Assembly Floor

The Assembly is now in session. It is assemblymember. Assemblymember Wallis. Assemblymember Wal;lis who notices the absence of a quorum sergeant. Arms will prepare the chamber and bring in the absent Members. Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Members of Quorum is present. Quorum is present. We ask our guests and visitors in the rear of the chamber and in the gallery to please stand for today's prayer. Reverend Noshta will offer today's prayer. Reverend Noshta.

Please join me in a moment of reflection. There was a time in old Japan that after a family experienced a death, they would eat vegetarian for 100 days. In time, this was shortened to 49 days and later just one week. Now that tradition of eating vegetarian is rarely observed at all.

The reason this tradition began was because in simpler times, to prepare a meal with any meat required the act of taking life. The grieving families, knowing the pain and emptiness of loss, felt a deepened awareness that all life is precious. And that feeling made that taking of any life, even for sustenance, so hard to do.

And when families returned to their routine, they did so with a renewed awareness and appreciation for the connectedness of all life. Nowadays, modern cultures seem focused on self interest and personal well being. We are sheltered from knowing that oneness of life felt in days before supermarkets.

In a way, to talk of all life being precious and beyond measure seems just a noble thought. But the oneness of all life is reality, and our ability to empathize is part of what makes us human. The Dalai Lama has said that if humankind is to survive, we must nurture warm heartedness.

To do this, we must rekindle our awareness that all life is truly precious and beyond measure. We must awaken our empathy for anger and hate are not the way. Namo mi Dawitsu. Let us live with kindness and gratitude beyond words.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I pledge allegiance to the flag.

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

Reading of the previous day's journal

Assembly chamber Sacramento, Friday, September 12, 2025 the Assembly met at 1pm The Honorable Josh Lowenthal, speaker, pertinent employee of the Assembly presiding.

Majority leader Aguiar-Curry moves and Ms. Sanchez seconds. The reading of the previous day's journal be dispensed with. Presentation to petitions? There are none. Introduction and reference of bills will be deferred. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments deemed adopted. Messages from the Governor? There are none. Messages from the Senate? There are none.

Moving to motions and resolutions. The absences of the day will be deemed read and printed in the journal onto procedural motions. Madam Majority Leader, you are recognized for your procedural motions.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I request unanimous consent to suspend the Assembly Rule 45.5 to allow Assembly Members Ransom, Ortega, Macedo, Ta, Harabedian, Irwin, Caloza, and Zbur to speak on an adjournment in memory today.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 118A to allow Assemblymember Ortega to have guests in the rear of the chamber today.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

At the request of the authority, I am giving one day notice to remove. Item A16, SB25 Umberg from the Inactive file.

Clerk will note now we are on to business on the daily file. Second reading file. Item one. Clerk will read.

[Roll Call]

Bill will be deemed read and all amendments will be deemed adopted. Concurrence Items file items 2 and 3 we will pass and retain. Governor's vetoes file item 4 through 77 we will pass and retain a notice to withdraw from the active inactive from. From the inactive file which is. Item 78 is a notice reconsideration file.

Item 79 through 81. All items shall be continued. Assembly third reading file. Item 82 we will pass and retain. Senate third reading file items 83 and 84 we will pass and retain. Members very short session today and we are moving on immediately to adjournments of memory. Quorum call is still in place.

Let's give our respectful attention to those who were granted prior permission to speak on their adjournment of memory. We have family members and guests present for this adjournment of memory. Members, can I have decorum please? Thank you. Members, please take your seats. Thank you.

Members, We all know that adjournments in memory had a very special place in our hearts. But none more special than when it impacts our capital community. Assemblymember Ortega, you are recognized for your adjournment and memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise today with a heavy heart and ask that we adjourn in the memory of a beloved Member of the capital community. Our scheduler and friend, Monica Lynn Martinez Hayes. The unexpected loss of Monica has been felt deeply by her four daughters, Catherine, Marianne, Lillian and Julia.

Who's in the back of the chambers. Her parents, her siblings, her friends, her long term partner, her ex husband and her beloved dog, Mocha. As I was preparing for today, I kept thinking about what words described Monica.

The most And I would have to say, having attended her service where it was standing room only, the two words that came to mind were joy and love. Monica was born in 1961 and in Michigan to her beloved parents, Dolores and Emilio. Her family then moved to Sacramento in 1967, where Monica remained a resident her whole life.

She was an incredible, proud, fierce and adoring mother to her four daughters, who all, by the way, claimed to be her favorite daughter. In 2014, Monica began her legislative career by joining the office of Assemblymember Tom Amiano. A year later, she joined former Assembly Member Dr. Bill Quirk.

In 22, when I was elected, I had the pleasure of meeting Monica for the first time. And there's very few people in my life that I can say one my heart with just a smile.

It was in that moment that I knew that she would be joining Team Ortega and she would become the rock of our entire team. I may sound biased, but Monica was without a doubt the best scheduler in the entire capital. My team lovingly referred to her as our air traffic controller.

She kept all the planes running on time and most importantly, from crashing into each other. She protected my calendar with her life and would often joke that she had dreams about it. I can't forget to mention that she was also an absolute Fashionista, always coming to work styled from head to toe.

She told us nearly every day how much she truly enjoyed working with our team and being a public servant. My team and I feel grateful knowing that Monica knew that she was truly appreciated and loved by all of us.

When Monica wasn't working in the Capitol on her or with her daughters or with Mocha, she was likely working on her projects while her children were growing up. Monica found tranquility in her art, staying up late to paint, which inspired the name for her art business, Night Owl Design.

Over the years, she continued her artwork by gifting decorative pillows, ornaments and plates she hand painted.

On my last birthday, she painted a picture of my beloved dog Noah, and it hangs in my office as a memory of her joy and her love of art, she would also donate her art to charities and display her creations in holiday boutiques and gallery shows.

While Monica's family, friends and all who knew her are still trying to process her unexpected loss, I think I can safely say we can all find some peace in the fact that she lived every moment of her life happy and grateful. She always looked for the bright side in every situation.

As for myself, Monica wasn't just my scheduler, she was a dear friend who I miss every single day. I feel truly lucky to have known her for the few years that I did. Monica leaves behind a legacy as a devoted daughter, friends, friend, mother, partner and colleague, an exceptionally talented artist and someone who loved music and dancing.

Permission to read a quote? Mr. Speaker, in honor of Monica, I would like to read a quote that truly conveys her essence. Dance before the music is over and live your life before your life is over. I respectfully request that we adjourn in the memory of Monica Lynn Martinez Hay.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ortega. Members, let us observe a moment of silence to honor the life of our beloved community Member, this historic Californian, Monica Hayes. Assemblymember Macedo, you are recognized for your adjournment and memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to honor the life of Joan Eduido Silva, Brazil. Also known to his loved ones as Edwin. He was a dairyman, a cowboy, a husband, a father, a grandfather and a man of faith. At 13, Edwin immigrated to the United States from the Azorean Islands in Portugal.

From that day on, he was a proud American. Edwin and his family settled in Visalia where he worked at Costa Dairy to help support his family. Edwin met his beloved wife Lillian at church and they were married on August 28, 1982. They had six children and raised them on the Costa Dairy.

In 2000, Edwin bought Nadine Costa's herd and managed both herds at the Costa Dairy. This led Edwin to purchase his first dairy, also known as Utter Dairy, and later to purchase the CSJ Dairy in Hanford. On April 25, 2018 Edwin was able to purchase the full cost of dairy A.

Over time, the ranch grew from just 400 acres to 5,000 acres. A dream came true for Edwin. It was on this ranch that every day Edwin would raise the American flag each morning and lower it each night as a symbol of gratitude for our country. On June 26, 2021 Edwin became a proud United States citizen.

Outside of the ranch, Edwin also was a dedicated Member of our community. He served as the President of the Uniao Portuguesa do Estado de California and the Tulare Ungris Athletic Club, a founder and the first President of St. John's in Hanford and consistently supported his community.

He was a proud Raiders fan, a golfer and a Harley Davidson enthusiast. From his dream of owning his own dairy to his life with Lillian and their kids, he is a true example of achieving the American dream.

Edwin is survived by his wife Lillian and their six children, Veronica, Joe, Manuela, Nelson, Andre and Victoria, who join us today in the Gallery as well as nine grandchildren. His legacy will live on with his family at the ranch. And Edwin was a good friend.

And although he is not with us, I want you to know that I know he would be so proud to be to see how you've come together as a family in the face of difficulty since his passing. And I know that his legacy will live on because you as a family unit are so strong. So. Mr. Speaker, I ask that we adjourn today in the memory of Edwin Brazil.

Thank you, Assembly Member Macedo. Members, let us observe a moment of silence to honor the life of this historic Californian, Joao Edwin Eduino Silva Brasil. Assemblymember Ta you are recognized for your adjournment and memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I rise to speak on an adjournment in memory of Grandmaster Dang Hui De, a legendary martial artist and pillar in the little Saigon community. Mr. Deng passed away last month and leave behind his beloved wife Connie Dang, his children and grandchildren.

Mr. Dang was a 93 black belt from the International Taehyun Do Federation. He found his first school in Vietnam, the Quan and Quang Martial Arts Rconomy in 1963 and became the National taekwondo Champion in Vietnam in 1966. In 1968, he became the Asian champion at the tournament in Hong Kong.

Following his championship, he became the Director of Martial Art Training center at the National Police Force Headquarters in South Vietnam. After the fall of Saigon, Mr. Deng moved to Westminster and opened the Duke Dang Martial Arts Academy where he shared his expertise and his passion with thousands of students from around Southern California.

Beyond teaching the technique of martial arts, Mr. Deng also imparted his wisdom on the fundamental values that make martial arts students so well rounded. Courteous, honesty, humility, patience, calmness, perseverance and gratitude. Beyond sharing his skill in martial art, Mr. Deng was a role model in the community.

He routinely sponsored community events and served as a mentor for countless young people to develop them into tomorrow's leaders. I joined the entire community in mourning his loss and send my prayer and well wishes to Mr. Dang family and love once.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ta. Assembly Member Ransom, you are recognized for your adjournment and memory. Members, can you please take your conversations off the floor?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, I rise today with a heavy heart and ask you to join me in adjourning today's session in memory of the young lives that were lost on the evening of November 29th and the City of Stockton last November. A season meant for gratitude and togetherness. Our community was broken by violence.

An evening that was meant for families and celebration. Instead, the unthinkable happened and three children and one young man lost their lives. Four young lives, four futures. Maya Lupian, 8 years old. Journey Rose Guerrero, 8 years old. Amari Peterson, 14 years old and Susanna Archuleta, 21 years old.

Unfortunately, they will never have the opportunity to celebrate their 9th, 14th or 22nd birthdays. Their absences are felt by our community and will be felt every day by their families who wake up to a new and painful reality. As a mother, I cannot imagine their pain and or suffering.

And I want those families to know that they are not alone and their children are not going to be forgotten. This is a pivotal point for us as legislators and for me as your legislator, I see the pain and I just want you to know that we are here for you.

This tragedy also reminds us that violence persists in our communities, but it's not who we are. We must address it. And to my colleagues, we will not freeze in this moment. We have to continue to use our responsibilities as legislators to protect our children.

And as we honor these young lives not only in memory, but in how we legislate and advocate for our communities moving forward, I ask that we respectfully adjourn in their memory. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ransom. Members, let us observe a moment of silence to honor the victims of this senseless, horrific tragedy. Finally, Members, we conclude with an adjournment of memory to honor the victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires. Without objection, the first speakers will give their adjournment and memory address jointly.

Assembly Members Harabedian and Irwin, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We've talked a lot about the Palisades and Eaton fire the past year and it's been devastating. And last year was very hard. Last week was very hard. When we celebrated and thought about the one year anniversary, in many ways it was very cathartic. It was a healing process.

And I do think that everyone here has been incredibly supportive of both of them, our communities. One thing that we haven't talked a lot about over the past year are the victims. The 31 individuals who lost their lives and whose families and neighbors and loved ones continue to deal with that loss every day.

We haven't spoken their names on the floor and today we get to finally do that.

And I think that a year later, there's never a perfect time to do it, but it gives us an opportunity as a body to really recognize all 31 of these individuals as individuals with individual, unique lives who are teachers, grandparents, daughters, aunties, uncles who left us too soon and under circumstances that were horrific.

And if we had to go back, we wish never happened. But we will all collectively continue to remember them through the work that we do legislatively to support our communities. But I do think that it's important to take the time and just recognize their names. And that's what we're going to do today.

And I will just say to the families that my heart goes out to them. We haven't done enough. And when you go through this, and many of you, sadly have gone through this in your communities, you never feel like you're doing enough for victims and survivors.

But what we can do today is try to give you peace, the families that are dealing with the loss of their loved ones by honoring those that you lost today. And I will just also say that the communities that are going through this continue to inspire me.

And seeing the resilience in Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre and the Palisades keeps me going. And I know it keeps a lot of you going. And so we will soon be reading the names, but I will pass it on to my colleague from Thousand Oaks.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On January 7, 2025, the Palisades and Eaton fires erupted with terrifying speed. An ordinary day turned into a nightmare for the communities of Pacific Palisades in Malibu and the communities that the Eaton fire affected. Thick smoke darkened our skies.

Flames threatened homes and lives, and fear and panic spread as families fled with little more than hope that their loved ones would be safe. In these hours, our sense of security was shaken to the core. Today, we adjourn in the memory of all the lives tragically lost in this fire. Each life mattered. Each person was deeply loved.

Their absence is felt not only by their families and friends, but by an entire community forever changed. We mourn them, we remember them, and we commit to carrying their stories forward with dignity and respect to the families and loved ones who are still living with unimaginable grief.

We see you, we stand with you, and we hold space for your pain. No words can erase such loss. But please know that you are not alone and your community remains here to support you today and always. This fire taught us painful lessons at a tremendous cost.

It reminded us of the power of nature, the urgency of preparedness, and the importance of building communities that are not only be beautiful, but resilient. As rebuilding continues, we will do so with intention, with safety, strength and resilience built into every decision so that we can honor those who we lost, not only in memory, but through action.

Together we will heal, rebuild, and move forward stronger than ever.

Oswald Altmet, 75.

Marilyn Hamilton.

Carolyn Burns.

Randall Mayod.

Edwin Cridlin.

Elizabeth Morgan.

Delice Curry.

Charles Mortimer.

Kevin Devine.

Betty O'Meara

Miva Wheatley-Friedley.

Annette rossilli. Earlene Kelly, Mark Sternenberg, Barbara Lewis, Arthur Simoneau. Evelyn McClendon, Rory Skyes. Patricia McKenna, Jeffrey Takama, Anthony Mitchell. Diane Webb, Justin Mitchell.

Haik Huang, Rodney Nickerson, Victor Shaw, Laura Swain, Kimberly Winicki, Xi Feng Xiao, Stacey Darden, Juan Francisco Espinoza. We ask that we adjourn in their memory.

Members, you may be seated, please. Assembly Member Caloza, you are recognized for your adjournment and memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today in solemn remembrance of the lives lost in the Eaton and Palisades fires. And I'm grateful to my colleagues from Thousand Oaks in Pasadena for holding space today to say the names of 31 victims and their families so that we can honor them properly.

I stand to be part of this remembrance and I think am grateful to be part of this body.

It was only a few weeks after, I know we were all sworn in, many of us, and fires broke out and so many people sprung into action, went back home to help and volunteer, even though your districts were both near and far from the Eaton Palisades fire.

I remember visiting the Pasadena Convention center in parts of my districts where I spoke to survivors. And I know that there's so many families in all of our communities are still reeling from this really heartbreaking disaster. And so I just wanted to express my condolences to the families for everything that you've lost.

And I hope that we can continue to do better, to do more, as was expressed by my colleagues, so that we can continue to serve and rebuild our communities together. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Like my colleagues, I rise to join our colleagues from Thousand Oaks and Pasadena to honor the memory of the 35 people who lost their lives in the Eaton fire and the Palisades fire.

You know, one year ago, as these wildfires swept Palisades in Altadena, they changed Los Angeles and the lives of many families forever. In a matter of hours, 90 mile an hour winds escalated and spread wildfires that ultimately destroyed over 16,000 buildings across 80 square miles and claimed 31 lives.

Large swaths of our communities, including Santa Monica and my district, were evacuated and the 51st district became the hub of providing services to those who lost their homes, livelihoods and in some cases their lives. These victims were from all over the world and all walks of life.

And while we're working to rebuild the communities that were devastated by the fire, we will never forget our friends, family Members and neighbors who were taken too soon.

As we mark the one year anniversary of the LA wildfires and the devastation they cause, I also want to express my condolences to the family members of those who were lost and ask that we remember the Los Angeles and those from other parts of the world who lost their lives.

These again were mothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers and sisters, co workers and neighbors. And I also join my colleagues and requesting that we adjourn in their memory. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Members Zbur without objection, Assemblymember Elhawary. You are recognized for your adjournment and memory.

I rise today as we honor those we lost in the LA fires last year and the communities that were forever changed. Many of those we lost were from a historically black community where generations of families put down roots, made memories and built homes. These fires didn't just take homes, they took history, stability and a sense of safety.

For me, this impact was not distant. So many people, including my own family folks that I know that I grew up with, our neighbors, our childhood classmates, our students and their families, many of them lost so much. But we know that things aren't replaceable. While things are replaceable, people aren't. Recovery is slow.

Rebuilding is about dignity, belonging and care. About making sure that no one is left behind. We honor those we lost by strengthening our response, our support systems and the safety net families rely on in crisis so this never happens again. We honor them through action by committing to do better for our communities. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Elhawary. Members, let us now observe a moment of silence to honor the victims of the Eaton and Palisades fires. Thank you. Members, please bring the names to the desk to be printed in the Journal. All requests to adjourn a memory will be deemed read and printed in the Journal.

Now moving on to announcements, the session schedule is as follows. Tuesday, January 13th: Check-in session. Wednesday, January 14th check-in session. Thursday, January 15th, Check-in session. Friday, January 16th: Session at 9:00 am. Members the following committees meet this afternoon. Natural Resources at 2:30 pm in Capitol Room 437. Revenue and Taxation at 2:30pm capital room 126.

Transportation at 2:30 pm in Swing Space, room 1100 and Banking and Finance at 3:30 pm in Capitol Room 447. Seeing and hearing no further business, I'm ready to entertain a motion to adjourn. Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry moves, and Mr. Alanis seconds that this House stands adjourned until Friday, January 16th.

At 9 am, the quorum call is lifted, and we are adjourned.