Senate Floor

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call].

Quorum is present. Would members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery please rise? We'll be led in prayer this afternoon by our Chaplain, Sister Michelle Gorman, after which I will lead you in the pledge.

And we gather in God's presence. Merciful God, in your wisdom, enlighten us. Open our eyes to the needs of your suffering people. When we are frozen in inaction, grant us a spirit of courage. When we try our best and are misunderstood, give us a spirit of humility.

When the chaos of our lives subsides, give us a spirit of solidarity with those who are marginalized and seeking justice. God of hope, in your kindness, heal us. Creator of all people, in your generosity, guide us. We ask this in your name. Amen.

Please join me in the pledge. [Pledge of Allegiance]. Messages from the Governor will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments adopted under motions and resolutions without objection.

The Senate journals for June 30, 2025, through July 3rd will be approved as corrected by the minute clerk. Senator Gonzalez, you are recognized.

That would be me. Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to remove AB 540 by Assemblymember Connolly from the consent calendar at the request of him.

Without objection?

Consideration of the daily file; second reading file. Secretary, please read.

Assembly Bill 1166 with amendments, 1180 with amendments, 1507, 1139 with amendments, 527 with amendments, 80 with amendments, 310 with amendments, 350 with amendments, 460 with amendments, 546 with amendments, 1041 with amendments, 1487 with amendments.

Second reading is deemed read. Now to Governor's appointments. Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, colleagues. Thank you, Mr. President. File item 22 is a confirmation of Nick Maduro from for the appointment of Secretary of California Government Operations Agency. Prior to being a GovOps secretary, Mr. Maduro for the last eight years has served as Director of California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.

And before joining the state government, he worked at the federal level of the Chief of Staff for U.S. Small Business Administration. He was approved unanimously by the Rules Committee on June 11. Respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Seeing no mics up. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call].

Senator Grove moves the call. Senator Grove, you are recognized again.

Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, file item 23 is a confirmation of Gonzalo Medina for appointment to the Boating and Waterways Commission and Dr. Jose Manuel Cardenas and Michael De La Torre of a reappointment to the Commission on Teaching Credentialing. They were approved by the Rules Committee on June 11 on a 5-0 vote.

Respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Senator Gonzalez, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I just wanted to speak for a dear friend of mine, very hardworking: Gonzalo Medina. As a member of the Boating and Waterways Commission, Gonzalo's been a lifelong Long Beach resident and currently is an incredible marine safety chief officer overseeing our city's beaches and waterways, boat rescue ops, lifeguards, public safety dive team and the swift water rescue team.

And he, in his very limited time that he has, he raises a few daughters, but also does everything he can to ensure that underserved communities of Long beach get into the lifeguard program, which is really incredible; and that they have access to beaches. So, with that, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Senator Grove, you may close.

Respectfully ask for an aye vote and thank my colleague, the majority floor leader, for her comments.

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call].

Senator Grove moves the call. Senator Grove, you are recognized again.

Thank you, Mr. President. File item 27 is the confirmation of Paula LaBrie for and William Liu for reappointment to the California gambling control Commission. Ms. LaBrie was initially appointed in 2017 and is currently the Commissioner's Chair. She serves in the position for the attorney in the regulatory law experience.

Mr. Liu was first joined the Commission in 2021 and serves in the position for an individual with financial experience. We approve these and individuals on the rules in on the Rules Committee or in the Rules Committee on June 18th on a 5-0 vote; respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Seeing no mics raised. Secretary, please call a roll.

[Roll Call].

Senator Grove moves the call. Senator Grove.

Thank you, Mr. President. Point of personal privilege.

Yes.

I have an individual who is one of my constituents. Actually, my doctor's son is here following me for the week and shadowing me: Joshen Mangot, if you guys would just welcome him to the Senate chambers.

Welcome to the California State Senate. Thank you for being here. And now we will return to privileges of the floor; presenting a resolution for me and she, Senator Ashby, you are recognized.

Yes, thank you, Mr. President. This is a person who is very important to the presiding officer and myself and also to the good Senator from West Sacramento. Because in Sacramento, we have to deal often with flood control.

So, thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to honor an extraordinary individual who spent 46 years of his life in public service, including the last 15 years as Executive Director of Sacramento Areas for Flood Control Agency, which may sound bureaucratic and sort of run of the mill, but in Sacramento, it is anything but that.

After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, a big portion of the City of Sacramento's levees were deemed decertified, making it the most dangerous spot in the United States of America.

And then enter this individual, Rick Johnson, who was tasked with figuring out how to fund that project and get it done in a timely manner in a very difficult time in Washington, D.C. where things like federal news starts and projects with earmarks were not allowed. Not unlike the time we're in now.

It was a very challenging time to get projects in California funded. Before Mr. Johnson was with the Sacrament Area Flood Control Agency, he was with the US Bureau of Reclamation and also the US Army Corps of Engineers.

In those roles, he helped lay the groundwork for flood protection systems that we continue to rely on today throughout the entire country. During his time at SAFCA, Mr. Johnson implemented over ready for this $4.4 billion worth of flood infrastructure improvements for the people of this region.

Incredibly important for those of you who know Assemblymember Gallagher, he has also been a part of this board in the past and is a big fan of Mr. Johnson. All of us from this region who served on those local boards certainly appreciate his expertise. One last story; I often tell people this story.

When I won my seat on the Sacramento City Council, I immediately had to represent 100,000 people behind a decertified levy, which meant I spent several days in Washington D.C. every other month for the first four or five years that I was on the council until we got a word, a bill.

And in that time, I traveled almost always with Mr. Johnson. What I would like you to know about this incredible Californian is that no matter where we went, he was pulled away from us.

Whether that was to ask about the Everglades or the Mississippi or some other flood control project or levy or slurry wall somewhere in the United States of America. America. He was deemed the expert in that space.

I have always felt incredibly proud to have him hail from California to be a member of the Sacramento region's flood control team because I know how incredibly valuable, he is to our nation. Colleagues, please join me today in recognizing and honoring the incredible life's work, life saving work of Mr. Rick Johnson.

And I am going to step down just a moment to join that picture.

And now to carry on with the random meandering through the agenda as I've established. Assembly third reading. Secretary, please read. File item 70; secretary, please read.

Assembly Joint Resolution 3 by Assemblymember Schiavo relative to public social services.

Senator Weber Pierson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Members, I rise to present AJR 3 by Assemblymember Schiavo a resolution to send a strong message to Congressional leadership, California's Congressional delegation and to the White House that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are foundational to our communities and that cuts to these programs are going to create irreparable harm.

Senator, one moment, please. Sorry about that members, change of plans; we will not be taking up AJR 3 today. And we will move on to Committee announcements. Senator Arreguin, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. The Senate Committee on Human Services will meet in room 202, 1021 O Street, immediately after session.

And Senator Becker, you are recognized.

Thank you. The Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee will meet room 1200, 15 minutes after the end of session.

And now back to motions and resolutions. Senator Menjivar, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. At the request of the author, please move file item 98, AB 40 by Assemblymember Bonta to the inactive file.

Without objection. Seeing no other mics up? Yeah. Okay.

And now we will lift the call on the Governor's appointments. First, file 22. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call].

The ayes are 36. The no's are 0. That appointment is confirmed. And now, file 23, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call].

The ayes are 36. The noes are 0. That appointment is confirmed. Now, file 27. Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call].

Ayes, 35; Noes, 0. The appointment is confirmed. Moving on to or returning to motions and resolutions. Adjourns in memory. First, Senator Grayson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I do rise to adjourn in memory - I do rise in memory of Federal Glover, an extraordinary leader, devoted family man, and a true pillar of Contra Costa County who passed away on May 18 at the age of the young age of 69. Federal was born and raised in Pittsburgh, California.

And from a young age, he demonstrated excitement, exceptional leadership. At Pittsburgh High School, he served as student body President and participated actively in President Reagan's statewide Youth Commission. After graduating in 1975, Federal pursued Business Administration at San Francisco State University.

He then dedicated his professional career to workplace safety and employee training, holding significant roles at local companies, such as USS Pasco and Dow Chemical. In 1978, Federal married Janis Miller, marking the beginning of nearly five decades of shared life filled with love, family and community. Together, they raised two beloved children, Tederal and Carissa.

Their family became a cornerstone of support and inspiration, touching countless lives throughout their community. And Federal's journey in public service began with his election to the Pittsburgh City Council in 1996, later serving as mayor in 1999.

And in 2000, he broke historic ground as the first African American elected to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, where he served effectively and proudly for over two decades. His public service legacy is vast, and it's transformational.

Federal secured over 1 billion in funding for critical transportation projects, including the expansion of Highway 4 and the eBART extension, significantly improving regional mobility and safety. Federal was also passionate about and dedicated to youth empowerment.

He established Contra Costa's groundbreaking Youth Summit and Gang Task Force, providing crucial mentorship, support and pathways to success for countless young residents. Throughout his distinguished career, Federal and well, he and I connected, and we had the opportunity to collaborate closely on numerous initiatives.

And in particular, I had the privilege of closely collaborating with him in aligning his effort, Northern Waterfront Initiative with the Green Empowerment Zone. And together, we shared a mutual vision of sustainable economic development, just job creation and environmental stewardship, greatly benefiting the residents of Contra Costa County.

Federal genuinely cared about his constituents deeply, tirelessly advocating for affordable housing, equitable access to health care, and improved quality of life for the county's most vulnerable residents. His leadership also extended to critical initiatives promoting racial equity, public health improvements, environmental justice, culminating in the establishment of the county's Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice.

Federal faced personal adversity. With extraordinary courage. He underwent significant transplant surgeries in 2015. Yet through it all, his commitment to public service never wavered. Reflecting his strength, his resilience, and profound dedication to his community, Federal leaves behind his beloved wife, Janis, whose unwavering partnership and support were integral to his lifelong achievements.

The two children, Tederal and Carissa, cherished grandchildren, and countless family members, friends, community members whose lives he deeply, deeply touched. I personally cherished my partnership, my collaboration, and even, to much of a degree, mentorship from Federal.

His ability to be authentic, his wisdom, the genuine kindness that he exuded, just it shaped even my own understanding of what true public service really meant and what inspired so many others who had the privilege of being able to work with him. So today we pause to honor Federal Glover's profound legacy.

It was a lifetime dedicated to compassionate, effective service to others, and I respectfully request that the Senate adjourn in his memory.

Senator Arreguin, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. As the fellow Senate representative from Contra Costa County, I joined my colleague from Concord in honoring the life and leadership of Supervisor Federal Glover, who was one of the longest serving supervisors in the State of California.

And in Contra Costa County particularly, it was deeply saddened to hear of his passing this year. But he left a life of a commitment to public service and profound impact that he made on the lives of not just his constituents, but the entire County of Contra Costa.

I had the pleasure of working with Federal, as did this Senator from San Jose and the Senator from San Francisco on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Many of us also had the privilege of serving with him in other regional leadership capacities.

And he was somebody who was deeply committed to public service, deeply committed to equity, racial justice, and helping the neediest people in our community. And he went on to serve not just as a council member for the mayor from the City of Pittsburgh, but as county supervisor for 24 years.

And it's really hard to think of anyone who is more dedicated to serving his community than Supervisor Glover.

His leadership in creating the Contra Costa Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice, I think really demonstrates his deep, profound commitment to racial and economic justice, which he demonstrated not just with that initiative, but with so many policies that he would lead during his 24 years on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors.

He was also a trailblazer. He was the first African American elected to the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors and worked on many issues important to the African American community. He worked to create opportunities that did not previously exist for communities of color.

It would come as no surprise that it was recently honored by the NAACP who awarded him the Hometown Hero Award for the work he did, not just for the people of his City of Pittsburgh, but people throughout Contra Costa County.

But his other lasting impact was in the area of transportation and his longstanding service on MTC really delivering the resources for his constituents in Contra Costa County. Whether it was the eBART extension of Pittsburgh and Antioch, whether the work he did around encouraging Transit Oriented Development helping create the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority.

I also want to lift up his work around addressing just transition and environmental justice in his district, something I know he worked with the center from Concord on. His district and a small portion of his district overlaps my district, the cities of Hercules, Rodeo and Crockett.

But his district is home to a concentration of refineries in Richmond, in Richmond, just a little bit south, and then Rodeo in his district, where there have been long standing challenges around environmental injustice and health impacts from the refinery industry.

He really made addressing health disparities and improving the health outcomes of people that live in those communities a top priority, while also working to ensure that there's a just transition for those workers as well.

I want to just acknowledge that soon there will be a new facility, an African American health center in Contra Costa County named after Supervisor Glover. I think that's a testament to his commitment to health and wellness and the well-being of people in Contra Costa County.

So, in closing, you know, Supervisor Glover was the embodiment of what it means to be a public servant. His decades of service focused on the needs of those who've been historically overlooked and have made a lasting impact on Contra Costa County and the State of California.

And I'm proud to join the Senator for Concord and honoring his life today.

Thank you, Mr. President. As Contra Costa County's third senator and someone who served with Supervisor Glover coterminously for two decades in local office, I wanted to join my colleagues in asking for this recognition today.

Supervisor Glover, in addition to all of the accomplishments and contributions that have already been noted, served on the Delta Protection Commission for over a decade at the most critical time for the future of the Delta.

20 years ago, leading the battle to prevent sprawl, urban sprawl, into the delta, while preserving environment, jobs and the opportunity for housing is a powerful contributor towards the sustainability of one of California's most precious communities.

Also, I also wanted to know that for those who have served on boards of supervisors representing mostly urban and suburban and rural areas in urban counties, Supervisor Glover was remarkable in that he represented East Contra Costa County for much of his time on the board, the same area that both Senator Grayson and I represent today, when it was mostly unincorporated.

And one challenge for supervisors in that regard is how to build and create communities that you're going to have to say goodbye to at some point as they incorporate.

And Supervisor Glover brought a maturity and a commitment to self-determination through that process where he helped to grow and create communities in East County with high quality and high regard, as if he was going to be their mayor forever, with the full knowledge that if he succeeded, that they would incorporate and leave his - not his jurisdiction, but leave his direct control. And it takes a special kind of leader to have that foresight and that commitment to community. And I join my colleagues in asking that we adjourn in his memory.

Senator Grayson, please bring the name forward to the desk so he may be properly memorialized. And I believe you have guests.

We do, Mr. President. And with our sincerest condolences, we do have with us Janis Glover up in the gallery, we have Tederal Glover, glad to have you with us. Merrill Craft and Brandon, thank you for being with us today. And our sincerest condolences.

Thank you. And now, Senator Weber Pierson, you are recognized.

Thank you. Mr. President, Members, I rise today to recognize and honor the life of Arthur E. Madrid, a proud Marine, a dedicated public servant, and on a personal note, a dear friend, Art Madrid passed away on June 6, 2025, at the age of 90.

And while we mourn his loss, we also celebrate a life that embodied the very best of leadership, service and community. Born in 1934, Art lived with a purpose and principle. He began his journey in service to this country as an member of the United States Marine Corps.

That same discipline and commitment followed him into a 35-year career with Pacific Bell and into what would become a remarkable legacy in public life. Art was elected to public office in La Mesa eight times, twice as a City Council Member and six times as a Mayor.

That's eight years as a City Council Member and 24 years as the Mayor of Los Angeles, of La Mesa. He led La Mesa with vision and integrity, helping to shape the city into the vibrant community it is today. He had a unique ability to bring people together and to make government work for the people it serves.

He never stopped believing that public service was a calling, and he answered that call every single day. But beyond his titles and accomplishments, Art was someone you could always count on. He was kind, he was humble, and he was honest. He cared deeply about people.

He took joy in family and friendship, in golf and travel, and in giving back. He carried the memory of his late wife, Sally, and his beloved son David, with grace and strength. And he poured his love into his children and his grandchildren, who carry his spirit for it today.

Even though I had heard a lot about this legend named Art Madrid, I first met him when I ran for La Mesa City Council.

And despite the fact that we were in separate political parties, he saw something in me and felt so passionately that I was what La Mesa needed at that moment that he endorsed me over the two incumbents that I was running against from his own political party. And he didn't just give me his name.

He gave me his time and his knowledge. I will always remember getting into the car with Art Madrid, driving around La Mesa.

And he told me the history about all the small spots, the reason why the signs are the way they are, the history behind the different parks and what the city had promised and never delivered for the residents. To me, Art was more than just another local politician. He was a friend. A good friend.

The kind of friend who listened more than he spoke, who led with quiet strength and showed up when it mattered. We extend our deepest condolences to his children, Dana, Lisa and Darren, his grandchildren and all who had the honor of knowing him. Art Madrid lived a life of meaning and impact.

May his memory be a blessing in way we carry forward his legacy as an exemplary leader. And I request that we adjourn in memory of Art Madrid. Thank you.

Senator Cabaldon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Art Madrid was California treasure. And as the Senator from San Diego noted, Senator from La Mesa originally noted, he, in his 24 years of service as mayor, became a national icon.

Many of us served in the US Conference of Mayors, Mayor Choi, Mayor Arreguin, Mayor Blakespear, so many of us. And if you've served at all since the last century, you served with Art Madrid, who was elected to the National Board of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and served there for something like 16 years.

And although California has had lots of big personalities from San Francisco and Los Angeles and elsewhere serving in the Leadership of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Art Madrid presented a different California to the world and to the country. The maturity, the kindness, the humility, the caring about everyday people that people didn't always associate with our state.

And he communicated the diversity of who we were and what we were as a people and our fundamental goodness. He will be deeply missed nationwide in addition to his own community. And I join the Senator in asking that we turn in his memory.

Senator Weber Pierson, if you bring the name forward to the desk so that he may be properly memorialized. And now, after a random meandering through a grueling agenda, Senator McGuire, the desk is clear.

Thank you so much, Mr. President. Grateful. It's good to see everyone back after a July 4th holiday. I'll be very brief, 60 seconds. But I just would be remiss if we did not take a moment to acknowledge the six-month anniversary of the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires in the great city in County of Los Angeles.

Back in February, along with several of our colleagues led by Senator Perez and Allen, we all took part in meetings about the comeback of LA. And while major progress has been made, we need to recommit ourselves to rebuilding stronger than ever before.

And I want to take a moment to say thank you to the Senators who represent the greater LA region for their incredible work, their tenacity, and focus on rebuilding the communities stronger. The next floor session is scheduled for Thursday, July 10th at 9am thank you so much for obliging me.

And the Senate will be in recess until 3:30 this afternoon, at which time an adjournment motion will be made. And as was stated, we reconvene Thursday the 10th at 9am.