Assembly Floor

Assembly is now in session. Assemblymember Wallace notices the absence of a quorum sergeant. Arms will prepare the chamber. 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 prayer. Assemblymember Solace will offer today's prayer. Assemblymember Solache.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I begin, I know that some of us need a little more prayer in life. It doesn't hurt us to just have that good spirit in us. So let's get started. Heavenly Father, in our daily living, give us a sense of the world's beauty. A sense of truth and justice, a sense of dignity and destiny, a sense of honor and service, and with awe, a sense of humor. Amen.

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

Ready? Begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of. The United States of America and to. The Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty. And justice for all, may be seated.

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

Chamber Sacramento, Friday, May 23, 2025. The Assembly met at 9am The Honorable Josh Lowenthal, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Assembly. Pres. Chief Clerk Supercomer at the desk, reading. Clerk David A. Bowman, Reading.

Majority Leader 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 to motions and resolutions. The absences for the day for personal business. Assemblymember Ortega. Moving on to procedural motions. Madam Majority Leader, you are recognized for your procedural motions.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 118A to allow Assemblymember Schiavo to have a guest seated at her desk today.

Not objection. Such shall be the order.

At the request of the author, please move file item 18, AB958, and file item 22, AB 1279. Sharpe Collins, to the inactive file Clerk will note.

Moving on to business on the daily file. We're going to start from the top. Pass and retain on file items, number one. Number two. Pass and retain on file item three. Pass temporarily on file item four. File item number five. AB 698 by Assemblymember Wicks. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 698 by Assemblymember Wicks an act related to local government.

Assemblymember Wicks, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise today to present AB 698. I am a big supporter of funding affordable housing, of creating revenue to support affordable housing. I've carried the bond multiple times in a row, as well as other measures to increase our- our financing for affordable housing,

as you all know. I'm also a big supporter of transfer taxes, local taxes that enable our local communities to raise much needed revenue to support affordable housing. I'm also a big believer in multifamily housing production. And so what this bill will do, it's very simple. It says if you're going to have-

If a city is going to pass a transfer tax or city ordinance, they have to look at the impact on multifamily housing production. That is what the bill does. It's making sure that we're not creating any potential negative unintended consequences in terms of reducing our multifamily housing production.

I'm excited to be joined with my joint author from Los Angeles. And with that, respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Wicks. Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise as a joint author in support of AB 698. And I want to thank my colleague from Oakland for all of her hard work and dedication to this. At a time when the state faces limited housing and homelessness, funding, transferred taxes can be a powerful tool for local governments.

But if poorly designed, they can also slow housing construction and reduce property tax revenue. AB 698 doesn't repeal or weaken existing taxes. It simply requires that any new transfer tax proposals be analyzed for their impact on affordable housing, market rate housing and local revenue.

This bill ensures that local governments have the data they need to craft effective policies that maximize benefits and minimize harm. AB 690 is a tool, not a threat, and it promotes transparency, smart design and accountability. Thank you and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

Respectfully ask for an aye vote, please.

Okay. All debate having ceased, 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, 50. Noes, 0. The measure passes. File item number six. AB 456 by Assemblymember Connolly.

The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 456 by Assemblymember Connolly an act related to mobile homes.

Assemblymember Connolly, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. AB456 improves the buying and selling process for mobile home owners. These changes will ensure that mobile home sales are completed in a timely manner and prevent sale interference from park managers. Recent amendments removed all opposition. I respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember 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. Tally the votes. Ayes. 55. No, zero. The measure passes.

We're going to pass and retain on File item number seven. That brings us to file item number eight. AB 1129 by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez.

The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 1129 by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez and others. an act related to public health.

Madam Assistant speaker pro tem, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. AB 1129 allows local health jurisdictions to make health conditions that occur in a child's first year of life reportable, creating a sound, reliable way of recognizing and responding to important health trends in our local districts. We amended the Bill on the floor to provide added clarity on protection of medical records. And I'm happy to share that this Bill has bipartisan support. I respectfully request your aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Rodriguez. 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. Aye 63. No 0. The measure passes.

We're going to pass and Retain on File item number nine. AB66. That is going to bring us to File item number 10. Before we get to file item number 10, will you all join me in wishing Assemblymember Sharp Collins a happy birthday? In the corner back there. Happy birthday, Assembly Member. Happy birthday.

For those of you who did not get a chance to eat the food that she brought, make your way to the Members lounge. It is delicious. Okay, Members, File item number 10. That is AB 69 by Assemblymember Calderon.

The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 69 by Assemblymember Calderon an act related to insurance.

Assemblymember Calderon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Assembly Insurance Committee has held numerous oversight hearings this year highlighting the challenges facing the California FAIR Plan. AB 69 requires an agent or broker to conduct a diligent search of the voluntary market before renewing homeowners' policies back into the FAIR Plan. This bill also requires the FAIR Plan to provide a separate and distinct notice to policyholders about their coverage options. This bill has enjoyed broad bipartisan support, and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Calderon. Assembly Member Tangipa, you are recognized.

Thank you. And I too rise in support of this bill as well. I want to thank the author. Colleagues, the FAIR Plan needs an offload. If you're thinking about it right now, there's over $600 billion of exposure that is currently on the FAIR Plan. This was insurance that was supposed to be insurance of last resort, and it's devastating a lot of the market in our businesses here in California. We've really got to look at this proactively and different.

We're looking at the $600 and, $600 million hole we're in right now with still payouts that have to be received that will pull us out with this $1 billion assessment, leaving us with 350 million in the account for $600 billion of assets that need to be covered. My district needs it. A majority of them are now on the FAIR Plan. They want to find an offload. And I respectfully ask for your aye vote on this and truly thank the author for bringing it.

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

Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Calderon. All debate having ceased, 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 63, noes 0. The measure passes. Gonna pass and retain on file item number 11. Brings us to file item number 12, AB 357 by Assembly Member Alvarez.

Clerk will read Assembly Bill 357 by Assemblymember Alvarez and act related to coastal resources.

Assemblymember Alvarez, you are recognized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, colleagues. I rise to present Assembly Bill 357, the student faculty Housing Success Success Act.

This Bill fast tracks affordable student and faculty housing by requiring Coastal Commission to issue final permit decisions within 90 days, cutting bureaucratic delays while maintaining the environmental safeguards that the Coastal Commission works on. This Bill is part of the Fast Track Housing Bill package, an initiative to address California's housing crisis by significantly expediting housing development.

California student housing crisis isn't new. It's not just a statistic. It's students who are sleeping in cars as we are all well aware of their couch surfing and choosing between paying rent or buying food just to earn their degrees.

A 2019 report reported that 45% of the estimated average total of of attending the UC school was housing costs. 39% was tuition and fees. So it costs more to live than to go to school. At CSU, housing made up 53% of the cost, while tuition fees accounted for 28%. Again, housing costing more than attending school.

One in four community college students report experiencing homelessness. One in 10 CSU students report experiencing homelessness. One in 20 UC students report experiencing homelessness. Limited housing near campuses forces students into long commutes, overcrowded apartments or unstable living arrangements which impacts their health and academic success. AB357 offers a solution.

The Bill would accelerate much needed housing while maintaining environmental safeguards through a time bound process, helping campuses and coastal areas build the housing that they need. This goal is not to bypass environmental safeguards, but to create smart, streamlined pathways to meet our urgent student needs, while also respecting California's coastal values.

With tools like AB357, thoughtful local planning and continued collaboration, California can certainly tackle our housing crisis. Thank you. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote on AB357.

Thank you, Assemblymember Alvarez. 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. 60. No. 0. The measure passes. Brings us to file item number 13. AB 383 by Assemblymember Davies.

Clerk will read Assembly Bill 383 by Assemblymember Davies and act relating to firearms.

Assemblymember Davies, you are recognized.

It was worth the wait. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, today I'm here to present AB 383. This bill is a common sense measure to clean up existing firearms related codes and allows for the following changes.

Fixes a cross reference issue that will now allow search warrants to be issued when a firearm or ammunition still has not been turned over yet by someone subject to domestic violence

protective order. Clarifies that minors engaged in hunting education are allowed to possess a firearm so long as they have written approval from legal guardian and it is specified event for training and see

the bill would also expand and clarify the off- the offense which subjects adjudicated juveniles to firearms disposition until age 25 or 30 depending on the offense. This bill has received no votes. Sorry, no no votes. And is this is a gun violence protection week. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Davies. 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, 63. Noes, 0. The measure passes. Brings us to file item number 14.

AB 426 by Assemblymember Dixon. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 426 by Assemblymember Dixon. An act relating to civil law.

Assemblymember Dixon, you are recognized.

Thank you very much. I'm very grateful. Good. Mr. Speaker. Good. Good afternoon, colleagues. I rise to present AB426 which would prohibit the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle UAV or a remotely piloted aircraft RPA or a drone at the scene of an emergency that impedes firefighters, police, police, peace officers, medical personnel, military personnel or other emergency personnel in the performance of their fire suppression, law enforcement or emergency response duties.

AB426 will help all personnel involved in wildlife suppression, law enforcement or emergency response operations to do their job safely, effectively and without interference. The Bill passed through both the policy and fiscal Committee with unanimous support. The Bill is supported by the count by the California Police Chiefs Association, the California Professional Firefighters and the California Special Districts Association. Respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Dixon. All debate having ceased. 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. Kirk will close the roll tally. The votes aye 61. No 0. The measure passes. We're back to Mr. Alvarez. File item number 15.

Excuse me, Mr. Alvarez. Just one moment. We're actually going to jump ahead. Everybody to file item 31. That is going to be AB825 by Assemblymember Petrie-Norris.

Clerk will read Assembly Bill 825 by Assemblymember Petrie-Norris and others, an act relating to energy and making an appropriation.

Therefore, Assemblymember Petrie-Norris, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise today to present AB 825. As we all know, the cost of living is the number one thing that our constituents are worried about today. California has the second highest electricity rates in the nation, and most of our constituents have seen their rates double in just the last 10 years.

This is not sustainable. Californians expect us to take a hard look at their monthly utility bills and find ways to lower them, and that's what we are doing with this measure with AB 825. AB 825 proposes a suite of policies that will address rising electric utility bills.

These include strategies to address the primary cost drivers of soaring electricity rates, including wildfire mitigation costs, lowering the cost of transmission infrastructure investments through the creation of a public financing program, addressing project permitting delays, and evaluating ratepayer funded public purpose programs.

Taken together, the measures in AB 825 are estimated to save Californians between 1 to 2 billion dollars a year. Our constituents are asking us to act with urgency to address the cost of living crisis. This is simply one of the many proposals that we have considered on the floor of the Assembly today. And on behalf of our constituents who are struggling to make ends meet, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Petrie-Norris. Is your microphone up, Mr. DeMaio? Okay. Seeing and hearing no further debate... Assembly Member Dixon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And while we all care about affordability and lowering the cost of living in California, I do not believe this is the answer. I rise in opposition to and with profound concern regarding Assembly Bill 825, which ironically and predictably could increase costs and to ratepayers and it is immensely consequential to all Californians.

In fact, I will go so far as saying it is a Trojan horse. We do not know what is the result of this vast and enormous change. California needs to seriously address wildfire mitigation. Yes, of course. By adequately funding the ongoing costs and providing continued incentives to the utility companies through existing the existing Wildfire Fund.

This updated language, which attempts to dismantle the state's public utility industry in one committee hearing and with no Appropriations Committee hearing, has been rushed through the legislative process without adequate review and discussion and debate that a bill of this consequence and magnitude requires.

If we truly wanted to expedite additional transmission lines, which is the core part of this bill, we all know the best and really only way to do it, provide an exemption for CEQA, the major obstacle to building transmission lines, wildfire mitigation, and much more. The years, the five years or more that it takes to get a transmission line approved is the real culprit here.

We seem to support this action of CEQA exemptions for building sports stadiums. Why not ensure access to reliable energy for all Californians, not only the people who attend sporting events? Additionally, state bureaucracy is the last place that should be in control of building and controlling our energy infrastructure. If you need an example, I am happy to point to the high speed rail boondoggle. Enough said.

If this bill passes, actions to address wildfire mitigation and increase the number of safe transmission lines in California, which are in great demand for future electrification in this state, will slow to a halt. I respectfully urge you to vote no on AB 825. Thank you.

Thank you. Assembly Member Dixon. Assembly Member Rogers, you are recognized.

Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support and I want to thank the author for her work on this. Despite the comments that were just made, this has been an ongoing conversation this entire year. Even though the amendments for the bill are relatively recent, we have had affordability hearings, we have had, we've had each of these components of it in different bills that we have discussed.

And in fact, in our very first hearing on how best to build out our transmission and keep costs affordable, I even said at the time that I wasn't entirely convinced that taking that away from the IOUs and owning that as as constituents and as rate payers was going to be the best for our community.

And as we continued that discussion over the last few months and talked about the way that the IOUs have a guaranteed rate of return on capital projects and the escalator effect that that has as that gets rolled into each of the rate cases, it became apparent that we do have to do things very different.

And so I want to applaud the author for bringing forward this discussion and bringing forward this bill. It's not haphazard, it's with thought and it's looking at a broken system and asking how can we do this better for our constituents. And I'm proud to stand with her and to support this bill, and hopefully we can deliver for Californians.

Thank you, Assembly Member Rogers. Assembly Member DeMaio, you are recognized.

Thank you. I join my colleague from Orange County in strong opposition to AB 825. Let me just quote something that I don't think I've ever heard a normal California resident ever say. California state government can do this cheaper. No one has ever said that. It's always set up here in this building, but it's never said out there in the real world. This is what would happen with AB 825. It's the arrogance of state government saying we can do it cheaper, we can do it better. Let's take out a credit card.

Because the bill includes the concept of borrowing billions of dollars and then having government do these projects. Again, my colleague correctly points out the poster child of bad behavior and infrastructure projects, high speed rail. And very soon we're going to have the windmill boondoggle off the coast. We have a government takeover of our energy system.

They're shutting down refineries with bad regulations, and now we've got the Governor and the Legislature talking about taking that over. This is in the same misguided vein as all of those proposals. And no constituent is going to be happy with government doing these projects because it will take longer, it'll cost more, it'll be done with far less environmental sensitivity because government's one of the worst environmental offenders out there. We talk a lot about private industry, but government, it's atrocious. So on every single count, let's walk away from this.

And finally, on the issue of process, you know, we're here in the afternoon because the bill was not ready in time. This is a big deal. It requires more transparency and more deliberation. I implore the majority party, let's step away from the knife drawer on this one and let's perhaps give this another year of discussion and consideration before we move forward. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member DeMaio. Assembly Member Bryan, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. I rise in support of my colleague from Orange County on this important measure. And I think, as a percentage of this floor is celebrating Affordability Week, I find it incredibly ironic to ask for another year to actually address our affordability crisis. I want to thank my colleague for all of her work and the Utilities Committee and for bringing this legislation forward, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Bryan. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assembly Member Petrie-Norris, do you wish to close?

Thank you to my colleagues for the robust debate. I will note that the concerns raised by my colleagues from San Diego and Orange County are largely, completely misdirected and misguided. So this does not propose that the State of California will be the one who is doing these projects.

The element of this proposal that is related to public financing for transmission infrastructure would establish a framework for California to invest as part of a public private partnership. Right now, in order for California to deliver on our clean energy goals, we need to invest historic amounts of money into our utility infrastructure.

And the way that we're paying for that right now is literally the most expensive way that you could be paying for these projects. We are financing these projects off the back of IOU balance sheets. IOUs have really, really poor credit ratings. Their balance sheets aren't strong. There's been extensive analysis done before this proposal, not just by me and my committee, by experts from around the the country.

If the only thing that we did was to substitute the borrowing costs that the State of California enjoys for the borrowing costs that our constituents are paying right now so that PG&E can finance these projects and receive a 10% rate of return, that was the only change we made with this proposal.

We could save our constituents 30% of the cost of these projects. So this proposal also has absolutely nothing to do with high speed rails, so not sure where that came into the debate. But I do appreciate the suggestion regarding the need for additional reform to the permitting process.

Look forward to continuing to engage with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle on those proposals because you're absolutely right. We need to do a better job of building infrastructure projects in the energy space in California, and we need to do a better job of financing and paying for for these projects.

And so as I said in my opening, what we're trying to do with this proposal and with the work that we've been doing with the committee throughout this legislative session and in the prior year, really is to take a very, very hard look at our customers' bills and identify every opportunity for savings. So with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Petrie-Norris. All debate having ceased, 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 45, noes 5. The measure passes.

Okay, we are going to come back to Mr. Alvarez. Go to file item number 16. That is AB 699 by Assemblymember Stefani. Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 699 by Assemblymember Stefani. An act relating to elections.

Assemblymember Stefani, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise to present AB 699, a bill that strengthens voter transparency and supports informed decision making. Under current law, local measures involving tiered tax rates or bond issuances must compress complex financial information into a 75 word ballot label.

This often results in summaries that are confusing or misleading, leaving voters with more questions than answers. AB 699 offers a clear, simple and transparent alternative. It allows jurisdictions to direct voters to the Voter Information Guide for a plain language explanation of key financial details such as how long a measure lasts and what it funds.

While keeping the ballot label simple and accessible, AB 699 enhances transparency by ensuring voters receive comprehensive, easy to understand information in the place designed for it, the Voter Guide. This is a good government reform that supports transparency and more informed participation in our democracy. And I respectfully asked for an aye vote.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong opposition to AB 699 and there is a rebellion going on across the State of California. And it's not just on the Republican side, it's including Democrat voters and independents, everyone in between.

They're frustrated by the lies on the ballot, the confusing, the false and misleading ballot statements and titles on these complex ballot measures. This bill does not make things more transparent. It does not make things more simple.

It allows local government to hide tax increases and the cost of ballot measures in some booklet that's mailed well in advance of most voters. Even starting to think about the election, we know that only about 10% of ballots are returned in the first two weeks by voters that get the book, get their ballot and do the research.

A lot of voters wait to the last 10 days, particularly the last 72 hours, and by that point they don't have their ballot book anymore. What they have is their ballot and they walk into the voting booth with the ballot in hand and that's just that title and summary that they have to go on.

What this would allow local government to do is hide any information about the cost of the tax increase, the duration of the tax increase, off of that ballot hidden in some booklet that most people probably have long discarded.

I urge you not to do this, but I don't know that I can pretty much predict where you're going with it because there's been a concerted effort to allow blatantly misleading and non transparent ballot measure information in California elections. I urge you to vote no.

I will tell you this will come back to bite many of you because I believe voters are getting more and more upset and frustrated. They'd like to see us be more transparent with what's on the ballot, not less.

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

Great. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too rise in opposition to this measure, having served on a local government and put measures on the ballot before, the local government itself writes the ballot language that goes on the ballot. And so it's already kind of a conflict of interest in the first place.

And so I think we should side with the opportunity to put more information right on the ballot. So when people are going to vote, they know exactly what they're voting for, especially when it comes to taxes and fees and bonds and indebtedness and things like that. So with that, I respectfully ask for a no vote.

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

I rise in support of AB 699. As a former county elections official, the ballot is very precious real estate. The information that voters need is extensive and detailed and takes up a lot of words.

So it's absolutely appropriate to move that information into the County Voter Information Guide which is mailed to every single voter and it is available online for people who are doing their last minute research. So I- I urge you to vote yes on AB 699.

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

Yes, I do. Thank you Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank my colleague from San Diego for giving us an example of actually what false and misleading is. This is not false and misleading. AB 699 is about transparency. In no way, shape or form does it undermine the information to the voter.

It still explains that this is a tax. It still explains what it does in the 75 word label. It simply tells the voter if they want more information on that tax or bond to see the voter guide. There is absolutely nothing false and misleading about it. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Stefani. All debate having ceased, 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, 45. Noes, 17. The measure passes.

We're going to skip backwards folks, to file item number 11. File item number 11. That's AB 84 by Assemblymember Muratsuchi. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 84 by Assemblymember Muratsuchi and others. An act relating to school accountability.

Assemblymember Muratsuchi, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise to present Assembly Bill 84, a Bill to strengthen charter school oversight and accountability to crack down on charter schools engaging in fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars to enrich charter school operators.

Let me first of all acknowledge what I've heard through my conversations with many of you on the floor, as well as from many of my conversations with charter school parents. There are good charter schools that provide choice for students and parents in many communities throughout our state to meet their unique educational needs.

I have personally visited many good charter schools and I completely respect the desire of students and parents who want to pursue the best educational opportunities for their families.

Unfortunately, in recent years we have seen a series of high profile cases involving bad actors who have figured out how to enrich themselves by taking advantage of lax charter school oversight.

In 2021, the operators of the A3 charter school network based in San Diego County were criminally convicted and sentenced to prison for defrauding California taxpayers of over $400 million of K12 public education dollars.

This network of 19 online charter schools were buying Little League rosters to get children's personal information to enroll them in their schools without the knowledge of the children and their families to again enrich themselves with the state's student attendance based education funding.

Last year I joined my colleagues from San Diego and from Morro Bay to request the State Auditor invest the Highlands Community Charter Schools based here in Sacramento county after whistleblowers reported to the local ABC News that charter school operators were engaging in attendance fraud again to obtain state attendance based education funding.

The State Auditor is currently investigating the allegations of the use of public education funds for luxury staff trips to Europe and Hawaii, luxury gifts like Iphones for students and staff, and hundreds and thousands of dollars in bonuses given to school staff.

And just last week the San Diego Union Tribune reported that the Elite Academic Academy charter schools, which serves just 1,800 mostly homeschool students, have been paying millions of dollars a year to a corporation created by the Elite Academy's founder, where the corporation's sole source of revenue are the elite charter schools and the corporation employs family Members with salaries in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Like many homeschool charters, Elite also provides every student up to $3,700 in vouchers and using Proposition 98 public education dollars where these vouchers are being spent on religious and private school tuition tickets to Dodgers and Padres baseball games, tickets to Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm and ski resorts.

Following these scandals, the state imposed a moratorium on so called non classroom based charters and tasked the Legislative Analyst Office and the Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team or fcmat, the state school fiscal oversight agency, to make recommendations on strengthening charter school oversight. The State Controller also convened a task force to make recommendations toward the same goal.

This Bill seeks to codify the recommendations made by the LAO through and the State Comptroller. I have had the opportunity to discuss this Bill with many of you and my staff and I have met at least six times with the opposition and I wanted to acknowledge what I have heard from many of you on this floor which is that we all want to crack down on the fraud and abuse of tax dollars, but we also don't want the unintended consequences of hurting good charter schools.

Charter schools that are using public education dollars responsibly to deliver real meaningful educational services and programs for the students. To this end, I have taken significant amendments already to address three of the top three concerns identified by the Charter School Association. The amendments are 1.

To delete the proposed up to 30% reduction in funding for virtual education programs and to go back to the existing funding formula and process. That's what most of us have been hearing about two.

To delete the proposed increase on charter oversight fees and to go back to the existing 1% cap on oversight fees and 3 to delete the proposed requirement for charter school administrators and school counselors and to hold an appropriate education credential. Now let me make this clear, this Bill is still a work in progress.

I hope I have demonstrated my commitment to each and every one of you to continue to work with stakeholders and all of you to ensure that we crack down on bad actor charter schools while not hurting the good charter schools. I have committed to the Member from San Mateo to delete the provisions related to school district receiverships.

I have committed to the Member from Merced to work to address the issue of small district authorizers and I will commit to continue to work with all of you on further amendments necessary to remain to address remaining concerns. I have also committed to working with the author of the charter school sponsored Senate Bill to reconcile our differences.

I want to thank my colleague from Colton who is a joint author of this measure who will share his Personal experience as a career educator where he has personally witnessed much of this charter school fraud and corruption. And I want to thank the speaker for supporting this discussion. 30 seconds. To ensure that our K12 public education tax dollars are being properly spent on public education, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Mr. Muratsuchi. Assemblymember Bains, you are recognized.

Thank you, speaker Members. Our oversight laws on this topic are so lax that a single. A single network of schools was able to steal $400 million in public funds before getting caught.

Since that case came to light, we've done almost nothing to stop it from happening again except to place a moratorium on the creation of new non classroom based charter schools. I know many of us still have concerns about the impacts of this Bill. I do too.

But if we allow the moratorium to expire without taking a single meaningful action to prevent fraud, then we have failed in our responsibility to protect taxpayer dollars. I've raised concerns with the author this week that he's addressed within 24 hours.

That's the kind of leadership we need on an issue like this and it's the kind of leadership that we have today. I will support advancing AB84 to the Senate and I look forward to reviewing the final proposal when it comes back. Thank you. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong opposition to AB84. And let's be blunt and clear about what's going on here. There is an attack on charter schools. They want to destroy charter schools in California. Who are they?

The education bureaucrats that have failed our children time and time and time again, but who give immense contributions to political campaigns and have a lot of sway. We need to put our children first. I hear a lot of talk about but the children. But the children.

What do we do about the children on this Bill or that Bill? And I'm rising in support of a Bill to take care of the children. This Bill will hurt children full stop. You know it and I know it. How many children? I'm going to give you the figure.

725,693 children enrolled today in charter schools will be hurt by this Bill and the sinister agenda that is behind this Bill. Why the attack on charter schools? Well, isn't it obvious? The failed education bureaucracy doesn't like to be embarrassed by better competition. Charter schools are innovators.

They take the flexibility that we offer because they are public schools, but they are given Flexibilities, to customize, to innovate and to be accountable for a charter school. No parent has to send their child to a charter school. They choose to a choice of a parent who loves their child and wants what's best.

They're choosing to send their children to charter schools. Why is this Bill being offered to destroy charter schools? Not just because the competition, but because of money. Follow the money. In California, we reimburse school districts based on attendance. In 2014, there were 6.2 million students enrolled in California public schools, charter and traditional.

That has dropped to 5.8 million in 2024. Why? Because the policies that stated driving families out of the state in record numbers, but also a lot of parents are choosing to take their children home and do homeschooling because they don't trust the education bureaucracy.

I'm not assuming they're going to private schools because the cost of living so high here. Sadly, most parents don't have that option that the rich and privileged do in this state because they have competition, because they've got money. 78% of parents say that they want a charter option according to the charter school's CCSA poll. And guess what?

Even though we've had a decline in Enrollment, the percentage of students enrolled in a charter school has gone from 8.7% in 2014 to 12.5%. Again, these are all choices being made by parents who love their children. I am imploring each of you who have children, and I know that you love your children.

You would do what is ever necessary in the best interest of your child. I know that. Then why aren't you allowing other parents to do the same? If you pass this Bill, you kill charter schools. And that is the intent.

Louisiana Unified last year decided to take the facilities, which by the way, with declining enrollment, there are a lot of empty classrooms, a lot of empty facilities. At LA Unified has. But they said no, no, no, no, no more facilities for charter schools. And their board voted to penalize to discriminate against charter schools. Why?

Not because of fraud. That's the window dressing put on this bad Bill. But because they want to kill charter schools, as this Bill also is intended to do. The author. 30 seconds. The author cites amendments. I would argue that if the intent is to improve oversight of charter schools and all schools, let's pump the brakes.

Let's go to a more deliberative process. This is not based upon curing any ills of bad actors. This is based on a broad brush attack on charter schools. You know it, I know it parents know it of these 700,000 plus kids. And let me remind you, all those parents, they will vote and they will tell their friends.

Thank you very much Mr. DeMaio. By the way, you're absolutely correct. I love my children very much. Assemblymember Dixon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I too rise in opposition to this Bill. AB84 I think in my three years serving in the Legislature, this is the issue that I've received over 500 communications from my constituents opposing this Bill. So this I feel it's incumbent upon me to represent how they feel about this Bill.

And I'm grateful to the author who has identified a number of amendments. I haven't studied them. So I am rising in opposition. I hope that these amendments and structural changes will correct the financial controls and the oversight controls of charter school bad operators. And in every industry, sadly there are bad operators.

So they get identified and they'll go through the criminal justice system or the civil system, whichever is appropriate. But we're talking about educating our children and giving the choice. We all talk about choice. Let's give our families choice as to how they want to educate their children.

As long as I've been in public service, whether it's on the City Council or now in the Legislature, charter schools, at least in my county, has been such a hot topic because they rise and then they get defunded. And it's a constant battle with the local school boards and the charter school organizations.

And I, I've never really understood why because I see and hear so many fine reports of these outstanding curriculums and children prospering and learning and excelling in their studies and in charter schools. So I guess it is a competitive issue, certainly with the public schools.

But I understand this Bill is incredibly broad, specifically targeting non classroom based charter schools and impacting local control. Let the local school boards deal with this. Again, I probably sound like an echo is why does the state have to always get involved in these issues? We have local school boards in every county in California.

Why is it that we have to get involved? Stakeholders and I do agree that the study, the recent recommendations from the LAO, in addition to those provided by the state controllers task force would indeed strengthen non classroom based charter schools. Like any oversight Committee, there are always things to make things work better.

I advocate for that all the time. However, this Bill goes well beyond implementing their basic suggestions and to the effect that charter schools will all but cease to exist.

Quite simply, this Bill will remove educational opportunities for children and prevent competitive alternatives to public education and education as we all know, and we hear this said on the floor constantly, it's the greatest equalizer we have to ensure all Californians can truly live the American dream. And freedom to choose rings hollow in this bell.

And this Bill, I believe is detrimental to children across the state and the 700,000 children who are currently enrolled in charter schools and will deprive the families of providing for their children with the best educational opportunity available to them and will eliminate educational resources for many students, especially those with special needs.

When I hear about the academic accomplishments at charter schools, not in my area, I read a lot about this. LA Times covers this a lot with the charter schools in Los Angeles.

These schools, high schools, are graduating outstanding students, students, children that would not have had that similar opportunity in public school given the State of public schools in Los Angeles specifically. So I do urge you to vote no. I applaud the author wanting to work.

And when it goes to the Senate, which I presume it probably will, I look forward to those changes. But I would like to just have an affirmation that, that charter schools are good for our students. They provide choice and a competitive opportunity for parents.

Let's not destroy a, let's not destroy the, the good, good work, the good results that come out of charter schools and not squash them. With this Bill now, I hope I look forward to being improved. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Assemblymember Dixon, Assemblymember Sharp-Collins, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the author for this Bill and the continued effort to work to get this Bill right. We've seen nearly daily amends in effort to figure this out.

And because of that, and because of the author's commitment to me to continue negotiation with the opposition on this Bill, I will support it today. That being said though, I need you to know that I support with reservations. You all have heard me talk about equity many times on this floor.

I've talked about equity, meaning equity is arguably most important in education because we know that students, they all learn differently. I am all for diverse learning environments as long as they deliver for our kids.

I have data from non classroom based charters in my district that shows that they are delivering for our kids and have a very impressive educational outcomes. Extremely impressive. Further, during my time at the San Diego County Office of Education, I saw firsthand how these schools are. They're key.

They are essential for students with differing learning needs and also those that are facing life situations that truly require some flexibility, such as those that are returning back home going into meaning. These are the reentry students and also adult learners.

I've also reached back out to various county offices of education, their staff and superintendents currently, and I have to say that they do agree that this is a good start, but they also agree that this Bill still needs a lot of work to solve the problem that we're truly aiming to address.

So again, I am supportive today purely because I trust the author to keep working on this issue and that he will bring back a Bill that works for my district and the diverse learners. Because I'm telling you, I've gotten hundreds of calls, so many calls.

And so I want to be clear, I am voting I today, not for the Bill, but I'm voting for the time for this conversation, to keep going, to continue on in this conversation. And note that I will not be supportive of the Bill if it's not fixed when it comes back from the Senate to this floor.

So we need to make sure that we find some common ground with both sides. Finally, before I wrap up, I I do want to talk a little bit about process. And I say this because I understand that some of the author staff has been subject of threats due to their work on this particular Bill.

So when I hear about someone being threatened behind working on a Bill, it's imperative that I speak up about that. And I say this, we can all disagree on issues, but we have to do so with the utmost respect. The threats and violence, it is never okay.

To any stakeholders who have crossed the line, I ask that you stop and move forward with the utmost respect. Treat people the way that you want to be treated. And to any staff who has been threatened, I need you to know as a Member that I see you, I hear you, and I support you 100%.

I hope that this resonates with everybody who's working on this Bill or any other Bill that's coming forward. Let's agree to disagree, but let's do it with the utmost respect. Thank you.

Thank you. Dr. Sharp-Collins, Assemblymember Ward, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will be rising in support of AB84. And I could simply underscore and second, many of the words our colleagues from Bakerfield and my neighbor and colleague from San Diego had as well, because like many of you, I've heard hundreds, more than 500 constituents reaching out, imploring us to think really critically about whether or not to pass this Bill.

I've heard and met with dozens of these parents and bringing their youth, their students, into my district office to be able to have these meaningful conversations. And something is lost in translation here with many of those people who deeply feel that a system or a program or an arrangement that is working for them, for their special students, their loved ones, is at risk. And we are not supporting, we are not trying to.

And I know the author would never try to move forward on a Bill, on a law that is going to put our youth at risk. And when I had had conversations with many of those very same parents, they had no idea about the fraud that really instigated much of the origins of the Bill and the study that got this put into motion.

The author had mentioned about the fraud by A3 charter schools in my home County of San Diego, and most recently the exposure of obsessive amounts of administrative funds that were going to elite charter schools that weren't going into classroom instruction.

And to those that were opposing or disagreeing with this Bill, I am beside myself because how could you not realize that we are trying to be able to put a cap on fraud. You should be also joining us to make sure, and I heard earlier that, zero, fraud is going to happen.

Was that a variation of what was said on the floor, that sometimes this is going to happen? No, it's exactly. I think the framework of what this Bill is trying to do.

Although there's a lot in this Bill that needs to be worked on right now around this subject that is trying to be able to rein this in. And you should be absolutely objecting to that and wanting this work to be able to continue. And this is the vehicle to get that work done.

We know, and I appreciate the author has already been able to work on, working on some of the funding issues that have come in there, the reducing some of the charter school authorizer costs to the charging, the actual cost of the existing process of up to 1%, working on the funding formula to return to some of the existing funding determination.

I think it ties into the most acute issue that parents are raising right now, which is we're already operating on limited funds to be able to try to make things work for my kid, for my youth. Don't take that money away from us. And I know he hears that loud and clear.

I appreciate he came into my office and and was able to communicate that message for many of our parents. But like other colleagues, I do have continued concerns because there's a lot of subject material in this Bill.

Continued very close look on impacts of funding to make sure that we can say when this comes back to the Assembly that that is not something that we are going to sign off on, that we are looking on some of the scope of oversight requirements. Yes, we need more oversight.

The fact that much of this fraud has been allowed to happen is because that's been lax. And to say that somebody has been criminally prosecuted, sometimes they are. But folks, your taxpayers are already out the door. Millions, tens of millions of dollars that should have gone to student education is up in smoke.

And we can't allow that to happen again right now. So we do need that additional oversight. But I want to make sure for all the different areas, the state comptroller's office and the county boards of education and all the other proposals that are in here, that we are surgical and we are intentional about. Right.

Sizing that level of oversight to be able to get the job done. And finally, as we mentioned as well, authorizing that, making sure that based on a district size, that we're not disadvantaging many of our rural communities.

I do have concerns that this would only be limited to large school districts because that would leave out vast majorities of the state that you would want to keep that conversation and decision making close to those home communities where a large district doesn't exist.

So with that, we have seen already the author's sincere willingness to be able to shepherd this Bill for the amendments are significant to date and there is more work to do. For these reasons, I would support it going forward to the Senate and we'll look very closely for the work that the author will do over in that House.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ward, Assemblymember Patel, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members, today I rise in support of AB84. Like many of you, I have been getting many calls and many emails from my constituents concerned about this Bill. And like many of you, my constituents have additionally made it crystal clear to me that fiscal responsibility and transparency of taxpayer dollars are a priority.

In my district of San Diego, we've seen firsthand what happens when oversight fails. I was shocked back when A3 charter school stole $400 million of Prop 98 funds. In response, many said this was just one bad apple and that the Legislature does not need to take further steps to prevent anything like this from happening in the future.

But then, just a few weeks ago, another charter serving students in my district named Elite Charter Schools was found to be redirecting funds to administrators by creating fraudulent contracts through a shell company. These are not isolated cases. These are systemic vulnerabilities. As the body that collects taxes and allocates them to educational institutions, it is our responsibility to close these loopholes.

For those who have been advocating against this Bill, I am paying attention to your concerns and specifically clarified with the author that this Bill does not target or directly impact the implementation of IEPs or students who have 504 plans. While some non classroom based charters may face funding reductions under this Bill, those reductions are avoidable.

They simply require an appropriate adjustment to more in person instruction which we know empirically leads to better learning outcomes for all students, especially those with learning disabilities. To be clear, I see the value of well run charter schools.

Many in my district serve students exceptionally well and I commend them for their incredible work that they are doing to serve our students. But when millions of dollars are siphoned away, money meant for all California children and their education, we must act. AB84 ensures public funds serve public purposes. It strengthens transparency.

It ensures that our students, no matter their school model, are meeting and exceeding California standards. I also want to acknowledge that the author has taken concerns from the opposition and seriously has taken concerns seriously from the opposition and made amendments and continues to work with them to make sure we get this right.

The changes that he's taken address some of the primary concerns that were brought to the author in our Committee hearing, including some of the changes to fee structures. And I appreciate my colleague from Torrance for listening and addressing those concerns.

In a year when budgets are so tight and every dollar is being stretched, our mandate is clearer now more than ever to act decisively to to stop fraud in its tracks.

And while I do have some lingering concerns as expressed by my colleagues from San Diego today, I respectfully ask for your aye vote so that we can continue to address this important matter. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Patel. Assemblymember Ellis, you are recognized.

Mr. Speaker. Members, charter schools are fundamental to the success of our students here in California. In my county, Kern, County, 12% of. Public school students attend charter schools.

This allows families to have access to personalized and flexible programs that give our kids the Opportunity to study outside of traditional classroom and learn at the place at a pace that works best for them. Many of these programs help students with much needed career pathways in agribusiness, energy, trade, science and technology.

AB84's restrictions will stifle innovation and punish schools that significantly outperform local school districts in math and reading. We've got enough rules already. Let's focus on supporting our students, not tearing down what's good. I too have had hundreds of calls. You have hundreds of calls. You've had hundreds of calls. Everyone in this room has had hundreds of calls.

And we have many, many amendments. I'm stifled that something has to have so many amendments. And why is it even here educational freedom matters. Please vote no on AB84.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ellis. Assemblymember Garcia, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Colleagues in California is watching across the state. 400 million 57 million. 23 million. 4.2 million, 3.8 million. That's not the cost of programs we're currently trying to save in this year's budget.

That's how much public money was misused, stolen or lost in just a handful of California charter school fraud cases over the past decade. To recap some of those that have already been mentioned. A3 education network in San Diego. 11 people built a criminal enterprise that defrauded California taxpayers of $400 million. Nearly half a billion.

They created fake online charter schools, enrolled phantom students and built the state for education that never took place. Tri Valley Learning Corporation in Livermore. This charter operator racked up 57 million in public bond debt by financing questionable real estate deals and paying insiders through self dealing contracts.

California Charter Academy in Victorville near my hometown in the high desert. One of the earliest and most notorious charter scandals. The founder and his associates and associates misappropriated $23 million creating shell companies to funnel state dollars to themselves. They were indicted on 147 criminal counts. Oxford Preparatory Academy. Close to home in the Inland Empire. In Chino.

The founder created a private consulting firm and charged 4.2 million in unjustified fees to her own school. We cannot allow this to continue. These are not isolated events. They're systemic failures in oversight enabled by loopholes and a lack of transparency. That is why I am proud to be a joint author of Assembly Bill 84. Thank you, Mr. Muratsuchi.

A Bill born from the work of our state controllers Charter School task force which was commissioned to identify why these abuses happen and more importantly, how to prevent them. As a former educator of 21 years before joining this body, I was an educator.

And three of those years I served in a non classroom based charter school which this Bill addresses. And unfortunately, I am too familiar with the corruption that exists. So Mr. Mr. Speaker, permission to use a Prop. Without objection. Here's an example of a student packet that students would be assigned independent study.

They would check in with me as an educator, as a teacher to go over their work. More often than not, these packets would be incomplete. Many times it'd be blank. And it was my job as their educator and at will employee to to make sure they scribbled some answers on at least one page. Why one page?

Because that one page was also my job as an at will employee to make a copy to serve as evidence of a completed packet so the school can receive Ada funds for 17 instructional dates. That's not learning, that's not education.

And I thank Mr. Muratsuchi for, for bringing this Bill forward because that is not what should be happening here. And I'm saddened that some of my colleagues want that, to allow that to continue to happen. So please, I urge you, this is a good step. This is not an anti charter Bill. This is a pro student Bill, a pro accountability Bill. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This conversation has made me wonder, are we looking at fraud and abuse or are we going after non classroom based charter schools? Because I think, at least in my opinion, the, the initial premise of the Bill was fraud that's occurring alleged, you know, within the charter school system. And, and I, I.

The thing is, I have a lot of constituents benefiting from home based charter schools and I'll get into that in a second. But in my district, we are extremely blessed to have some of the best schools in the state. Traditional public schools in the state. The districts are all amazing.

We also have some of the best charter schools in the state still. Given the best traditional schools, people still opt for those amazing charter schools. The traditional charter schools or the traditional schools. And the charter schools make each other better and we're blessed to have both. And my children have attended both.

During COVID when our public traditional public schools were closed, I took my kids to a terrific charter school and they had definitely a different learning experience and one that they got a lot from.

But this Bill, since this bill's been introduced, like all of you and has been referenced by some of my colleagues, I've received hundreds of emails. This is number two in the number of emails I've received on any Bill this session. But today, just today, even given the amendments, the amendments didn't stop the emails from coming.

And while some people might say, well, that's because they, you know, they didn't know about the amendments or something like that, two of the sets of amendments struck me. One of them was from, or, sorry, two of the letters really obviously they knew about the amendments.

One of them was from a group of superintendents and Executive directors of charter schools in my district. They don't feel comforted by the amendments that were taken. They still have serious concerns about the operations of their charter schools. And these are amazing charter schools. You can look them up.

One of them, which is, by the way, has a large non based, non classroom based student population. About half of the students are going to college that just graduated this week.

But another one really struck my mind and this was referenced from one of my colleagues earlier was a parent of a child with special needs, with a disability. And she's read the language, she sees what the language does.

And with all due respect, I think she would actually disagree with a statement that in person, more in person, education is what would be needed. Maybe that's true for some children, but I don't think that's accurate for all children or even her children.

But she benefits based on the needs of her child from having a remote option for her child to attend and her child to thrive. And this Bill is scaring those parents and they've read the language and they don't think that the opportunities that they have now are going to exist under this measure.

So I think we all agree, we've, we've, I've heard some of the cases, some of the charter schools, if we start listing, by the way, any government agency waste, fraud and abuse that occurs in the state, we could be here all day.

I agree there is probably some abuse and there have been identified horrendous cases that have happened throughout the state and we should be there to regulate. Just like we try to do that with all waste, fraud and abuse that happens in this state. Billions of dollars that we know have been wasted in 30 seconds.

And I'm not talking about conspiracies or anything like that. We know that this money has gone out. We've had investigations as a result. But this is not the vehicle to do that.

There is a vehicle in the Senate already that instills less fear on the charter schools and would bring accountability to ensure that the fraud is not occurring. We do need to eliminate that in every government agency. But this is going to take options away from our students that are best for those students to thrive in the state. With that, I ask for a no vote.

Thank you, Mr. Patterson. Assemblymember Hadwick, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's with the utmost respect to my colleague of Torrance that I rise today in opposition of Assembly Bill 84. I understand and appreciate the intent behind this legislation. There are without question bad actors in every sector and we must have strong, fair policies to ensure accountability.

However, even with the amendments, this Bill overreaches and ends up penalizing schools that are acting in good faith and providing critical services to students who need them most. My district is unique. It spans 11 counties and 27,000 square miles, nearly 20% of the entire state. In many of my rural communities, transportation is limited or simply unavailable.

Harsh winters and high elevation passes often isolate entire regions in winter months. For families in these areas, access to education can mean traveling more than 100 miles one way. That's why there are 37 charter schools in my district serving students who would otherwise fall through the cracks in the traditional public school system.

These schools exist because conventional options simply cannot meet the unique needs of our rural students. Many face transportation difficulties, medical conditions, disabilities, or simply thrive only in non traditional learning environments. Non classroom based charter schools offer tailored educational models that meet students where they are.

As someone who served nearly five years as board President of a local charter school and who had the opportunity to homeschool my own children during that time, I've seen firsthand the transformative power of these institutions. These schools are not just filling gaps in my district, they are excelling.

Many students graduate not only with their high school diploma, but with AA degrees ready to enter the workforce or higher education. AB84 would significantly cut funding for these schools, undermining educational opportunities and access across my district. We already have no CSU or UC presence in my 11 counties.

We have four counties that don't even have a community college. And now this Bill threatens to remove K through 12 options that are holding our communities together. According to Public Policy Institute of California, my district is losing families and businesses at double the rate of urban areas.

Our small towns are being hollowed out largely because families are forced to leave in search of educational opportunities that no longer exist locally. We cannot continue to pass legislation that makes rural life unsustainable. This is not just a policy disagreement. It's a lifeline issue for my district.

AB84 threatens to dismantle the only viable educational options available to thousands of students in rural California. Those aren't theoretical Consequences. They are real, immediately and deeply personal to the families I represent. Stripping these resources would not just hinder access, it would erase it.

For the students with no traditional pathway, for the families barely holding on, and for the communities fighting every day to survive and stay connected to opportunity. Let's ensure that every student in California, no matter where their zip code is, has access to the education they deserve. We talk about equity in this building almost every day.

But if this Bill passes, entire areas in my district won't survive. That's not equity for all, that's abandonment. And I cannot stay silent while my communities are left behind. I urge you to stand with them and vote no. Or at the very least, lay off on AB84.

Thank you, Assemblymember Hadwick. Assemblymember Bonta, you are recognized.

Good morning. Afternoon, Members. I stand in support of AB84. I rise today because we need to. Make sure that we're providing critical resources. To public dollars and protecting them from. Fraud and to ensure transparency and accountability. In our education system.

You know, we had an opportunity to really look at the abuses that were happening in non classroom based charters. And I want to make clear that what we are talking about is non classroom based charters. We often get derailed in our conversations when we talk completely about the charter school systems.

In my district, we have public charter schools, we have traditional schools, and they are all vitally important. But I want to thank my colleague from Rancho Cucamonga who had the courage to be able to stand up and talk about what his experience was in a non classroom based charter.

Let's get specific about what that is and let's recognize that our colleague from Torrance has put forward a measure that will allow us to ensure that that every public dollar spent is for the purpose of serving every student in the needs that they have. This is not just a problem about our budget.

It's about making sure that our students are protected, that we don't have non classroom based charters existing in a way. That actually provides education that is not. Aligned with best practices. We. We can't have that. Certainly not today, not ever.

And I want to thank us all for really being focused on our publicly funded schools, our students that rely desperately on those services, and us getting very clear on the fact that our oversight authority includes ensuring that bad actors, and we know that there are several within the space of non classroom based charters get addressed with that. I respectfully request your aye vote.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. Today I rise in opposition of AB84, when it was presented in the Education Committee, I also spoke against it and was against it then. I, too, have had hundreds of calls and emails to my office regarding this Bill.

As you know, I am a licensed psychotherapist and I used to work with children, children who had difficulty in the regular public school system. We talk about how much we want to help people with mental health. Well, I worked with the severe and persistent mental health with the children, the.

The ones that I saw that didn't function correctly in the regular public school system to the ones who thrived in the charter school system. So I urge you to vote against this because it would really impact a lot of kids, not just in my district, but in your districts as well. The parents are voters and they will remember this. Thank you.

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

Mr. Speaker, Members, I rise today in strong support of AB84. I want to align my. My comments with those from my colleague from Retro Cucamonga. You know, I've had a lot of calls on this as well, and I think there's a lot of misinformation about this Bill. This.

This is not about trying to shut down or harm charter schools that are operating and providing good educations for our kids. This is about going after and making sure we have oversight over unscrupulous fraudulent operators who search the state for school boards that have less capacity to provide oversight over these schools.

And they basically are committing fraud by siphoning money away from all of our kids. This is not about taking money away from kids who need service in rural areas. It's about making sure that the public funds that we have are going to educating our kids in rural areas and in urban areas and in suburban areas.

This is pure and simple about oversight. It's not about harming charter schools, which are doing a good job in educating and providing opportunities. It's. It's about making sure that public money is being spent well and being used to educate our kids.

And with that, I want to thank the author from Torrance and those who have spoken today and respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. $55 million. That's how much education funding will be stripped from my district if AB55 or AB84 passes. $55 million. That's not just some abstract number. That's $55 million serves students who are disabled, who require special attention, or who have other specific education needs.

If you vote yes, on this Bill today, you are voting to cut millions of funds for those students to receive. A quality education that works specifically for them. If this Bill passes, you are tying up homeschool and other children charter school programs in so much red tape it will be nearly impossible for them to operate.

Some will be forced to close their doors altogether and end successful education opportunities for our children. With this, I ask for a no vote on AB84.

Thank you, Assemblymember Sanchez. Assemblymember Davies, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I mean we're all here listening to both sides and I just want to remind those that maybe aren't sure what they want to do with this is. It is our job as legislators to make sure that if we're going to pass something that we have all the. Information we need to have bills that.

Are set ready to go here, not let's send them over and we'll see how it does. And then if it comes back, if it doesn't do what it's supposed to do, I won't support it. That's not good enough.

The voters expect us to make sure that every Bill that leaves this floor, we could say 100% it's a good Bill and it's not ready here. And so please remember that I've been here for five years watching bills get passed over there going, zero, they'll make the changes, they'll work with the author over there.

Doesn't happen and then it comes back here and it still gets passed. So actions speak louder than words, guys. We need to make sure if we're going to pass something that it's all of these concerns have been addressed. It's probably never going to be 100% perfect. But this Bill isn't even close to that.

So for those of you that are really wondering, you know, where should I go with this, do the right thing, support, represent what we're supposed to represent and make sure if you're going to say yes on this, it's a perfect Bill.

Thank you, Assemblymember Davies, Assemblymember Avila Farias, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. Like many of you, my district is home to a number of law abiding charter schools serving thousands of students and families. My office has received a number of calls and emails from parents in my district, very concerned of what this Legislature is doing.

I'm voicing their concerns and this Bill that jeopardizes their children's education. I support the author's intent to strengthen the charter school oversight, but this Bill in its current form still presents real challenges and and overall threats, threatens the model on how charter schools operate.

I applaud him for diligently trying to work with the opposition to address the core issues that this Bill intends to address. I strongly urge continued conversations and consider the provisions that will root out bad apples, but let's not chop down the tree.

Thank you, Assemblymember Avila Farias. Assemblymember Schiavo, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. Over the past week, I've also, like many of you have mentioned today, listened closely to constituents and met with parents, charter school leaders, educators and those, you know, really interested in this issue to make sure we really understand AB84.

Given what I've heard, I've made sure that those voices were brought directly to the author and I want to thank the author for his continued work on this Bill and the improvements that he's made, which really address the top three issues that constituents brought to me around cuts to funding, fees and certification of vendors and educators working with their children.

AB84, as we know, as we've heard today, went through several rounds of amendments and responded directly to those concerns. And with those key concerns addressed, I'll be supporting the Bill today to move it forward because as the author stated, it's still a work in progress with additional commitments to make improvements in the Senate.

And I also believe in the aim of the Bill, that it reflects our shared values of accountability, transparency and protecting taxpayer dollars so they truly benefit students. We all want our kids to get the education they deserve, not to see those funds exploited by bad actors. We need systems in place to stop fraud before it happens.

And we need schools that welcome and support all kids, no matter their learning style or needs. So this is not the final vote, as we know for AB84. It's going to make its way through the Senate and we'll be back here after amendments for final approval.

But I want to be clear, I heard concerns from our district and after these changes being made to address those concerns, I also heard that we need stronger oversight and transparency when public dollars are used to educate our kids.

Unfortunately, we've seen devastating examples of waste, fraud and abuse, which there is a lot of talk about these days where tens of millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars have been spent supporting students simply disappearing instead of or going to massive administrators salaries or mysterious organizations.

In the end, children and families are the ones who are hurt. As charter schools grow nationally, we know both meaningful options for families where all kids can find the right educational environment to thrive and strong safeguards with adequate transparency and accountability are necessary.

Everyone who's reached out and shared their concerns also shared the same desire that we have to provide quality, safe education for all children. Oversight is about responsibility and accountability. We can't allow bad actors to hide behind the good intentions of the charter school model that aspires to innovate and meet kids where they are.

We must not let flexibility become the COVID for fraud or innovation and excuse for neglect. As this process moves forward, I want to continue listening to parents, educators and our community.

And I'll continue to bring those concerns forward to the author to make sure that we can address those and see where this Bill is before a final vote. I know everyone who's supporting this Bill today has a top priority of supporting our students, whether in public schools or charter schools.

And we have supported safety and making sure that there are resources for students to thrive. I'm deeply grateful to all the parents and educators who've reached out and believe that everyone's voices has made this a better Bill. And So I support AB84 today. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Schiavo. Assemblymember Tangipa, you were recognized.

Thank you. And I too rise in current opposition. I was listening very diligently to the author's statements and I share the same regard. $400 million of waste is something that we all should prioritize and take action on. I truly, truly agree that there are things that need to be done when that happens.

But the reason why I say current opposition, it's because I fear the other elements in the Bill. And not only that, the last amendment that was taken on this Bill actually barred the sharing of teachers to charter schools. What does that have to do with finding $400 million of waste?

It also put charter schools in a non funding category for the state that is painting with a broad brush. And it's those amendments that really give me rise to concern.

Because as we're all really focused on taking on the fraud, waste and abuse that is happening, that $400 million of action should be taken, that we should prioritize that. I truly fear that those last amendments truly state where this Bill is and what we've heard today is 180 degree shift.

And it's something that we haven't even seen yet. So I would ask the author to make it a two year Bill. Let's all join on together. And I say with whatever happens today too, I'd commit to the author as well.

If we can find a solution that really handles the $400 million of abuse that really demonizes a lot of the charter schools. When we paint with this broad brush. If there is a solution that we can find, I look forward to working with the authority.

But I also think about the comments made by the Assembly Member from Orange County and the Assembly Member, birthday woman, San Diego. And I talked about a lot of the charter schools that are near and dear and important to me. Charter schools give some amazing students. They lead to amazing future.

And I say that as the first charter school graduate elected here in the State of California, that the charter school west side Preparatory east side Campus gave me an opportunity to break through the molds of our community.

I grew up in one of the most disadvantaged communities in the State of California, that when we shut down McClellan Air Force Base, we lost hundreds of thousands of people and it destroyed our system. And I remember getting on the bus when I first started and I would look and it said realinda Unified School District.

And the other one said Grant. But our school district lost so much money that it became Twin Rivers Unified. This charter school gave me an opportunity to mold, to shape my education. And I can tell you this for a fact, that charter school is part of the reason why I'm here today.

It is part of the reason why I was able to get and find my passion for football, to earn a chance to go and play and to graduate from college. Because that school put me on track.

I think about a lot of my colleagues that I went to elementary school with in the exact same position, somebody that I think about fairly often that I used to compete with in elementary school. They never knew I was competing with them, but I've always been competitive. But this individual would get 100% on star testing. They would read at a 12th grade reading level in the 4th grade. And I unfortunately was at the 10th grade. And I was always striving to be better.

But when it came to sixth grade, after competing this entire elementary school period, they decided to go to our local middle school, which didn't have the best track record, which didn't have a lot of the resources in place. And. And there were a lot of us that decided to go to Eastside campus. Unfortunately, that individual.

30 seconds, no longer. Went to high school and dropped out. And a lot of the friends and groups that I had of mine that we went and we focused on our education. Volunteer hours that I did for my parents put us on the pathway so that way we could succeed.

So I look forward to, in the future to joining the author if we can focus on fraud, waste and Abuse. But in its current iteration right now, I ask you to vote no.

Thank you, Assemblymember Tangipa. Assemblymember Hoover, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sweetwater Union High School District former Superintendent was sentenced to nearly eight months in jail for his role in a pay to play scandal and political corruption probe. Thick mat audit found evidence of fraud and financial misconduct after an 18 month investigation. Montebello Unified School District bond fraud.

Chief business officer and Superintendent misled investors in a $100 million bond offering. I would actually like to speak to the merits of this Bill and not read the nine scandals that have rocked traditional public school districts, not charter public schools. But I think the point is pretty clear that everyone in this room cares about accountability.

And I actually agree with my colleague from Torrance that there should be a Bill passed in order to get at that accountability, specifically for the bad apples in the charter school community. As of right now, we actually have a vehicle to do that.

And what the author of this Bill failed to mention is that that's what SB414, which by the way is now in our house, that received bipartisan in the Senate this week, actually does. Unfortunately, this Bill does a number of other things in addition to providing accountability and in doing so hurts students.

Number one, it makes it easier to. It makes it easier again. This has been a trend in this Legislature to deny charter petitions. It cuts funding that will hurt kids. My colleagues mentioned how it will impact her district. My district alone will lose $39 million as a result of this legislation. It restrict.

Restricts charter schools in rural communities. The ability to approve charter schools, as my colleague spoke to earlier from a rural community. And let's also talk about why people are choosing charter schools in the first place. California has one of the worst achievement gaps in the entire country. Our English language learner proficiency percentage in California is 66%.

Already a dramatically low number in my opinion. But for low income students, that number drops to 37%. Our math proficiency percentage in California is a mere 55%. For low income students, it is 25%. So who is this Bill gonna hurt? 53% of current charter school students in the State of California are black and Latino students.

This Bill is going to harm so many students in my community, in your community and across the state. And it really, you know, it saddens me today as a parent, as a charter parent, actually similar to my colleague from Placer, I've had kids go to charter schools. I have a kid right now enrolled in a charter school.

And in a traditional public school, I Myself was a homeschool student. Educational options are critical for Californians, and parents should have the right to choose the educational option that works best. But here is the reality. When my colleague brought this Bill to the Education Committee, that continues to sadden me.

It is that if you have means, you have school choice. If you have means, you have the ability to either purchase a home in a neighborhood with a fantastic performing traditional public school, or you have the means to send your child to a private school and pay tuition for that student.

But if you don't have the means, you are simply stuck in whatever district that you can afford to live. Now, for some folks, that's okay. For others, they are forced to go to a traditional public school that is not serving the needs of their child.

For thousands of families in this state, charter public schools, particularly by the way, in low income communities, charter public schools are a lifeline. They are a lifeline that offers their children an opportunity when their local neighborhood school is failing them. This Bill will take away that lifeline for many students.

Year after year, this Legislature has made it harder and harder for charters to become authorized and survived in California. AB84 is just the latest attempt to do that. Please listen to your constituents, listen to your families that have reached out to you, and vote no on 84.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's really disappointing when arguments in this body are based on false choices. The false choice being presented here is that charter schools versus traditional schools, false choice of good charters versus bad charters, false choice, we're shutting charters. You got to keep them open. That is not what this conversation is about.

And I want to direct my comments to two groups while I speak here today. First and foremost, the most important people we should ever be talking to, which is our constituents. All of you mentioned that you received those hundreds of calls. I did as well.

And when we started getting those calls a few days ago, what I asked of my staff is to notate what they were saying. I'm a Member of the Education Committee. I know what that Bill said when we voted out of it in Committee. I know what some of the concerns were from the advocates.

So when we got the calls from the folks that were calling, they were expressing things, talking points that were given to them, presented in a way that were not accurate according to what the Bill had become.

And so we started to educate, which I think is part of our job and our duty is to one, understand what your constituents are saying and two, work with them to Better understand what their concerns actually are so you can address them. And that's what I chose to do.

And that's the option that we all have and the ability we can do as Members of this body. You go to the author, you talk to the author and you tell them, I've heard this, I've heard this, I've heard this. And the authority goes, does the work and comes back.

So to families, I want to say, we've heard you, the concerns are appropriate. But if your concern is that your non classroom based charter school, we're not talking about no more charters, choice will remain. We're talking about those who attend virtual academies to keep it maybe a little bit more simple.

If you're a student in one of those schools, the Bill the way it is today, you will continue to be funded in the same exact way and do the exact same things that you can do today.

If this Bill goes into law, the only thing that will change is that there will be accountability to make sure that good government practices are in place. So that what, unfortunately would happen to us in San Diego.

That's why you see the San Diego delegation Members all in support of this, because it happened in our own backyard, the exception of one of our colleagues, because it's happening, good governance is important. So I say that to our families because that's important.

My second message is to you colleagues because you are the second most important group in the work that we do. When we have an author that is working on every single concern that gets presented to them and that gets addressed, that is commendable, laudable, and should be respected and honored up until this Bill was presented.

I personally went to the author, I heard one additional concern from one of our colleagues and I asked him to address that and he has committed to doing so. If you have specific concerns, your opportunity to go to the author and speak to him has come and now is gone because we're about to close this debate.

So I ask you as Members that in good faith, when authors are doing the work that we request and we expect of them, that we support them as they go on to the other House.

And yes, there is another Bill coming to us from the Senate, but this is our Bill, the Assembly's Bill, our voice, our vehicle in that House to make sure we do the right thing when it comes to this issue.

So I ask you that as colleagues that we work together and in good faith, and when someone's doing the right thing as one of our colleagues, that we support them.

And again, when you have concerns that you express them and that if the author doesn't do in honor of what they said they were going to do here, we all Reserve the right when it comes back not to support that Bill.

I'm confident because of the work that's been demonstrated to today, literally to this moment from this author from Torrance, our colleague from Torrance, that this will become the right Bill so that we have the good governments, the accountability and. And that our charter schools that are doing the right work will continue to thrive and succeed. For that reason, I ask for aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Alvarez. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assemblymember Muratsuchi, do you wish to close?

Thank you very much. I will keep this short because I know we've all appreciated this lengthy debate, important debate, because we know we have all been hearing from, from passionate families, passionate parents in our communities. I just want to thank each and every one of you for sharing your concerns.

Like our colleague from San Diego just said, I commit to each and every one of you, regardless of which side of the aisle that I will listen to you and I will work with you to address all concerns. The goal and the intent is to focus on the bad actors, not to punish good charter schools. With that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Muratsuchi. All debate having ceased, 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 41, noes 22. The measure passes. Back on file order. We are on file order number 15, AB 610 by Assemblymember Alvarez. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 610 by Assemblymember Alvarez. An act relating to land use.

Assemblymember Alvarez, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon colleagues. I rise to- it's housing day for me. I rise to present AB 610, the Fair Housing Practices Act.

This bill strengthens compliance with housing elements laws by requiring cities and counties to disclose planned housing restrictions up front and prevents them from adding new constraints or restrictions three years after the state approves their plans. To address the housing supply problem.

The housing crisis that we have, we have to address three issues which we've talked about a lot. Funding, regulatory issues and certainty. This bill is focused on the certainty.

I also want to just acknowledge here at the beginning that my staff and I are committed to continuing to work with local governments with their concerns that they've expressed and affordable housing organizations. In no way are we trying to prevent from more affordable housing happening. So we're going to stay focused on that. It's very important.

But California is in the middle of a deepening housing crisis. More than 2/3 low income renters are rent burdened. On any given night, 180,000 plus Californians experience homelessness and beyond homelessness. Over a million people are need need affordable housing in order to close the housing gap. Current production is not keeping up.

But one of those barriers to production has been local government constraints. Things like new fees, zoning restrictions or added procedural burdens that make it harder to build affordable homes. That is where Assembly Bill 610 comes in. The bill increases transparency by requiring cities to disclose any new or more stringent housing constraints in their housing plans.

AB 610 also prevents local governments from adding new barriers like limiting density, increasing fees, restricting affordable housing incentives for three years. It does this for three years after their housing elements are certified unless they meet certain conditions.

This pause and the certainty really gives state and local governments time to implement their housing plans and deliver the homes that we need to build for Californians. For that reason I respectfully asked for an aye vote on AB 610.

Thank you Assemblymember Alvarez. All debate having ceased. 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, 58. Noes, 0. The measure passes. We've already dispensed with file item 16.

We're going to pass temporarily on file item. Excuse me. Pass and retain on file item 17. File item 18 has been moved to the inactive file. We're ready to take up file item number 19. That's AB 1037 by Assemblymember Elhawary. Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1037 by Assembly Member Elhawary. An act relating to public health.

Assemblymember Elhawary, you are recognized.

Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise today because AB 1037 updates outdated substance use laws to reflect what works, evidence based compassionate care. This bill removes barriers, expands access to services, and brings consistency to a broken system. Too many of our laws still reflect stigma, not treatment, and that causes real harm. Let's act before it's too late. I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Elhawary. All debate having ceased. 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 41, noes 16. The measure passes. Brings us to file item number 20, AB 1087 by Assembly Member Patterson. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1087 by Assembly Member Patterson, an act relating to crimes.

Assemblymember Patterson, you are recognized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon. I rise to present AB 1087, which aligns probation requirements for those convicted of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated with those convicted of driving under the influence. Believe it or not, I came aware. Of this during a tragedy in my district where a man lost his father to a.

To an individual who was driving under the influence of. And the probation term that was available for her was actually less than if she was just driving under the influence. She didn't take somebody's life. So this aligns the probation terms. It's very simple change.

Appreciate the work of the Public Safety Committee working with me on this legislation and would be really appreciate your support on this measure. It is not only a district Bill near and dear to my heart, but it's also a Bill that will, I think, have statewide impact. With that, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Patterson. I'll debate having ceased. 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, 57, no zero. The measure passes. Brings us to file item number 21.

That's AB 1146 by Assemblymember Papan. The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1146 by Assemblymember Papan, an act related to dams and reservoirs.

Assembly Member Papan, you are recognized.

Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise today to present AB 1146, which prohibits the recent release of of California's water from federal reservoirs under false pretenses. Several months ago, federal water managers released 2 billion gallons of California water from Success Lake and Kaweah Lake, claiming it was to help combat wildfires in Southern California.

In reality, the water never reached Southern California. And had the full release gone forward as ordered, it would have caused serious flooding in downstream communities. This bill addresses the misuse of California's water. I've agreed to recent amendments that clarify and refine the bill's intent in three ways. The bill now applies only to federal reservoirs.

Fines and penalties have been reverted to existing state law. And number three, the interim relief provision has been changed to injective reliefs. You have to go into court. This ensures that while the State Water Board can still act swiftly, but any request must go through the courts, adding due process and, of course, transparency.

At its core, this bill is about California's water, a critical state resource, being mismanaged for political purposes. I cannot stand by while our vital asset is wasted. AB 1146 ensures that the State Water Board has the authority to intervene when water is released under false pretenses. Respectfully request an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Papan. Assembly Member Bryan, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. I stand in full support of this measure and appreciate our colleague highlighting the fact that millions of gallons of water were absolutely wasted by the President of the United States and they served no purpose in putting out the wildfires in Los Angeles and nearly flooded nearby farmers. I do have a question for the author that she may answer in her close. Is there a big faucet in California, and did President Trump find it?

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

Well, I would like to thank my colleague from Southern California and the Chair of the Natural Resources Committee, who shares my passion for preserving our natural resources. Let's just hope that the idea that there is no faucet does resonate somewhere. Thank you. Respectfully request an aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Papan. All debate having ceased, Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote that 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 45, noes 15. The measure passes. File item 22 has been put in the inactive file. We're going to pass temporarily on file item 23. Gets us to file item number 24 by Assembly Member Dixon. That is AB 392.

Clerk will read Assembly Bill 392 by Assemblymember Dixon an act relating to the Internet.

Assemblymember Dixon, you are recognized.

Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon, colleagues. I rise to present AB392. AB392 tackles. Listen to me carefully. Non consensual sharing of sexually explicit media content and sexually explicit content of minors posting that content to a pornographic site.

This Bill would establish civil liability and removal obligations for commercial pornographic websites and ensure that every individual featured within the content gave their consent to participating and consented to the media. The content's uploading and were of legal age at the time of the content's creation. Fundamentally, this Bill is about protecting minors and ensuring consent.

This Bill passed through both policy and fiscal committees with unanimous support. It's sponsored by a foundation RAW and has received support from the University of San Diego Center for Public Interest Law and Children's Advocacy Institute. Respectfully. I respectfully urge your aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you. Assembly Member Dixon and Assemblymember Alanis, you are recognized.

Thank you. Mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong support of AB 392. I want to thank my colleague from. Newport Beach for all her hard work on this issue. Thank you. The spread of non consensual sexual explicit material online is a very serious issue as we've talked about many times here.

On this floor and in our Committee as well. It must be addressed by this Legislature. This Bill aims to make sure that what is being uploaded is not harming someone, especially minors. This is not about harming the industry. This is about protecting innocent people from exploitation and being violated. AB 392 protects minors, creates accountability and helps victims seek justice. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Assemblymember Alanis seeing and hearing no further debate. Assemblymember Dixon, do you wish to close?

I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you very much and also thank you to the Public Safety Committee. I'm very grateful. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Dixon. I'll debate having ceased. 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. Tallied votes aye 66 no 0 the measure passes. Members were skipping back in file order one item to file.

Item number 23 AB 1454 by Speaker Rivas.

The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 1454 by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and others, an act relating to people literacy.

Mr. Speaker, you are recognized. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Learning to read, I think we'll all agree, is life changing for any child. And reading skills, strong reading skills are the gateway to academic success, lifelong confidence and opportunity.

In this legislation, we take a clear and a necessary step forward, ensuring that every child in California learns to read and learns to read well. This Bill equips our educators with the tools they need to teach reading effectively. It strengthens professional development.

It updates outdated instructional materials and ensures that school leaders are trained to support evidence based literacy instruction. It's the kind of instruction proven to help students succeed, especially our English language learners and students with some learning differences and challenges.

I want to thank the joint authors of this Bill, our Members from Baldwin park and Torrance, for their leadership and for their long collaborative effort that brought this Bill forward. We didn't write this Bill in a vacuum. We listened, we convened. It took a lot of time.

We worked closely with educators, with administrators, with families, literacy experts, with civil rights advocates, people with different perspectives, but people who were all committed to shape a Bill that responds to the real needs of California's diverse learners. This is what good policy making looks like. This is what progress looks like.

Nobody got everything they would have wanted in this Bill. But when you spent decades watching kids fall through the cracks of a broken reading system, this is a bold and necessary step forward for California. This isn't the final word, but it's a turning point. And progress requires action, not not cynicism.

This Bill is supported by a broad and growing coalition, all united in one belief that we can and must do better for our students. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Speaker Rivas, Assemblymember Rubio, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise as a proud joint author of AB 1454. I have always prided myself on being a teacher before a Legislator. In fact, I keep my credentials active in case this gig doesn't work out. I can go back to doing what I love, teaching.

The success of our children has always been and will remain a top priority of mine, as I trust as I trust that it is for you in this chamber. The Bill before us today is the result of many, many months of careful collaboration, research, dedication and sleepless nights.

It was a very, very special moment for me to have both Ed Voice and CTA sitting next to me during Committee hearings in support of this Bill. I want to extend my gratitude to our amazing speaker for his steadfast leadership and commitment to our to addressing arguably one of the most critical crises in our state.

I also want to commend my colleague from Torrance for his openness and engagement on this important issue. AB 1454 is a powerful step forward in supporting our educators and especially our students. According to the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress scores, California nationally ranks 33rd in fourth grade reading proficiency, 33rd in our 50 states.

Data shows that if a student is not a proficient reader by the end of third grade, they are four times less likely to graduate from high school and eight times less likely if they are from a low income community. The vast majority of children falling behind are economically disadvantaged, disproportionately black and Latino, and English learners.

AB 1454 calls for high quality teacher training in early grades, updated instructional materials aligned with evidence based practices, and new administrator training standards to support effective literacy instruction. The goal is simple get kids reading and support our teachers along the way. Thank you Members and I respectfully ask.

For an aye vote thank you Assemblymember Rubio. Assemblymember Hoover, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to rise as a co author and in strong support of this legislation. I want to thank the leadership of the speaker for bringing a lot of sides together on this legislation and overseeing a negotiation that was very complex and mostly also want to thank the efforts and the perseverance of my colleague from Baldwin Park.

This Bill doesn't have everything that I wanted to see in it, but as the speaker mentioned, it is a giant step forward for literacy in our state. It is a huge step forward for making sure that our kids will be able to learn to read by third grade. And for those reasons, I strongly urge an aye vote

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

Thank you very much. I also want to rise as a joint author of this measure. I want to thank our colleague from Baldwin park for being, you know, for her passion and leading the charge and for the speaker for bringing together all of the stakeholders to make it happen.

When I started this journey more than two years ago, I never realized that, you know, teaching kids how to read can be so controversial, but I learned a lot about the reading wars.

I want to thank my fellow joint authors to make this happen, to move the ball forward with the goal of making sure that every third grader is able to read by grade level, a foundational skill that will lead to lifelong learning.

Thank you Assemblymember Muratsuchi, Assemblymember Quirk-Silva, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also rise in strong support of AB 1454. Some of you know as an elementary school teacher, but I also in fact taught first, second and third grade for many years, which are in fact the years that reading is most often taught.

Members, this is not only about teaching reading, but it's about what starts as the basis for reading. I support not only this teacher training, evidence based practices, but let me be clear. What happens in the home before students arrive to school is the foundation for reading and everything from speaking, singing and talking to students.

There is many debates about which program to teach can teach. The truth is the science of reading. There is not a direct pathway. All students learn different. Some learn through reading rhymes, the Dr. Seuss types of books. Some read through phonics.

But you need to have all those tools in the toolkit to be an effective teacher of reading. Not one type of method teaches all kids to read. I have four adult kids, two daughters, two sons. My two daughters both read by preschool and kindergarten. Both of my sons read by first grade.

So again, same parent, same methodology, different timelines of reading. But what we do know is many, many, many that students do not learn to read by third grade. Their future is not bright. We know that many of our prisons are filled with individuals who did not learn to read. So literacy is the foundation.

It is the future for all of us. For all of us. And we should all be adult readers as I talk about reading. But again, make no mistake, teaching reading is not an easy skill to do. I'd ask all of you to try it.

And we always kind of think that anybody can be a teacher and it's an easy job. But teaching reading is one of the hardest skills to teach. And if students don't learn it by the time they're in third grade, it becomes increasingly difficult.

So again, I applaud the Member from Baldwin, who in fact is a classroom teacher as well. And I know that she spent many years passionately doing that job as I have. And I'm glad that there is finally a place that we can all support.

But remember parents, part of this is your job to start with those early readings. You can even read. And I'm talking to my Member over here before the baby is born, songs. And we know that that makes the difference. Songs and music.

So turn off the media, the social media, get the books and rhymes out and help teach your kids to read. And let's support AB 1454.

Thank you, Assemblymember Quirk-Silva and thank you for reminding us how important, challenging and consequential a position a teacher has. Seeing and hearing no further debate. Speaker Rivas, do you wish to close?

Respectfully ask anvote. Thank you Speaker.

Thank you, Speaker Rivas. 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. Aye 75 no 0. The measure passes.