Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental Organization

Good afternoon. Welcome to the Assembly Government Organization Committee. Now we'll go ahead and call it to order. We are still waiting for some members. So, sergeants, can you please call absent members? And noticing the absence of a quorum, we will begin as a subcommittee. And as soon as we establish quorum, we'll go ahead and continue. But in the meantime, let's see.

Yeah. Maybe. Yep. We're two short. We need 12. It's no. Biggest committee in the state right now. 12. So alright. Well, we'll go ahead and get started as a subcommittee. And then welcome Assemblymember Gallagher to GO. Welcome back. Yes. Thank you. So we have several measures on consent, AB 111719 Ward and AB 1754 Pacheco. And again, when we establish quorum, we'll go ahead and get started. But in the meantime, Assemblymember Dixon, would you like to present?

Great. Alright. Good afternoon, madam chair and committee members. First, I would like to thank the chair and committee staff for their hard work and collaboration on this bill. I am happy to accept the committee's amendments.

AB 1593 is a common sense measure that requires state agencies that impose a monetary charge, including any fees to annually report on its website the revenue generated from those charges. Most state agencies in California impose fines, fees, and other miscellaneous charges. However, the total revenue generated from those fees is not clearly or concisely disclosed in a consistent manner. The state has long held precedent has a long held precedent for improving government transparency and accountability. And in recent years, that need for transparency has become increasingly apparent.

The California Public Records Act and government programs such as OpenFiscal are examples of accountability measures that have increased the availability of publicly accessible data. By identifying the amount of money currently being collected by state agencies, we and the public will ultimately be able to determine the efficiency of how that money is subsequently used. The bill has received no opposition. I respectfully request an aye vote.

Thank you. Is there any members of the audience in support of the measure? K. Anyone in opposition? K. Bringing it back up to the committee. Any questions from committee members? We will move when we have a quorum. Thank you. So we'll take that up when we have quorum. Assembly member, would you like to close?

Oh, can I just Yes? Comment? Real quick. Thank you thank you for bringing this to the floor, and I would love to be considered as a co author.

I'd love it. Thank you. And it's just another effort to bring transparency to the public domain. Thank you so much. I appreciate respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you. We will take up the vote when appropriate. Thank you. I don't see Assemblymember Lowenthal. So we'll go ahead and wait for Assemblymember Lowenthal. If you can call him, please. Thank you.

Okay. We have quorum. Madam secretary, can you please call the roll?

[Roll Call]

Wallace here. K. We have a quorum. And now, I need a motion on AB 1593. Fix it. Moved by Assemblymember Gibson, second by Assemblymember Macedo. Second. K. Madam Secretary, can you call the roll, please?

[Roll Call]

Thank you. That the the measure has a vote, but we'll leave the roll open for added members. And then now I need a motion on the consent items. Second. K. I didn't hear who moved moved. Pacheco moved. Soria? Moved and Pacheco. Pacheco second. Thank you. Okay. So I have a motion and a second for the consent count or the consent. Do I need to do each of them individually? Okay.

So I have a motion and a second on the consent items. Madam secretary, can you please call the roll?

On the consent calendar, a b 1754 Pacheco and a B 1719 Ward. The motion for both bills is do passed to the committee on appropriations recommended consent. Rubio? Aye. Rubio, aye. Davies? Aye. Davies, Aye. Alvarez? Berman? Brian? Carrillo? Aye. Carrillo, Aye. Dixon? Aye. Dixon, Aye. Fong? Gabriel? Aye. Gabriel, Aye. Gallagher, Gallagher Aye Gibson. Aye. Macedo? Aye. Macedo I Mackinner. Wynn Pacheco? Aye. Pacheco aye Ramos. Rodriguez? Aye. Rodriguez aye. Solace? Aye. Solace aye. Soria? Aye. Soria aye. Ta? Aye. Ta aye. Valencia? Wallace? Aye. Wallace aye.

Thank you that the

both items have the votes. We'll leave the roll open for absent members. And so now we're just waiting for assembly member Lowenthal for the last measure on the oh, thank you. Mister Gabriel?

Opening the roll for a B1593 for assembly member Gabriel. Gabriel? Gabriel, I. Rodriguez?

Rodriguez I. Thank you.

Opening the role for assembly member Fong, AB 1593 Dixon. Dixon Fong?

Aye.

Fong, aye. On the consent calendar, Fong?

Aye. Fong, aye. Are you here to present for mister Lawrence

on my No, ma'am. No. Thank you.

Opening the roll for assembly member Berman, a B 1593 Dixon Berman. Aye. Berman, aye. On the consent calendar, Berman? Aye. Berman, aye.

Great to see everyone. Oh, you can take a peek.

Well, hi.

No. There's one more bill, mister Berman.

I can ask him. I don't know if they go for a number or if he's already on.

Opening the role for assembly member Valencia, a B 1593, Dixon Valencia, Valencia, I. On the consent calendar, Valencia, Valencia I.

Mister Lowenthal is on his way. Assembly member Lowenthal is here. Please, if you wouldn't mind, and present your bill.

How'd you how'd you do in the other?

Madam chair, do you think the state could use AI so that we don't have hearings presented presented at the exact same time in two buildings?

Right. Well, two different buildings and sometimes there's three. So, yep, nope. Unless you wanna write a bill on that. Welcome, Assemblymember Lowenthal. You may begin.

Thank you, madam chair. Thank you, members, and thank you for your patience. I I do appreciate it. I'm so pleased to present AB 1982 which will remove the sunset. On AB 2375 and AB 1013 which together require that type 48 licensed establishments, those are bars and nightclubs, to have test drug, drug test strips or devices and lids available for their drinks.

Both AB 2375 and AB 1013 are bills that have gone through this committee and received unanimous bipartisan support. Roofying or drink spiking occurs when perpetrators incapacitate their victims through slipping date rape drugs such as ruphenol, GHB, or ketamine, or others into a victim's drink when they are not looking. Typically, drink spiking is not an independent crime. Rather, it is done to facilitate other horrific crimes such as sexual assault and rape. Drink spiking can take place anywhere.

However, the most common places are bars and nightclubs where alcoholic beverages are being served. When someone's been roofied, not only do the drugs cause memory loss, but they also pass through the body extremely fast, making it very difficult for the victim to seek justice after the fact. This is why preventative measures such as the one this bill preserves are critically important for tackling the issue. AB 1982 simply will continue to require type 48 licensed establishments, bars, and nightclubs to provide testing strips and lids to a patron upon their request and a post assigned declaring this availability. That's all.

Allowing patrons to have access to lids and testing strips is a common sense measure to deter perpetrators from attempting to commit these crimes, reducing levels of drink spiking, and in turn, sexual assault and rape. These are preventative measures that can prevent someone from being drugged and the victim of another crime. Their laws, are not burdensome to the local businesses either. Locations providing test devices are not responsible for false negatives or positives. Additionally, the business may sell them, for a modest price, allowing owners to recoup the cost of these products.

That's their choice. I'm very pleased, madam chair, to be joined by Leila Carrillo from the Office of Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention, apart from, the San Francisco mayor's office for victims rights, And Elizabeth Dreesen of Night Watch San Francisco is here to testify in support.

Thank you. Go ahead.

Good afternoon, chair, Rubio, committee members. My name is Tila Carrillo. I am the director of the San Francisco SHARP office, which stands for sexual harassment and assault response and prevention within the mayor's office for victims rights. One of SHARP's primary functions is to convene stakeholders and impacted communities to identify and develop strategies to improve systems of response and prevention of sexual violence in San Francisco. I thank you for the opportunity to speak today and in support of AB 1982.

At its core, this bill is about crime prevention. Drink spiking is dangerous. It's a deliberate act that can facilitate sexual assault, robbery, and other serious crime. However, the good news is that it's also preventable. We know what works.

Staff training, clear protocols, coordination with law enforcement, city agency, and community partners, and consistent prevention strategies and standards across venues. AB 1982 helps ensure these tools are permanent. Removing the sunset date creates a stability needed for real prevention. Without it, efforts remain fragmented and ineffective, making it harder for businesses to invest in training and prevention tools, harder for agencies to coordinate prevention and response, and ultimately easier for bad actors to exploit the gaps in the system. This bill allows us to move beyond short term compliance and fully integrate prevention into everyday operations.

This is how we can stop harm before it happens, not have to deal with the damage afterwards. This is also about economic fatality. The nightlife continues to play a vital role in California's economic recovery and the revitalization of downtowns and entertainment districts. This type of safety must be prioritized. People will not participate in spaces where they feel vulnerable.

When safety is uncertain, attendance drops. Workers are put at risk and entire district suffer. Strong prevention standards protect both people and the industry. There's strong alignment among stakeholders to confront this issue and addressing this proactively sends us clear and strong message. California takes strength spiking and sexual violence seriously and is committed to stopping these crimes before they happen.

AB 1982 is practical prevention focused policy and strength is a coordination, supports implementation and ensures that those of us working to prevent sexual violence have the policy framework needed to advance our efforts. I wanna thank Assemblymember Lowenthal for his leadership on this issue and his continued commitment to advancing meaningful prevention based solutions. I thank you.

Thank you. Go ahead.

Good afternoon, chair Rubio and members of the committee. My name is Elizabeth Dreesen, and I am the founder and program director of The Night's Watch, a San Francisco based organization working to prevent sexual and gender based violence in nightlife spaces. We provide a bar and nightclub staff with practical tools to recognize, respond to, and prevent risks like drink spiking and drug facilitated sexual assault. I started this organization in response to my own experiences with sexual violence in nightlife, including drug facilitated sexual assault. For years, I and many others normalized this behavior as part of a night out, not because it was acceptable, but because there were no clear or visible systems in place to prevent it or respond to it early.

Through my work now, I know how common these experiences are. These incident these incidents are consistently underreported, and too often, opportunities to intervene are missed because expectations and tools are not clearly defined. As California continues to invest in vibrant nightlife as part of downtown revitalization and economic recovery, safety must be part of that foundation. AB 1982 is an important step forward. By removing the sunset date, this bill provides the long term framework needed for venues, advocates, and public agencies to implement prevention measures consistently and at scale.

We are already seeing how existing legislation is opening the door for more meaningful conversations between venues, staff, and policymakers about prevention, not just response. AB 1982 helps sustain and build on that momentum. Safer nightlife does not happen by accident. It happens when expectations are clear and communities are equipped to act early. For these reasons, the Night's Watch respectfully urges your aye vote on a b 1982. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there any witnesses in opposition? Okay. Seeing none, anybody in support in the audience? Please come up.

Hi. Good afternoon. My name is Raul Verdugo. On behalf of Alcohol Justice, we respectfully ask for your aye vote on AB 1982. AB 1982 continues simple, effective protections, drink spiking test kits and protective lids that help people detect tampering, protect themselves, and deter harm. Letting these safeguards expire would send the wrong message about public safety. We urge your aye vote on AB 1982. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other members of the audience in support? Okay. Any members in the audience in opposition? Okay. Seeing none I'll bring up bring it up to the committee. Any questions, comments? I'm sorry? Okay. Motion by Assemblymember.

I was just gonna come and make a comment.

Okay. Comment. I'm sorry. Who's Okay. Motion and second by Dixon. Go ahead.

Thank you so much for bringing this up again. And I can tell you that I've spoken to a lot of young ladies that have used these when they're going out. And just the fact of the safety issue, it's it's really made a huge change in their concerns that they have. And I would love to be coauthor on this again and just say thank you.

Assemblymember, you have been steadfast from day one on this topic, and I appreciate your advocacy. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other comments? Assemblymember Dixon.

We're all going to echo this. It was such a a great change that you made for public safety a year ago or two years ago, and now we want to extend it. I think it's the right thing to do. Interestingly, I there's no opposition. Everyone knows it's the right thing to do, and you're saving lives and protecting people. So thank you.

Thank you. Any other comments? K. I would also like to be added as a co author, if you don't mind. Thank you. K. I have a motion and a second. I'm sorry. Assemblymember, you may close.

Respectfully ask for an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam secretary, can you call the roll?

AB 1982 Lowenthal. The motion is do passed to the committee on appropriations. Rubio? Aye. Rubio, aye. Davies? Aye. Davies, aye. Alvarez? Berman. Brian? Carrillo Carrillo Aye, Dixon, Dixon Aye, Fong, Fong, Aye, Gabriel, Gibson, Macedo, Macedo, Aye, McKinner, Nguyen Nguyen, Aye. Pacheco? Aye. Pacheco, Aye. Ramos. Rodriguez. Solace? Aye. Solace, Aye. Soria? Aye. Soria, Aye. Ta?

Aye.

Ta, I. Valencia? Valencia, I, Wallace? Aye. Wallace, I.

Thank you. That bill has enough votes to get out, and we have Assemblymember McKinner. Can we open the roll up for Assemblymember McKinner, please?

[Roll Call]

Alright. That is all the business. I'll go ahead and close. The meeting is adjourned.