Senate Floor

Secretary, please call the roll.

Allen. Alvarado. Gill. Archuleta. Araguain. Ashby. Becker. Blakespear. Cabaldon. Caballero. Cervantes. Choi. Cortese. Dali. Durazo. Gonzalez. Grayson. Grove. Hurtado. Jones. Laird. Limon. Mcguire. McNerney. Menjivar. Niello. Ochoa. Bog. Badia. Perez. Reyes. Richardson. Rubio. Sijarto. Smallwood. Cuevas. Stern. Strickland. Umberg. Valaderas. Wahab. Weber. Pearson. Wiener.

A quorum is present. And Members. Members, please. And guests beyond the rail, please rise. Before we proceed with the prayer and pledge, let us observe a moment of silence for our departed civil rights leader, Reverend Jesse Jackson, who as you know, passed away this weekend. May he rest in peace. Thank you.

We will be led in prayer this afternoon by Senator Araguain.

This past weekend, in many parts of the world, people celebrated Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse. May this New Year carry us forward with unshakable courage. Like the horse that runs freely across open fields. May we break through barriers, overcome challenges and race toward our dreams with confidence and grace.

May the energy of the horse bring abundance to our work, joy to our families and smoothness to our paths. Let each move we make be guided by wisdom, kindness and the hope of a brighter future for all. We ask this in the name of all that is holy. Amen.

Amen. And now please allow me to lead you in the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And now under privileges of the floor, Senator Richardson at the leaders majority leader's desk has some introductions. We will go to Senator. Holding temporarily. Senator Cabaldon running to the Majority Leader's desk.

He has guests to introduce.

Thank you Mr. President. Colleagues, today we once again have the honor of welcoming to The Senate Floor 8 Young and dynamic leaders from around the world who are participating in the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship.

This program was created by President Carter in 1978 as an effort to enhance leadership among international professionals who collaborate to address local and global challenges and foster change for collective good. The first cohort of 27 mid career professionals arrived here in 1979 from 24 countries.

The fellows participate in 10 months of professional enrichments and non degree graduate level studies at a variety of U.S. universities. And this particular group is being hosted right here in my district at UC Davis. This year's group hails from the countries of North Macedonia, Mali, Estonia, Eswatini, Pakistan, Ecuador, South Korea and Bhutan.

Accomplished professionals already, they come from a wide variety of fields and they among their alumni of the Humphrey Fellows program there are Pulitzer Prize Winners, foreign ministers, scientists, elected officials all over the world. They have expertise in the areas of engineering, chemical engineering, water and environmental management, economics, law, climate change, energy sustainability and food systems.

The Senate has welcomed Humphrey Fellows here to our chamber and organized meetings to encourage their understanding and engagement with our political legislative process for decades. Today, this cohort is going to have the opportunity to tour the Capitol and receive a background briefing on the California Legislature.

Colleagues, please join me in congratulating this special delegation of fellows on their achievements. And let's offer them a warm welcome to the California State Senate.

And this would be time for a larger group photo if other people would like to join in.

Moving on, we will move to messages from the Governor which will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments adopted, And to motions and resolutions.

Seeing no mics up, but without objection, the Senate journals for February 9, 2026 through February 13, 2026 will be approved as corrected by the minute. CLE. And now Committee announcements. Senator Cabaldon, I believe you have a Committee announcement.

Thank you, Mr. President. The joint hearing of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and the Assembly Committee on Business Professions will be taking place upon adjournment in room 1100 of the Swing space.

Back to privileges of the floor. Senator Richardson is recognized at the Majority Leader's desk.

Good afternoon, colleagues. It's my great pleasure to introduce to you today some very special guests. And then I'm going to give some more particular remarks about a dear friend. I'd first like to welcome to the floor Ms. Virginia Newman, Congressman Clyburn's partner and dear beloved, who we're so glad to see here today.

We also have Ms. Michelle Willard, who's the Sacramento State Vice President for External affairs. We have Dr. Luke Wood, who's the Sacramento State President. And then we also have a dear friend who I've known for quite some time, Dr. Mildred Garcia. She's the California State University Chancellor.

But I also want to point out that she's the first Latina to ever be appointed as the Chancellor for the Cal State University System. And she's also a first generation college student. Would you please give them all a grand welcome? Today it's my honor to give special remarks regarding Congressman Jim Clyburn.

You know, there's many times I have a bachelor's degree in political science, which is the study of people. And so when we talk about studying history, it's crucial. The reason why we study history is it's crucial for understanding the present, learning from the past, developing critical thinking for the future while simultaneously fostering empathy.

Today we have an opportunity. Many of us read about history, we talk about history, we listen about history. But today you're going to have the pleasure of meeting history as I introduce, on behalf of the California Legislative Black Caucus. Other caucuses, I believe, stand in agreement with us.

And I'm sure all of the Members of the Senate body, please welcome Congressman Jim Clyburn. A little background about Mr. Clyburn. Some of my colleagues over here on the left could appreciate this. He's the only Democrat to represent, to represent as a Member of Congress in the state of South Carolina. He's the only African American.

It took about a century. The first African American elected to Congress came from South Carolina. But it took going past almost a century for him to be elected after many of the Jim Crow laws and barriers were broken.

He's the son of a minister and if you ever hear him speak, you know that that runs deep in him as well. His mother was also a civic minded beautician. And in our community, you know, when you go and you get your hair done, a lot is discussed, like at a barber shop.

And so it's not by accident that he later, at the age of 12, I believe, became the head of the Youth Council of the NAACP. He met his lovely wife of 50 years who has since passed, and we all knew her, Emily, in prison.

So when we talk about protests today and people going to prison and coming together, those two met actually in prison. And he has a story to tell some of us, if we might have time with him, about how they shared in breaking bread.

And that was one of the things that really stuck out to him in meeting her. But after that he became a teacher.

And in Congress, Mr. Clyburn stood as an advocate, still stands as an advocate for many issues, but for some of you, what I think would stick out is that he's been a tremendous advocate for rural communities, for individuals to have access to utilities, to energy, many things that other people in larger urban communities don't that have.

And in the rural communities, they don't. He seeks after he develops and he mentors and advances individuals from his district, those who might have a less likely path to opportunities. And then finally he bore the burden of stabilizing a community after the horrific shooting in the Emanuel AME Church where nine churchgoers, including the pastor, were gunned down.

But a little bit about his leadership and you can tell I'm a fan. One of the things that sticks out to me about Mr. Clyburn is that he has equal relationships, both on the Democratic and the Republican side, of both presidents and leaders alike who seek his counsel, his respect. And they will often adhere.

I saw in many times they would adhere to his thoughtful counsel. He's considered to understand the pulse of Congress, the Members he serves with, to know what they're going to go for and what they're not going to go for, as well as the nation as a whole. He has the ability to withstand intense political pressure.

I remember in a presidential election that came up and people were just badgering him to support them. And he stood strong, strong on his principles, unwaveringly. And then also his thoughts and actions are often guided by faith, fairness, wisdom and balanced perspectives.

And to close, I'd like to share with you two brief personal stories that I experienced with Mr. Clyburn. One, he's the son of a minister.

And so when he went to his father and he asked him and he told him, I'm thinking about going into politics, which we all know isn't a popular thing to tell our family Members, his wise father said he thinks people would rather see a sermon than hear one.

And then the other story I want to share with you is that I had the opportunity to serve with Mr. Clyburn during the Affordable Care act, and I'll never forget it. As we all know, there's been many positions on whether you're supporting, supportive or opposed.

And in the Capitol over in Washington, you have the ability to walk underground from many of the rooms, to go underground over to the Capitol. And it was Speaker Pelosi who said, we're not going underground. We're not going to be afraid.

There were people on both sides, lining both sides, over 200ft to get from the Cannon Building to the Capitol and people yelling on both sides. And if you watch the documentary about Pelosi, you'll see Mr. Clyburn holding her hand. And there was another lady who was holding the hand, and it was mine.

And I'll never forget, on both sides, they had signs and people were yelling. And Mr. Clyburn had my left hand and Minister Cleaver had my right. And as we stepped out to go from the Cannon Building, some people started to spit at us.

And these were only things I had heard about, I had read about, I had not experienced. So some of you who know 2.0, I was tempted to kind of step out and deal with it. But Mr. Clyburn very strongly clutched my hand and said to keep looking forward with that.

You have the iconic history Maker, statesman, transformational leader, Presidential Medal of Freedom winner. How often do we meet those in person? Mr. Jim Cliger.

And we know how special this is to you. You, as you said, you served with him. We have another colleague here, I think, who served with him, whose mic is up, has something to say. Senator McNerney.

Well, thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, I had the. I was a little surprised by your visit, Congressman Clyburn, and it's a real pleasure to see you. I had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Clyburn for 20 years, and I can tell you this is the face of leadership in America, someone that gets in there and makes things happen.

He was a Democratic whip. Now, the Democratic Party had 240 people. And to get 240 people to vote on something that you want is a struggle. And he walked out there. He made it happen. It was incredible to see it. And also back home, he's a true family man. His family adores him.

And he has the biggest event in South Carolina every year. It's incredible. You can go there. I think it's free. I didn't make it down there. Sorry, Mr. Congressman. But it's a tremendous event. And let's see, Mr. Clyburn actually came to Stockton to help me get some things done in my district.

So he cared about the individuals in the Congress. He cared. He knew the people. He knows people. He was out there every day helping. It was quite incredible. So we're honored to have you here, Congressman Clyburn. I want to call you Senator, but Congressman Clyburn and I, we're honored by your presence. I yield back.

And Senator Strickland, you're recognized.

If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to the Congressman directly. I just. I didn't ever have the privilege to serve with you, Congressman. But we're here with a living legend. And as a Republican, I'll say you actually campaigned against me when I ran for Congress.

And I said, man, I must be something big if Congressman Clyburn said, in my district, look, you have a reputation, agree to disagree without being disagreeable, working well with everybody.

And it's just such a privilege to have you here on this floor because I'm a student of history and to have a living legend on this floor, whether you agree with 100% or not, you've made an impact in America and you made America a better place.

And I want to say thank you for being here today, and it's an honor and privilege. I'm going to come up and shake your hand because I think you've totally made this country a better place.

Whether I agree with 100% or not, you have been a leader in the civil rights movement, and you made this country a great place to live. And I just wanted to say from the bottom of my heart, it's a true story.

When you came to my district and campaigned against me, I said I must have made it because Congressman Clyburn came into my district. But I hope someday that we can get to know each other. But I just think the world of you. And thank you for your leadership through the many decades of your public service. Thank you.

We will reconvene for our business in 30 seconds.

Okay, moving on with the business of the day. Introduction and first reading of bills will be deemed read. And now, consideration of the daily file. Assembly third reading, item 69.

Secretary, please read.

Senate Resolution 72 by Senator Wahab, relative to the Lunar New Year.

And Senator Wahab, you are recognized.

Thank you. President and colleagues, I rise as Vice Chair of the Asian American and Pacific Islander, AAPI, Legislative Caucus to present Senate Resolution 72, celebrating the Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year has many names, with more than a billion people celebrating it throughout the world.

Lunar New Year is a time for family, honoring traditions, and preparing for the New Year to come. This year, it's the year of the Fire Horse, meant to symbolize energy, progress, and courage, a year that's meant to mark turning points in society or breakthrough moments, forcing something new to emerge, and hopefully very lucky. I honestly want to wish everybody a happy Lunar New Year. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Senator Weber Pierson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Today, I rise on behalf of the California Legislative Black Caucus in support of SR 72 recognizing Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year is one of the most widely celebrated traditions across many Asian cultures, including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and others. It marks the beginning of the lunar calendar, and it is a time centered on renewal, family, gratitude, and hope.

For generations, families gathered to honor their ancestors, share symbolic meals, exchange red envelopes to wish prosperity and welcome a new year filled with health and opportunity. Each year in the zodiac cycle carries its own meaning, reminding us of the values of wisdom, resilience, courage, and transformation.

Here in California, which is home to one of the largest Asian American populations in the nation, Lunar New Year is more than a cultural observance; it's a celebration of the immigrants, workers, small business owners, public servants, and community leaders who have helped build and strengthen our state.

SR 72 honors that legacy and affirms that California's diversity is one of our greatest strengths. I respectfully ask for an aye vote on SR 72, on behalf of the California Legislative Black Caucus. Thank you.

Senator Choi, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I rise to celebrate the Lunar New Year today, a holiday deeply meaningful to millions of Californians and especially to people of Asian countries. For Koreans, Lunar New Year, which is called...is one of the most important days of the year. It is a time centered on family, respect, and renewal.

Families gather to honor ancestors, strengthen bonds, and begin the New Year with the gratitude and humility. Traditional customs such as sharing Korean rice cake soup, tteokguk, that remind us that we become one year older, that you can say we are growing in wisdom and responsibility to our families, our communities, and one another.

At its heart, the Lunar New Year reflects the belief that each year offers a clean slate and renewed opportunity to live with integrity and purpose.

As the only Korean American serving in the California Legislature, this celebration holds a special meaning for me and reflects the significant contributions of Korean Americans and Asian Americans, and the Pacific Islander communities make to our state. The 2026 Lunar New Year makes the Year of the Fire Horse, symbolizing vitality and courage.

I support CR 72 and extend my warmest wishes for peaceful, healthy, and prosperous New Year to all who celebrate. [Speaking Korean] Thank you.

Senator Cabaldon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I advise to join my other AAPI colleagues from the Senate, from South and Central Asia, and from East Asia, as the Senator with ancestry in Southeast Asia. Whether it's Chinese New Year, Tet...goes by many names throughout Asia and throughout California, but Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays of the year, for all of the reasons that my colleagues have mentioned.

It can be a challenge, and it has been historically, like so many traditions have been, in 1906, two cycles ago, for the Year of the Fire Horse.

The Year of the Fire Horse comes, incidentally, once every 60 years, like every other Chinese zodiac year. In 1906, it was one of the years where the fewest women were born in China and Chinese-speaking countries in Asia as well, largely because of the superstition that the Fire Horse imposed on women.

And similarly, in 1966, it was the largest drop in female birth rates in much of Asia for the same reason.

And so, and I want to say also on behalf of the LGBTQ Caucus, this is the time of year that can sometimes be challenging in many Asian American communities, because in addition to the celebrations, there's always one question, and you don't have to know anything about Lunar New Year because it's the same question at Thanksgiving and other traditional American holidays, which is, when are you getting married?

Why not? All of which are innocent questions unless you can't be accepted for who you are. So, this holiday is an important one, and it has come so far.

I do want to point out that there was research done in Japan after 1966 that showed that women born in 1966, the last generation of Fire Horses, despite the superstitions, had the exact same rates of success, of joy in their lives, as women right before and after.

And so, the superstition part of this celebration has posed a lot of challenges in history, but it is the celebration today that we focus on today and the deep meaning that this holds as it unites so many Asian American communities, not just with each other, but with the communities that host them.

And so, on behalf of both of the both the LGBTQ Caucus and to join my colleagues in the AAPI Caucus, I certainly rise and urge a yes—an aye vote—on SR 72.

Senator Durazo, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. On behalf of the Latino Caucus, it is my pleasure to rise in support of SR 72, which celebrates the beginning of the Lunar year. All across our great and diverse state, millions of Californians of all backgrounds and nationalities will ring in this important time and celebrate the Year of the Horse.

This rich cultural holiday is filled with various traditions that are rooted in the hope for good fortune and prosperity as we wish each other prosperity, health, and success. This go beyond the individual and into our communities. In my district, I'm fortunate to represent a large Asian Pacific Islander communities made up of Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino.

Our Lunar New Year celebrations are family-oriented, colorful, culturally significant, energetic, and full of life. I look forward to joining my constituents for these celebrations encourage you all to do the same. May the Lunar New Year be a blessing for all of you. And remember, don't wash your hair today. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Senator Wahab, you may close. Running to her microphone. Oh, wait a minute. Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

My apologies, Mr. President. Sorry, Senator Wahab. Colleagues, I rise in support of SR 72 as the proud representative of the 11th Senate District, which has a huge Asian American population. I'm very proud of our community.

San Francisco, of course, is the home to the oldest and largest Chinatown outside of China and our Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, and other Asian American Pacific Islander communities and San Francisco and San Mateo County, who celebrate the New Year with many parades and parties and dances and lots and lots of food. It's really very joyous.

And the rich history of Lunar New Year celebrations in San Francisco dates back to the 1850s during the Gold Rush.

Drawn by opportunity, many Chinese immigrants, primarily from Canton Province and the surrounding areas, came to California and to San Francisco, bringing with them very rich language or traditions and cultural traditions and language and just an incredible cultural heritage that has helped shape our city and our state.

These early Chinese immigrants were merchants and community builders and also laborers who made profound contributions to the development of of California and to our nation.

Most notably, Chinese workers played an indispensable role in building the transcontinental railroad, laying track across some of the most treacherous terrain in the Sierra Nevada and helping to physically unite the United States from coast to coast.

Their resilience, sacrifice, and hard work helped build the economic foundation of our state, even as they faced intense discrimination and horrific exclusion from so many aspects of society. This marked the beginning of the long-standing tradition of the Lunar New Year Parade, our Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco.

Today, our Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is the largest celebration of its kind outside of China. And if you've not been there, please join us. It's a lot of fun. Over the centuries, celebrating with family and community for the New Year has remained an important part of our Asian American Pacific Islander communities in San Francisco.

And I hope that the Year of the Fire Horse brings you and your family success, happiness, and good health. I urge an aye vote.

Now, Senator Wahab, you may close.

Thank you. I really just want to appreciate all my colleagues for speaking on this topic. The Asian American community is very vibrant. This community belongs in every single one of our districts and often, sometimes, is ignored when we are talking about Asian hate, some of the rhetoric that we see nationally, and much more.

So, this is a very important time to not only lift up the Asian American community, but each other when we are talking about the New Year. So, again, happy Lunar New Year. I wish you all a prosperous year to come. I respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 37. Noes, 0. The resolution is adopted. Now, returning to motions and resolutions. This is the time for adjourn in memory motions. Senator Becker, you are recognized and you have introductions I think, too.

Yes. Thank you, colleagues. Thank you, colleagues. I rise today to adjourn—thank you, colleagues. I rise today to adjourn in the memory of Niles Tolenius, a friend and inspiration who passed away on October 19th, 2025. I first met Niles when I was just beginning my Senate campaign, and he was a young, enthusiastic volunteer, a high school student dedicated to a cleaner and healthier world.

It was my friend, Andy Karzner, who first told me about Niles's passion for the environment. The former lead climate negotiator for the United States, he once shared with me, Niles is why I work on climate solutions and clean energy. He is hope and change personified.

And he was. Niles came to volunteer on my campaign in July of 2019 and I saw that everything that Andy and his parents said was true and more. He became a proud Member of my California climate army and a young leader who stood out in his presence and passion.

Niles exuded enthusiasm and warmth in all of his endeavors, from founding his school sustainability programs to music, to his deep, deep-felt passion for aviation. I can tell you that everyone who met Niles left the encounter with their energies and spirits uplifted.

The one thing I always remember about Niles is his belief, even at a young age, that he could make a difference in this world, and he did make a difference, not only in terms of the joy he brought to others, but the work he chose, the contributions he made.

For some, it takes a lifetime, if ever, to understand that it's only by making a difference that we can truly experience the best in life. Niles tapped into that as a teenager.

At his Celebration of Life, there are many testimonies from friends, coworkers, those who knew him in the aviation community here in California, where he did his training and had just gotten his first job offer, and in Colorado. At the Celebration of Life, his mother shared that she was going to live by the motto of what would Niles do?

And that's powerful for me. And I suggest for all of us here, if I—if we—live by the motto of "What would Niles do," we will choose openness, engagement, joy, caring, the courage and freedom to go for what we want, and absolutely live life to its fullest.

I want to extend my condolences to his mother, Stephanie, and his father, Eric, who are here today, and his brother, Liam, and the many, many friends and families that have suffered from his loss. Thank you for letting me adjourn the Senate in his memory.

Please bring it forward so it can be properly recognized. And Senator Gonzalez, you are recognized.

Thank you. Mr. President and Members. I rise today to adjourn in the memory of Mayor Bob Foster from the city of Long Beach. Mayor Foster served two terms from 2006 to 2014 and left a lasting impact on the Long Beach community during some of the city's most challenging periods.

He brought decades of leadership experience to Long Beach, following a distinguished career as the CEO of Southern California Edison, where he served for many years. As Mayor, he guided Long Beach, as mentioned, through some of the most severe economic downturns and times.

His commitment, excuse me, to fiscal responsibility and reform helped stabilize the city's finances, leading to a budget surplus and allowing for higher quality services, and leading efforts to—for one of the most successful public private partnerships, which is the brand New City Hall in Long Beach, as well as the headquarters for the Port of Long Beach, which is incredible to see today.

He worked on affordability issues, and he was a very strong leader. In fact, many times as a staffer, I would see him and think how very stern he was, but how very effective he was as well.

After leaving office, he still remained really active as a supporter of Long Beach throughout through service on local nonprofit and community boards. Even his wife, Nancy Foster, had been very, very vocal and such an advocate on the mental health side. They were so much of a dynamic power couple in our city. And on the city council, I was glad to support an effort to rename our City Hall chambers as the Bob Foster Civic Chambers, which I'm so glad that we did before he passed.

And I always reminded him, as the daughter of a Teamster, because he was often at odds with the Teamsters, that I was the deciding vote on the Foster Civic Chambers.

And he always chuckled with me and laughed and said, how dare you? But he was a respected leader and a dedicated public servant and a beloved member of our community. I'm so very sad that he is gone. We will be cherishing his life this Thursday with a memorial at the very civic chambers that are named after him.

I respectfully ask that we adjourn in his memory and extend our sincere condolences to Nancy, his family, friends, and the countless individuals in Long Beach and at Edison and the in the greater region, for the many lives he touched. Thank you.

Senator Strickland, you're recognized.

I would also like to join in the memory of Bob Foster. Bob Foster was a great man, a great leader. I knew him as Mayor of Long Beach, but before that, he was an Executive at Edison at a very tough time in California history.

We had rolling blackouts, and it was a very difficult time for this California rolling in terms of the energy crisis that we had at the time. And Bob Foster would camp out, along with a gentleman named Tommy Ross, in my office to discuss what we were going to do to attack that crisis situation.

Bob Foster was just an incredible man, got along with everybody. He was a true leader, and I will miss him. He was a friend. And my prayers go out to his family and everybody in Long Beach because he was a true leader.

Not only did he do great work in Edison, but he moved on and became a great leader of Long Beach. And so, I would also like to concur in the memory of Bob Foster, a great Californian.

Senator Laird, you're recognized.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. I just wanted to add a couple of things in tribute to Bob Foster. And I think one of the words that hasn't been used yet, but really applies to him in a lot of the descriptions, is the word gregarious, because he was just unfailingly gregarious.

And I knew him through many incarnations of our, of both of us, and I recall when the drought was going on and he was mayor of Long Beach, we were at some panel, and he described how he took a navy shower to save water. And I remember somebody shouting from the crowd, I can't unsee that. Stop that.

And Bob just went right for them. And it was part of the fun. You always just genuinely enjoyed being around him. But the other thing was, is he was a very proud San Jose State graduate.

And so, he sponsored many years, along with Professor Terry Christiansen and some others, many San Jose State students that came to the Capitol. And he would always invite me and it was his way of sort of making sure there was civic engagement, that the gift he gave was given back in previous generations.

And it was just one of those things. He didn't ask for recognition, he just did it. And that was one of the reasons he was such a solid guy. I am sorry we've lost him and I join in adjourning in his memory.

Senator Cabaldon, you're recognized.

Yeah. Thank you, Mr. President. I also served with Bob Foster when we were both mayors. And in addition to his service in Long Beach, Bob Foster was the architect of California finally taking its place at the table nationally, among the community—the powerful community of mayors in this country California had largely been shut out.

Bob Foster, as Mayor of Long Beach, conceived of and then flawlessly executed a play to put mayors from Fresno and San Diego and San Francisco and even my own city all over the leadership of the U.S. Conference of Mayors for the purpose of changing the country.

He led the task force on ports that rewrote many federal laws in a way that would advantage shipping and ports around the country, but particularly, his own beloved port in the port complex of Long Beach and San Pedro.

He was, when he walked in as Chair of the Environment Committee as a brand new mayor, I was a little worried. I didn't know him. I just knew he was an Edison Executive and a lobbyist from here, and I thought, oh, here we go.

And one of the things about him that was so remarkable was how out of place and out of time he was compared to what your expectations might be.

And I know in Long Beach, having worked with so many of the young, diverse leaders there who were mentored sternly, and that it takes a special person to be able to lead, to help to facilitate, accept, and lead a transformation of a community and a place towards a new—towards its full range of people and the full diversity that he represented.

That's a beautiful thing when somebody accepts that, embraces it, and moves forward with it. And Bob Foster was second to none in that regard. And I also rise to request that we adjourn in his memory.

Senator Umberg, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President and colleagues. I rise to honor the life and legacy of Bob Foster. I love Bob Foster and I know he liked me because he never failed to insult me. Any time that we had any communication, Bob insulted me.

He first insulted me 36 years ago when he was here in Sacramento, as the representative of Southern California Edison. We've talked about his career as a public servant, which was illustrious and quite remarkable.

But he also had a career, as alluded to by my colleague from Huntington Beach, with Southern California Edison, both with the company, also in energy policy. He first came to the Capitol in 1984. In 1993, he was promoted to Senior Vice President. In 1990, he assumed the position of Senior Vice President of External Affairs.

And then, he became President of Southern California Edison in 2002. And there, as President of Southern California Edison, he demonstrated that he cared deeply about our environment. He cared deeply about California energy policy. Yes, he was President of Southern California Edison during probably the most tumultuous time in terms of energy in California's history.

His brilliance, in terms of energy policy and politics, lit the way for Southern California Edison to develop the largest portfolio of renewable energy programs in the United States. He was respected and influential in so many different aspects of life.

One of the things that I first recall about Bob is the pride he had in his family and in particular, his wife, Nancy. He talked about them all the time. And I know he'll be deeply, deeply missed by his family, by his son, Kenneth. Sadly, his son, James, predeceased him and certainly, his wife, Nancy, and his grandkids.

So, I join my colleagues in asking that we adjourn in the memory of Bob Foster.

Senator Gonzalez, please bring Mr. Foster's name forward so he may be properly recognized. And now, Senator Wiener, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, it is with great sadness that I rise today to ask that the Senate adjourn in memory of Terrence Allen, a longtime community leader in San Francisco, in our cannabis community and our LGBTQ community, in our small business community, and in our nightlife community.

Known for his compassion, his humor, and relentless commitment to community, Terrence was a champion for so many values that San Francisco holds dear, and I know this personally because Terrence was a friend for many years, and I worked with him on various issues, particularly around nightlife. And he was just an extraordinary leader and human being.

Terrence emerged as a leader and pioneer during the height of the AIDS Crisis, which, in San Francisco, led to a mass die off of gay men and others in our community as well, during a moment in time when the Federal Government was either ignoring that mass die off and just allowing people to die, or, frankly, urging people to die faster.

That's what was happening in our community in the 1980s.

He became an advocate for the use of medical cannabis for those suffering in the era of Dennis Perrone and Brownie Mary and when people were literally being arrested and going to prison for making sure that people had access to cannabis as medicine during a period when HIV had no treatment and people were just dying.

And this was one of the few things that could actually provide people with relief. Terrence's commitment transformed into legislative action. He was a very talented organizer. He assisted in passing Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act of 1996, that authorized use of medical cannabis.

He is also—he founded his own dispensary in the Castro, the Florida Dispensary, known for compassionate care and a commitment to providing free or discounted cannabis for qualified patients.

Following the passage of Prop 64 in 2016 and the creation of a legal cannabis market, Terrence became the chair of the San Francisco Cannabis State Legalization Task Force to advise City Hall on cannabis policy. I helped get him into that role when I was still on the Board of Supervisors.

Terrence was also deeply invested in our small business community, particularly in the Castro, and served as President of the Castro Merchants Association. And then, among all of his other accomplishments, Terrence was one of the core people who really elevated City Hall's focus on nightlife in San Francisco.

For many years in San Francisco, nightlife was viewed as a problem to be managed, as opposed to something that is part of the heart and soul DNA of our city. A city is not a city without nightlife. And that is certainly true in San Francisco. Terrence spearheaded deep reforms to the way that our city permitted nightlife, taking that role away from the Police Department and giving it to an agency that's actually focused on promoting nightlife and ensuring safe nightlife.

And specifically, he helped push for an eventual charter amendment to create the Entertainment Commission, a very, very innovative national approach—an agency that does that permitting and also promotes nightlife.

It was, I believe, the first in the nation to take that approach. And that was, among other people, Terrence, he was one of the leaders and he worked hand in glove with my predecessor, Senator Mark Leno, who was then a Member of the Board of Supervisors and championed that charter amendment at City Hall before it went to the ballot. Terrence also in—he served as Chair or as President of the Entertainment Commission for a number of years.

And then, he co-founded the California Music and Culture Association, a statewide alliance of entertainment, businesses, industry professionals, artists, and fans because statewide, there was not enough representation in this building and elsewhere of our entertainment culture music sector, which plays such an important role.

Terrence was so deeply committed to San Francisco, to the Castro, to our community. He was someone who I would—when I wasn't sure what to do in any of these many spaces that he led in, I would just call him, and he always had incredibly wise advice. And he knew everything that had happened over the last 30 years and his loss, it's a big one and so many of us miss him dearly.

And I ask that the Senate adjourn in Terence Allen's memory.

Please bring Mr. Allen's name forward so that he may be properly recognized. If there is no other business, Pro Tem. Limon, the desk is clear.

Thank you, Members. And as it is the year of the fire hose—Fire Horse, Fire Horse—may this also be a symbol for us as a California State Senate, to be high energy, bold, and decisive in action. Our next session will be on Thursday, February 19th at 9:00 AM.

The Senate will be in recess until 3:30, at which time the adjournment motion will be made. We will reconvene Thursday, February 19, 9:00 AM.