Senate Floor

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

A quorum is present. Would the Members and the guests beyond the railing please rise? Before we are led in today's prayer and pledge, I'd like to turn it over to our Majority Leader to lead us in a moment of silence.

Thank you, Madam President. I'd like to ask the Senate to take a moment of silence in honor of Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, a Sacramento native and Elk Grove High School grad and Army Reservist who was killed on March 1 in a drone strike, Kuwait, while serving our nation.

Thank you very much. We are grateful for the men and women who wear our uniform proudly. This afternoon will be led in prayer by Sister Michelle Gorman. After. Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

We gather in God's presence. Gracious and merciful God. Yesterday, on March 8th, International Women's Day was celebrated, having been officially recognized by the UN in 1977. We pray for the women of the world who must overcome fear with courage in so many aspects of their lives.

Rosa Parks once said, I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear. Knowing what must be done does away with fear.

And speaking of courage, Jan Richardson says, I cannot say where courage lives, only that it comes to the heart that is open, to the heart that asks, to the heart that does not turn away.

When courage arrives, it might surprise us by how quiet it is, how it moves with such grace, for possessing such power when we will recognize it, by how still our fear becomes as it loosens its grip. Perhaps never quite leaving, but calmly turning into joy as we enter the life that is finally our own.

So, gracious God, thank you for all the women who have inspired us to grace your courage in our lives. And we ask your blessing on those who are still consumed by fear due to unjust structures. Amen.

Please join me in the pledge. Allegiance. I pledge allegiance. We're going to be moving straight into privileges of the floor. We have one introduction here by Senator Perez, by the majority, at the majority leader's desk. Senator, you may begin.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, please join me in welcoming representatives from the Pasadena Tournament of Roses who are visiting from Senate District 25. This year, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses is celebrating the 137th Rose Parade and the 112th Rose bowl game. The Pasadena Tournament of Roses is a 935 Member volunteer driven nonprofit organization.

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses is a 935 Member volunteer driven nonprofit organization that works year round to produce America's New Year Celebration, the Rose Bowl Parade, as well as the Granddaddy of the Mall, the Rose Bowl Game.

Today, these folks are here to share with the Capitol the achievements and positive community and economic impacts that the Pasadena Tournament of Roses has across Los Angeles county by bringing together the breathtaking and eloquent pageantry that we all enjoy every year on New Year's Day.

Through their work, the Rose Bowl Association and Foundation has been a major influence in the history and diversity of my community back home. I've been attending the Rose Bowl Celebration almost every single year since I was a little girl and highlighting to the world some of the very best that Senate District 25 has to offer.

This event brings attention and draws visitors from all parts of the world to the region. According to a recent study, the Rose Parade and Rose bowl generate an estimated $245 million of economic impact for the greater Los Angeles area, including approximately 2,166 full year jobs generating $35.67 million in tax revenue.

That's what we call economic impact in the sgv. This includes bringing in people to come explore the local attractions and visit this beautiful pocket of California as we welcome in the new year.

With us today are Terry Madigan, President of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Mark Levins, immediate past President of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Ron Rodriguez, Director and Chair of the Queen and Court Committee of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Chris Rodriguez from the Queen and Court Committee, Jolaine Weist, scheduler for the Queen and Court Committee, Linda Whittlesey, Queen and Court Committee and the Rose Court Queen, Serena Glo, Princess Livia De Paula, Princess Rhea Gupta, Princess Olivia Hargrove, Princess Keiko Raiken, Princess Sophia Wren, and Princess Naira Wadley.

We also have with us today Honorary Victor Gordo from the Mayor, the Mayor of the City of Pasadena, Vania De La Cuba, the Deputy for the office of Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo, Carlos Illingworth, Senior Director and Community Relations with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, and David Eads, CEO of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

Please join me in welcoming them to the Senate Chambers today. And please join us in room 115 following floor session to meet with these wonderful people and enjoy sunlight. Refreshments. Thank you.

Welcome to the California State Senate.

All right, Senators, if you wish to participate in this group photo, now is the time. Try to squeeze in as much as possible.

Messages from the Governor will be deemed read. Messages from the Assembly will be deemed read. Reports of Committee will be deemed read and amendments adopted. Moving into motions, resolutions and notices. Motion to approve Senate journals. Without objection. The Senate journals for March 22026 through March 52026 will be approved as corrected by the minute Clerk.

Would any other Member wish to be recognized under this section? See no mics up. Moving into consideration of the daily file, we have three appointments, three items for governor's appointment, all from Senator Grove. She is ready. Senator Grove, file item one.

Thank you. Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, file. Item one is the confirmation of Senor Lomeli for appointment to the State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology. She is a counselor at Miracosta Community College and also serves as adjunct counselor for NorCal College in Rio Honda College. She was approved by the Rules Committee on February 11th on a 5.0vote.

Respectfully asked for your Aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no discussion on this item. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Please call the absent Members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes. 35. No zero. The appointment is confirmed. Senator Grove, file item two.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, file. Item two is a confirmation of C. Don Clay for appointment to the University of California College of Law in San Francisco. Board of directors to. Judge Clay is a graduate of the law school and retired from the Alameda. Alameda County Superior Court in 2024 after serving more than two decades.

He was approved by the Rules Committee on February 11th. Unanimous vote. Respectfully asked for an aye vote.

No discussion on this appointment. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes. 35. No. 0. The appointment is confirmed, Senator Grove. Final item three.

Thank you, Madam President. Again the file item three is the last confirmation we have this morning. It's Joshua Pertula for the appointment of the University of California College of Law, San Francisco Board of Directors.

He is an attorney and a graduate from the law school again as the previous confrey, currently working in the field as a private investment and previously served as a municipal lawyer for the City of Los Angeles. He was approved by the Rules Committee on February 11th on a 50 vote. Respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes. 35. No. 0. The appointment is confirmed. Moving into Senate third reading. We have five items. Four of them have privileges of the floor. Following the adoption of the resolution, we're going to be starting with File Item 14, Scr. 120. The Senator is ready. Secretary, Please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 120 by Senator Grayson relative to consumer protection.

Senator Grayson.

Good afternoon, Madam President. I am honored to present Senate Concurrent Resolution 120, which designates the first week of March as National Consumer Protection Week and March 5 as Slam the Scam Day. Consumer fraud and scams have become increasing, increasingly pervasive in today's digital world.

As more commerce moves online, consumers face evolving risk, including data misuse, cybersecurity breaches, misleading advertising and sophisticated financial scams. These crimes affect people of all ages and all backgrounds. But their impact on senior Americans is particularly devastating.

Some schemes attempt to extract small one time payments, but others are far more insidious, cultivating long term relationships with victims in order to methodically and ruthlessly drain a lifetime of savings. These complex schemes often target older adults with retirement savings and accumulated assets.

Americans lose staggering amounts of money to scams each year and losses continue to grow exponentially. According to the Federal Trade Commission mission, consumers lost as much as 158 billion to fraud in 2023 alone. Beyond the financial damage, the psychological toll can be even more severe.

Victims often experience embarrassment, isolation from family and friends, depression, and in some tragic cases, even suicide. It is clear that Americans face a serious and growing threat with enormous amounts of money flowing out of hard working families accounts and into the hands of sophisticated criminal enterprises.

The size and sophistication of some scam networks even compared to those of multinational corporations. They generate billions in annual revenue, deploy advanced technological tools and employ tens of thousands of individuals. Criminals are increasingly leveraging advanced technologies to to deceive their victims.

Artificial intelligence has made impersonation scams even more convincing and deepfake video and audio are used to exploit trust. Consumer awareness is important. By equipping individuals and families with clear, accurate and accessible information, we can empower them to make informed decisions and strengthen accountability throughout the marketplace.

But the scale and the complexity of the scam environment is too complex to assume that we can educate our way out of this problem. We must do more as a society to stop these criminals from targeting Californians. Addressing this crisis, it does require coordination and even collaboration across all sectors of society.

As legislators, we have a critical role to play in working towards a comprehensive approach to reduce both the frequency and severity of these crimes.

SCR120 provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the evolving tactics scammers are using to encourage all Californians to participate in consumer education efforts and to promote the use of available resources to prevent fraud, safeguard personal information and ensure transparency and fairness in our economy.

Colleagues, thank you for your attention and recognition of National Consumer Week and Slam the Scam Day. I respectfully request your Aye vote on SCR 120.

Senator Choi, you're recognized.

Thank you, madam. And colleagues, I also rise in support of California Senate Resolution 120 regarding National Consumer Protection Week and also Slam the Scam Day and raising awareness about the growing epidemic of financial fraud. Scams are not victimless crimes.

They are cruel acts that prey especially on senior citizens, often wiping out the life savings they spent decades for building it for many victims the financial and emotional damage is devastating and permanent. In fact, I can speak from personal experience. I am currently dealing with the credit scam myself.

And even the credit card issuing bank has not been cooperative in resolving the matter for more than four months. Should I name the bank? It starts at CIT at least. They keep on adding penalty after penalty interest for the card I never received. And then I never been to Nevada or Illinois.

Both of those charges I kept on explain about 78 times. Still they did not clear and keep on sending me now hurting my credit rating. They are reporting to the credit bureau. I'm about to take a lawsuit. We should take our best power that we can to penalize even uncooperating financial institutions that issue such credit cards.

Last week I had my own senior Senior Fraud Senior Scam prevention workshop in my district. And this workshop is one of my most active workshops that I sponsor in the district which is well attended over 100 people and the last week was a little bit less than 100. So we know how serious that issue is.

Educating the public is one of the strongest tools that we have to use to prevent this kind of crimes. And the crimes should be pursued to the maximum way that we can pursue after them and capture them. And we need to penalize them to the maximum content that the law allows.

So by supporting scr 120 I send a clear message that California stands with the victims and against those who prey upon them. I respectfully ask for your support. SCR120.

Senator Becker.

I want to thank my colleague from Concord for bringing forward this resolution and my colleague from Irvine, sorry for what he's had to experience in this regard. As our colleague from Concord mentioned, I think there's a couple roles we can play. Number one is the education role.

We also do a senior scam stopper always very well attended in the district. And then the other part is the legislation we do up here. And one piece that we've worked on the last few years is educating our public about data brokers.

These are folks who buy and sell information about every one of us, hundreds of pieces of information about where we live, where we work, what our health information even. And we now have 550 registered data brokers in California. Fortunately we created this mechanism delete information for data brokers.

We've had 280,000 Californians sign up just in the last few weeks. Now this deletion won't happen until August 1st. But I think it shows that when we act here that people do want to take action and make the personal personal again and not have that information out there for scammers.

So again, I want to thank my colleague and urge support of this resolution.

Senator Grayson, you may now close.

I thank my colleagues for their support and comments and ask for an Aye vote.

So close to unanimous. Roll Call. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Please call the absent Member.

[Roll Call]

Ayes. 36, no zero. The resolution is adopted. Senator Grayson, back to you for your introduction of your guests.

Thank you, Madam President. I am both honored and humbled to have guests today who exemplify the very mission of SCR120. With me on the floor are representatives of the Pleasant Hill Police Department, the City of Pleasant Hill and the United States Secret Service. On the floor we have Detective Steven Wong.

We have Chief Scott Vermillion, Captain Matt Christic, Lieutenant Jason Clevenson, Pleasant Hill Mayor Zach Shess, City Manager Ethan Bendernagel, Resident Agent in charge of Sacramento. Ryan Cole, Special Agent in charge of San Francisco, Sean Bradstreet. In 2022, a 70 year old Pleasant Hill resident came forward after losing $350,000 of her life savings to a cryptocurrency investment scam.

Like so many victims, she was targeted online by an individual who gained her trust and convinced her to invest in a fraudulent scheme. What followed is an extraordinary example of persistence, expertise and the interagency collaboration. Detective Stephen Huang of the Pleasant Hill Police Department meticulously tracked the stolen cryptocurrency.

Working in coordination with the United States Secret Service, he located the majority of the funds in a digital wallet. For more than three years, Detective Wong monitored that wallet. Then in September of 2025, when it finally became active, law enforcement moved quickly to freeze and seize the funds.

On December 31, those funds were returned to the victim and her family because of their dedication and tireless work. A victim who believed her life savings were gone forever and forever was made whole.

I want to publicly commend the the Pleasant Hill Police Department, the United States Secret Service, and especially Detective Steven Wong for their outstanding work on this case. This is a powerful example of how skilled law enforcement working together can fight back against sophisticated financial crimes and deliver real justice for victims. Please join me. They're standing behind me.

Please join me in recognizing and thanking them for their service.

Group photo time, Senators.

Okay, moving on to file item 16, SCR 126. Colleagues, we're gonna have to take our conversations off the floor. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 126 by Senator Grove relative to Special Olympics Day.

Senator Grove.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, today I rise in City present scr26 proclaims March 92026 as Special Olympics Day in California. Today, Special Olympics is the largest sports organization in the world for people with intellectual disabilities, serving more than 4 million athletes across 177 countries.

Here in California, the Special Olympics California serves over 50,000 athletes their families providing year round programs in sports health, leadership and education. These programs do far more than organized competitions. It's not just a game. They build confidence, community and belonging.

And while they're also providing critical health screenings and services for our athletes, this year is especially exciting as Team Nor Cal and Team SoCal together are preparing to represent California at the 2026 Special Olympics USA. The Games are taking place in June 20 through June 26 in Minnesota.

SDR 126 recognizes the extraordinary athletes, their coaches, volunteers, family and other supporters who make Special Olympics possible and celebrates the spirit of inclusion they bring to our communities. Members this resolution honors their achievements and proclaims today, March 9, Special Olympics Day in California. And I respectfully ask for your Aye vote.

Senator Grayson, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise in Strong support of SCR126 honoring Special Olympics Day. Something that is incredibly special and important to me being that my sister has participated in this very activity. It's a day dedicated to celebrating an organization that for over 50 years has transformed lives through the power of sports Special Olympics.

It provides really world class sports training and competitive opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Their programs promote physical fitness, improve overall health and most importantly, empower individuals with confidence, courage and a sense of fulfillment. Beyond athletic development, this organization also fosters vibrant, inclusive communities where every individual is accepted and they are celebrated.

I've been honored to volunteer at and attend Special Olympic Games and events in the past. And I am deeply inspired by the dedication of the athletes as well as the coaches and officials and all those who support the Special Olympics mission.

It is in their commitment to the mission that motivates us to celebrate diversity and break down social barriers and ensure that every voice is heard. Because when we lift up everyone, we pave the way for the future that is more inclusive, equitable and compassionate.

Thank you for your attention, recognition of this incredible organization and also I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Grove, you may now close. Thank you. Madam President, I respectfully ask for an Aye vote on scr126. And just to honor these incredible athletes.

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 34. Please call the absent Member.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 35. No 0. The resolution is adopted. Senators, all these items have been eligible for unanimous roll call, but because you're not on, we're going through the roll. So if you can kindly stay on the floor, we won't have to call the roll. Senator Grove, back to you for your introduction of your guest.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, joining me on the floor today are several Members, or a couple of Members are Special Olympics California. Please help me welcome two athletes. Ryan Rose, Special Olympics athlete, and Terrence Huang, Special Olympics athlete. Yes. Attending with them is Kevin Lee, he's a senior manager of governmental relations and advocacy.

Kelly Pond, President of Special Olympics Southern California, and David Solo, President of Special Olympics Northern California. And we are very grateful to have them here today. And don't forget to keep them in your prayers. Hear them on, as they will all be competing in Montana. Yes, Minnesota, in June. Anyways, Minnesota. So thank you, Members.

Good luck in the upcoming games. Senators, if you'd like to participate in this photo, please join in the back. Senator Laird, you have file item 25, SCR130. Okay, we're going to move on to file item 19 for Senator Niello. Ready to go.

Secretary, please read.

Senate Resolution 79 by Senator Niello, relative to Sleep Health Awareness Week.

Senator.

Thank you, Madam President. I was a little slow on the uptake because after losing an hour this weekend, I fell asleep at my desk. And I rise today to present SR 79 to designate the week of March 8th, that is this week, as Sleep Health Awareness Week, recognizing the importance of sleep health.

As we all know, sleep is essential to our health, wellbeing, and safety. Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised that most adults need at least seven hours of sleep per night?

But they also report that 35% of all adults in the United States sleep less than seven hours of sleep on an average night. The National Sleep Foundation's 2025 "Sleep in America Poll" found that 60% of Americans say they do not regularly get the recommended amount of sleep every night.

In the short term, sleep deprivation can lead to impaired memory, elevated stress levels, disrupted metabolism, and increased risk of injury and accidents. And in the long term, insufficient sleep can increase the risk of diabetes, stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, depression, and other health conditions.

That is why the Legislature passed Senate Bill 328 by Senator Portantino in 2019 in support of moving school start times to protect the importance of more sleep for students' health. Now, this is where I really need attention. Over the weekend, we lost an hour of sleep as we moved from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time.

I am suffering the consequence of that today. I know this topic elicits a lot of emotions and opinions, but members, this is a special resolution that speaks to the fact that our sleep matters and whether we like it or not, permanent Standard Time is better for our sleep and therefore, our health.

Medical study after medical study shows that when we make the sweets—the switch—to Daylight Saving Time, heart attacks, strokes, car accidents, and medical errors go up.

This is because changing between Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time is severely disruptive to sleep and the national circuit—our natural circadian rhythm—of humans, consequently having a negative impact on sleep, health, safety, and education.

The California Medical Association, the California Sleep Society, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, National Sleep Foundation, Sleep Research Society, and Society for Research on Biological Rhythms advise against permanent Daylight Saving Time and recommend Permanent Standard Time due to impacts of sleep and therefore, health. But I digress.

Numerous states and organizations across the nation recognize and participate in Sleep Health Awareness Week. Please join me today in support of designating this week as Sleep Health Week in California and allow me to share a little haiku that we wrote with the assistance of our good friend, artificial intelligence. "Sunrise guides the day, nature keeps the truest time. Stop shifting the clocks." I ask for your aye vote.

Senator, that presentation put me to sleep, impacted—just kidding, Senator. Much love, Senator. Seeing no mics up for discussion. Secretary, this item is eligible for united roll call. Any objection? Ayes, 34. Noes, 0. The resolution is adopted. Senator Laird, now I'm coming back to you with file item 25, SCR 135.

Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 135 by Senator Laird, relative to Peace Corps Week.

Senator Laird.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I rise today to present Senate Concurrent Resolution 135, which declares the first week of March as Peace Corps Week. The United States Peace Corps was founded by President John F. Kennedy on March 1st, 1961.

Over the last 65 years, nearly 240,000 Peace Corps volunteers have been served in over 140 host countries. Notably, 32,000 of these volunteers were from California, the highest contribution of any state in the nation. Returned Peace Corps volunteers throughout California continue to serve their communities, some of them as members or staff of the State Legislature.

I know my former Assemblymember and Congressmember Sam Farr was a returnee from Columbia. So, please join me in acknowledging the Sacramento return Police Corps volunteers. We will meet them in a moment.

And when I met with them before, I asked them each where they served and the countries I remember that they said were Honduras, Guatemala, Botswana, Ukraine, and I think two in Cote Ivoire. So, it was a good donation of our country's best knowledge to help others in the spirit that John Kennedy envisioned in the first place.

We thank them for their upholding the principles of peace, opportunity, and friendship. I respectfully ask for your aye vote on SCR 135.

Senator Choi, you're recognized.

Thank you, madam. I rise in support of SCR 135, Peace Corps Recognition Day. In fact, I was not a Peace Corps volunteer, but I was recruited by the State Department to teach Peace Corps volunteers, assigned to go to Korea as an instructor, Korean language and culture.

That Peace Corps program is, in fact, that opened my job for the first job in my career after my military service happened to be in the US and then, I got here 1968 as an instructor. And I joke about the fact that I never received the return ticket to Korea and I'm stuck here.

That was my campaign joke that I was making. It turned out to be something that I never expected I would be remaining here as California State Senator and many other levels of local government politics. This Peace Corps program, as you know, has been tremendous advocacy for democracy and US policies throughout the world.

And Korea used to be aid receiving country. Among those aid receiving countries with the Peace Corps help, now they are—Korea has become the only country that Peace Corps has succeeded. They stopped receiving Peace Corps volunteers early 1980s and now, they are sending their own version of a Peace Corps to rest of the world.

And now, they have become the aid giving country. And so, Peace Corps is very proud of their success through the program they had with the South Korea. And in fact, right now, to recognize the contributions of a Peace Corps program and all the volunteers who serve the worldwide, a Peace Corps Memorial Park is being built in Washington D.C., where I also made my personal contributions.

It will become the visitors' favorite place and recognize what the Peace Corps program has done for this country and the rest of the country. So, I personally thank John F. Kennedy, our President who started that program 1961.

And even though I never received my return ticket to Korea, it turned out to be okay. And this is American dream that came to me through the Peace Corps program. So, with that, I urge you in support of SCR 135.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Laird, you may now close.

I would like to thank the Senator for his great supportive comments and personal experience and I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Any objection to applying the unanimous roll call to this item? I see none. Ayes, 33. Noes, 0. The resolution is adopted. Senator Laird, back to you for your introduction.

Thank you. Joining us on the floor are the Sacramento Valley returned Peace Corps volunteers board members who served, and when I said that people served in Honduras, Guatemala, Botswana, Ukraine and Cote d'Ivoire, it was among these people that did that.

And they gave a number of years of their own lives to help others in the kind of spirit that I hope is not lost and has really demonstrated the best in America and the best in our assistance to foreign countries. So, please welcome them to the Senate floor and thank them for their service.

Thank you so much for everything you've done.

Moving on to file item 28, SR 83. Senator McNerney is ready.

Secretary, please read.

Senate Resolution 83 by Senator McNerney, relative to Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

Senator McNerney.

Thank you, Madam President. Colleagues, today I rise to present SB 83, which recognizes March as the Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. This issue is personal to me. I've lost a close friend to colorectal cancer. His message? Get tested. Colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States for men and women under the age of 50.

So, it's striking young men and women, however, it can be prevented. One of the few cancers that can be prevented by timely screening. One in three Americans who are eligible for screenings do not get screened.

I know that when people hear the word colonoscopy, there's a little chuckle, maybe, but they don't exactly want to look forward to doing that. But I can tell you what the good news is. Now, there are other screening options, including blood tests, a simple blood test. But colonoscopies are the standard.

They're the most accurate test, and they save lives. SB 83 also highlights the disparities in colorectal cancer outcomes with Indigenous Americans, Alaskan Natives, Black Americans, Hispanic communities, and rural residents facing higher cancer risks. By designating March 2026 as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we can increase public awareness and emphasize the importance of early detection, potentially saving thousands of lives.

Don't be embarrassed to talk about poop. This resolution represents California's commitment to addressing this preventable disease through education and awareness, supporting the tireless work of advocates, medical professionals, and survivors. I ask for your aye vote on SR 83.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing, seeing no mics up. Any objection to utilizing the unanimous roll call on this file item? I see none. Ayes, 33. Noes, 0. The resolution is adopted. Senator McNerney, whenever you're ready, please introduce your special guests.

Colleagues, I would like to recognize the extraordinary colorectal cancer advocates joining us today, many of whom have personally faced this disease with remarkable courage and survival. There are several champions with us in this fight, Dr. Spencer Dayton at stage four patient survivor fighting CRC ambassador and community patient advocate, Board Member for the California Colorectal Cancer Coalition. Spencer.

Dr. Mary Beth Copp. We met earlier today. Tammy Paglini, Michael Frierson, Margaret Hitchcock, Ph.D. Michael Nakonking, Michelle, sorry. Joanne Wellman, Alex Zorinsky, Eleanor Morris, and Jim Morris, representing Big Mike's Bottom Line. This coalition came together to fight for all patients, caregivers, and those who have lost loved ones in colorectal cancer.

They help fight for those who cannot fight alone. Colorectal cancer is a preventable disease. Get checked. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator, for introducing these individuals to us, and welcome to the California State Senate.

We will now be moving back to motions and resolutions where we have two adjourning memories. Majority Leader Ashby has the first one. Senator.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise to adjourn in memory of Paul McKayley, who passed away on February 3rd at the age of 92. Paul is the father of longtime lobbyist and good friend to many of us, Chris McKayley, who is joining us in the gallery today.

Paul was born in Denver, Colorado, and later attended Colorado State University, where he became the Colorado State chess champion. He later transferred to Stanford University, earning three degrees, including a PhD in chemical engineering. While in college, he also studied abroad, beginning his lifelong love of travel that he later shared with his family.

Paul spent most of his professional career designing rocket motors at Aerojet here in Sacramento. He later worked for the U.S. Department of Energy, where he received recognition from the Vice President for his work. Paul is survived by his wife of 61 years, Vima, his son, our friend, Chris, and his daughter, Pavi.

He has five grandchildren and two great grandchildren which were the love of his life. Members, please join me in a journey in the memory of Chris McKayley's father, Paul.

Chris, while you have entrenched your history in our California State Senate, now your father will forever also be. His legacy will be entrenched in our history as well. Senator, please bring his name forward so that we may forever memorialize him. Senator Rubio.

Thank you, Madam President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, I rise with a heavy heart to adjourn in the memory of Robert Ulloa, the loving husband of Mayor Yunus Ulloa from Chino. Bob was born on August 14, 1938, and has been a member of the Chino community since 1979.

A veteran of the United States Navy, Bob worked at General Dynamics for more than 30 years. Building on his passion for public service, he served as a field representative for former San Bernardino County Supervisor, Larry Walker, and the late State Senator, Ruben Ayala.

Bob also served as Chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the California Institution for Men, was a member of the Chino Hills Lions Club, and served on the Chino Mounted Posse alongside his wife. Outside of work, Bob was passionate about classic cars and frequently attended car shows with the 1956 Chevy Nomad.

He was also a certified hot air balloon pilot. Bob's life and commitment to service reminds us that some of the most important work happens at the community level and that there are always opportunities to give back to the communities we come from. Family and friendships were also very important to Bob in his life.

He is survived by his wife, Eunice Ulloa, who is an incredible leader in her community of Chino and very passionate about public service as well. He also has his children, Troy, Jimmy, and Nikki, several grandchildren, dozens of extended family members, and scores of friends, neighbors, and Chino community members.

He was married to Mayor Ulloa for more than 50 years, having recently celebrated their golden 50th anniversary in June 2025. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather and was a steadfast supporter of his wife, Mayor Ulloa, throughout her more than 40 years of public service.

Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, please join me in adjourning in the memory of Robert Ulloa. Thank you.

Senator, please bring the name of that public servant forward so that he may be properly memorialized. Madam Pro Tem, there is no other business on the desk, the floor—the desk is clear.

Thank you, Members. The next floor session is Thursday, March 12th, at 9:00 AM.

The Senate is in recess until 3:30 PM, at which time the adjournment motion will be made. We will reconvene Thursday, March 12th, 2026, at 9:00 AM. Have a great week.