Senate Floor

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll call].

A quorum is present. Would the members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery please rise? We will be led in prayer this morning by our chaplain, Sister Michelle Gorman. After which, please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

In anticipation of President's Day, I've chosen a prayer from the book, The Prayers That Shaped America. That's the book given me by the senator from Bakersfield and which you all signed. Thank you. It's a prayer from the Inaugural Address of George H.W. Bush, January 20, 1989. He says, My first act as president is a prayer.

I ask you to bow your heads. And so we pray. Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank you for your love. Accept our thanks for the peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its continuance likely. Make us strong to do your work, willing to hear and heed your will, and write on our hearts these words: use power to help people.

There is just one use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it, Lord. The Lord our God be with us as He was with our ancestors. May God not leave us or forsake us, so that He may incline our hearts to Him to walk in all His ways that all peoples of the Earth may know that the Lord is God. There is no other. Amen.

Members, please join me in stating the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance... [Pledge of Allegiance]. Members, we are now at Privileges of the Floor. Please join me in welcoming Senator Smallwood-Cuevas's son, Chris Cuevas Smallwood. Senator Niello, you are recognized at the Majority Leader's desk for your introduction.

Excuse me. Thank you, Madam President. We frequently recognize the athletic achievement of schools in our district, and--as it should be, athletic excellence--but today's is truly historic. So I want to thank you, and help me to welcome back--and that's the important part of this--the Jesuit High School's cross country team.

And we're going to congratulate their outstanding achievement, but also that of Jesuit High School for many years. These guys won the 2025 California Interscholastic Federation Division 2 Boys Cross Country Championship, but here's the deal. This is the eleventh time the Jesuit High School has done this. That, I suspect, is unprecedented, and I think that is truly historic.

They finished with a team time of 75:36; is the third fastest team division time in Division 2, fourth fastest overall. Their success can certainly be attributed to their leadership, their coaches, Walt Lange, Tim Wetzkahl--excuse me--Keegan Smith, Bryan Heng, and--I'm probably going to mispronounce this first name, and I apologize--Ajani Salcido.

But they're the coaches. They lead the guys, they teach the guys, but the guys do the running. Outstanding cross country athletes, Isaac Abbott, Drake Hoferer, Kyle Jakary, Lucas Alberts, Connor Bilodeau, Matthew Ogilvie, Ryan Tait, Rafa Jopson, and John Kelly. Now, I talk about the eleventh time.

Jesuit started in 1963, and they acquired some land adjacent to the high school where they have a magnificent sports complex, football stadium, and the like, and so they have lots of room to run around, right, to practice their skills. This is a school that has always maximized student athletic potential along with a very strong academic program.

That reputation is well-known throughout the Sacramento region. And get this: since 2001, over 200 Jesuit athletes have gone on to play their respective sports professionally. Over 200 of them. So they offer distinctive athletic and educational programs, striving to form competent young men into conscientious leaders and compassionate community members. So I ask you to join me in congratulating this incredible achievement of these coaches and tremendous athletes.

Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise in support of this introduction on the floor, and I want to join my colleague in recognizing Jesuit High School and their incredible running program and these talented young men that are here today.

I actually got to speak on the floor last year because they've been champions and been recognized last year and I believe the year before that as well. Not only are they training daily, but they also are giving back to their communities and maintaining impressive GPAs. There's three seniors here today. Raise your hands.

We got Isaac, Drake, and Kyle, and these young men are headed off to Duke, UCLA, and Cal Poly, which is just a remarkable testament of these students and what they're accomplishing and what Jesuit is developing. I want to say congratulations to the team and the coach, Lange, for their well-deserved success.

Best of luck of the next track season. Go Big Red. But I am going to take a personal point of privilege, and I'm going to tell you my Chief of Staff's son is right there. Luki, raise your hand. So my Chief of Staff's son, and he is an incredible human being. He's an extraordinary young man.

And I'm probably going to get in a lot of trouble for this, but I get in trouble all the time, so it doesn't matter. His mom is a single mom, and she's raising two incredible kids, and Luki is a big part of being the man in the house in the family, and running for Jesuit, and maintaining a high GPA, and I love you, and I think you're pretty dang awesome.

Senator Niello, you are recognized.

If I could add one other thing--I don't know if I pointed this out last year or not--but that young man's grandmother worked for me back when I was in the Assembly, and we are joined also by Assembly Member Maggy Krell, in whose district Jesuit is too. So thank you, Maggy, for being here.

Thank you, Senator Niello, and congratulations and welcome to the Senate floor again.

We will now move to our next introduction. Senator Laird, you are recognized at the Majority Leader's desk for your introduction.

Thank you, Madam President. This weekend, as with every year, is the YMCA Youth & Government presence in our Capitol. They come for the three-day weekend, and I wish to welcome some today. These four delegates are from the Youth Senate and Youth Assembly Leadership for the program.

The program's in its 78th year and has more than 2,000 high school students from all across California come to Sacramento for this purpose. It's a little personal for me, because when I was a senior in high school, I was a senator in the Youth & Government program, and in fact, it was a committee chair, and have the letter that said the committees were run really well that year.

So we could be seeing here future legislators that are figuring out what's going on here in the Capitol and may come back. So joining me on the Senate floor today-- and I should add that Senator Smallwood-Cuevas's son is here because of Youth & Government as well. So here is one right here.

There are various people in the gallery, but here joining me on the floor is Ruben Dario from the Berkeley delegation, who is none other than the Youth President Senate President Pro Tem, Madelyn Trull from the Sonoma delegation, serving as the Youth Assistant President to the Senate President Pro Tem, Eric Jimenez-Pizza, who from the epic San Gabriel delegation serving as the Youth Speaker of the Assembly, Michael Coppola from the Westchester Family YMCA delegation service. He's the Speaker Pro Tem of the Assembly. So please join me in welcoming the YMCA Youth & Government delegates to the Senate floor.

Senator Jones, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President and members, and I also want to extend a warm welcome to the YMCA delegates to their California State Capitol and to the Senate floor specifically. I recognize that many are up in the gallery as well.

I had the opportunity to meet with them last night at the UC Public Policy Center across the street, and took about an hour of time for them to interview me and grill me on what it's like to be a senator in the Republican Party in the minority in California.

And I hope I inspired some of them and let them know that those of us here on the Senate floor actually do get along very well, and we're very collegial, and I hope that we are inspiring them to do the same thing in their future careers. So welcome, we're glad to have you, and let's have a great weekend for you guys. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Welcome to our YMCA Youth & Government program delegates. If any senators would like to take a picture with the delegates, please go to the rear of the chamber. Thank you, and welcome. And in that same vein, on behalf of Senator Smallwood-Cuevas, Senators, please welcome the Culver City Palms YMCA, which is the largest delegation the YMCA has with 115 students. They are in the gallery.

Senators, we will now move to Messages from the Governor. They will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports from Committees will be deemed read and amendments adopted.

We are now at Motions, Resolutions, and Notices. Seeing no senators who would like to speak under this, we will now move on. Introduction and Reading of First Bills will be deemed read. Members, we are now at the Special Consent Calendar. If any member would like to move anything from the Consent Calendar, this is your time. Seeing none, Secretary, please read all of the items on the Consent Calendar.

Senate Resolution 73, Assembly Concurrent Resolution 71, 115, 117.

Secretary, please call roll on File Item 71: SR 73.

[Roll call].

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll call].

Secretary, please call the absent member.

[Roll call].

Ayes: 38; no: 0 on File Item 79. Ayes: 38; no: 0 on the remaining items. The Consent Calendar is approved. Members, we will now be returning to Motions and Resolutions as this is the time for our adjourn in memory. Senator Smallwood-Cuevas, you are recognized for your adjourn in memory.

Thank you, Madam President. And colleagues, it seems we're losing so many of our great faith leaders, and I rise today to adjourn in the memory of Superintendent Pastor Lawrence Champion Blake, Sr., a beloved faith leader in my district in South Los Angeles.

For more than four decades, West Angeles Church of God in Christ has been a cornerstone of the Crenshaw Corridor and of the national Church of God in Christ movement.

Founded in 1943 as a small congregation of 50 members on West Adams Boulevard, it grew into one of the largest Black churches in the nation, serving more than 25,000 members, functioning as a spiritual home for tens of thousands. For generations, West Angeles has not only shaped the Corridor; it has shaped leaders, and Pastor Blake was one of them.

He was a devoted spiritual leader in his community, guided by his deep faith and compassion for helping others. He was born the youngest son of the Los Angeles most prominent faith families, Presiding Bishop Emeritus Charles E. Blake Sr. and Lady Mae L. Blake of West Angeles Church of God in Christ.

Under his father's leadership, the Church of God in Christ expanded its national impact, launching urban initiatives and putting faith into action through job training, housing, reentry support, youth mentoring, community redevelopment, and financial literacy. During Bishop Blake's tenure, West Angeles became one of the denomination's most influential congregations.

It was within that legacy of faith and service that his son, Pastor Blake, was raised and formed. From a young age, he was deeply involved in the church, preaching his first sermon at age 16 and becoming a licensed minister in 1988.

After surviving a near fatal encounter as a young man, he committed his life to ministry and he was determined to uplift and focus on uplifting youth and young adults. For many years, he served as the Young Adult Pastor at West Angeles and he remained in that pastoral role until 2023.

In 2024, he was appointed Senior Pastor of Palm Lane Church of God in Christ in Watts. The following year, he became Superintendent of the New Antioch District within the First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of Southern California.

A dynamic, influential segment of the Church of God in Christ movement, it focused on bringing congregations together around key community-building initiatives. Through his work, Pastor Blake spoke openly about failure, reflection, and growth. He used his life as an example to guide others and to build spiritual faith in our community.

Pastor Blake is survived by his wife, First Lady Jeanine Blake, their children, and grandchildren. He leaves behind a legacy rooted in faith and service and empathy, and it is part of the great legacy that holds the West Angeles community. May we carry forward his example, remembering the very best of California.

When our people stand up and build community, we all benefit. In that spirit of faith and commitment to community, I ask that we adjourn in the memory of Superintendent Pastor Lawrence Champion Blake, Sr. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. Condolences to his entire family and the community. Please be sure to bring his name forward so that he can be properly memorialized. Senator Cortese, you are recognized for your adjourn in memory.

Thank you, Madam President. Senators, today I rise to ask that we adjourn in memory of Joseph Anthony De Maria, a lifelong San Jose resident who passed away on December 31st at the age of 98. Joseph, or Joe, as I always called him, was born in San Jose on December 11th, 1927.

He attended St. Patrick School and Bellarmine College Preparatory, so we had some synchronicity today, as Bellarmine is the Jesuit High School in our area, so I enjoyed--especially enjoyed--that coincidence today. His family owned and operated San Jose Leather Company for more than five decades, more than half a century. He was really, really dedicated to our community.

Of course, I called him Joe, but he had a large extended family going back generations in San Jose, so he was known by a lot of different titles--dad, daddio, grandpa, papa, brother, friend. He's certainly a friend of mine. He was a role model and mentor to many. He was described as wise and insightful.

He had a very nice smile, but sometimes that's all you would see or hear because he was a man of few words at times. He treasured his relationships deeply and offered encouragement, advice freely to family and friends alike if they would seek him out. Joe embraced life with energy and style. He was always impeccably dressed and fit.

He was well-known for his swing dancing. He began working out at 14 years old, which would explain the fact that not only did he not appear to be in his 90s before he passed away, but I don't recall him ever appearing to be any older than about 60.

When asked about his longevity, he credited God first, then his wife and children, which was a reflection of his very deep faith and gratitude. Joseph was an active member of the Italian Catholic Federation Branch 391, Sons of Sicily, Civic Club of San Jose, and the Italian American Heritage Foundation in San Jose and the St. Thomas of Canterbury Parish.

I knew him through all those organizations and civic activities. His devotion to God and service to community were central to who he was. It happens that his family and my family literally went back generations. His father and my grandfather were very, very close friends, so it was always a joy to see him in the community where he was inseparable with his wife, Cathy De Maria. And Cathy is one of the most civically active people in our community, so you could imagine anytime you'd see Cathy, you'd see Joe, and vice versa.

They had five children. Joe had five children--Ann Rodrigues, Debie De Maria, Lynn Abarca, Sam De Maria, and Jeanne Parra--15 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and two great, great grandchildren, and his father, Fran, along with nieces and nephews.

Joseph Anthony De Maria leave behind a legacy of faith, family, friendship, and generosity. His impact on those who knew him and on the San Jose community will not be forgotten. It's going to be hard not seeing him around at all these civic activities, and it will be noticeable. I respectfully ask that we adjourn today in memory of Joseph Anthony De Maria. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. Condolences to his entire family. Seemed like he had a very large one; was definitely loved. Please be sure to bring his name to the front so that he may be properly memorialized. Senator Blakespear, you are recognized for your adjourn in memory.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, I rise today to adjourn in memory of Major Tyler R. Braconi who lost his life on October 16, 2025 in service to our country as a United States Marine Corps aviator while he was stationed at Camp Pendleton. He died when his helicopter crashed during a training exercise.

Major Braconi was a Marine, an aviator, a leader, and a deeply loved son whose life embodied service, courage, and purpose. He devoted more than a decade of his life to the defense of our nation.

He began his journey at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and entered the Navy Baccalaureate program before choosing to enter the Marine Corps, a path inspired by his stepfather, a 24-year Marine, and his mentor, retired Marine Corps aviator, Colonel Fred Cone. From the moment he experienced his first helicopter flight, Major Braconi knew he had found his calling.

Commissioned in 2012 and promoted to Major in 2022, he served with distinction as a pilot for the AH-1Z Viper, one of the Marine Corps' most advanced, demanding, and maneuverable aircraft.

Among his many honors, Major Braconi received the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with four Bronze Stars. He also was selected through a highly competitive process to serve four years with the Australian Army as part of the Officer Exchange Program.

As a Marine Corps aviator, Major Braconi embodied integrity, courage, and excellence. He loved the precision and challenge of flight, but even more, he loved serving alongside his fellow Marines. But Major Braconi was more than his rank or his wings. Born and raised in Orange County, California, Major Braconi's fearless spirit was evident from the very beginning.

He was adventurous, determined, and endlessly curious, walking and climbing before his first birthday, bungee jumping by the age of four, and always searching for the next challenge. By the age of five, he declared that he would become a fighter pilot, and he pursued that dream with determination and discipline.

A natural team player and leader, Major Braconi played soccer from his early childhood through college. Off the field, it was his warmth, genuine kindness, and quick smile that people remember most. Music was another one of his passions. A self-taught guitarist, he formed a band with close friends in high school, bringing people together through laughter and song.

When asked what kind of music he liked, he said, the good kind. He was an outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed hiking, backpacking, and ultra trail running, even completing a hundred kilometer ultra trail marathon, a true testament to his grit and endurance. And he relished and adored his faithful companion, his beloved dog, Harvey.

I join Major Tyler Braconi's mother, Cristi Rose, his family, fellow service members, and friends in honoring his life, his service, and the light he brought into this world. In his 35 years, he lived fully, loved deeply, and inspired others to lead. Semper Fidelis. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Blakespear. Our condolences to his family. Please be sure to bring his name forward so that he may be properly memorialized. Senators, if there is no other business, Pro Tim Limón, the desk is is clear.

Thank you, Madam President. Our next floor session is scheduled for Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.

The Senate is in recess until 3:30 p.m., at which time the adjournment motion will be made. We will reconvene February 17th, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.