Senate Floor

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

A quorum is present with the Members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery. Please rise. We will be led in prayer this morning by Senator Wahab. I mean, Senator Richardson. After which, please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

Grant us wisdom, discernment and integrity as we make important decisions for California. Inspire us to serve people with humility and to seek justice and mercy in all our actions. Give us strength, peace and the support of each other as we leave. Amen.

Members, please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag. We will now move. Senator McGuire, you are recognized.

Thank you so much, Madam President and Members and to all those who are here in the gallery, we want to welcome you to the first Friday of the week. Tomorrow will be our second Friday of the week and we are excited that we have made incredible distance in what was in front of us.

Starting on Monday, we have a total of 58 Assembly bills left, about 58 Assembly bills left in front of us. That was a total universe when we started the week of 400 and want to say thank you so much to this body who have been working so efficiently. Today we're going to do some poking around.

Here's the run of show. Today we'll take up bills here. Between now and lunch, we will have a series of budget bills that will be in front of us. We're going to work the file and there are additional supplemental files that will be coming forward with bills coming to us from the Assembly tomorrow.

Tomorrow we'll be back at 9:30 prepared to take up one of the most impactful climate, affordability and energy packages that we have seen in this state's history.

And tomorrow will start at 9:30am the last thing I'll say about today, we are going to clear out our file today with the exception of those affordability, climate and energy bills that are ready for tomorrow.

So that will mean we're going to be working into the evening tonight to be able to clear out everything with the exception of those bills that have timestamps for tomorrow. So that will mean that we're going to ask Folks for some patience. There will be some times where we may not.

We have to sit on the floor and wait for eligible bills to come due based off their timestamp. Madam President, we'll check in in a bit. Grateful for all the hard work.

Thank you, Mr. Pro Tem. We will now move to privileges of the floor. There are none. Messages from the Governor will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports of Committee will be deemed read and amendments adopted. Members, we are now with motions, resolutions and notices.

If any Members would like to have any motions or resolutions. This is your time. Senator Arreguin, you are recognized.

Thank you. Madam President, I rise to request that file item 11, Senate Bill 830 be placed on the inactive file.

Thank you. The desk will note. Senator McGuire,

Thank you so much. Madam President, I rise to submit a letter to the Journal on SB669. Both sides have agreed .

Without objection. Seeing no other Members, we will now move to consideration of the daily file starting with our second reading file. Secretary, please read

[Second Reading]

Thank you. It will be deemed read. We will now move to unfinished business starting with file item 11, SB830. Secretary, we just. Okay.

Okay. We will move to Assembly third reading starting with file item 24. AB 1079. Secretary, please read

Assembly Bill 1079 by Assembly Member Avila Farias an act related civil actions.

Senator Arreguin, you are recognized.

Thank you. Madam President. I'm rise. I rise to present Senate Bill 1079 on behalf of Assemblywoman Avila Ferrias. AB 1079 will eliminate the automatic stay in cases involving the California Voting Rights Act and Fair Maps Act. Nearly 25 years ago, the California Voting Rights Act was enacted to give historically underrepresented communities a real voice in our democracy.

The CVRA prohibits at large election systems from impairing the ability of protected classes to elect candidates of their choice. Yet today, even after the court's rule that an election system violates the law, local jurisdictions can delay compliance simply by filing an appeal, prolonging injustice and silencing voters of color to fairly select the representatives of choice.

AB 1079 will require court decisions protecting voting rights to take effect without unnecessary delay. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Araguain moves the call. We will now move to file item 42, AB789. Secretary, please read

Assembly Bill 789 by Senator Bonta an act relating to the Political Reform act of 1974.

Senator Cabaldon you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. This Bill simply allows campaign funds to be used for security purposes and returns to a $10,000 cap in 2029. It is strongly supported by the California. District Attorneys Association, a wide variety of other organizations. In today's climate, as they. As the district attorneys note, the need for additional security is ever present.

And $10,000, the current cap is. No. Is nowhere near adequate in order to. Maximize the protection of folks who are serving the public. With that. And as for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Cabaldin moves the call. We will. We will now move to file item 57, AB 1108. I know we are all very excited that we are almost there, but if we can please keep the volume down. If you have any conversations, please take them to the rear. Once again, we are moving to file item 57, AB 1108. Secretary, please read

Assembly Bill 1108 by Assembly Member Hart. An act relating to local government.

Thank you, Madam President and Members. AB 1108. On behalf of Assemblymember Hart, a Bill to address ensure independent medical doctors determine the circumstances, cause and manner of death for individuals who die in custody of law enforcement. California is one of three states in. The country to allow sheriffs to simultaneously serve as Corners.

A 2024 count Santa Barbara county civil. Grand jury report identified both real and perceived conflicts of interest that arise from this arrangement. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Limón moves the call. Members, we will now move to Senate third reading, file item 15, SCR 105. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 105 by Senator Wahab, relative to human rights in Gaza.

Senator Wahab, you are recognized.

Thank you. Colleagues. I rise today not as a representative of a caucus, religion, or identity, but simply as a human being compelled to speak for humanity. Because human rights has no race, no gender, no religion, and no nationality. They belong to us all. In introducing SCR 105, we confront one of the greatest moral tests of our time in this century, the defense of human rights in Gaza.

I thank my colleagues who support this long overdue resolution, including Members of the Legislative Jewish Caucus. We may carry very different perspectives and emotions, but we are united in one truth. Every human life deserves dignity and protection. Let us begin with the facts since October 7, 2023.

More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children. 163,000 wounded. 1.7 million individuals displaced into overcrowded shelters and tents. 1200 Israelis killed in the October 7th attack, with additional soldiers lost since. Dozens of hostages remain captive in Gaza under dangerous and degrading conditions.

The United Nations and World Food Program warned that over half a million people are on the brink of famine. Mothers boil weeds to feed their children. Doctors amputate without anesthesia. Infants die in powerless incubators. This is not simply conflict. This is not merely tragedy. This is atrocity. This is a human catastrophe, a humanitarian catastrophe.

Beyond the numbers or the lives that I often try to remind my colleagues of, Gaza has become a graveyard for children. Families lie buried together. Disease spreads in tents where sewage seeps into water. Parents claw through rubble to recover their children. And mothers carry and cradle lifeless infants starved by siege.

And yet we must also remember Israel's nightmare. Families massacred in their homes, young people slaughtered at a music festival, more than 200 hostages dragged into darkness. Their families wake every morning in anguish. Their humanity matters too. As someone whose family comes from generations of war, I do not glorify conflict. I know its cost.

Children left fatherless, homeless, and traumatized. War steals not only lives, but futures. This resolution is not about choosing sides in a war. It is not about labels or comparisons. It is about one thing, choosing humanity. It is about demanding human rights and holding every violator accountable, no matter who they are. This resolution affirms the humanity of every victim.

It condemns terrorism. It condemns collective punishment. It calls for accountability under international law, the protection of civilians, and the safe return of all hostages. Here in California, Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Israeli, and Palestinian communities live side by side. They are grieving. They are afraid. They face rising antisemitism, anti-Israeli hate, Islamophobia, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian hate.

We must say clearly, hate has no place here. Safety for one community must never come at the expense of another. Safety must rise for all of us together. This resolution is bipartisan. It shows that we can grieve every family, condemn every act of terror, and still choose compassion over cruelty, law over vengeance, and justice over silence.

History will remember where we stood when children begged for bread, when hospitals went dark, when hostages languished in captivity. California can model courage without cruelty, compassion without confusion. Let us be remembered for raising our voices when silence would have been easier.

Let us stand without hesitation on the side of humanity, justice, and the dignity of every human being. Colleagues, I urge you for your aye vote. Let us send an unmistakable message that California stands for human rights, for every civilian life, and for the simple truth that no child, no matter where they are born, should ever pay the price of war. Thank you.

Thank you. Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I rise in strong support of SCR 105. I want to thank my colleague from Hayward for her leadership, not just on this resolution, but in addressing this disaster overall. And I just want to say the last nearly two years have been just so difficult and just devastating on so many levels.

And the Senator from Hayward has been just a fantastic colleague and being able to talk through issues and to work together and collaborate. And I just want to express publicly my appreciation for your leadership. Colleagues, what's happening right now and has been happening for quite some time in Gaza.

If my Yiddish speaking grandmother, God rest her soul, we're still alive and here, she would use the word shanda to describe it, which is Yiddish for disgrace. The destruction of Gaza, the killing of so many people, including so many children, the destruction of so many homes, the health system, the education system. It is unimaginable.

And I have condemned it and I continue to condemn it. It has to stop. It should have stopped a long time ago, and it needs to stop now. And a majority of Israelis want it to stop. They want their government to stop the war and to bring the hostages home and to make that the top priority. Ending the war, stopping the destruction, bringing the hostages home, including the deceased hostages who are still in Gaza.

That has to happen. This humanitarian catastrophe, it has to stop. And you know, I want to just say I still remember exactly where I was when I got the first notification on my phone about Hamas's invasion of Israel on October 7th and the resulting massacre of 1200 people. The rape of women, the kidnapping of hundreds of people, including children and seniors, even a Holocaust survivor.

And this attack in southern Israel on young people who were celebrating at a music festival and on kibbutzim in southern Israel, which is in many ways the heartland of progressive peace seeking people in California. The killing and kidnapping of literal peace activists who wanted to find a way to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people.

It was the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. It was beyond devastating for Jews around the world. And what made it even more devastating. And sometimes people wonder in terms of the level of trauma among Jews in the last few years, what made it more devastating was that celebrations broke out around the world.

There were protests, celebrations immediately while Hamas was still in southern Israel killing people. Protest celebrations around the world calling for Israel's destruction before Hamas had even been ejected from Israel. I need to say that in terms of people understanding what Jews experienced on that day and in the ensuing days and weeks.

And Israel has a right to defend itself. And I say this as someone who supports Israel's existence as the home of half of all Jews on the planet, 7 million Jews, and 2 million Arab Israelis who are largely Palestinian. It is an incredibly important place for our community. And Israel has a right to defend itself.

What is happening now has gone so far beyond that. And the death of so many civilians, children, the destruction of so much infrastructure, it has gone beyond. And that's... It has to stop. And we need, you know, Jews, Israelis, Palestinians, we all come from the same root and everyone needs to live together, coexist in peace.

And I know that's so basic. And we learn that as children and sometimes adults forget that. And what gives me hope is that there are a critical mass of Israelis and Palestinians who want to coexist with each other in mutual respect and peace. And I hope that out of this catastrophe, that a peace movement can arise.

It will require Hamas to be gone. It will require a new government in Israel that is committed to peace. But we have to have hope that we can get that done. But first, this destruction has to end. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Senator Pérez, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise in strong support of SCR 105 and want to acknowledge and thank the good Senator from Hayward for authoring this and bringing this forward. Because it is past time that we pass and recognize what has happened in Gaza with a resolution.

While I was mayor of the City of Alhambra, I worked alongside my colleagues in a multiethnic coalition to bring forward a ceasefire resolution. We were one of the first 100 cities in California to pass a ceasefire resolution.

And it was incredibly important for us to do that in that moment because we saw what was happening and what was going to happen, which is that tens of thousands of men and women and children were being killed. And we needed to call it out, and we needed to demand that Israel put down its arms, that Hamas put down its arms, and that we have peace.

Now what we have seen since then has been utterly horrifying. Just a couple of months ago, I released a statement acknowledging that there is starvation that is happening in Palestine, in Gaza, that is being systematically done by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And we need to recognize that. International courts have called out that what he is doing is criminal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal.

And it is critical that we recognize that that is a stated fact. And it is completely, completely absurd that we are watching in real time as one government blocks aid from being able to enter into another country, another place, systematically starving people.

As we're watching in real time from our phones. It has been so incredibly heartbreaking. And I've heard from hundreds of thousands of people, not just across my district, but all across the State of California, that have expressed their just deep, deep concern with the events that they've been seeing taking place.

And it is so important that we stand up and call this out and call out what is happening because of our relationship that we have with this other country. You know, it is past time for us to start enforcing sanctions against Israel for what they have been doing.

And it is also important for us to recognize, as you see, there is such a diverse group of stakeholders that are a part of this piece of legislation. And you can recognize and hold folks accountable to say that we condemn antisemitism. And we also must hold Israel's government accountable for the crimes that they have committed against other people, just like we would anybody else.

And it is so important that we do that in this moment. And I'm really grateful that we have so many different stakeholders, not just here in the Senate, but in the Assembly, that have chosen to be a part of this resolution so that we can make clear where we stand on this issue of human rights.

You know, in order for us to move forward, and the good Senator from San Francisco just mentioned this. To move forward, for us to begin this movement towards peace, we need to make clear that it's important and critical for all of us to stand up for the human rights of one another.

And that's what we're doing in this moment. So, again, want to thank the good Senator from Hayward for bringing forward SCR 105. It is so important for us to recognize these major events and so important for us to speak out on what's taken place. Thank you.

Thank you. Senator Cervantes, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I want to start off by thanking our colleague from Hayward and San Francisco for bringing this important resolution to this floor. Today I rise in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 105, which reaffirms California's commitment to human rights and calls for an end to the devastating conflict that has caused immense suffering in Gaza.

The reality is heartbreaking. More than 60,000 lives have been lost. Over 1.7 million people have been displaced from their homes. Famine conditions are spreading with tens of thousands of already facing starvations. A million more at risk.

As we heard, the healthcare systems have collapsed with hospitals lacking power, water, medicine, and basic supplies. Schools and neighborhoods lie in ruin. International humanitarian law is clear. Civilians must never be targets.

Collective punishment is prohibited, and all parties to conflicts must ensure access to food, medicine, and shelter. Yet, again and again, innocent people, especially children, have paid the highest price. California is home to a beautiful, vibrant Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Israeli and Palestinian communities, all of whom contribute to the rich fabric of our society.

Many of our own friends, neighbors, constituents live with deep fear and grief as their loved ones suffer abroad. And we owe it to them, to our values, to speak with clarity today, our voice here in California may feel far from the devastation, but our voice matters.

And when a state like ours speaks up, a state as diverse, democratic, and a state that is deeply committed to human dignity. It sends a message to the rest of the world that we cannot ignore, neither can the world. For all these reasons and more, I respectfully ask for an aye vote on...

Thank you. Senator Blakespear, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. First, I want to thank the good Senator from Hayward for her powerful words when she opened this. We routinely talk on the Senate Floor about values, about our American values, about the values that we believe in when it comes to democracy and all sorts of other values.

And it's very important that we are here today to condemn what is happening in in Gaza. I rise in strong support of this resolution. It's affirming our state's commitment to humanitarian rights and to ending the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

It's also important to recognize that genocide scholars and human rights organizations acknowledge that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. And it's time for us to say enough is enough. The starvation, the collapse of the health system, the destruction of basic infrastructure, the displacement of 1.7 million Palestinians, more than 60,000 lives lost.

When do we say enough is enough? And it's critical that we stand on the floor of our California State Senate and say that we do not support what is happening. We do not support it. And I urge all of us to support SCR 105. Thank you.

Thank you. Senator Cortese, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I just will keep it brief, but I do rise in support of SCR 105 and appreciate our colleague from Hayward for bringing it forward. These are certainly kind of resolutions that take a great deal of conviction and courage to bring forward.

I simply want to say that I support the resolution because at the deepest level of my core being, I believe that violence always begets violence and nothing else is accomplished from it. And I think if for no other reason, this resolution should be supported because of that principle. We've learned that here in this country.

We've learned that from our own civil war that just led to a very bloody civil rights movement. We've learned that from every conflict in the history of the world. And it's not just a passive statement. I think that's what we need to be committed to.

Just like Cesar Chavez was, just like Mahatma Gandhi was, and just like Dr. Martin Luther King was. The only movements in the world that have ever succeeded have succeeded because of action. But non-violent action, not violent action. And lastly, I just want to say there were a number of the world's major religions called out in this resolution.

And also in the comments by our colleague and it's appropriate because it's been said, and I also firmly believe this as an absolute, that we won't have peace in the world until we have peace among the major religions of the world. And that's not just a cute phrase either.

That's something that we should be committed to, absolutely committed to here in the State of California. We can lead the world in that regard, and we have led the world in that regard when we've been at our best. And again, that is a reason to support this resolution, and I hope it's supported unanimously. Thank you, colleagues and Madam President. I urge your aye vote.

Thank you. Senator Strickland, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, I feel I wasn't going to speak on this resolution today, but I feel like I need to respond. It's been very disturbing on some of the comments that I've heard from some of my colleagues. And again, we could agree to disagree without being disagreeable.

I respect everybody on this floor. But when I hear terms like hold Israel accountable and I hear negative comments about Prime Minister Netanyahu, I want to remind this body that Israel has been fighting and wants peace. Most recently, we had the Abraham Accords under Donald Trump, and the two state solution's been on the table many, many times.

And I can recall Bill Clinton having the deal right on the table, and it wasn't Israel that walked away from that deal. I will remind this body that Israel was attacked on October 7th. And this resolution doesn't have it being equal in terms of who's at fault. Israel has been wanting peace.

They've been giving up land for peace. They've had peace on the table. They've been fighting for peace. And I just don't appreciate some of the comments that have gone on about some of the Members on this floor, because if I was leader of Israel, they were attacked on October 7th. This is not an equal footing.

When you look at Gaza, there's been a lot of information has come out where they have bunkers hiding Hamas leaders in bunkers in Gaza. I would ask you, if you were Prime Minister of Israel, wouldn't you go after those bunkers after you were attacked? Wouldn't you fight for the hostages to come back?

I will remind this body Israel was the one that was attacked. And for this body to criticize the Prime Minister of Israel for fighting for his citizens, I think is totally unacceptable. We do want peace, we all want peace. But many of them in the resolution, it says let's have the UN and the UN come in.

Many of those leaders in those nations, the UN don't even recognize Israel's right to exist. For those reasons and for a lot of the comments on this floor, I am not going to vote on this resolution. I wasn't going to talk.

But again, Members, look at the history and let me remind you, Israel just had the Abraham Accords with President Trump. Clinton had a two state solution that Israel was fighting for and they were the ones attacked. And just remember that as you vote for this resolution.

Thank you, Senator Rubio, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, today I rise in support of this resolution. Every person deserves dignity. And when I see what's happening in Gaza, it pains me for many reasons. One, because you know, I've always advocated for our children, as you all know, and I have seen the little bodies of starving children.

And I think that, you know, I have to agree with both sides. But the reality is that we have to figure out how to come together to put an end to our children, their children, starving and being in harm's way.

You know, I don't disagree that the attacks came from Hamas and Israel has the right to exist and defend themselves. But I just want to add my voice to the human tragedy here. The 60,000 lives that are lost, aid not reaching these families who are starving.

And we need to put pressure to ensure that aid, medicine and everything that these families need to survive and at least try to live with a little bit of dignity is important.

And I think it's our responsibility to continue to place our effort, our energy in trying to find a resolution where the families that are innocent bystanders are not being harmed. So my voice is strongly advocating that we figure this out in a way that we collectively out our voice.

No matter where you're at on the issue, this is about human, human tragedy. This is about lives. And no one can turn on the TV and deny the horror that's happening to these families. But again, I just want to make sure that we advocate for the dignity and human rights of people.

That's the very least we can do. And with that, I ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Padilla. You are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President and colleagues. This important in this time of intense emotion, I think to be reminded of the fact that the resolution before us clearly articulates a reaffirmation of a commitment to human rights, to human rights, and to call for the humanitarian catastrophe occurring in Gaza to end.

It is unfortunate that we can continually be pulled into other aspects of the tragedy and the conflict that has been and continues to occur in the Middle East, in Palestine and Israel. The greatest, the failure, utter failure throughout human history of humankind to resolve differences without violence, I think is the greatest sin of humankind.

And what is it in the human heart throughout time that can become hardened and dark and find a way from early recorded history to the modern times to rationalize in our mind that we can, while trying to legitimately prosecute the unfortunate occasion that demands we defend innocence and we use force to do so, that we rationalize in our mind that somehow we can just do that in wanton disregard at times.

And I'm not. I think the fundamental truth here is that it's occurred throughout human history and it's wrong no matter who does it. I'm a proud American student of history. United States did that in World War II. Nazi Germany did it in World War II. Great Britain did it in World War II. It was called unrestricted war.

We made a decision in order to meet military objectives, we had to bomb residential neighborhoods and kill women and children. We didn't limit our targets to military targets. To shut down industrial infrastructure. We intentionally made the decision that we needed to achieve a certain objective, and we just went for it.

We weren't the first, we won't be the last. That doesn't change the fact that today, in 2025, we're supposed to have evolved a little. We have new technologies, we have new options. I've traveled widely myself in the Middle East, throughout Israel, in the West Bank, and right up at the gates of Gaza.

I lost people I knew on October 7, and it was painful. I can't imagine the position that the State of Israel has been put in. All of those things are true. All of those things are true.

But what is most true is that if we are ever going to evolve as a species beyond this tragedy, we have to always speak out in defense of Innocent life, in defense of precious souls, in defense of beating hearts, no matter their race or description or origin or circumstance.

We have the technology to not indiscriminately take the lives of innocents. And sometimes we choose to not put a lot of value on that. That, in my view, Madam President, is what this resolution is really all about, is to reaffirm our commitment to see the humanity in one another.

It has nothing to do with the political dialogue and debate that is occurring around the political situation. It is simply reaffirming our commitment to see the humanity and the value in each and every one of us. I respectfully ask for nyvo.

Thank you, Senator Reyes. You are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I'd like to thank my colleagues from Hayward and San Francisco for bringing this resolution forward. And I rise in strong support of SCR105 to call for the end of humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the release of all hostages.

There are no words sufficient enough to describe the level of devastation and inhumanity taking place in Gaza. Data from the United nations confirms that over 90% of homes in Gaza have been destroyed. As was mentioned earlier, Gaza's health system has collapsed. There are no universities left. Entire families have been erased.

With over 60,000 lives that have been lost, we have to recognize over 20,000 of those are children. Palestinians have been displaced from their homes. Many are in famine. We are witnessing crimes against humanity, against Palestinians in Gaza. We are witnessing famine and the death of children starving to death.

We must ensure humanitarian aid to Gaza and we must assure that it is not blocked. It is our moral obligation, not only as legislators, but as human beings, to call for an end to this violence and to end complicity in this. We must call for all parties, including Hamas and Israel, to comply with international human rights laws.

We still have hostages remaining in Gaza. They must be released. We must ensure that they are reunited with their families safely. And for hostages who have died, their families deserve closure. Their bodies must be brought home. I would like to quote former President of Mexico, Benito Juarez.

Entre Los indidos Como entrenaciones El Respeto, El De recho ageno es La Paz. Among individuals, as among nations, the respect for the rights of others is peace. We must respect the right for all people to live in peace. We must especially do this for the children, for the women, for the elderly who have been the greatest victims.

The Legislature must reaffirm solidarity with all California communities impacted by rising anti Semitism, Islamophobia, anti Arab and anti Palestinian hate stemming from this very conflict. Thank you and I urge your strong support of SCR105.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise in support of SCR105 and I also thank the authors very much. In June of 2023, this California State Senate here passed Resolution SR38.

I authored the resolution at the urging of Reverend James Lawson who was Dr. Martin Luther King's teacher on the strategy and the philosophy and the practice of nonviolence and the lore Suerta. Permission to read. Permission granted. Thank you.

Nonviolence must become as relevant today as it was during the non violent campaigns of the civil rights movement which helped push for peaceful social change.

By teaching our students about non violence principles, it can help this generation become the generation that helps our nation move towards healing, overcome hate and division amongst us and build a just and harmonious community.

I want to quote that because that's a commitment that we made that we were going to urge our educational institutions in California which by the way has started and change the attitude of this generation towards violence. No more violence.

We have to change it at a deeper level and make sure that we have people who truly believe in non violence and and don't just talk about it. We have to do more than condemn the violence in Gaza. We must change the beliefs and the values of this generation. Respectfully ask for Ivoc.

Senator Cabaldon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Facebook reminds me that eight years ago on this day I was in the West Bank. Eight years ago yesterday I was as reference at the chained gates of the Gaza Israeli border.

Today we've talked about the disaster in Gaza, the devastation in Gaza, the tragedy in Gaza with verbs like that is happening or that is currently occurring.

And that urge, maybe that urge to look away and describe it entirely in the passive voice as though it were a wildfire or an earthquake without cause or motive or intent is exactly why this resolution is so important, that these are intended actions and decisions.

Just as on October 7, the murders on October 7 and the murders and the starvation and the destruction of everything in these communities ever since. We have to stand up. This hits a little different in 2025 because I appreciate that the polling shows the people of Israel don't support what's going on in Gaza.

It's a little different in 2025 because the people of the United States don't support rampant gun law, no gun laws. They don't support kidnapping people off the street in immigration raids. They absolutely don't support the Gulag in El Salvador. They don't support shooting boats of unarmed people in the Caribbean.

More than just answering a poll question is required of both the Israeli people just as it is of the American people. Yes, it is Benjamin Netanyahu and the government.

But we must not just call for peace, but join in action together, as we are doing right here in California, to fight back, to assure that this actually comes to an end, that we don't treat it like an earthquake or a wildfire, but as murder, as the deprivation and the destruction of an entire homeland that must be put to an end.

I very. I was going to say nothing because the author of this resolution was so powerful, comprehensive, restrained, and yet enraged, all of which was deserved. But I've been moved by the statements today and know and simply urge colleagues to step forward, cast a vote for this resolution and, and then work for the change that must happen.

That is urgent and it is immediate, just as it is here in the United States and it is in Gaza as well. Thanks to the author. Urge an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Allen, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I just want to thank the author, both the authors. I was involved in some of the drafting of this. It's a carefully worded plea, it's a lament, it's an expression of our deep sorrow, but also our commitment to action based on the terrible human suffering that we're seeing in Gaza right now.

I want to say to my friend from Orange County that I agree with much of what he has to say, including the importance of Israel's right to defend himself from the horrific attacks and the long term security challenges posed by the terrible Hamas authorities currently still in charge in Gaza.

I will say that the only allusion to the United nations in the Resolve section of the resolution is an allusion to UN Being part of a broader effort to provide food and medicine and shelter.

So whatever feelings folks may have about the Un they are an important part of the solution there in terms of providing humanitarian support to end the suffering. I mean, ultimately, this is about our.

There's so much blame to go around for the catastrophe in Gaza, but this is our way of recognizing it, saying to the people there that we see them and that we're determined to engage our own leadership, our friends in the Israeli leadership, our friends in the leadership of the Arab world to end the horrific human suffering that's taking place there.

That's at the heart and soul of this resolution. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote

thank you, Senator Valladares, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I'm not going to be voting on this today because I don't like how the debate transpired today. But I do want to make to be very clear about what this resolution does and doesn't do. This resolution does not accuse Israel of genocide. It does not label Prime Minister Netanyahu as a war criminal.

And it's not written to put blame on either side. What this resolution does do is call for peace. It acknowledges the horrific terror attacks of October 7, when Hamas murdered over 1200 Israelis and took more than 250 hostages. Men, women, children, the elderly, babies. It demands that those hostages be released immediately.

It condemns Hamas and their use of civilians as human shields. And it affirms Israel's right to protect its citizens from terrorism. At the same time, it recognizes the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and calls for urgent relief of civilians caught in the crossfire that is pro humanity.

To stand for peace, to call for the protection of innocent life on both sides. As a matter of fact, Israel's security and well being of Palestinians are bound together. There will never be a lasting safety for Israeli families if Palestinian families live without dignity or hope. This resolution is about reaffirming our values as Californians.

Respect for life, condemnation of terror and commitment to peace. Please, let's not distort that, distort its purpose with inflammatory rhetoric. We can support Israel. We can demand that Hamas release hostages and still stand for humanitarian aid and peace. That is the spirit and the intent of this resolution.

Senator Smallwood-Cuevas, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. And I stand in strong support of this resolution as a Member that represents South Los Angeles. South Los Angeles understands the pain of oppression. And we also understand the power of resilience. And I think this is what this resolution is about.

Today, Dr. King talked about how an injustice is anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere. And we hear the cries of the mothers in Israel whose children were terrorized, loved ones kidnapped.

And we also hear the cries of the mothers of the children in Gaza who are terrorized, who are traumatized, who are hungry and praying for their survival. This resolution is about making sure that those mothers have dignity, that those mothers have peace. It's not just about politics. It's about the sanctity of human life.

It's about the urgency of this moment and the power of our voices to say no. If we want peace, we must speak for it. We must speak for it now. And I think that's what this resolution does. Even when it's hard, even when we don't fully understand, we have to stand up for justice. And what's right.

We fought and know yesterday. We talked about individuals who are harming our neighbors, our loved ones wearing masks. We just saw our own children gunned down in Colorado this morning.

I think this resolution reminds us the power of this of our voices to stand for justice, to stand for protection, to stand for the process of law, but most importantly, to stand up and pull peace closer toward us. And with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Umberg. You are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, typically, I think that we should focus on California's interests, perhaps the interests of the United States and our influence on United States policy and that we should stay out of foreign policy. But sometimes events occur that require we as elected representatives of Californians to stand up and have our voices be heard.

The events of October 7th, so horrific, so unspeakable, need to be recognized and those responsible need to be held accountable, even perhaps at the cost of their lives. But four year olds bear no accountability, no responsibility for what happened on October 7th.

And we need to raise our voices up on behalf of those four year olds to make sure that humanitarian aid, that food, that medicine, that water be provided to those Gaza that to the extent that Hamas was responsible and those in charge of Hamas are responsible, they should be held accountable.

But we should raise our voices to make sure that the suffering is also recognized and that the suffering of those who bear no responsibility is our responsibility to raise our voices up to make sure that that suffering is addressed, addressed, mitigated and addressed. Thank you. I urge an aye.

Thank you, Senator Ashby.

You are recognized. Thank you, Madam President. I have the distinct honor of representing Sacramento in this August body. Sacramento is known to be a home for many refugees from many countries. It's also known for its diversity, which is something I'm very proud of.

But I rise today because I often think what must it be like to be born the daughter of Afghan refugees, to suffer many difficulties as a child and then to become one of one as an Afghan American elected not only to this body, but one of very few elected to anybody in this country.

I rise today because I am incredibly proud that the names next to Wahab Et Al are Members of the Jewish Caucus, that in California we are leading by working together that the good Senator from Hayward is strong enough and brave enough as one of one to stand on this floor and ask us to vote aye on scr 105 and that Members of that Jewish caucus are strong enough to stand next to her. I urge an aye vote on scr105.

Thank you, Senator Caballero. You are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I didn't intend to speak on this this afternoon, morning, evening, whatever it is, but I will tell you that I was really incredibly moved by the statement that our good colleague from Hayward gave today. We live in troubled times, and those troubles are complicated. And when we can stand.

And if you look at all of the legislators here today, we all come from really different backgrounds, and we've all been in this country different times. My family got here in the 1850s, and yet people keep looking at me and thinking, well, you know, go back to. Go back to. To where you're from.

It's like, hello, this is it. You know, this is my place. And it. You know, despite the fact that we all come from different places, I think we want what's best for our state and for our country.

And part of what's best for our state and for our country is that we create an environment where people can live in peace, because peace is really hard to find. There are a million reasons to fight, and some of them are historical, and some of them are just based on bias and prejudice.

And so I just want to second what was said by my good friend from Sacramento. I'm really impressed that despite our differences and despite the fact that we could debate and argue who started what first, and I mean, going back generations, that we can come together and we can get things done.

And this resolution really, really talks about the children. It talks about innocent people. It talks about individuals that are caught in the middle.

And it behooves us to stand up when we see things happening that we think should be different, where we see the opportunity to create peace and to insist that children, women, elderly are treated with respect and that they are protected and that they're not just casualties, because this is the way the world is. It is a crisis.

And I want to thank the Senator from Hayward for bringing this before us, because this isn't going to stop it, but it at least puts a flag, a peace flag in the ground and says, in California, whatever the differences are, we want people to be able to live good lives, want them to be able to eat things.

So simple. So I respectfully ask for your vote for SCR105. Not because it calls out anybody, because it doesn't. It is a very, very simple statement of peace. Respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Madam President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, I also was not prepared to speak, but I Based on the comments and the concerns, the worries that have been expressed, I thought I'd get up and just share some thoughts.

It's been a very hard week for many of us, seeing what has been going on around the world and here in our very own country, how our personal freedoms have been threatened on so many friends, including the ability to express ourselves in a way that is safe and fair.

We had someone lose their life this week because of sharing their personal religious and their personal philosophies and ideas. And it's interesting because when I was approached by my colleague and friend from Hayward to ask to sign on to her resolution, the very first sentence that she says, she goes, hey, I need your support.

And I share that with you because she is one of an ethnococcus. One person, the first Muslim woman to be elected to the California State Senate. And I share that with you because I think it's important to see her perspective on this floor. I was the first Latina Republican elected to the California State Senate.

And when someone comes to you and says, hey, I need your support, and I said, what is it? What do you have? And I always get nervous on what she says, but I listened to her because she has personal experiences, and I want to make sure that she knows that she is heard and that she's validated as an elected woman here on the Senate Floor. So I read her resolution and I said, well, it seems pretty benign.

And as I spoke to folks and asked their opinion about their resolution, everybody was asking about what their thoughts were about the resolution, concerns and prose. And one of the things she said was, she goes, hey, I've been working with the Jewish Caucus about the language.

So another great point to make is that she, as one, looked to the quote, unquote, other side to get to board and be collaborative in an effort to make sure that this language was one that merited support in a bipartisan way for her in a bipartisan meeting, culturally. And I appreciated that.

And I thought, well, how can that be wrong? How can anything be wrong when you're looking at people to work collaboratively on the language? And that would meet the intent of the resolution, which was. And the reason behind why I signed it, because this is how she sold it to me. It's for the children.

It's for the children. It's for the elderly, the children who are going without parents, who are going without their basic needs. It's not one side or another. It's not about picking sides. It really isn't about picking sides.

It's about acknowledging the suffering that has been going on, acknowledging the incidents that have happened and what instigated what is currently going on.

As elected, as elected word leaders, I have been often heard say that I don't care to engage in national affairs, I don't care to engage in foreign affairs because I'm an elected for California by my constituents to uphold the US and the state constitution and to represent my constituents.

But in this case, when a colleague comes over and asks and says, hey, I need your support, it's for the children to recognize what is going on, the humanitarian need that is going on. We can have our personal opinions on why and who on either side.

But more than ever as elected, we have to find that common ground and come together and support each other where we can. I am a proud co author of this resolution because I know the intent of the heart of my colleague from Hayward. I know that it's not about picking sides.

It really is about the children, the women, the elderly, the displaced person. And it condemns the use of civilians as human shields. I can stand by this, absolutely stand by these words. And I want to make sure that we as elected, as leaders stand together for these most vulnerable people wherever they are in our world.

Because as a woman of faith, I know that these people are all children of God. And with that, I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Becker. You are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. The way I read this resolution is not about taking sides. It's about calling for an end to the pain and suffering of Gazans and for return of the hostages. It's about taking a stand for humanity. And this isn't the first time. We're of course in recess when October 7th happened.

We did a joint letter that fall, taking a stand for humanity. The Jewish Caucus foundation has given donations of food aid for Gazans to take a stand for humanity. And we all need to be doing that right now.

As someone who studied history, international relations, I know this conflict is deeply complex and I could talk at length about some of the comments that have been made, but I won't today. Of course Hamas is responsible for this crisis and of course that does not absolve Israel for its actions.

And of course we should criticize the government of Israel if it's taking actions that we don't agree with. Since October 7, when Hamas attacked innocent Israel kibbutzes and massacred teenagers the same age as my kids when they're at a music festival about peace and love, the suffering has been immense.

Dozens of hostages are still in captivity and in Gaza, estimates are more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, 1.7 million displaced, and families are hungry, and the medical system is collapsing. Reports are Israel has actually delivered 100 million meals. But the fact is people are suffering right now, and these are civilians, children, parents, elders, living through catastrophe.

We cannot deny or look away from the suffering. We cannot be silent in the face of such tragedy. SCR105 rejects hate, demands the release of hostages, calls for humanitarian aid, and affirms that every life, every life, Israeli and Palestinian alike, is of equal worth.

My understanding of being Jewish is to both free the captive and to heal the sick. And we are desperate, desperate for an end to this war. Today I think of a Jewish prayer for peace. At my synagogue. We end every service with this prayer. Oseh Shalom.

Oseh Shalom Bin Ramav Hu Yasser Shalom Alenu ve' Alko Yisrael Vi Imru. Amen. He who makes peace in his heights, may he make peace upon Israel and all the world. Let us say Amen.

Thank you, Senator McNerney. You are recognized.

I think the President. Basically, I want to say that I am a very strong believer in the just war theory, the just war principles. And you can argue, I think, successfully, that the events of October 7th justified Israel to conduct a war in its defense. But the just war principles has two parts.

One is what justifies a nation going to war, and the other is how the nation conducts the war. So even though Israel was justified, in my opinion, in starting a war, that does not give Israel the right to conduct the war as it pleases.

And in doing so, it is giving up the moral ground that it initially had and has joined the league of would be nations that would conduct unjust and illegal wars. And just based on those principles, I have to say that I will support this resolution and I ask my colleagues to do so. Thank you.

Thank you. Senator Jones, you are recognized.

Thank you. Madam President and Members. Madam President, if the author would entertain two questions, I'd like some clarification on a couple of the resolutions, please.

Will the author entertain questions?.

Thank you. In the resolved part of the language, there's two things I would if you could clarify for us. The Legislature supports an internationally led framework for reconstruction in Gaza and then two more resolves down. The resolution says the Legislature encourages renewed diplomatic engagement supported by international mediators.

Can you speak to the intent of the international language in the resolution, please?

The call of the resolution is to have all stakeholders at the table to discuss a peace plan moving forward.

So you're not necessarily calling for particular countries to be involved in that and, and. Or the United Nations. You're open to whoever wants to come to that table and have a peaceful conversation.

No stakeholders were explicitly named. It is, again, a call for action for all stakeholders interested in peace moving forward.

Thank you. I appreciate that. I appreciate the author's work on this very important resolution. As would probably be expected, when this started off earlier in the year, I certainly wasn't in support of what I heard was the language at the beginning of this exercise. As I'm reading through the language now, I think it's fairly straightforward.

I believe that our colleague from Orange County did a very good job of defending the truth of the matter against some very highly expressive rhetorical statements that were made by some of our colleagues on the floor here today that do not add to the productivity of the conversation.

I think some of the speakers, most of the speakers today, have done a very good job of threading the needle of this issue. And I'll share my personal experience a month ago of traveling to Israel myself. And since the June siege efforts of Israel against Iran, I thought my trip was going to be canceled.

And I just kept waiting for the phone call saying that I wasn't going to be going to Israel. And everybody asked me, are you going? Are you going? Are you going? I said, I'm going. They're going to have to cancel that trip on me. I'm not canceling it on them.

On the second day that we were in Israel, we went to the kibbutz. Did I say that right? Kibbutz that was attacked by Hamas out of Gaza. I stood on the back porch of one of the homes that has a clear view across the field to the border of Gaza.

I could see the gate in Gaza that Hamas came through to attack Israel. I walked through the homes that were bombed. I saw the bullet holes in the walls of the buildings. I saw the blood on the walls of people dragging their hand down the wall as they perished.

But interestingly, at the same time, I heard bombs going off in the distance. I've never been in a war zone before, and to be honest with you, I actually didn't give it much thought right off the bat because I live.

I hear bombs all the time in my neighborhood, believe it or not, because I live near Miramar Marine Corps Air Base. Miramar, and not too far from Pendleton. So I hear gunfire and bombs and helicopters and all that stuff all the time. And I didn't. It didn't.

It took like the third or fourth bomb going off before I realized, zero, wait a minute, that's a real bomb. That's bombing a real neighborhood.

As we toured the next six days through Israel into Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and the Golan Heights and some of the Christian sites across in the Sea of Galilee, the Mount, where the Sermon on the Mount was delivered, an opportunity to meet with Israelis, Palestinians, Muslims, every corner of a cross culture of our globe on that tour.

One of the most interesting tours I had was of a Catholic monastery in a Muslim neighborhood in Jerusalem in Israel. And I bought a scarf for my family or my wife that was produced in Palestine, the Palestinian part of Israel. I don't know how more international you can get than that.

As I talk to Israelis and I talk to Muslims and I talk to Palestinians and I talk to Israelis that are religious Jews, non religious Jews, Palestinians. We had several Palestinian authors and reporters come and talk to us. We couldn't go to Palestine at that point in time because Israel had the borders closed.

The people that lived can go back and forth, but visitors weren't allowed to at the time. So they had to come see us to a person, to a person, regardless of their ideology, regardless of their religion, regardless of where they lived in the area. They said, quote, it's complicated. It's complicated, and it is complicated.

I think that the author should be rewarded for her hard work on this and acknowledged for that. And I think the Jewish Caucus should be recognized for their hard work on being willing and able to come to the table and have the conversation. And I'll also start at.

I'm not sure it's really necessary and appropriate for the California State Senate to take on this complicated issue, but it's something that we have to deal with in our communities and our neighborhoods.

And of the 1 million people that I represent in San Diego, County, I represent Christians, I represent a huge Muslim community, I represent a huge Jewish community. I have a huge Chaldean community in my district. I have a huge Indian community in my district.

So I kind of spin around on myself and say, yeah, it is appropriate because there are constituents. They're all our constituents. I think the best thing that I can say today and this morning is I'm going to support the resolution. And I'm going to support it because I recognize all of the hard work that's gone into it.

I'm going to support it despite the rhetoric that was shared on this floor. And I will encourage. I'll close with this. You've heard me say this many times that the media in America is broken. The media in America, whatever agenda they have, has an agenda.

I can promise you until you travel to Israel for yourself or that area in the Middle Eastern of the world, you're not being told the truth by any side of the media here in the United States.

I would encourage you, all of us, if you're going to come up with some rhetorical, inflammatory language, that you expose yourself to other avenues of media before you make up your mind on this complicated issue. And with that, I'll ask for an aye vote on scr 105.

Thank you, Senator Limon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President and Members, I rise in support of scr105. I want to thank the author for being a voice that, as most of us know, is never silence, but also being a voice to bring us to a moment where we are having a discussion about something that I think we all agree in humanity is important.

What we have witnessed happen in our world and happen in Israel and Palestine has broken us, a community, has broken us as people. When I reflect, when I see, when I look to the future, I think of every person as a loved one. For someone.

I think of what it feels like to lose your life in this conflict, to watch a loved one lose their life, to live in a community, to live in a land of conflict on a regular basis, on a daily basis, on an hourly basis.

While this has been something that has been described as difficult, as complicated, what is not is our pursuit for peace and dignity and life for those who are neighbors, for those who are loved ones to individuals.

I know that this resolution has required and has brought many voices here, voices here to come together to talk about this issue. I think sometimes we avoid the complicated, the conflictive. But I also think that there are times where we can find that we support elements that are core to us.

As I read the resolution a few weeks ago, I went through it and I looked at what it was asking. I looked at the overall message of supporting humanitarian aid, aid to those in need, asking for peace, asking for this violence and conflict to be resolved.

We will here and there and in every corner have disagreement about what and how that resolve might look.

But I hope that where we don't disagree is that every life lost is a life that meant something to someone, and that we agree that the violence must stop and that we are supporting a humanitarian approach to resolve the conflict that has impacted all of us in different ways. I ask for an aye.

Thank you, Senator Stern. You are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. So when the session wraps up, I'm getting on an airplane to go to Israel, and I'm going trying to figure out what to say if I am face to face with the leader. Leaders of that nation, which I sounds like I will be.

Bipartisan group of legislators from 50 states are actually going, but I have to lay a wreath down at Yad Vashem, which is the Holocaust Museum in Israel, on the very first day. So please don't keep me up too late Saturday night. That's just the first ask. I haven't known what to say.

But I think you guys, you all said it. You helped give me the words to Senator from Hayward. She helped give me my message. I am deeply grateful for that and wish you all would have seen the red lines that I shared with the authority over the last month. They were rather extensive on about 19 different versions.

Had some slight concerns about some matters. Words do matter, and it's not the old sticks and stones thing, actually. Words kill, and they change our culture and they turn us against each other. Have to be very, very careful with the words we use.

I chair the state's Holocaust and Genocide Education Council as well, and I keep hearing this word genocide, and I wrestle with it. When you have a situation where you can't. I just think of my daughter, right? And I don't know how I wouldn't put her in the bomb shelter.

Like, I don't know what that mentality is, that you just put your daughter where the bomb's coming and then you would go underground. I don't know what that is. I don't know what kind of war this is. Doesn't make sense.

I want to be able to deliver this message to both sides in this conflict, but I can only deliver it to one. I don't even know what the other side is. And that's why I don't know how you arrive at peace when the sands are shifting there.

So I can't say I know what the peace is, but I think we should chase it. And that's And I'm going to pray on that. As my good colleague from South LA said, we can. You can't just rely on God to bring peace. We gotta bring peace ourselves. And I said, you know, just.

You mistake me when I say that God should bring peace on earth as he does in heaven. As my colleague from the bay said, that's us. That's us doing that work. God's the space between us. We say, eino, there is no other, because there is no such thing as an other, because we actually aren't different people.

We aren't other. And on this floor, we're not other. In this country, we're not other. We are together. And I love you all and I'm grateful to you for bringing this. And I'll print a copy. I'm gonna bring it with me, and we'll hand to some folks over there and. And hopefully bring. Bring it. Bring an end to this war.

Senator Archuleta, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I'd like to stand up as a veteran, on behalf of all the veterans that we serve and represent here in California who've seen battle and seen tragedy.

One of the things that we talk about today is peace, but we also talk about the children, the people, and our colleague from San Diego, that you were able to see those bullet holes and that blood.

Imagine the tragedy that was happening right at that moment, that none of us were there, obviously, but we did see video and we can understand, but it didn't matter. There are two swords right now to play. One of them has got to be laid down.

One of them has got to stand up for world peace, for peace, for humanity. And we as America have got to be ready to help somehow put the pieces back together for the children, for the seniors, for everyone who participated in this tragedy. We got to bring it back together.

And I'd like to say, Madam President, that this Senate is actually standing up for peace, for the children, for both sides to come to the table and bring us the peace that we need. God bless you for standing up and God bless you for what you said today. Thank you.

Thank you. Senator McGuire, you are recognized.

Thank you so much. Madam President, I rise in support of SCR 105. I think we need to be candid in so many who have been so eloquent before me have. There is enormous suffering in Gaza right now. And the horrific attacks on October 7th was one of the worst attacks in Israel's history. Both can be true.

Hostages need to be released. That is also true. And the suffering on Both sides must end. That's why I want to take a moment to be able to acknowledge the Senator for Hayward. I won't speak for her, but I see what she stands for. She stands for the most vulnerable in this state.

She fights for the working poor. And when she sees someone, sees a population that is suffering, she goes to bat. And she takes enormous hits for that. And I want to say thank you.

I also want to acknowledge the Senators from Santa Monica in San Francisco who have been working with the good Senator or assistant majority leader to advance this resolution. This body should be on the record, should be on the record to stop the suffering and to bring peace to the region. I would respectfully ask for an aye vote on SCR 105.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate. Senator Wahab, would you like to close?

Thank you. First and foremost, I want to thank every Senator who has spoken about this issue and understands that this is a call for humanity. It is something that I believe that all of us support and believe in. And I really want to highlight kind of how this transpired in so many ways.

You know, we know the facts. We know what has happened in the international community. And I said very early into my statement that I rise as a human being first, not part of caucus, not part of identity, but specifically as a human being. And I want to highlight the conversations with Jewish caucus Members.

There were many, many, many, many iterations of this rezo. And I want to highlight that it is not a complicated conversation in the sense that we know what we want, but highlighting what has happened, who is upset, who has been victimized, who has been brutalized. Those things was where we had some disagreements.

And I really want to highlight the fact that we can debate history, we can debate politics all day, every day. That is what we do here. However, I think all of us believe in a future that allows every single individual to have dignity, respect and safety.

And I want to again thank every single Member who signed on to this resolution, as well as who spoke up for it. Because this is a bipartisan, bicameral effort. It is long overdue.

It is something that, as much as we do, highlight the fact that is an international crisis over there, but there are family Members here that are seeing loved ones suffer, figuring out what happens to their aunt, their uncle, their grandparents, their cousins, their nieces and nephews, and the children over there.

And it does impact our constituency across the board. I have consistently supported every single community and every single identity in the basic, fundamental right of being treated with dignity and respect in this state, as well as abroad and the Jewish Caucus Members.

And I really want to thank my Jewish colleagues, both from San Francisco and Santa Monica, for just having the patience and the courage to have these conversations to say, okay, Wahab, I know you want to do this. There's a lot of concerns. It is considered controversial, but it truly isn't.

I think that people are afraid to talk to each other. People are genuinely afraid to just say what's on their mind because of judgment, because they have to represent some identity, some community, some version of even themselves trapping themselves in a box.

And that's the reality of what we create in politics and society, is that we put ourselves in a box and then forget that. As my colleague stated, God is in between us, but also within us. And we are connected to each other. We are connected as human beings.

We are connected as living creatures on the same planet, breathing the same air. And we have highlighted so much about the women and the children and the elderly. And this resolution was not about pointing fingers. It was not about picking a side, because I think all of us believe in the dignity of all people.

It was about what do we want to see in the future in this world? And one of the things I really wanted to highlight is that no child should ever lose their innocence and become a child of war. Regardless of what color, what gender, what religion, every Israeli and Palestinian deserve safety, dignity, freedom, Independence and a future.

I want to thank the Jewish Caucus and my colleagues who have joined in this call. And I know it was difficult even to have the conversations within your own families, with their own communities.

And I will also highlight the fact that, being, as my colleague from Sacramento stated, one of one, it is also very difficult to be able to comment and be very genuine in my concern for both sides when people are still very afraid of each other and saying the wrong thing.

I want to highlight the fact that because we are standing for humanity, this is not controversial. We must never be afraid to talk to each other, listen to each other, and choose compassion over silence and fear. Colleagues, I urge your aye vote. And I want to thank all of you guys for this very respectful conversation. Thank you.

Thank you. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Senator Wahab moves the call.

I ask also for immediate transmission to the Assembly when call is lifted. Thank you. Thank you.

Members, that was a very much needed, long, robust, respectful debate. I think we need a break, so we're gonna break for lunch for 20 minutes. We'll see you back here in 20 minutes. Senator Jones, you are recognized.

We're gonna have a Republican caucus in room 215 during lunch. Please.

And, Members, please stay in the building. Thank you.

The Senate is now back in session from recess. We are going to start by lifting the call on file number 15. Secretary, please call the absent Members for SCR105.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 35 Noes zero. That resolution is adopted. Members, we are now going to move to Assembly. Third reading, starting with file item 70. AB144. Secretary, please read.

Assembly Bill 144 by the Assembly Committee on Budget an act relating to Health and making an appropriation therefore to take effect immediately Bill related to the budget.

Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. AB144 is the health Omnibus Trailer Bill. The Bill provides for certain exemptions and other provisions regarding licensure of health professionals and facilities during the 2020 LA Olympics.

It prevents the loss of access to preventive services, including vaccines by revising statewide requirements and guidance related to the provision of immunizations as well as the coverage and delivery of various preventive health services due to potentially harmful changes from the Federal Government maintains coverage for gender affirming care and Covered California Health Benefit Exchange despite legally dubious federal disallowances and it allows the exchange to defray the cost of providing gender affirming care with state funds.

It authorizes Covered California to order the transfer of up to 75% of accumulated funds and health plans segregated accounts for abortion services into a separate state account that will provide grants to ensure continued access to abortion services threatened by recent federal actions and it makes various other technical changes. I ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Niello. You are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I have some comments that apply to all of the budget bills. This is the first one we're taking up. I typically would have done it with 105, but I think this is an appropriate time.

I just want to observe that we are sort of happily skipping through our floor sessions this week and I think we're making pretty good progress. But all in the meantime, proposals are being concocted behind closed doors on really very major issues. Your budget bills are one example of that.

Amidst all of the day floor sessions peppered with last minute Committee meetings, your many and detailed budget bills loosely tied to the budget, many filled with a lot of Policy, I might add, were dumped with little time for our staff to analyze. And they did yeoman's work in getting that analyzed.

But then almost no time to brief us. We were, our caucus was briefed in about 15 minutes just a few hours before the Budget Committee hearing. And I have to say the extremely high level presentation during the Budget Committee really shed little insufficient additional light on the substance of those bills.

And there certainly has not been adequate study time since with everything else that's going on. So as a result, I am not informed enough to cast any votes, which I did not in Budget Committee. However, I don't expect any feelings of concern for me. The shortcomings of the process, frankly appear intentional. But here's the real thing.

The interests and knowledge of our constituents, all of our constituents. There is no way for our constituents, yours and mine, to provide any input or even know anything until after the deeds are done. And that goes for your budget bills as well as anything else being brewed in the background. Can you say cap and trade?

This is my ninth year as a Legislator and while I have experienced frustrations over that time, the process this week is developing to be the most frustrating. And I don't think I'm alone in feeling that. There is a recent article in CalMatters published I think Wednesday of this week. Permission to read?

Permission granted.

A former speaker of the Assembly said withholding details of negotiated deals until the last minute raises their chances of passing by allowing lobbyists less time to object and lawmakers, that's us, less time to mull over their votes. A kicker is about to kick a game winning field goal and you call a timeout to make them nervous.

I'm still quoting. That's the way the system works. I would suggest perhaps the system doesn't work. So is that the best thing to do? Is that the democratic thing to do? No. Again, that's the way the system works. Now, everybody knows that those quotes are true and have been true, but it never has actually been mouthed.

I thank Calmatters for publishing that. So again, as for your budget bills, this overloaded, opaque and frustrating process leaves me insufficiently informed to be able to cast any votes on any of the budget bills.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate. Senator Wiener, would you like to close?

Thank you very much, Madam President. You know, this budget process can criticize any process, but there is a public process around this budget. So many of these ideas have been floating around and have been discussed for a big part of this year.

You know, we're also doing our very best to respond to the disaster unfolding in Washington, D.C. and I respectfully ask for your aye vote thank you.

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 29, nos. 7. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 74, AB149. Secretary, please read

Assembly Bill 149 by the Assembly Committee on Budget an act relating to public resources and making an appropriation, therefore, to take effect immediately. Bill related to the budget.

Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. This is the Resources Trailer Bill. Among among the various provisions, the Bill exempts the 2028 LA Olympics from the California Coastal act and CEQA. It appropriates $20 million to eradicate invasive mussels, including the golden mussel.

Expands the quagga and zebra mussel sticker to invasive mussels and increases the sticker fee to help prevent the spread of invasive mussels. Authorizes state agencies to adopt emergency regulations for the purpose of adopting program guidelines and selection criteria for programs under Proposition 4. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Saying no further discussion or debate. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes. 30. noes, zero. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 77. AB154. Secretary, please read Assembly Bill 154 by.

The Assembly Committee on Budget an act relating to Greenhouse Gases and making an appropriation, therefore, to take effect immediately bill related to the budget.

Senator Wiener, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, AB154 is a trailer Bill related to a CEQA exemption of regulations implementing SB253 and SB261. The Bill provides statutory clarity that CEQA does not apply to regulations adopted to implement these two recent admission disclosure laws. While CEQA does not currently apply to regulations, this Bill will reiterate legislative intent and Prevent frivolous litigation.

AB154 reiterates existing law and seeks to reduce state litigation costs by preventing frivolous litigation. It's crucial to ensuring timely implementation of these critical climate disclosure Laws respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes. 29 no 0. That measure passes. Members, we will now move to unfinished business. File item 103, SB105. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 105 by Senator Wiener an act relating to state budget and making an appropriation, therefore to take effect immediately.

Budget Bill Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. Colleagues, AB 105 is a budget bill junior that amends the 2025 and prior year budget acts to update and implement the budget agreement reached between the administration and the Legislature.

Highlights of the bill include appropriation of $3.2 billion for purposes related to Proposition 4, the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, to support a variety of projects, such as wildfire preparedness and resilience, access to clean water, support for nature based solutions, outdoor access, coastal resilience, and clean air.

It appropriates $540 million from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, including $368 million for the Transit and Inner City Rail Capital Program and $100 million for the implementation of the Community Air Protection Program created by AB 617. It provides a variety of appropriations in response to the federal house resolution HR 1, including appropriation of 53.6 million for CalFresh payment error rate mitigation and automation for implementation of HR 1.

It increases the appropriation to the CalFood program by $20 million in General Fund and general funds to help mitigate anticipated harmful effects to due to the enactment of HR 1, bringing the total one time allocation for CalFood to $80 million from the General Fund. It appropriates $175 million from the General Fund to implement the MOU between the state and Child Care Providers Union, CCPU, and parity provisions for center based providers and various other technical changes. I respectfully ask for an aye.

Thank you. Senator Smallwood-Cuevas, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. And I want to say to colleagues, I rise in strong support of AB 105. We did a lot in this bill that will make a difference in the lives of our constituents. But I wanted to point out that this bill also does something that is important for Los Angeles, particularly in this moment. And that is invest $20 million in the California Travel and Tourism Commission. This is about more than promotion. It's about preparing Los Angeles and California to welcome the world in 2028.

There was a recent article published in the LA Times that the headline... May I get permission to read. The headline says, as Los Angeles Olympics loom, critics worry its cultural plan is lagging. This bill, this investment means that we are rejecting that claim. That California is not behind, but we are leading, and we're understanding the necessary imperative for investing in Los Angeles, investing in our infrastructure to ensure that this Olympics is a success and that all of our communities participate.

I want to be real honest with folks. Los Angeles, especially South LA, is not Disneyland and it's not the beach. We don't have the polished marketing machines like many of our other more wealthy communities do. And in many ways, we're a David fighting up against this Goliath. But like David, we do have a very powerful weapon.

And that is the story, the story of South LA, the story of Los Angeles. And it deserves to be told as the Olympics approaches and for many, many years to come. That's why I'm proud to lead an effort to establish South LA's first historically cultural black district that is recognized by the State of California.

This is not just a symbol of pride, but is a center of local investment that must be reflected both in the planning and in the legacy of these games. I am proud to say that South Los Angeles will be a part of the Olympic story. This investment is one of the ways of ensuring that. And I ask for your support of AB 105.

Thank you. Senator Cabaldon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Question for the author.

Will the author take a question?

Yeah. Thank you. Question with regard to Section 92 of the bill, which authorizes the administration to make available from any department whatever amount is needed for the implementation of SB 715 and AB 48. I'm wondering if the author could describe the intention here and whether there's any clarification that might be forthcoming with regard to that provision.

You may respond.

Thank you, Madam President. Thank you for that question, Senator. There is standard control language in there. However, we are going to be sending a letter to the Governor, for myself and the Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee and others, to make clear that we expect that budget to be capped for the for this fiscal year at no more than $2 million.

I do not anticipate it will even get to that amount because by the time everything gets set up it's going to be very low cost in this fiscal year. And then in the following fiscal year, it'll go through the normal budget process with a precise amount. So that is our plan for sometime today. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam President. Thanks for the author. Appreciate it.

Thank you. Senator Allen, you are recognized.

Members, I just want to take a couple moments to just recognize there's so much in this bill. These bills are massive and they're full of all sorts of all sorts of stuff. But one of the many things that's in SB 105 is the Prop 4 spending.

And it's just a reflection of a lot of work led by the Senate making sure that we are going to have investments in place to address some of the greatest challenges we face as a state in terms of water resiliency, fire resiliency, parks, biodiversity, extreme heat, safeguarding communities, clean energy, clean air funding, et cetera.

And so I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on the leadership and success of the Senate and, of course, the great partnership with the Assembly and the voters ultimately who who stepped up in the last election and said that we need to invest in preparing for the challenges of the future.

As we know, climate change continues to make our environment more and more challenging and life more dangerous, quite frankly, in many parts of our state. So this is, so there's lots of debate in this bill, but I want to point out that there is a very significant starting investment in greater climate resiliency and SB 105.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate. Senator Wiener, would you like to close?

I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes: 29; no: zero. That measure passes. We will move to File Item 104: SB 146. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 146 by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, an act relating to human services and making an appropriation therefore to take effect immediately. Bill related to the budget.

Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. AB--or excuse me--SB 146 is the human services trailer bill. It includes a package of changes to respond to the CalFresh related provisions of HR 1, also known as the, quote, unquote, 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' It allows the Department of Social Services to issue emergency regulations intended to reduce the CalFresh error rate.

This flexible emergency authority is critical for the state to take immediate action to reduce our benefit cost share under HR 1, which could cost the state about $2 billion in federal CalFresh benefits beginning in 2027. It also suspends implementation of two CalFresh policies in order to allow the department to focus on mitigating the harmful impacts of HR 1.

These statutory changes are part of a package of up to $143.6 million, 81.2 million of which is from General Fund, to address the impacts of HR 1 on our CalFresh program.

The package includes direct support to food banks to respond to the rise in hunger as newly ineligible populations, such as legally present immigrants and refugees, fall off the CalFresh caseload, data and technology initiatives to reduce program errors, improve income verification and limit exposure to federal benefit cost sharing as much as possible, communication, education to the county workforce and clients, and funds for county administration to implement CalFresh work requirements.

This bill also includes new due process requirements for the Bringing Families Home, HomeSafe, and other DSS housing programs. These changes reflect the compromise with stakeholders in the administration to improve the original language proposed in the governor's budget. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll call].

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll call].

Ayes 30, noes 0. That measure passes. We will move to file item 105, SB 145. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 147 by the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, and an act relating to education finance and making an appropriation therefore to take effect immediately. Bill related to the budget.

Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. SB 147 is a K through 12 education trailer bill. It clarifies that the individualized education program template be translated into the top 10 most commonly used languages other than English. Clarifies that non-teacher interns, like prospective school psychologists, are eligible for the Golden State Teacher Grant Program. Makes technical and other conforming changes. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Not seeing any further discussion or debate. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 28, noes zero. That measure passes. Members, I'm going to ask when we're doing roll, if you miss your name, please do not yell it out. Let's wait until we do it again for you to say aye or no or abstain. We will now move to file item 106, SB 148.

Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 148 by the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, an act relating to postsecondary education and making an appropriation therefore to take effect immediately. Bill related to the budget.

Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, SB 148 is the higher education trailer bill. Most significantly, the bill makes changes to emergency financial aid funding for students in California Community Colleges to allow the Chancellor's Office to redistribute unused funds to other districts.

It creates a two-year pilot program beginning in 2026-2027 that allows California Community College college classified staff to use food pantry services offered at campus basic needs centers and it makes other technical changes. I ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll call].

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll call].

Ayes: 28; no: zero. That measure passes. We are now at File Item 107: SB 151. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 151 by the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, an act relating to early childhood education and childcare and making an appropriation therefore to take effect immediately. Bill related to the budget.

Senator Wiener, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. SB 151 is the early childhood education and childcare trailer bill. It ratifies the August agreement between the state and the Child Care Providers Union for their three-year contract.

This appropriates $158 million from the General Fund for one-time stabilization payments to all subsidized child care and preschool providers, ranging from $300 to $431 per child. It also allocates funding for the CCPU health retirement and training funds.

It includes corresponding administrative funding and clarifies provisions of the child care and preschool school--the preschool cost-of-living adjustment included in the June Budget Act. I ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll call].

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll call].

Ayes 28, noes 0. That measure passes. We are now at file item 108, SB 153. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 153 by the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, an act relating to transportation and making an appropriation therefore to take effect immediately. Bill related to the budget.

Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. You're doing a great job, by the way.

So are you. Thank you.

SB 153 is the transportation trailer bill. It authorizes CARB to continue collecting the $15 annual fee to implement the transport refrigeration unit regulation. It allows Caltrans to permit trucks on a specified route in Oakland. It increases the cap on mobile driver's licenses from 5% of drivers to 15%. Hopefully, it'll improve the technology as well. It allows public agencies to use charter bus service for the FIFA World Cup. I ask for an aye vote.

Seeing no further discussion or debate. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes: 28; no: zero. That measure passes. We will move to File Item 110: SB 156. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 156 by the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, an act relating to labor and making an appropriation therefore to take effect immediately. Bill related to the budget.

Senator Wiener, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. SB 156 is the labor trailer bill. Most significantly, the bill makes multiple changes related to In-Home Supportive Services program providers, including streamlining the collective bargaining process, codifying overtime payment requirements required by federal law, and permitting alternatives to avoid the disruption of payroll and deduction processing of IHSS provider wages.

It appropriates $372 million in one-time General Fund support for a supplemental payment towards the California Public Employees Retirement System, state plans, unfunded liabilities using available Prop 2 debt repayment funding, and other technical changes. I ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll call].

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll call].

Ayes 28, noes 0. That measure passes. We will move to file item 111, SB 157. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 157 by Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, an act relating to public safety and making an appropriation therefore to take effect immediately. Bill related to the budget.

Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, SB 157 is a trailer bill related to public safety. It provides $128 million and an updated formula for the Community Corrections Performance Incentive Grant to county probation departments. It streamlines various contracting requirements for the state public defender and for community based programs at CDCR. It makes other statutory changes to conform to the budget. Ask for an aye vote.

Senator Strickland, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President and Members. I would just remind this body that this funding does not have Proposition 36 funding that was voted by 58% or 58, all 58 counties in California and almost 70% of the vote. Once again, another opportunity to fully fund Prop 36 is wasted. And I just want to make sure that Members see that we're not going along with all 58 counties and 70% of the vote of Californians.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate. Senator Wiener, would you like to close?

Thank you very much, Madam President. I will remind my colleague that in the June budget we did put funding in for Prop 36, and the Senate led on that, and we did that. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes: 28; no: zero. That measure passes. We are now at File 112: SB 159. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 159 by the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, an act relating to taxation and making an appropriation therefore to take effect immediately. Bill related to the budget.

Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President. SB 159 is the taxation trailer bill. It makes various clarifying changes necessary to implement the taxation provisions of the 2025 Budget Act related to the exclusion from gross income for any qualified taxpayer for settlement amounts received on or after January 1, 2021 and before January 1, 2030 in connection with a wildfire in the state. I ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Senator Strickland, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, I would like to commend my budget lead in the floor. You guys are very good at taxation here in California. You're not good at funding public safety but you're very good at taxation, so congratulations. I really appreciate that.

Seeing no further discussion or debate, Senator Wiener, would you like to close?

Thank you very much, Madam President. Taxes pay for the schools and the roads and the healthcare system and so many other things. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll call].

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll call].

Ayes: 30; noes: zero. That measure passes. We are now at File 113: SB 160. Secretary, please read.