Assembly Floor

The Assembly is now in session. Seems unsure if we have a quorum in here. Assemblymember Wallace actually notices the absence of a quorum. Sergeant in arms will prepare the chamber. Bring in the absent Members. Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Members of quorum is present. We asked our guests and visitors in the rear of the chamber and in the gallery to please stand for today's prayer. Assemblymember Rubio will offer today's prayer. Assembly Member Rubio.

Good afternoon, speaker and Members. We are at the beginning of our brand new year, full of possibilities, opportunity and potential. The tone and outcome of the year is up to us, individually and collectively. We all know you can't pour from a cup an empty cup. For us to lead powerfully and peacefully, we must begin with ourselves.

I hope that this prayer serves as a reminder to take a moment for yourself to connect with peace that exists inside of you, so you can share it with the rest of the world. Let us pray. May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be confident, knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us. Amen.

We ask our guests and visitors to remain standing to join us in the flag salute. Assemblymember Michelle Rodriguez will lead us in.

The Pledge of Allegiance Members, and if you're able, please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance.

Maybe seated. So I guess some visitors today. State law prohibits persons in the gallery from interfering with legislative proceedings or disrupting the order. 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 Pro Temporary of the ASSEM.

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

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

Good morning. Good afternoon. I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 45.5 to allow Assembly Members Bryan, Mckinnor, Elhawary, Haney, Mark Gonzalez and Bennett to speak on an adjournment in memory today.

Objection. Such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 118A to allow Assembly Members Pellerin, McKinner and Bryant to have guests in the rear of the chamber today.

Without objection. Such shall be the order. Members, before we get on to business, on the daily file, I see Assembly Member Ash Kalra with his head down. Can we all wish him a happy birthday? Tomorrow is his birthday, Mr. Kalra. Happy birthday. Happy, happy. We hope you have the best year of your life, Mr. Kalra Dave.

Now moving on to business on the daily file. Second reading. File item number one. Clerk will read.

I assume Bill 871 bill will be deemed read.

All amendments deemed adopted onto concurrence. File items 2 and 3 will pass and retain. Governor's vetoes. File item 4 through 77 pass and retain reconsideration file items 78 through 80. All items shall be continued. Now we go to the Assembly third reading sheet. File items 81 through 86. We're going to pass and retain them. File item 81.

That brings us to file item 82, that is HR 75 by Assemblymember Pellerin. The Clerk will read.

House Resolution 75 by Assembly Member Pellerin and others relative to National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

Assembly Member Pellerin, you are recognizing.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise today to present HR75 designating January 2026 as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. This resolution was written by survivors of human trafficking from across the state. Not about them, not for them, but by them. Human Trafficking is not an abstract crime.

It happens here in all our communities, from the north to the south, in the Central coast and the Central Valley. It is the exploitation of human beings for forced labor or commercial sex.

Through threats, deception and abuse of power, traffickers prey on vulnerability, using violence, fraudulent job offers and false promises of education or employment to trap their victims. Those most impacted are those already pushed to the margins. Racial and ethnic minorities, indigenous people, women and girls, LGBTQ individuals and migrants. Communities made vulnerable by systemic inequality and isolation.

And even when victims see a chance to report, many cannot because the threat of retaliation, violence or deportation is real. With the super bowl and the World Cup coming to the Bay Area region this year, awareness, prevention and coordinated response are more urgent now than ever.

Major international sporting events bring increased risk of trafficking as traffickers exploit the surge of visitors, temporary workers and economic activity. These moments demand vigilance, preparation and survivor informed strategies to ensure our communities and the people drawn into them are protected. As legislators, we must never forget this is a survivor's story.

Our responsibility is to listen and to act. That is why HR75 centers survivors as leaders in the anti trafficking movement and affirms California's commitment to learning from their lived experience and partnering with advocacy organizations to shape real solutions.

HR75 reaffirms California's commitment to combating all forms of human trafficking, supporting survivor recovery and empowerment, holding perpetrators accountable and raising public awareness in solidarity with survivors and anti trafficking leaders across our state. I respectfully ask for your support and co authorship of HR75.

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

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to speak on this important resolution. Today I rise as a proud co author of HR75. Human trafficking is a real and serious crime impacting all communities across California, including our most vulnerable populations.

It's critically important we continue these conversations to raise awareness, strengthen prevention efforts and ensure victims are identified and supported. By designating January as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, we reaffirm California's commitment to protecting victims, promoting accountability and preventing exploitation in all of its forms. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Rodriguez. Assemblymember Gipson, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and Members. I want to thank my colleague from Santa Cruz for one bringing HR 75 before this body. I've been speaking about human trafficking for a while now because of a situation that took place in 2022. My colleagues may remember the name Tione Theus.

And for my new colleagues her name may not resonate with any of you, but for your enlightenment, let me just talk very briefly about Tione Theus. I've never had an opportunity to meet this young 16-year-old. And I will never get a chance to meet her because she's dead. She was murdered in Los Angeles.

Her mother did everything she could to protect her. Her mother, you see, was a paraplegic. Her mother did everything as a single mother to protect her from the ills of Los Angeles and California. You see, Tiony Theus grew up in Compton, California with the Compton schools. But that didn't stop some low life from preying upon her.

He saw that she was vulnerable and pulled her into human sex trafficking at 16 years of age. And somewhere in January of January 82022 her assailant shot her in the neck. Put her helpless and limp body in a trash bag.

And I'm taking my time because I want you to visualize what I'm trying to describe to each and every one of you. Because this is what happens to young, vulnerable children. And it's not just girls, it's also boys as well.

Put her lifeless body in a trash bag and this mother in a trash bag and dumped her body on the 110 freeway off the Manchester on ramp, like garbage on the freeway. And someone Caltrans found her body. And just a month prior, there was a young Caucasian girl on the west side. She was abducted.

And the community raised close to $200,000. And the comparison was that the community raised a lot of money to find out who did this to that young girl. But when Tiony Theus case, that was no media attention drawn to that situation. There was no money raised regarding that situation.

And we heard about it and we were able to raise $110,000. And billboards went up all over around Los Angeles to raise the awareness of Tiony Thea's murder. And this was shortly right after the super bowl in Inglewood took place.

And these situations takes place when there's large entertainment venues, especially super bowl and NFL football games taking place. And this is where it's more prevalent around this, when travelers are coming to these large venues and men who has great wealth are buying these girls. And this is when it's taking place the greatest.

So Teonithea's murder is still out there. We believe there's a lead. And the reason why I did this, because I did a Bill AB 2419. And we were not able to get this Bill out of this house. And I wanted to make sure that I stand in support of HR75 and appreciate my colleague from Santa Cruz.

We can pass all the laws, but we have to protect our children because this is absolutely real what's going on. We have to do everything we can to safeguard our children. They are vulnerable. And these pimps and these johns are doing everything to manipulate our children. Not only young girls, but also boys. And threatening them is.

And they don't know. They think they're going to be true to what they're saying. And children are being manipulated. And so I ask my colleagues to please pass HR75 to do nothing but support to elevate this situation. We have to do everything we can to support our children.

Tiony theus needs it, but also the future of our children needs it as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Gipson. Assemblymember Ramos, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I join my colleague from Santa Cruz and her untiring effort to continue to lift the voices of victims around human trafficking.

And as we dive deeper into human trafficking, we could see that a lot of issues that many of us champion here on this floor tie into the human trafficking that's happening not only in the state of California, but across the nation.

When we start to look at the human trafficking and its causes and effects on our people, we continue to raise the voice of California's first people with the missing and murdered indigenous women, indigenous persons crisis that still plagues the state of California. We've had several hearings on this topic, but we tied it to human trafficking.

This body has voted to support the feather alert moving forward. But where are we at when a loved one is found, When a loved one comes back home, are there resources there for that individual to be able to pick up their life and move forward in the state of California?

I think that's an area that we need to look at even deeper here in the state Legislature. And my colleague from Santa Cruz continues to raise this issue. I believe standing up today to support HR75 isn't just standing up to speak to the issue today.

I think for each and every one of us that joins in, this cause should see it as something that we need to champion every day of the year to ensure that when a loved one comes back home and does not become a statistic, that those resources are there to help them get their lives moving forward.

When you look at the data that's there, 5.6 million people in the state will suffer from human trafficking. Yet we're here to talk about, and we hear in these chambers, how we're the largest economy moving forward, but yet are we tackling those issues that drastically affect people, their mental health, their resources that are there?

Are we going to stand up to say that we stand in unity around human trafficking just today, or are we going to bring up those issues when we see our bills coming our way?

It's time that I believe in 2026 that we stand together as a body to start to look at the causes that are there and to be that voice, be that voice of those victims that are in the state of California.

And when we talk about safety and we talk about human trafficking, let's ensure that the discussion also centers around California's first people. I ask for your aye vote on HR 75.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ramos, Assemblymember Dixon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and good afternoon, Members. Mr. Speaker and Members. I want to begin by thanking our colleague, Assemblymember Pellerin for bringing forward HR75 and recognizing the importance of bringing awareness to the scourge of our state, our community, our nation with human trafficking.

It is encouraging to see bipartisan agreement on this measurement reinforcing our commitment to eradicating human trafficking in California. During my time here in Sacramento, I've learned the horrifying statistics that my colleague from San Bernardino just identified about the scourge that is human trafficking. Every victim is somebody's daughter or son and it could be a son.

And it is incumbent upon us as legislators to do all we can to to eliminate human trafficking altogether. In past years I've made an effort to partner with organizations in our state and in Orange County where incidentally, yes, we have Los Angeles county with stadiums and such and Super Bowl.

Orange County is a year round attraction as a destination county. People all over the world come to Orange County to enjoy the hospitality of Orange County. That there is an undercurrent of this insidious crime, that's what really alerted me to the seriousness of this issue.

In past years, I've made an effort to partner with organizations such as Mary's Path. I had never heard of it until they came to me when I've been here. It's a foster care shelter for women who have been human trafficked. There are only six in the state of California, shockingly.

But what's also shocking, and I want to thank my colleagues from Los Angeles who have been supportive of this Bill that was signed into law this past fall. It was passed by this body providing foster care support for the children of human trafficking. I didn't even know this problem existed.

But when babies are born as a result of girls who have been human trafficked, there's no support in the foster care system. Now, thanks to many of you who have supported this. Mr. Bryan, is he here today? He was very supportive of me in this Bill last year.

Also thanks to the support of our Chair of Public Safety, whose experience in the prosecution of human trafficking crimes with the Department of Justice, the State Department of Justice, I realized that I tried to get data on human trafficking in Orange County or across the state.

Fortunately, Orange County Sheriff's Department has data, but no other law enforcement, unless you go to agency to agency to agency in the state to get an aggregation or accumulation of the data.

So I was very grateful to the Chair of Public Safety who identified for me this absence of collecting of data through the law enforcement community in every agency in California now with the listing of crimes committed, whether they're homicides or sexual assault or assault with a deadly weapon, whatever the crimes are that are currently being data managed and recorded in the State Department of Justice now, human trafficking crimes are included in that database.

Assemblyman Schultz, because of you, I carry this Bill because you pointed this out to me. So now we are building a database. And now I have another Bill coming forward this year that will provide the demographic data, men, women, locations, law enforcement agencies. So we're on our way.

Once we know the data, we can address in fundamental ways the crimes. And we know how many millions of people are affected by this scourge. So I'm grateful for the support of all of you. We're all coming together and realizing that we could all work together.

This is nonpartisan, bipartisan, and we can't attempt to be a lead, the number one in the country to address this issue. So I will be an emphatic guest today in support of HR75. And I want to thank you all for your commitment to eliminating human trafficking and supporting our colleagues, because even one victim is one too many. Thank you.

Thank you Assemblymember Dixon, Assemblymember Ransom, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand to join the course in strong support of the Member from Santa Cruz for bringing HR75 today. As we already know, human trafficking is devastating to our state. But what we don't talk about it is actually considered an industry. It's a multi billion dollar industry that is terrorizing our communities.

Oftentimes we say kids may have run away, that girls are missing. And I can tell you firsthand that living in a district that has the corridors to the highway, sometimes they're coming through Bay Area districts and being found and located in my district since there are so many highways.

And so it is so important that we take an opportunity through this HR to really educate ourselves on what human trafficking looks like and how we can collaborate to address it. Had the honor last week of speaking at the INDID alliance in my community.

It's a great coalition with law enforcement and nonprofit associations and our Family Justice Center. And we work collaboratively to make sure that community Members know how to identify the signs of human trafficking.

That we don't just throw kids away when they go missing or even young adults and say that they have problems because we know that the vulnerable folks are the ones that are going missing.

And when this HR speaks of the child welfare system and that 50 to 80% of the victims are from the child welfare system, really what we're saying is those are kids who have been in foster homes. Those are kids who have been in out of home placements.

Those are kids who people look at as already troubled and no one thinks twice when things happen. And so we want to be mindful, not just because of the super bowl, but every day because this is a crisis in California.

And so again, I want to thank the Member from Santa Cruz for bringing this and just encourage us all to go back home and collaborate with our local law enforcement and nonprofits and family justice centers to make sure that we put an end to this crisis in our state. Thank you.

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

Thank you. I want to thank all my colleagues who spoke in support of HR75. I especially want to thank my co author, the Member from Oakland who's unable to be here today. She truly has been an incredible leader combating human trafficking in our state. Human trafficking is happening today, every single day in every community.

In fact, just last month a family in San Jose was charged with trafficking dozens of women in locations throughout the Santa Clara County, including in my district, and bringing in over a million dollars. So this is happening in our communities. United we can end human trafficking.

And with that I'd like to ask for your aye vote and request that the first roll be open for co authors.

Thank you Assemblymember Pellerin. All debate having ceased, the Clerk will open the roll Members. This is for co authors. All Members vote who desire to vote. This is for co authors. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes.

There are 64 co authors added without Objection. We'll now take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Assemblymember Pellerin, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. Members, today I'd like to welcome survivors and leaders of combating human trafficking to the Assembly floor. In the back chamber we have the amazing Jess Torres, a trans indigenous survivor leader at Rising worldwide.

Launched in 2015 in my district, Rising trains under resourced and marginalized people to run social impact businesses to disrupt poverty and exploitation through education and entrepreneurship. It is one of the first trafficking prevention programs in California schools that is created and led by survivors.

We also welcome Josie Femster, a national survivor leader and anti trafficking advocate with lived experience. Josie is the regional coordinator for Preventing and Addressing Child Trafficking PACT and the Child and Family Policy Institute of California.

And earlier today I wanted to thank publicly Leigh Lachapelle of CAST LA, or the Coalition Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, which is the largest provider of comprehensive services including housing, case management and legal services to survivors in all forms of human trafficking. She had to leave. They had to leave today.

And then I also want to shout out to our friends in the gallery, Carmel and Renee from Rising, Stand up Rising Worldwide and the leadership team for the Child and Family Policy Institute of California. Thank you all for bringing your voices to our state Assembly.

Welcome. Okay, Members, continuing on business on the daily file, that brings us to File item number 83, AB 768 by Assembly Member Avila Farias. The clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 768 by Assembly Member Avila Farias, an act relating to mobile home parks.

Assembly Member Avila Farias, you are recognized. Thank you, Members. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm proud to present AB 768. AB 768 restores the intent of rent control for mobile home parks and it ensures access to affordable housing that goes to those who need it the most. This bill passed with strong bipartisan support, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you, Assembly Member Ávila Farías. Seeing and hearing no further debate, the Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll. Tally the votes. Ayes 60, noes one. The measure passes.

We'll pass and retain on file items 84, 85, 86. That brings us to the Senate third reading file. File items 87 through 89, we're going to pass and retain. Thank you, Members. We are now moving on to adjournments in memory. The quorum call is still in place. Please take your conversations off the floor. Just a moment, Mr. Bryan. Members, please take your conversations off the floor.

Assembly Member Bryan, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory from the Majority Leader's desk.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. Members, I rise today to honor a community advocate, a civic leader, a former legislative leader in this very body, and a mentor, Joy Atkinson. She was the daughter of Eddie and Antoinette Atkinson, and her father was the first black man to reach a general election in the Los Angeles City Council.

She carried this torch of activism and civic engagement forward her entire professional career that spanned nearly every corner of local and state government. Upon receiving her BA from the University of Southern California, she was incredibly proud to be a Trojan and a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Incorporated.

She started her career working for LA County, and she went on to represent probations officers in AFSCME Union Local 685. She then served as Chief of Staff to Assembly Member Gwen Moore, my predecessor in the seat that I hold today. For 16 years, she served as a key advisor to California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass.

She specialized in outreach to the community, organizing women, and building coalitions of clergy. She moved to working at the local level, being appointed to commissions and serving across the City of Los Angeles for a total of 18 consecutive years on various boards.

She worked for a variety of commissions, including the South LA Planning Commission, the City Planning Commission, the LAPD Permit Review Panel, and the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners until 2022. When Joy received her Master's degree in public administration, she became the Executive Director of the Los Angeles African American Women's Public Policy Institute, LAAAWPPI.

Her work there ensured that leadership pipelines were inclusive, and her mentorship launched the careers of literally hundreds of women serving in government today. The programs that she helped build and the partnerships she helped build fundamentally have transformed Los Angeles, California, and many Members of Congress serving today.

Her work and her contacts built an entire network across the community, which she connected with her roles as President of the New Frontier Democratic Club and the Los Angeles African American Women's PAC and as a delegate to the California Democratic Party. In fact, Joy served as a California Elector in the last two Presidential elections.

As if that wasn't enough for this tireless woman, she also was a founding board member of Citizens for Accountable Leadership in Los Angeles, a group of civic minded leaders who wanted to hold elected officials accountable and make demands on behalf of community. And nobody was more effective at that than Joy.

She used her expertise in community advocacy, assisting Los Angeles Council Members, the Empowerment Congress, and many local and civic organizations. Joy and I had a special relationship, not just because I was her Assembly Member, but she liked to collect elected officials. In fact, the first text I ever got from Joy said, you messed up.

You gave Betty Jo your phone number, and now I have it too. Joy didn't support me the first time I ran for office because she had an incredibly high bar of leadership. And I knew when I got elected, part of my goals was to reach that bar. I won't forget the last time I saw her.

It was at a brunch not that long ago where she reminded me to keep going and that I was making a difference. And she was proud to support me every election since. Joy is the only person who could get me to go to USC at the drop of a dime. Joy knew how to help people.

She was a connector. No matter what your problem was, she knew who to call to help make it better. She made everybody around her better, and she lived out her name. You couldn't talk to Joy without feeling a bit of Joy yourself. We lost her suddenly.

And I think it's in those moments you realize that you've taken for granted just how impactful somebody was. When you didn't know that that last hug was the last hug, that that last conversation was the last conversation, you find yourself reflecting.

And when I reflect on Joy Atkinson, I see the very best of what it means to be a Californian. The very best of what it means to be a mentor, an Angeleno, a black woman. She was the very best of us. And I ask that we adjourn this body in her memory today.

Thank you, Assembly Member Bryan. Assembly Member McKinnor, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Joy would be saying... Well, let me start. Mr. Speaker and Members, Joy will be telling me right now, dry it up, Tina, on the floor and read. So, Mr. Speaker and Members, I rise today with a heavy heart to adjourn in the memory of Joy Atkinson.

Members, if you've ever visited my office, you may remember a wall filled with photographs of 24 black women. 24. Those photographs represent every black woman who's ever served in the California Legislature. When I look at that wall, I don't just see history. I see courage. I see sacrifice.

And I see women who dared to step into spaces that were never designed for them. And behind so many of these women, especially the ones from LA County, there was Joy Atkinson. Joy didn't just help elect black women. She believed in us, often before we fully believed in ourselves.

Her life work was so powerful that it was highlighted in the 2023 documentary Respect My Crown, chronicling the evolution of the black women in California politics. But no documentary could ever fully capture her impact because Joy's greatest work lived in people.

Joy began as a legislative staffer, serving 16 years as Chief of Staff to former Assembly Gwen Moore. She then went on to serve the City of Los Angeles with distinction, appointed by three mayors, James Hahn, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Eric Garcetti, giving 18 years of consecutive work serving on boards and commissions. But titles never did define Joy.

People did. Black female civic leadership in Los Angeles County has a long and proud history. And in so many ways, Joy Atkinson became our political mother. She was certainly mine. She adopted me from the time she laid eyes on me. And like any real mother, she took care of us. She challenged us, she pushed us.

She loved us enough to tell us the truth, sometimes gently and sometimes through those unforgettable phone calls, letting you know she expected more from you because she knew there was more in you. Joy never let us shrink.

One of her most enduring legacies was her leadership as Executive Director of the Los Angeles African American Women's Public Policy Institute, LAAAWPPI. Under Joy's leadership, LAAAWPPI became a sacred ground for black women, where confidence was built, voices were sharpened, and futures were unlocked. She didn't just train leaders, she raised us through 23 graduating classes.

423 women walked through those doors and walked out changed. Now serving at every level of government, nonprofit leadership, and public service. I am one of them. I graduated from Joy's LAAAWPPI in the class of 2007. And today her legacy sits again with me through my staff.

LaQuisha Bryant, a 2024 graduate, and Hayley Hutt, who will begin her journey this year. Joy's love cross generations. And that is why we are joined by my LAAAWPPI alumni in the back of the chamber. Former Assembly Member, Senator, and now Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager is also an alumni, one of many living testimonies of Joy's vision.

Joy Atkinson's life was a master class in service, leadership, and unconditional love of her community. Her legacy is not fading. It is walking. It is leaning and it is speaking from this very floor today. She lives on in every door she opened, every woman she lifted, in every dream she refused to die. I thank God for the gift of Joy Atkinson. And I ask you with deep gratitude, and I respectfully ask Assembly to adjourn in her memory. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member McKinnor. Assembly Member Elhawary, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, today I rise with a heavy heart to honor the life of a historic individual who dedicated her life to public service and training the next generation of leaders.

To any Member of the Los Angeles delegation, Joy Atkinson was known as an activist committed to improving the lives of all Angelenos, ensuring that each of us had the tools necessary to be advocates for our communities. Joy is most famously known as being the Executive Director of LAAAWPPI, as my beautiful sister Assembly Member McKinnor mentioned.

And LAAAWPPI was at the forefront of training for a new generation of black women for both roles in public service as well as the private sector. Her vital work and mentorship helped launch the careers of so many women and ultimately impacted thousands and thousands of women serving in government today, including my own.

Without her guidance, I would not be in these chambers. I would not be addressing you all, and I wouldn't be able to honor her in this building where she dedicated a portion of her life and career. She always checked in at every point throughout the process. She would say, hey, I just got back from Hawaii.

How are you doing? I know it's tough out there. But we knew that she always had our back. And she knew the power of sharing our stories, inviting us to speak to the new class of LAAAWPPI, making sure that we were always able to help impact the next generation.

She always made space for us to shine through, not only LAAAWPPI, through Citizens for Accountable Leadership, and she even helped to create a new branch of Cal Next Generation. She always showed up for me as I was running, but she helped make sure that I always had that extra love.

And even the last time we checked in, she was always working. She never stopped. Checking to see if she could add me to a list of things that happened on the non-state side. And we know how important that is, too. While we have lost a beloved community member and activist for justice, we will always honor her memory and spirit by continuing to fight for justice. May she rest in power. Thank you all.

Thank you, Assembly Member Elhawary. Assembly Member Mark González, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank my colleagues from Los Angeles for recognizing Sister Joy Atkinson. We are heartbroken by the passing of Joy, a true giant, a pillar of Los Angeles County Democratic Party, and a matriarch whose leadership shaped the political soul of Los Angeles. Joy was never passive about power. She was intentional.

Joy was strategic and fearless in making sure black women in all of our communities had a real seat at the table and the tools to lead with confidence and with purpose. Through her lifelong work with the Democratic Party as a founding force of of the Los Angeles African American Women's Public Policy Institute, She built pathways where none existed and changed the landscape of Los Angeles politics forever. Mr. Speaker, permission to read a list of trailblazers?

Without objection.

I had the honor of knowing and working alongside Joy during my service as Chairman of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. I worked alongside trailblazers like Bobbie Jean Anderson and Darren Parker, Meryl Davis, and the late Assembly Member Gwen Moore, Gloria Alves, Jackie Hawthorne, Peggy Moore, Inola Henry, and Lois Jean Hill.

And our leaders of today, like my colleague from Inglewood, Yvonne Wheeler, Jimmie Woods-Gray, Patt Sanders, Rosa Russell, Gail Willis, Carolyn Fowler, Heather and Ingrid Hutt, Robin Proud, and Nichelle Henderson. And with some individuals with us here today, the Honorable Patrice Patrice Marshall McKenzie and Katrina Manning, and so many other women who carried the party forward on their shoulders.

Joy paved the way for so many leaders and for so many serving today in the Legislature and across public service to be where we are today. We stand on Joy's shoulders. Her impact is enduring. Her leadership is unmatched, and her memory will forever guide our work.

While we mourn her loss deeply, we move forward with gratitude, resolve, and responsibility, knowing that her legacy lives on in our work, in our leadership, and our commitment to open doors for those coming behind us, just as she did for us. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member González. Without objection. Assembly Member Gipson, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and Members. I also rise to ask this body to adjourn in memory of our dear sister, Joy Atkinson. I won't be redundant, so I will cut off two pages because my colleagues have already said some of the same things that I wanted to say. So I'll just simply say I would like to thank my colleague from Culver City for bringing and elevating the name of Joy Atkinson before us to adjourn in memory of this great leader.

I also rise again in honor to ask this body to honor us to adjourn in memory of this beloved and dedicated member of our community who have dedicated her life of service to others. She is Los Angeles at its finest. She has embodied strength of inclusion and community centered, joy, passion.

Her devotion is evident in both local and state politics, where she has fought to ensure that our government truly represents the people, remains inclusive for all decisions when government is reflected. And making sure that no matter who you are and no matter your zip code, wanted to make sure that government looked out for you in our community.

She not only opened the door, but she kept the door open for women, to advocate, to serve, as a mentor, to advise to thousands of women throughout her career. She was always there for women to elevate and to making sure that you had a seat at the table.

As we adjourn, I want to express my gratitude to Joy's family for sharing this extraordinary, this extraordinary and amazing woman with all of us. Someone who touched many lives, including, including my own. You see, I remember her back in the 80s. I first met her when I worked for a city councilman by the name of Robert Farrell.

That's how long I go back. I met her through another city council member, Nate Holden. And that's how I met her is through our offices working together with so many other great organizations, and her being a drum major for justice in those spaces in Los Angeles. Los Angeles would not be Los Angeles without Joy Atkinson.

And I am so glad that she passed our way and touched our lives because our lives have been made better because she lived. And we know that there's a dash. There's a day that you were born, and there's a day that you died.

Let me simply say that she lived her life and she lived her dash, and she made so many people's lives better. So let me simply say, Joy, rest in peace, rest in power. Your work down here is complete, and your labor is not in vain. Now it's time for your reward. Thank you, family, for sharing this great woman.

Thank you, Assembly Member Gipson. Members, let us now observe a moment of silence to honor the historic life of this trailblazing Californian, Joy Atkinson. Assembly Member Bryan, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Joy is lived on by her nieces and nephews, Kathy, Corrine, Aaron, and her great nephew, Aaron Jr. In the back of chambers are members of her family and many of the women that she touched. Please welcome them to the Assembly floor.

Thank you, Members. Quorum call remains in place. Let's give our respectful attention to those who were granted prior permission to speak on their adjournment in memory. Assembly Member Haney, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Members. I rise today to ask that we adjourn in the memory of a legendary guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, and the founding member of the Grateful Dead, Bob Weir. Bob was born on October 16, 1947 in San Francisco. As a teenager, he played guitar, piano, and trumpet, but he is best known as the founder and lead songwriter for the rock band Grateful Dead, which emerged from San Francisco during the 1960s counterculture era.

Known for their mellow improvisational melodies, the Grateful Dead carved out their own space in the rock genre, cementing a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. And while the hippie movement ultimately faded, the Grateful Dead's fan base never left.

In fact, their passion for the band's music grew into a culture of its own, with millions of members known as Deadheads. In addition to his work with the Grateful Dead, Bob was a dedicated philanthropist who championed climate action and accessibility. He co-founded the Rex Foundation to support grassroots conservation and education initiatives and went on to establish the Furthur Foundation to advance social and environmental justice causes.

He also served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program, where he used his platform to raise awareness about climate action and and support the UNDP's work on renewable energy, environmental protection, and building a healthier planet for future generations. In 1999, he married his wife, Natascha.

Together they raised their two daughters, Monet and Chloe, who continue in their father's footsteps toward a career in the arts and entertainment industry. Last year, despite undergoing cancer treatment, Bob and the Grateful Dead returned to San Francisco to perform a three night celebration of 60 years of music at Golden Gate Park that brought out over 180,000 Deadheads.

On January 10, 2026 Bob passed away at the age of 78. Known for his artistry and community impact, he touched the hearts of many in San Francisco and around the world. He will be remembered as a storyteller, a founding member of a community rooted in positivity, and an activist who always stood up for what he believed in. To honor his legacy, I ask that we adjourn in his memory today. Thank you.

Thank you, Assembly Member Haney. Members, please bring the names to the desk to be printed in the Journal. All requests to adjourn in memory will be deemed read and printed in the Journal. Now moving on to announcements. Session schedule is as follows. Wednesday, January 21st is a check in session.

Thursday, January 2nd session at 9am. Seeing and hearing no further business, I'm ready to entertain a motion to adjourn. Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry moves and Ms. Dixon seconds that this House stands adjourned till Thursday, January 22nd at 9am. Quorum call is now lifted, and we are adjourned.