to take just a quick moment to say that over the last 10 years, I've seen quite an improvement on how this population is being recognized. I was willing to make this part of my whole life, actually.

I began as a teacher in special education, and then, my opportunity to join the high patrol came along kind of unexpectedly. But I will tell you that I don't care who's supporting cutting services. It's wrong.

And we need to make sure that this population, because they are so dependent on our help, they are completely dependent on this kind of support, and it's inhumane to not do everything we can to support them and their families.

So, I, I, I would ask that you continue to support this effort to recognize them as human beings because they can help us. We're not only there to help them, but they can help us if we give them that chance.

So, I recognize this, this piece of promotion as something very, very valuable and something that has not happened for a long time. So, thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Lackey. Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez, you are recognized.

I, too, rise in support of, of this, this Bill. As a dad with a special needs son with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia, it's absolutely vital that we take care of our very most vulnerable. There is no gap when it comes to that. From our caregivers to our special needs families, we must protect them.

Colleagues, I tell you this because we absolutely have to raise our voices in the protection of our special needs families. As one of those families, I need your help, my colleague, special needs family, we need your help to stand up to make sure that we protect the most vulnerable.

It is a life and death situation, and it begins here at home by protecting, not only in our budget process, making sure that they're taken care of with IHSS, but all the way to the federal level. Don't touch anything when it comes to special needs unless you want to improve it. In that, I rise in support.

Thank you, Assemblymember Gonzalez. Seeing and hearing no further debate. Assemblymember Addis, do you wish to close?

Well, thank you, and I want to thank our colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this resolution and most importantly, for supporting the children of California. And with that, I respectfully ask all of our colleagues to coauthor or voice their support.

Would you like to have the first roll open for co-authors? Yes.

Thank you.

Okay, Members, we are going to open the roll on co-authors. The Clerk will call the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. This is for co-authors. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes.

Aye's—there are 63 co-authors added. As a joint resolution, we cannot take a voice vote. Clerk will open the roll on the resolution. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. "Aye, 65." "No," 0.

The resolution is adopted. We're going to pass and retain on File Items 11 through 17. We are going to pass temporarily on File Item 18. We're going to pass and retain on File Items 19 through 25. That brings us to File Item Number 26, AB 929 by Assemblymember Connolly.

The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 929 by Assembly Member Connolly, an act relating to water.

Assembly Member Connolly, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. Proud to present AB 929 today. Managed wetlands are a critical natural resource for our state. Unfortunately, only 5% of California's historic wetlands remain, and nearly 85% of Californians depend in whole or in part on groundwater for the public water supply.

That percentage increases even more for small water systems which have fewer than 3,300 connections, and service communities whose access to clean drinking water is most at risk. These disadvantaged communities usually depend on a single source for their water supply, leaving them vulnerable to drought or over-pumping by their neighbors.

This bill offers a modest and reasonable step toward protecting safe and clean water accessibility for our communities. The bill temporarily exempts small community water systems and managed wetlands, which make up less than 2% of the groundwater use in the Central Valley, from pumping reductions and fines under SGMA to ensure that vulnerable communities and wildlife have safe and affordable water supplies.

The bill only exempts the amount of groundwater historically required to support small community water systems or to annually flood managed wetlands. Any increase over that historical amount is subject to regulation by GSAs. Going forward, AB 929 will require GSPs to include the plan's impacts on water supplies for wetlands and small communities to ensure their needs are met.

With the amendments taken in committee, this bill will sunset in three years. Finally, last year as well as this year, the opposition has raised concerns that this bill violates Prop 26 and Prop 218. I will highlight again that our Legislative Council has stated this bill does not violate either, and I'm happy to share that opinion with your offices. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Connolly. All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes: 41; noes: 14. The measure passes.

We're going to pass and retain on file items 27 through 29. That brings us to file item number 30, ACR 82 by Assembly Member Bryan. Assembly Member Elhawary, you are recognized on behalf of Mr. Bryan. Excuse me. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 82 by Assembly Member Bryan and others, relative to Foster Care Month.

Assembly Member Elhawary, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise today with deep honor to present ACR 82 on behalf of Assembly Member Bryan to recognize May as Foster Care Month in California. Assembly Member Bryan is a champion and a powerful voice for foster youth across the state. He's deeply committed in this space because he himself was a foster youth who was adopted by the Bryan family along with his eight brothers and sisters.

This resolution calls on all of us to uplift the nearly 38,000 children and youth in California's foster care system, young people who deserve stability, love, and a chance to thrive. As a proud foster mom, I don't just understand this system, I live it. My daughter Makailah is the light of my life, and she has made me a better person and a better Legislator. She reminds me every single day why this work matters and who it's for.

I know what it means to attend social worker meetings, get a child into therapy, push through piles of paperwork, and advocate at every turn to make sure their needs are truly seen in a system that wasn't built with our youth at the center. And I also know the joy, the absolute joy of watching a child begin to feel safe, to open up, and to grow into who they were always meant to be once they're surrounded by people who believe in them.

Across California, families, caregivers, social workers, advocates, and young people themselves are doing heroic work, often without recognition or enough support. ACR 82 is about changing that. It's about raising our standards and doing better for our youth, not just during this month, but every day. One in four foster youth experience homelessness before age 23.

Despite state efforts, this remains one of our most urgent and unacceptable failures. Black, Latino, and indigenous youth are overrepresented in foster care, face more placements, and are less likely to be reunified. Confronting these disparities isn't optional. It's a moral obligation.

California must work with local partners to uplift every foster youth and build a system where all children have the chance to thrive. I want to thank Assembly Member Bryan for leading on this resolution. And I thank each and every foster parent, caregiver, youth advocate, youth counselor, and child welfare worker who shows up even when the system doesn't.

And most importantly, I want to recognize the young people themselves, those currently in care, those who have aged out, and those who still are navigating what comes next. We see you, we believe in you, and we will continue fighting for you. I respectfully request that the first roll be open to co-authors and ask for your aye vote on ACR 82. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Elhawary. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll for co-authors. Members, this is for co-authors. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes.

There are 57 co-authors added. Without objection, we will now move on to a voice vote. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Assembly Member Elhawary, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Members, in celebration of Foster Care Month, please join me in welcoming a representative from California Youth Connection in the rear of the chamber. Caitlin Radigan is a passionate leader fighting alongside young, passionate, and engaged Californians at CYC, a powerful youth led organization working to develop and grow young leaders, empower communities, and transform our state's foster care system.

CYC's mission is to support the power of young people impacted by our child welfare system and other intersecting systems, advocating to have their needs met. Members, I know we all share that vision of a California where young people have the support and care they need to grow into healthy and vibrant adults. Please join me in welcoming Caitlin and California Youth Connection to the State Assembly.

Okay, members, we are going to continue on. File Item Number 31: ACR 85 by Assembly Member Garcia. The clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 85 by Assembly Member Garcia, relative to 529 College Savings Day.

Assembly Member Garcia, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. I rise today to present ACR 85, which recognizes May 29th as 529 College Savings Day. As a first-generation college student and a lifelong educator, I know firsthand how a college education can change lives.

I also understand that many families today face the impossible task of sending their child to college as tuition and other fees soar way beyond affordability. In the first quarter of 2025, the Federal Reserve Bank's report on household debt and credit found that nearly one in four student loan borrowers were behind on their loan repayments.

The Fed also tracked the student loan debt has reached 1.77 trillion nationally, up from 620 billion in 2008. When families are burdened with student loan debt, it trickles down to their bottom line. They are not able to buy homes, cars, or save up for retirement.

That is why college savings plans such as ScholarShare 529 College Savings Plan provide a critical service for students and families looking to limit or eliminate future debt. California's 529 College Savings Plan has grown to more than 16.4 billion in total assets since established in 1999, successfully supporting over 454,000 ScholarShare users.

Student loan debt should not be a barrier to obtaining higher education, which is why we must raise awareness of programs like the 529 College Savings Plan and the importance of early preparation for one's future. Thank you, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Garcia. All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. Oh, Mr. Garcia, do you wish the first roll to be open for co-authors?

Yes, please.

Okay. Members, this is for co-authors. The clerk will open the roll for co-authors. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll; tally the votes. There are 59 co-authors added. Without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor say, aye. All those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Mr. Garcia, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the rear of Chamber today, we have guest Cassandra DiBenedetto, Executive Director of ScholarShare 529 Investment Board, Stanley Zeto, Deputy Director of ScholarShare 529 Investment Board, Connie Chan, Legislative Manager to State Treasurer, Fiona Ma, and Russell Manning, Legislative Analyst to the State Treasurer, Fiona Ma. Please join me in welcoming them to the California Assembly.

Continuing on, we move to File Item Number 32: ACR 89 by Assembly Member Jeff Gonzalez. The clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 89 by Assembly Member Jeff Gonzalez and others, relative to Military Appreciation Month.

Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez, you are recognized.

Good morning, speaker and members. I'm honored today to present ACR 89, a resolution that formally recognizes May 2025 as Military Appreciation Month in California. This resolution is a vital expression of gratitude to the brave men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces and to their families who have served alongside them.

As a 21 year Marine combat veteran, I have seen the firsthand courage, resilience, and unwavering commitment of our service members. These individuals and their families are the backbone of our nation's defense and the living embodiment of the values our great nation holds.

National Military Appreciation Month was first established through bipartisan federal legislation in 1999 by Senator John McCain and Congressman Duncan Hunter and supported by more than 50 veterans service organizations. This month and is a time for our nation to come together to honor and inform future generations about the sacrifices and achievements of our country's military.

ACR 89 honors not only those in active duty, but also reservists members of the National Guard, retirees, and over 18 million living veterans, as well as their families together representing more than 90 million Americans. This resolution also acknowledges the profound contributions of those who gave their lives defending the freedoms often taken for granted.

Please let this resolution serve as a call for state, local, and private entities to join in honoring our military community through public events, educational initiatives, and acts of appreciation. Recognizing Military Appreciation Month isn't just about tradition, it's about fostering love for our nation, unity, and respect.

As Vice Chair of Military and Veterans Affairs and on behalf of the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives to defend our nation, I respectfully ask for your support in passing ACR89 so that California can stand proudly with our military heroes and their families. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Gonzalez. Mr. Gonzalez, do you wish for the first roll to be open for co-authors? Thank you. Assemblymember Wilson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of ACR 89 and I thank my colleague for introducing this resolution. California has a strategic role in our military readiness and our national defense. We have over 162,000 active duty military personnel and an additional 56,000 reservists and National Guard units stationed at more than 30 installations here across California. What we do is extremely important and how we contribute to our national defense is extremely important. So I ask my colleagues for a hearty aye on this and to support this resolution as a co-author.

Thank you, Assemblymember Wilson. Seeing and hearing no further debate. Mr. Gonzalez, do you wish to close?

Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Mr. Gonzalez. I also wish to thank you for your service to our great nation, to the State of California, and to all the families in the State of California that have served our military and made us proud. Thank you for your service. And with that, the clerk will open the roll for co-authors. Members, this is for co-authors. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll.

Tally the votes. There are 60 co-authors added. Without objection, we will now take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Going to pass and retain on file items 33 and 34. Which brings us to file item 35, AB 1026 by Assemblymember Wilson.

The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1026 by Assemblymember Wilson and others. An act relating to electricity.

Assemblymember Wilson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I am proud to present AB 1026, a bill that would support California's ongoing need for housing by addressing a too often overlooked barrier, unpredictable utility collection. Excuse me, connection delays that hold up housing projects even after they've been fully approved.

AB 1026 brings much needed transparency and efficiency to the permitting process for developers by holding investor-owned utilities to the same clear standards already followed by cities and counties. This bill establishes fair and consistent standards for the energization application process and strengthens the review timelines recently put in place by the California Public Utilities Commission. Thank you. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Wilson. All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Ayes 52, no 0. The measure passes. We're going to pass and retain on file item 36.

That moves us to file item 37, AB 1332 by Assemblymember Ahrens. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1332 by Assemblymember Ahrens. An act relating to cannabis.

Assemblymember Ahrens, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. AB 1332 allows cannabis outdoor cultivation in micro businesses to ship medicinal products directly to patients homes via interstate carrier, but only after obtaining valid medical documentation from a physician for their ill patient. Respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ahrens. All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 55, no 0. The measure passes.

Next is file item 38, AB 1356 by Assemblymember Dixon. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1356 by Assemblymember Dixon. An act relating to public health.

Assemblymember Dixon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning, colleagues. I rise today to present AB 1136. I would like to begin by thanking Assembly Health Committee for working with my office and me on the amendments that were taken in committee. Under existing law, when there is a death of a resident within a drug and alcohol recovery program at a licensed facility, the California Department of Healthcare Services is required to investigate and write a report.

However, as part of the investigation, the facility where the death occurred is required to provide a description of the events and incident, including the time, location, and nature of the event or incident. But to strengthen the investigation, AB 1356 will require the facility where the resident died to do two things.

First, to submit within 60 days of the initial incident any relevant information that was not known at the time of the initial incident or that was known but was not provided to the department in the initial report. Secondly, if DHCS identifies any deficiencies in a facility's response, the facility shall submit to the Department within 60 days of receiving any communication from the department the follow up actions at the facility implemented in response to the communications by the department.

AB 1356 is a common sense solution to strengthen DHCS's death investigation policy and improve the safety of those residents within the facilities who are receiving treatment. The bll passed policy and fiscal committees with unanimous support and no opposition from the Advocates for Responsible Treatment, the California Sober Living and Recovering Task Force, CAPO Cares, and the County of Orange. I respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Dixon. All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 54, no zero. The measure passes. That brings us to file item 39, AB...

AB 671 by Assemblymember Wicks. Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 671 by Assemblymember Wicks and others, an act relating to restaurants.

Assemblymember Wicks, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I'm proud to present AB 671 which streamlines restaurants opening to help our local businesses. Restaurants are the heart of our local economy and our communities. This is where we celebrate graduations, birthdays, where we collect with our friends, where we fall in love.

Everyone loves their local restaurants, but right now, it's simply too hard for these restaurants to get up and running in California. Restaurant owners are faced to pay dead rent on unopened restaurants even as they navigate complicated permitting processes. Processes that for small business owners can create difficult, even insurmountable, hurdles to open these restaurants.

And all the while communities can't access these important venues for food and connection. AB 671 responsibly reduces barriers to opening new restaurants in California by fast tracking front end plan review. It authorizes qualified professional architects and engineers to self certify plans for restaurant projects that convert an existing facility to a new one. This Bill has bipartisan support.

There's no state cost and this is already actually done in other places like New York, D.C., and Chicago. I would respectfully ask for an "Aye" vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Wicks. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally votes. "Aye," 62. "No," 0. The measure passes.

Members, we are going to go out of file order, just temporarily, and skip ahead to File Item Number 180, AB 715 by Assemblymember Zbur.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 715 by Assemblymember Zbur and others, an act relating to education.

Assemblymember Zbur, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Colleagues, I rise to present AB 715 together with my joint author from San Luis Obispo. This Bill is the product of deep discussions and partnership with the leadership of the Jewish, AAPI, Black, Latino, and Native American Caucuses, and represents a new approach to addressing growing anti-Semitism in K-12 schools.

I'm deeply grateful to the Chairs of the Black, Latino, AAPI, Native American, and Jewish Caucuses who are principal coauthors on this Bill and who stand in solidarity in the fight against hatred and bigotry in all forms.

At its core, this Bill is a civil rights and social justice bill, which underscores our responsibility to assure that every child in California can attend a school that is safe, respectful, and affirming. Anti-Semitic hate crimes have increased by 893% over the last 10 years, and unfortunately, California schools are not immune to this.

Reports of anti-Semitic content and incidents in our schools have reached alarming proportions across the state. Multiple school districts have adopted or are considering curriculum that results in vilification, ostracism, and hate of Jewish kids and families.

Last year, the San Francisco Unified School District maintained a resource library for teachers that included educational material that originated from Hamas and justified the slaughter of civilians on October 7th.

In Santa Ana, the school district purposely tried to hide the adoption of course materials that they knew the Jewish community considered objectionable and even considered holding Board Meetings on Jewish holidays so that Jews could not attend and object to adopting those materials.

Recently, in the Pajero Valley School District, Jewish parents who were raising concerns about the adoption of anti-Semitic curriculum were publicly castigated by two Board Members who made anti-Semitic comments about the entire Jewish community. And last month, the Department of Education determined that lessons taught in the Campbell Union School District discriminated against Jewish students.

I want to be clear, discrimination is not happening in all schools, and the vast, vast majority of teachers are not anti-Semitic, yet we cannot hide from the profoundly unfortunate truth that Jewish kids are being isolated, made to feel unwelcome, and verbally and physically attacked. And far too often, our schools are failing to protect them.

Some Jewish parents have even felt compelled to go so far as to remove their students from California public schools. These clear examples demand a clear response. The conditions that some Jewish children, teachers, and families are enduring is unacceptable and intolerable. Full stop.

This Bill is about preventing antisemitism, stopping hate, and protecting a community that, throughout history, has repeatedly been vilified and denigrated. That's it. Since this Bill has been in print, we've seen numerous attacks about the Bill, and that included outright fabrications about what it does and what is intended. This Bill should not be controversial.

This Bill's intent language does little more than advance the goal of strengthening protections against anti-Semitism and hate for all students who are facing truly hostile school climates. We have a responsibility to ensure that every child and family enjoys a school climate that is safe, respectful, and affirming. AB 715 lays the groundwork to do just that.

And I respectfully ask for your "Aye" vote.

Assemblymember Carrillo, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise on behalf of the California Latino Legislative Caucus in support of AB 715. This important Bill reflects collaboration and partnership between our caucuses to help protect against anti-Semitism and discrimination in schools across California.

As a proud Latino, I know that our culture shares the same deep values of family, tradition, and resilience, and our struggles, as well as the struggles of those who came before us, are core pieces of our cultural identity.

I also know that a threat or hatred to any one community is a threat to all and to the values our communities hold dear. Because of this, I am proud to stand in solidarity with my colleagues today to condemn antisemitism and support AB 715. Members, I respectfully ask an "Aye" vote on AB 715.

Assemblymember Addis, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise in support of AB 715 as its joint author, and I want to thank the lead author from West Hollywood, as well as the Chairs of the Diversity Caucuses who have come together as principal co-authors during this intense time of need.

Your solidarity in fighting antisemitism is a beacon of hope for many families. As you know and I just talked about earlier, I come to this work as a former teacher who has witnessed firsthand what happens when we create school environments that are safe, supportive, welcoming, and affirming places for students.

We know that learning is unleashed, and children are nurtured to become the best of who they are. Unfortunately, for many Jewish students who have, since the October 7 Hamas Attacks, have faced increasing and dangerous anti-Semitic rhetoric, tropes, discrimination, and physical attacks in our schools, this is simply not the case.

There are too many examples, and you've just heard of those, so I won't repeat them. But for those who ask if antisemitism is actually real, or who wonder if it's happening in our schools, the answer unequivocally is yes. So, what do we do?

AB 715 is a simple but effective and holistic solution that will both prevent and respond to antisemitism.

It's a six-pronged approach that is intent language to strengthen and expand definitions of nationality and religion, create more robust protections for students facing religious and nationality-based discrimination, ensure curriculum and materials are free from antisemitism and discrimination, increase district accountability for responding to complaints, and strengthen and expand our process for addressing school board members and contractors, as well as establishing a statewide anti-Semitism coordinator. As its intent language, we are committed to doing the deep work that this Bill will take as it moves through the process.

We all know that no child or family should experience anti-Semitism of any kind or hate anywhere, let alone in our schools, simply for being who they are. No community would want to be silent in the face of these experiences, and every community would ask for help in addressing them.

And it is our responsibility today not just to listen, but to act. So, colleagues, today I respectfully ask for you to take action alongside the Jewish Caucus by voting "Aye" on AB 715.

Assemblymember Jackson, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I rise in support of AB 715.

I want to thank the Jewish Caucus for allowing space for us to relearn the traditions of our ancestors throughout the history of this country, to be able to acknowledge that whenever one community raises the red flag that their community is in danger, that their very humanity and existence is being questioned, and that there is a need for laws to be put in place in order to protect one's people.

Then, it is time for all communities, particularly those who have been historically marginalized and oppressed throughout this nation's history, to come together, to sit down, to have thoughtful discussions, to learn from one another, to empathize with each other's pain and historical trauma, and then, find a way to work together to find a solution so that we all feel safe.

And it is my hope that as we continue to finalize the language of this Bill, as it goes through the process, that we will continue with the finest traditions that we have been reconnected with through this process. And it is my hope that we will remember how we have been able to come together on this Bill.

Because there is no doubt that as time goes past, in this next few years, another community will one day have to raise the red flag and we will have to repeat this process again.

And it is my hope that as we do this, that we even pass on the way we do this to the next Members who take these seats, so that we will never lose this tradition again. I respectfully ask for an "Aye" vote.

Assemblymember Fong, you are recognized.

Good morning, Madam Speaker and Members. As Chair of the AAPI Legislative Caucus, I rise in support of Assembly Bill 715. Thank you to my colleagues and collaboration from the Central Coast Caucus in LA and the Jewish Caucus, and my colleagues in the Diversity Caucus for collaborative work and efforts on this Bill.

We affirm our commitment to combat anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination and hate, and to uplift classroom environments, ensuring all students and teachers have an opportunity to thrive. The COVID-19 Pandemic gave rise to thousands of hate incidents towards the AAPI community, and we appreciate the solidarity during these challenging times.

And we all know too well the impact of hate and violence in our communities. And I join all my Colleagues on this effort to support that—make sure that all kids feel safe and supported in our schools. The intent language addresses anti-Semitism, hate and discrimination, and the work and efforts going forward—collaborating with the Jewish Caucus and Diversity Caucus is working efforts that we are collaborating on.

And I appreciate my Caucus Chairs as well, and I respectfully ask for an "Aye" vote on Assembly Bill 715,to ensure that all kids and students feel safe and supported in our schools. Thank you.

Assembly Member Jeff Gonzalez, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Members, I rise in support of AB 715. Not only is this not a partisan issue, it is a human issue that we must rise in support of. As a Member of the California Hispanic Legislative Caucus and the teachings of my family and...it is important that we love our neighbor.

More importantly, it's important that we take care of our neighbors. And I, I rise in proud support of this because when, like my colleague said, when we attack one, we attack all. And it's important that we all come together in support of this. And I am thankful for this, for this Bill and we proudly rise in support.

Ask for an "Aye" vote.

Assemblymember Lowenthal, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you, Members. Members, as you probably recall, I spoke here only weeks ago during Holocaust Remembrance Day and gave a very tough speech.

It was designed to make us all feel uncomfortable because I felt it's helpful to be open and it's helpful if you all are able to empathize with us during this historic time. We feel uncomfortable, we feel pain, we feel fear, we feel anxiety, we feel resentment, and we feel collective guilt towards us.

We feel blame, and we have felt on too many occasions unsupported. And that puts us in a very, very bad place. I asked you during that speech if you could empathize and using the backdrop of the Holocaust to underscore the slippery slope of antisemitism, I asked you to do more to support the Jewish community of California.

And today, I want to thank you. I want to thank you for rising to that moment. I want to thank you for making sure our children feel safe and help mend deep divides that can yield, at best, misunderstanding and at worst, violence.

Thank you for acknowledging we cannot accept a learning environment that is zero sum, that is biased by design, that has resulted in hostile climates in our public institutions, our schools.

I speak today not only as a Legislator with definitional memories of being bullied, as the lone Jewish kid in my Long Beach Elementary School growing up, but as a dad who has navigated antisemitism in my children's schools.

In my experiences, well intentioned discourse by educators can often have disastrous outcomes on the ground. Today, as we have worked through the concerns of key stakeholders in our communities and in the policy making process, I'd like to say the Jewish community feels heard and importantly, I want to state the very obvious here.

We are not the only community that should feel heard. We are not the only community that is in pain, that is in fear, that is sensing resentment, collective guilt, blame, and feels unsupported. In fact, it is part of the Jewish tradition to acknowledge and to support those voices, to uplift the marginalized.

It is complex and it can feel impossible when we're navigating pain. It is complex dealing with any one individual, and it becomes exponentially more challenging when we're talking about collective pain because none of us can negotiate grief, none of us can negotiate dignity, none of us can negotiate loss, and none of us can negotiate pain.

It is part of our California tradition to support those voices and uplift the marginalized. This is California and this is about all of us. Moreover, it is not zero sum. We are not debating the budget right now. There is room for everyone.

In fact, it's our obligation to make room for everyone and those are the values we mandate in public education. I also want to say that there is nobody in the Legislative Jewish Caucus supporting the Caucus's lone priority bill, who wants anyone to feel unheard, today or any day.

There is nobody who wants difficult conversations to be silenced, who demand a lone specific perspective. We embrace dialogue and we fight for equality and dignity for all peoples. I personally look forward to supporting each and all of you during your community's historically challenging times because that is our responsibility, to hear, to support, to uplift, and to mobilize.

Members, I respectfully ask for your "Aye" vote on AB 715.

Assemblymember Bonta, you are recognized.

Thank you. Members, I rise in support of AB715 today and I appreciate my colleagues, particularly from San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles, and my colleagues of the Legislative Jewish Caucus for their commitment to getting this Bill done well with deliberation and collaboration and with deep thought and grace.

I'm rising today in support of this Bill as an activist, someone who grew up testifying or protesting from the seat of my stroller as my mother rolled around fighting for Puerto Rican rights and Latino rights. And I know the importance of being able to criticize harmful government actions, no matter who they come from.

I also rise in support of this Bill. As a former school board Member who wants to see all forms of hate from our schools be just that, eradicated from our schools because they have no place as children try to learn and our educators try to teach.

I rise in support of this Bill as a Legislator who knows that we are seeing right now from the Federal Government a hateful budget, hateful rhetoric and hate that is profoundly affecting every single one of us.

And I rise because I am proud to be in California and proud to be a part of a state that is taking tangible steps to combat this hate and this hateful rhetoric. Let us be clear.

Anti Semitism, Islamophobia, Homophobia, Transphobia, racism, sexism and bigotry of all kinds of have no home here in this state and no place in our schools. And I also want to be clear that this is intent language. It is intent language for a purpose.

Largely so because there are more stakeholders to hear from, there is an opportunity through this legislative process to ensure that we are able to get this Bill to a place that has meaning and protection for all.

And I want to be clear that this piece of legislation is moving forward during a time when our teachers feel under attack, when our educators feel incredibly challenged by their ability to be able to educate our children.

And so it is incredibly important to me that we hear what our educators are experiencing and develop and move forward a Bill that considers their realities on a day to day basis and that we have Members of our community, Members of our Muslim community who are still struggling with this moment in time.

So while I am incredibly proud to be able to stand with my colleagues from the Jewish Caucus and supporting and recognizing that antisemitism has no place in our schools, I want to also recognize that this is the beginning of a conversation and one that I know my colleagues have committed to ensuring we have the ability to move forward so that ultimately we pass legislation that we'll be incredibly supportive of all in our community.

With that, I respectfully request your aye vote

You are recognized. Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. I also rise in support of AB 715 and I want to begin by thanking my colleagues for rising in support of this Bill. I'm going to try to hold it together. This process over the last year has been incredibly difficult to watch.

But standing here today and listening to each of you stand in solidarity means more than you can know. As you've heard me talk about before. I was raised by Holocaust survivors and a conversation I had with some of my colleagues recently was I walk around every day with that intergenerational trauma.

My triggers may be different, my past, my story is different. But so many on this floor know that feeling of fear and of pain for your people's stories. It hits me when I watch someone, Heil Hitler. At the presidential inauguration.

And it hits me when the beautiful young people in my life in the Bay Area in 2025 tell me stories of sitting in the classroom where they're told that they, as Jews, are the problem. They are evil occupiers. And it hits me because those are the stories my grandmother told me.

She would start with how wonderful her childhood was in Vienna. Summers spent on the tennis courts, winters spent on the ski slopes. All she wanted was to graduate from high school, marry her beloved, who would spin her around the dance school where they learned to waltz.

But she sat through the lessons in the classroom when her classmates were taught that just because she was Jewish, she was the source of their problems. In post World War I Europe, the Jews were the problem. She was kicked out of school.

She watched her beloved's father, my great grandfather, be sent to Dachau, and she fled for her life. And now, in 2025, I sit and listen to stories that are so eerily similar.

Students are being taught to hate my children, my sweet children who want nothing more than to play soccer, master the drums, and sing and dance, just like my grandmother did. Taught to hate them because they're Jewish in the public schools in California.

And like my colleague from Santa Monica said, it's not every classroom and it is a small minority of teachers. But I hope we can all agree that one is too many. And so today, the Jewish Caucus is asking you to unite to stand up against hate. In this case, anti Semitism.

But in my six and a half years, I have had the privilege, and I do count it as a privilege, to have stood up in moments of anti Asian hate, moments when our Latino community that continue to this day to be targeted. That's why I came here. I came here to bend the arc of justice.

The Bill is incredibly simple. I ask you to read. Shouldn't be hard. But I know that some think this should be hard. And it's because I've had to watch. And I sat through the entire education hearing because I thought it was important to bear witness to what is happening.

And I want to thank every education Member who did the same, because what I think I've realized over the last two years is there are more people who hate me and my children because we're Jewish than I ever thought possible.

But I know you do not I know you see us, that you love us and you believe in each and every one of us as human beings who are more than the characteristics that make us up our religion, our color, our ethnicity, our nationality.

And I know that you believe that every single one of us has a right to be free from discrimination. But that starts with making sure our children are not taught to hate anyone. And so I ask on behalf of my beautiful children who just want to sing and dance for your aye vote.

Assemblymember Gabriel, you're recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I will be brief here. I just want to say that in my seven years in the Legislature, the moments that stick with me the most are the moments where I have been privileged to lend solidarity and the moments that I have been the recipient of solidarity.

And I want to recognize and just deeply appreciate all of our sister caucuses and those who stood and spoke today. It is something that means more to us than you will ever understand.

And because we look at this Bill, each of us, as my colleague mentioned, not just as legislators, but fundamentally as parents, as human beings, as people from a community that is deeply grateful for that solidarity.

And I know that many of the conversations to get to this moment have been difficult and they've been challenging and they've required a lot of nuance and thought and consideration. And so I just want to thank all of the colleagues who I've been privileged to be part of some of those conversations on all of them.

But I want to thank the colleagues who have dived into the hard conversations because my belief is that the task we have in front of us of governing the most diverse, pluralistic, multi ethnic democracy in the world is a challenging one, but that we are capable as human beings, as compassionate human beings, of doing that through dialogue and through conversation and through a deep sense of solidarity and understanding.

And I want to thank my colleague from Reno Valley who reminds us always that the path through hard things is together. It is together and it requires. It is challenging. It can be difficult. All of us bring such a diverse, lived experiences into this work.

But I am so profoundly grateful for those of you that have leaned into this conversation knowing that it's difficult and particularly grateful for those of you that have stood and raised your mics today.

And so I want to say, as a, as a co author of the Bill and as chair of the Jewish Caucus, we are profoundly grateful for all of you. And I respectfully request an aye vote on AB 715

Assembly Members, Zbur would you like to close?

Just want to thank all of our colleagues who so authentically, compellingly and lovingly spoke today. And with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Aye 64 no 0 the measure passes.

We will now move to item number 49, AB 33 by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 33 by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry and others, an act relating to autonomous vehicles.

Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. Many of you have seen me talk about autonomous vehicles, but this year I'm taking a different approach. This bill will make sure a qualified human safety operator is present during commercial autonomous vehicle deliveries to homes and businesses. The Department of Motor Vehicles already allows AV testing and deployment on our public roads.

This bill doesn't stop that. It just adds a safety net for commercial delivery vehicles when they are operating in our neighborhood streets. These vehicles deliver goods right to our homes and businesses, so people deserve to know someone's on hand to spot issues and respond to emergencies, especially while we wait for safety assessments from the executive branch.

We've seen what happens when things move too fast. In San Francisco, driverless AVs have blocked traffic in emergency vehicles and driven through crime scenes and downed wires. One even drove away from police officers doing a vehicle stop. In a horribly sad example, a pedestrian was dragged and trapped under an AV, and the company initially shared clip footage of the accident until DMV was made aware of the extent of the accident.

Hundreds of incidents with driverless AVs have prompted city public safety officials and elected officials to plead with the California Public Utilities Commission to rein in on the deployment of AVs. And while local officials are begging for more oversight and less robo taxis, companies are spending a ton of money lobbying to push the expansion of AVs.

I worry that, as AVs expand to new things like delivery services, we'll see the same issues play out in our neighborhoods, only with many times more vehicles on our local streets. And Californians agree with me across party lines, geographic regions, gender, and more.

Polls by AAA show people are losing trust in AVs and that what I'm hearing from my constituents when I talk about this issue. Polling on this bill shows 79% of California voters agree with this policy. We need to answer to our constituents, not tech companies, and we need real data before these fleets expand statewide.

Finally, this bill is about jobs and protecting people's livelihoods in a time where it's becoming more expensive to live in California. Companies have told many of you that the AVS will save consumers money, but that just isn't true. They won't pass on savings to consumers, and these cuts will be at the expense of working families.

I also find that the business community's objections to this bill to be insincere. For the last two years they opposed our legislation to regulate automated long haul trucking and promised the technology would result in more higher quality jobs for short haul truck delivery. This bill addresses that exact kind of delivery in our local communities.

This bill provides much needed guardrails so we can test and deploy these vehicles, but safely and with accountability to our communities. This bill requires a human safety operator in delivery AVs to help monitor and collect critical safety data as the new application of AV technology is tested and deployed.

This bill also makes sure there will be real data analyzed by the safety experts in the executive branch and then considered by the Legislature. This bill sets a clear transparent path for legislative review and input but before driverless AVs make their way to the cities and towns in your districts and and into your neighborhoods where your kids and grandkids play.

Because the reality is what's happened in San Francisco can happen anywhere at a far greater frequency if we don't get a better sense of the broader impacts of AV technology. This bill can help us make AVs better. AVs will help them make better with real data and a transparent process so they are safer on our streets because people aren't costs to be cut or incidence to be reported.

Assembly Member Davies, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today I rise proud co-author of AB 33. The author of this measure has spent the last three years trying to craft a policy that not only protects our workers, but, more importantly, puts public safety at the forefront when it comes to AV technology.

I think it's important to highlight that this bill in no way, shape, or form says companies cannot continue to develop or use AV technology as a business model. It instead says that if you choose to do so, ensure that a human operator is on board in case of emergencies. That's it. That's the bill. It's quite simple.

If you represent a suburban urban district like mine, you see these vehicles already in our neighborhoods. While technology has come a long way to prevent accidents, there is still no replacement for someone on board to ensure things go smooth. An AV vehicle cannot tell in seconds a time a child runs in front of the middle of the street or what does it do if it blows a tire and stops in the middle of a busy intersection.

I appreciate the author working with stakeholders to include language into the bill asking for data after a couple of years implementation so we can have concrete proof if humans are needed in the future or if this technology can truly function on its own. We need data as policymakers to make informed decisions and AB 33 strikes the perfect balance. So Members, in order to protect our workers and their jobs and protect our streets, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Assembly Member Lackey, you're recognized.

Well, thank you, Members. As all of you know, I'm a retired California Highway Patrol officer, and I have a special connection to traffic tragedy. So one thing that I was taught at a very young age, and I'm very thankful for this bit of instruction, and it's something we should often think about on this floor. That if it's predictable, it's preventable. And so we have a very commendable technology zeal, and I think that is commendable.

But I think that we need to proceed with the utmost caution. And I think we should realize that, as we continue to develop towards autonomous vehicles, and I think it probably will become and embraced reality. But we have to be very, very cautious on the way we do that.

And it's already been proven that we've had some preventable tragedies with people who have lost their lives because we did not have manned backup. So now I just hope that we'll learn from the data because I can tell you I have... And the reason why I say this, it doesn't make me look like all that in a bag of chips. It's to let you know how real this is and how every day we see, you don't see it.

But those of us who have worked our roadways see really, really, really tragic outcomes, and they happen at an alarming number. And so let's not add needlessly to that number because it is predictable and it is preventable. So I ask that you will support this very reasonable measure. Thank you.

Assembly Member Patterson, you're recognized.

Great. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Last year when this bill was presented, I decided to not vote on the bill because I think there are merits to it. Right now, I agree that the technology is not ready and should be not permitted for a while, maybe the foreseeable future. But I rise in opposition today because I think this bill needs a sunset.

Because the truth is, after the data comes through, it's going to be much harder to permissively authorize this technology. What I do know is that people have a 1 in 95 chance of dying in a car accident right now. Those are human drivers. Some of the most dangerous people are driving daily intoxicated, flying down my little neighborhood street at 40 miles an hour. And, you know, we try to do things to address that. But I'm not so sure that this technology would be more dangerous.

And I actually would argue that it might be safer than people who are driving down my street when my kids are playing in my car. And so I don't want to rule out the opportunity. I don't want to ban automatically, with no end sight, something that could actually keep our children safer. And I know that's not the author's intent, but I think without a sunset date, I can't support this measure.

Assembly Member Hoover, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Over 4000 Californians per year die in car accidents as a result of human drivers. What this bill will do is it will chill the development of technology that will one day save the lives of those 4,000 drivers. Now, today, obviously, the technology is not ready for primetime.

I think everyone in this room agrees with that. But there is already a process in place that is going to lead to the safe adoption of this. We can already safely ride in these vehicles in a number of different cities in California and in the United States. Make no mistake, this is not a public safety bill.

This bill will actually reduce the speed of which the technology can be produced in order to make our roads safer, to make our streets safer. My colleague from Palmdale, who I have great respect for, spoke very passionately the other day on this floor about the need to reduce DUI deaths. That is what this technology will do. I strongly urge a no vote. Thank you.

Assembly Member Ortega, you're recognized.

Thank you, Speakers and Members. I rise today in strong support of AB 33. As Labor and Employment Chair, I've seen firsthand what good, stable jobs means to our communities. I believe that AB 33 strikes the right balance between innovation and protecting the working people of California. AB 33 does not ban automated vehicle technology.

And as stated previously, the need for the bill is backed by real world events. We've seen automatic vehicles, automated vehicles, block fire trucks, drive through active emergency scenes, and cause serious crashes. How many automatic vehicles have to plunge into pools before we realize that we need a balanced approach? So, colleagues, I urge you to stand with workers, with the public, and join me in supporting AB 33.

Assembly Member Lowenthal, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise as a proud co-author of AB 33. I want to thank my colleague from Winters, our Majority Leader, for working on this issue year after year after year. And I want to thank all of you that are working on this issue where we're assessing the impacts of technology on our daily lives.

And I remind everybody here that this bill stands on its own for the merits that it espouses. So it is lot less safe, as our colleague from the high desert explained, if we cannot utilize the technology with having a human in the vehicle at the same time. But I also want to talk about the impacts automation is having on all of us. I'm not quite certain that just because we can do something, we always should do something. The number one job for men in the State of California is driving. The number one job.

Nearly 10% of men drive for a living in the State of California. Have we really and truly assessed that we're having the society we want to have when we continue to allow technology as this to go forward without a plan on what the impacts are? Because we see the impacts on a daily basis. We see the impacts of smash and grabs inside our markets and our retail stores because they have automated checkouts. We see that our news has been completely degradated because our news system has been automated.

We see communities whose economies have had devastational effects, including mine, as the ports have become automated and what that has done to local economies. And so I challenge all of you here. Why don't we create a plan for automation and understand where we should be plugging in technology based on the ways we want to have it?

Not unlike cap and trade, not unlike other systems of transition that we need to go forward. Until that happens, there's going to be a lot more bills like this. We're going to find ourselves debating on what we want this state to be. Very proud to stand with you and respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Assembly Member Ellis, you're recognized.

Madam Chair and Members, I respect this debate. Technologically, as the AI world develops in automated vehicles, we get our signals from satellites now in nanoseconds, which are billionths of a second. There's new technology out there that will actually improve it, which are called picoseconds.

I've been involved in this technology for several years, and it's getting better and better. I oppose this for the simple reason that I think it inhibits where we're heading. But I think that also, if you look at the agriculture world, who is really heavily involved in our orchards and spraying and autonomous vehicles, this could inhibit them. So for that reason, I oppose. I do appreciate the author and I do appreciate what you're doing, but I think it inhibits it. Thank you.

Seeing and hearing no further debate. Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry, would you like to close?

Thank you very much. You know, we know this is a complex issue, and so thank you for all the thoughtful discussion. AVs are promising technology, but if they are deployed in California without thought or care, it'll cost our constituents. I briefly just wanted to address Assembly Member from Rocklin.

You asked me why we don't have a sunset. No one in the Legislature, including the tech industry, can give me a date and a time when it's safe to be and when it will be achieved. So the trigger for sunset for a human safety operator is about safety. Let me be clear. This bill does not ban AVs.

This bill makes AV technology better. This bill asks for a qualified human safety operator to be present and monitor the technology as it's tested and deployed in our communities. It has a trigger date for legislative action to revisit this requirement when real data is available.

And it includes the reporting and recommendation requirement to help us answer questions about the safety and technology impacts on the workforce. You know, I introduced this bill because I come from a very diverse area. I have rural counties and I have urban areas. Every area is a little bit different.

Every one of my constituents largely agree that they are concerned about AVs. Again, polling on this bill shows 79%. Yes, it's my third attempt to put guardrails in place. It's important that we make progress. So passing AB 33 will allow companies to test and deploy AVs while having a human safety net operator. Members, please join me in protecting safety and our workforce. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. All those vote who desire to vote. The Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. Ayes 52, noes 6. The measure passes.

We will pass and retain on file item 40. The next item is number 41, AB5 by Assembly Member Berman. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 5 by Assembly Member Berman and accolade to elections.

Assembly Member Berman, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. California has one of the most accessible, secure and transparent voting systems in the country. All of which takes time and unfortunately that time can create an opportunity for bad actors to sow doubt about our election results.

AB5 will create clear and achievable metrics for when the vast majority of ballots must be counted by the 10th day after the election which will also allow the public to know the results in almost all races sooner.

The bill will increase transparency in our vote count process to give voters and the public confidence while while maintaining our nation leading voting rights. I know that I will continue to have conversations with with all interested stakeholders about this bill. I know that I've been having a lot of great conversations with folks.

There are some still some improvements and tweaks that need to be made to the bill if the bill moves forward today. And I commit to having those conversations and making those improvements and I respectfully ask for an Aye.

Assemblymember Demaio, you're recognized.

Thank you.

I rise today in support of AB5, but I would encourage the body to understand that one of the reasons why it takes so long to get election results in the State of California is that we've created a process whereby these ballots are coming in all at the very end of the process and they then have to do the signature reviews.

We know that the signature reviews. The Secretary of State has offered inadequate guidance. Inconsistent implementation of that guidance has led to some counties, for example Sacramento county rejecting just 23% of ballots because of a bad signature. Whereas San Joaquin county has 2.5% rejection. Now are we to assume that the citizens of Sacramento county just have better penmanship?

San Joaquin, they have worse penmanship? No. What we can confidently conclude is that our election offices in each county are treating ballots differently. And that means that we don't have equal protection, we don't have consistency in the Administration of our elections. Now what would be an easier approach to speed up the ballots? Voter ID.

Because if you have a driver's license and you provide your last four digits on a mail in ballot, you don't have to look at a signature.

You know that you have that four digit key code and a lot of us are familiar with a variety of technology systems where they ask you for a key code and only you know the key code. We have a Lot of opportunities for bipartisan collaboration on the issue of election integrity.

But there seems to be this Balkanization on this issue where one side says, zero no, no, we have a great system, it's perfectly fine, but zero, by the way, we have to pass a Bill because there's a problem. Well, I agree with you. There is a problem. It takes too long to count these ballots.

But instead of just simply arbitrarily saying, hey, here's a date by which you have to process ballots, I think what we need to do is get to the root cause.

My concern about your bill, and I hope this is an unfounded concern, is that what if an election office gets close to the seven day deadline and says, well, we're not going to meet it, so you know what we're going to do?

This bill allows us just to reject signatures and then have another 20 days to, to count those ballots. An automatic rejection of ballots because they didn't match the signature. That's how you can comply with this seven day requirement.

Again, I know that that is not the author's intent, but we also have a situation where we've kind of created some of these problems ourselves by passing election laws perhaps with good intent, but the execution has led to a, an election process that has very little public trust and confidence.

I urge the author to continue to work on this issue. I will support your bill today because I do want to see if we can set a deadline for counting ballots. I don't think that this is going to solve the problem though, that he seeks to solve.

Thank you, Assembly Member Demaio. All debate having ceased. Assemblymember Berman, do you wish to close?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the support from my colleague from San Diego. Although we, we differ strongly on some of the problems in our election systems and some of the solutions to those problems. Just to be clear, it's 10 days to count the normal ballots in this bill.

And I strongly oppose voter ID laws because I think that would disenfranchise hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Californians to address a problem that doesn't exist. Because for too long elected officials and leaders have lied about voter fraud in our election systems.

They can't back it up with any data and, but, but they lie about voter fraud to try to put in policies that would make it harder for people to participate in their democracy. And I obviously would never support any of those efforts. I do.

I appreciate the concerns and we'll look at the language in the Bill to make sure that we're not providing an incentive for anybody to not count ballots as quickly as possible. That's obviously the purpose of this bill is to count ballots as quickly as possible. And I respectfully ask for your Aye vote summary.

Member Berman. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. I 66, no. 0. The measure passes. Going to pass and retain on file items. 42, 43, 44.

That brings us to file item 45, AB27 by Assemblymember Schiavo.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 27 by Assembly Member Schiavo and others, an act relating to taxation to take effect immediately, tax levy.

Assembly Member Schiavo, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I am proud to to offer AB 27 today. This is really a common sense measure on, as many people know, the ongoing disaster that's happening in my community at Chiquita Canyon Landfill. This is a tax relief bill because the landfill actually set up a relief program and unfortunately terminated it after offering it for a year. But it was because there's so many added costs that neighbors are experiencing because of this disaster. People have had to completely redo their air conditioning.

They need to have huge industrial air filters running 24/7. They cannot open windows and doors, and so have to run their AC constantly with huge electricity and energy bills. And many people are having to go to multiple doctor's appointments to try to understand all of the health symptoms that they're experiencing.

So this is simply to make sure that this is not insult to injury, that people are not either kicked off state assistance because of that additional income or do not go into new tax brackets or have to pay additional taxes because they needed to get this kind of relief to address the health crisis that they' facing in our community. So respectfully request an aye vote on AB 27.

Thank you, Assembly Member Schiavo. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 61, noes 0. The measure passes. Moving on to file item 46, AB 28, also by Assembly Member Schiavo.

Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 28 by Assembly Member Schiavo and others, an act relating to solid waste.

Assembly Member Schiavo, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. So I'm getting a reputation about talking about my burning landfill a lot, as this is my second bill already today. But, you know, this is an unbelievable crisis that's happening in our community. And this bill is really geared toward, towards making sure that this never happens again, that no other community suffers what our community has been suffering. We have a burning landfill that has grown from 30 to 90 acres.

That's 109 football fields of burning trash, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's been burning for three years, and now is expected to burn for 20 years. And so neighbors who live just hundreds of feet nearby are getting sick. And so I wanted to share some of the stories of some of the neighbors and what they're experiencing. Brandy has just finished stage three cancer treatment.

She has a neighbor on her right, her left, and two behind her that also all have cancer. Her son suffers from uncontrollable bloody noses, which we all experienced, our colleagues saw happen right in front of us while we were at a press conference on our tour. We know Jennifer and her children are experiencing the same things.

Rashes unexpectedly, asthma, all kinds of health issues. Her daughter was crying at a recent press release because she's now changing schools and leaving all of her friends because they're concerned for her health and her safety. Elizabeth, who used to run two miles a day, is now using two inhalers a day, has been so disabled by all of the illnesses and ailments that she's experiencing that she no longer can work. And she was an active, successful realtor.

And Darcy, who's a veteran, who loves nothing more than shooting guns, has hand tremors, and he can no longer shoot guns. I went to lunch with him, and he couldn't eat his miso soup because his hand was shaking so much. The soup was shaking right off of the spoon. And finally, there's a cook in our community. He can no longer work as a cook. He's lost his home. So these are the kinds of tragedies that are happening in our community because of this terrible disaster of a burning landfill, where, you know, honestly, the landfill was not on top of their job.

This bill puts in statute what already exists as federal regulations in the EPA around elevated temperatures in landfills, but also requires action. Requires that they notify agencies, that they come up with a plan to address the elevated temperatures, and that they notify the community so the community knows if they may be in danger. We believe this is a reasonable bill, it's a smart bill, and we appreciate the bipartisan support that we've received thus far. Respectfully request an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Schiavo. All debate... Oh, excuse me. Assembly Member Ellis, you are recognized.

Yes. Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you, Assembly Member. I really appreciate you. I wanted to let you know that out of 40 years of experience in the chemical process world, when I was on the Committee, I'm the first one that doesn't like extra regulation imposed on companies, et cetera, et cetera. However, after she brought to my attention, this is catastrophic.

There's no excuse for this. I support this bill 100% because in the future, we could protect our citizens. It is our job in this body to protect every citizen in the State of California. And, Assembly Member, I commend you because you're doing exactly that. I support this bill. I appreciate your support. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Ellis. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assembly Member Schiavo, do you wish to close?

I want to thank the colleague from across the aisle for his support and also his active support in trying to directly work with this crisis and help us address this horrible, horrible disaster. So very grateful for his leadership, his insight, and his expertise coming to this complicated issue in our community. Respectfully request an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Schiavo. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. Ayes 44, noes 6. The measure passes. We're going to pass and retain on file items 47, 48.

We've already dispensed with file item 49. Pass and retain on file item 50. Brings us to file item 51. AB 43 by Assemblymember Schultz. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 43 by Assemblymember Schultz, in acclaim to Wild and Scenic Rivers.

Assemblymember Schultz, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to introduce Assembly Bill 43, which permanently extends the authority for the California Natural Resources Agency to protect our state's Wild and Scenic Rivers. In 2018, the state Legislature passed AB 2975, which was authored by my predecessor, now Congressmember Laura Friedman.

That Bill required the Secretary of Natural Resources, at their discretion, to take action to add any California river in the National Wild and Scenic River system that is removed, delisted, or whose protections are otherwise weakened by the Federal Government to the state Wild and Scenic River System, if it's not already part of that system.

This law will sunset on December 31, 2025 unless the Legislature acts this year to extend those protections. Importantly, there are 819 miles of federally protected Wild and Scenic Rivers in the State of California that are preserved in their free-flowing condition for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations that do not enjoy state legal protections.

Current law, as proposed to be extended by AB 43, applies to federally protected rivers. If Congress or the Trump Administration were to pass legislation or enact an Executive order to eliminate federal protection from all or a portion of those federally protected rivers. AB 43 would not add any new rivers to the state system that are not already protected under federal law.

However, it would ensure that federally protected rivers in California could be considered for protection under California law if they lose their federal protection status. I'll Just note that AB 43 is sponsored by Friends of the River. There is no opposition on file and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you Assemblymember Schultz. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 46, noes 1.

The measure passes. On to file item 52, AB 44, also by Assemblymember Schultz.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 44 by Assemblymember Schultz, an act relating to electricity.

Assemblymember Schultz, you are recognized.

Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. I rise to introduce AB 44, which is both an energy affordability bill and a grid reliability bill. It would help retail electricity providers better harness clean distributed energy resources to to reduce electricity demand on the grid during the most expensive hours, thereby saving money for our ratepayers. I will note that this is a support support and I humbly ask for your aye vote.

Thank you Assemblymember Schultz. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 55, noes 0. The measure passes. Going to pass and retain on file items 5354.

That brings us to File Item 55: AB 53 by Assembly Member Ramos.

Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 53 by Assembly Member Ramos and others, an act relating to taxation to take effect immediately, tax levy.

Assembly Member Ramos, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I ask for your aye vote on AB 53. AB 53 focuses on our armed services and seeks to extend a state benefit for retired veterans who usually retire after 20 years of service. Additionally, this bill also exempts survivor benefits from being taxed in California.

This bill would provide a $20,000 state tax exemption and will last for five years. AB 53 focuses on honoring those who dedicated their lives to serving our country as well as strengthening and attracting a skilled workforce which in turn strengthens tax revenue in the State of California and contributes to the fourth largest economy in the world.

This is an issue that is long overdue as this bill starts the recognition of honoring our military retirees and the survivors of those that fought for our freedoms in the State of California and in our country. It is time that the State of California honors our military personnel and retirees. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Ramos. Assembly Member Alanis, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise as a proud co-author of AB 53 and I want to thank my colleague from Highland for bringing this crucial bill. It is a compassionate and practical step that recognizes the service of our retired military members and will make it more affordable for our veterans to continue living in California. I respectfully ask for everyone's aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Alanis. Assembly Member Jeff Gonzalez, you are recognized.

I rise in proud support of this bill. As the only veteran in the Assembly, it is about time we had leadership like this and I thank you for that. For my colleague, yes, we need it. It's been far too long. Let's get this bill across the governor's desk and get it signed.

Thank you, Assembly Member Gonzalez. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assembly--I do see more debate. There we go. Assembly Member Patel, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. I rise today as a joint author in strong support of AB 53 and want to thank my colleague from San Bernardino for bringing forward this important legislation and ensuring its passage. My region, San Diego County, has an estimated 370,000 active-duty personnel and veterans who are assets and invaluable contributors to our communities.

From their active service roles and their contributions on the civilian side, their importance cannot be understated. The economic impact of our service members and military in California is over $158 billion, making them a huge economic driver for the state. However, military families are often struggling even after sacrificing so much.

In San Diego, the food banks serve these families at a high rate, which is simply heartbreaking. This bill provides critical tax relief for veterans and their families, recognizing their service and sacrifice to California and our nation. This bill isn't just about honoring their past service, but it's about investing in California's future.

Veterans contribute invaluable skills and experience to our workforce and communities. Keeping them here enriches our community, our neighborhoods, and our state. I respectfully ask for your aye vote, members. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Patel. Assembly Member Lackey, you are recognized.

Yeah, just real quickly, I will say that too many people look at this issue as a cost loss, when in fact, keeping these military people here, and especially those who have earned rank--they're not the only ones--but they in large part exit our state.

We're one of the only states in the country that don't afford this privilege. That's shameful, and I hope that we finally come around and do what's right and show our military that we do appreciate their service. Thank you. This deserves your support.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Chair of the Military and Veteran Affairs, I just want to thank the author for his incredible, tireless leadership on this issue. I'm proud to be a co-author, happy to see this included in the budget this year, and you know, as has been stated already, it's embarrassing that California is trailing behind all other states on making this happen. We should ensure that we're supporting our military veteran communities and making sure that they can stay here at home in California.

Thank you, Assembly Member Schiavo. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assembly Member Ramos, do you wish to close?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to all those that have spoke. Now, with our aye vote, we could show our military personnel and retirees and spouses of those that continue to move forward and give back to the State of California, it's time that we show our respect. I ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Ramos. All debate having ceased, the clerk will open the roll. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. The clerk will close the roll; tally the votes. Ayes: 59; no: zero. The measure passes. Members, it is 11:30.

We are going to be continuing on until noon. Support support bills. Let's keep our comments as short as possible. Let's try and get through as much legislation as we can. Moving on to File Item Number 56: AB 56 by Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 56 by Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan and others, an act relating to social media platforms.

Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan, you are recognized.

Thank you Mr. Speaker and Members. I'm pleased to present AB 56. This is an important Bill that will require warning labels on social media to educate users of all ages about the risks of social media safety for children. It is critically important as we are in the midst of a global mental health crisis amongst our youth.

We took significant amendments in Privacy Committee to help address some of the access issues around social media, especially as it relates to emergency situations. And this Bill is in response to Surgeon General Murphy's landmark report that says that this is an important way for us to move forward in protecting our kids on social media.

The Bill is cosponsored by Attorney General Bonta and Common Sense Media and has received bipartisan support. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

Thank you. Very quickly. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Good morning colleagues. I've risen support of AB 56 as well. It provides a crucial step in spreading awareness of the dangers and harms of social media for young users.

Data reliable data says youth are spending more time on social media and it's linked to higher often linked to higher levels of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, increased vulnerability to addiction and disruptions to daily activities.

I believe the author has worked hard, clearly has worked hard on this and has come up with a reasonable solution to try to discourage children from excessive use on on their computers. So thank you. I'm strong support. Thank you.

Thank you Assemblymember Dixon. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan, do you wish to close?

I would like to thank Madam Vice Chair for her support of the Bill. And I just would like to say that those of us that sit in Privacy Committee have seen a string of parents come through this year whose children have been harmed online. And so on behalf of all of them, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 42, noes 0. The measure passes.

Members, will you join me in welcoming former Senator Steve Glazer who's in the rear of the chamber. Come to visit us today. We miss you, Senator. Members, we're going to continue on to file item number 57, AB 57 by Assemblymember McKinnor.

The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 57 by Assemblymember Mckinnor and others inactivating the housing summary.

Mr. Speaker and Members, A.B. 57 is part of the Legislature's commitment to expand homeownership opportunities and addressing long standing disparities in access to housing across California. This bill reserves a portion of the state's Home Purchase Assistance Program specifically for individuals who are descendants of formerly enslaved people.

For generations, home ownership has been a foundation of economic stability and mobility in California. Yet a history of exclusionary policies and practices has left many families behind, creating significant and persistent gaps in home ownership that continue to affect communities today. California already prioritized home ownership support for veterans, first time buyers and others who has faced systemic barriers.

AB57 follows the same approach by providing targeted assistance to individuals who families were historically excluded from those opportunities. Expanding access to home ownership strengthens neighborhoods, builds generational wealth, and support a healthier state economy. Also, this is a California Legislative Black Caucus Priority Bill. I respectfully ask for your aye vote on AB57.

Thank you, thank you, Assembly Member McKinner. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally votes. Ayes, 42. No, 7. The measure passes the pass and retain on file.

Item 58 brings us to file item number 59.

She's back. A.B. 62. Also by Assemblymember Mckinnor. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 62 by Assembly Mckinnor and others inaccurately the state government.

Assemblymember Mckinnor, you are recognized.

Yes, Mr. Speaker and Members. A.B. 62 seeks to provide a pathway for restitution to individuals and families who are displaced through the use of bias imminent domain. Throughout the 20th century, local and state governments used eminent domain for public development, urban renewal, and highway construction.

These projects displaced entire communities and caused significant economic, emotional and physical harm to its residents. These actions devastated families, erased intergenerational wealth, and broke apart neighborhoods that had stood for generations. AB62 authorized local and state agencies to evaluate past uses of imminent domain and offer restitution when harm is found.

This bill is about creating a process to acknowledge and repair harm that still lingers in many communities today. AB62 builds on the work of SB796, which enable the return of Bruce's beach to the Bruce family in Los Angeles County. That was a clear example of how government can take action to make things right.

We have seen other efforts as well, such as the City of Palm Springs reaching a settlement with families displaced from what was once called Section 14. California has already taken steps to examine the legacy of past policy. AB62 continues the work by giving communities a framework to address one of the most lasting and.

And painful forms of displacement. This bill is about fairness, transparency and restoration. And it's also a CLBC bill. Thank you.

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

Thank you. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of this measure. I supported a similar measure last year, and I think if the government is going to take the land of an individual for any reason, but especially based on race or ethnicity or.

Or where they descended from or where their family came from, they ought to be compensated for that loss. And I would even go a step further, that if you're going to take somebody's land, you should be penalized for doing that. And so with that, I rise in support of this measure.