Assembly Floor

The Assembly is now in session. Assembly Member Alanis notices the absence of a quorum. The sergeant at arms will prepare the chamber and bring the office Members. Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Members, a quorum is present. And it's not even 9:15. Look at that. Good job, team. We asked our guests and visitors in the rear of the chamber and in the gallery to please stand for the prayer. Assemblymember Rubio will be gracing us with today's prayer.

Thank you. Illness is something that touches us all. In one way or another, it can affect our loved ones, friends and colleagues. While we pray, let us bring those we care about and love into our hearts. Let's call upon the Beloved within to bring comfort and resilience during challenging times. In this sacred space, we surrender our

need to understand the reasons for our suffering. Trust instead in the wisdom of the Divine that moves silently within and around us. We release our fears and doubts, allowing ourselves to be held in the gentle embrace of the Beloved's love. Today we ask for strength. Strength to endure, to heal and to trust.

In the process of our bodies and spirits, we offer our pain, our uncertainty and our hopes into the care of the divine, surrendering the outcome and trusting that we are supported no matter the path. Take a deep breath as you do, feel the presence of strength rising within you, knowing that you are not alone in this journey.

Amen.

Thank you, Assemblymember Rubio. Assemblymember. Please remain standing and will join us in the flag salute. Assemblymember Carrillo will lead us in the salute.

Thank you, Madam Speakers. Members, please join me in the pledge of flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag.

To our guests and visitors today. State law prohibits persons in the chamber from interfering with our legislative proceedings or disrupting the orderly conduct of official business. Persons disrupting these proceedings are subject to removal, arrest or other appropriate legal remedies. Reading of the previous day's journal.

Assembly chamber Sacramento Tuesday, January 20, 2022

Mr. Garcia moves and Ms. Sanchez seconds that the reading of the previous day's journal be dispensed with. Presentation and petitions. There are none. Introduction and reference of bills will be deferred. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments deemed adopted. Messages from the Governor? There are none. Messages from the Senate? There are none.

Moving to motions and resolutions. Absence of the day will be deemed read and printed in the journal. Mr. Garcia, you are recognized for your motions.

Thank you. Madam Speaker, I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 45.5 to allow Assembly Members Rogers, Ramos and Lackey to speak on an adjournment in memory today.

That objection. Such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly rule 118A to allow Assembly Members Calderon, Rogers, Hadwick and Soria to have guests in the rear of the chamber today.

Without objection. Such shall be the order.

Pursuant to Assembly Rule 96, I request unanimous consent to re refer the following bills to Committee. AB 1878 Patel from the governmental Organization Committee to the Judiciary Committee and AB 2089 Ward from the Revenue and Taxation Committee to the Housing and community Development Committee and then back to the revenue and Taxation Committee without objection.

Such shall be the order.

Pursuant to Assembly Rule 97, I request unanimous consent to re refer File Item 20 AB 1660 Shiavo to the Appropriations Committee.

That objection. Such shall be the order. Members, today is Assembly Member Lackey's birthday. Please joining me in wishing him a very happy birthday. Moving to guest introductions. Assemblymember, Soria, you are recognized for your guest introduction. Assemblymember, your guests are in the gallery if you want to do that one first. Great.

Thank you. Thank you Mrs. Speaker and Members. Today I'm very proud and happy to introduce the 2025 Central East Bengal football team out of Fresno and reigning the 2025 CIF Division 1a state champions. So we want to welcome them to the Assembly floor.

This past December, this very talented group of young men claimed the second state championship in school's history.

The led by their fearless leader and mentor, head coach Kyle Biggs, these gentlemen defied all the odds, prove all the critics wrong and stayed relentlessly focused all year long until they reached the pinnacle of football excellence by securing the bid to the CIF Division 1A championship against Pacifica High School in Oxnard where they put a dominant performance beating them 42 to 28 Members.

I also want to point out that most of the seniors and some juniors of this team enter the 2025 season with a resolve not many could shake since the 2024 season. The year before came to a heartbreaking end for these guys, making it all the way to the state championship, but ultimately coming short that year.

But this year was different for them. They got that ring. So go Bengals.

As I mentioned, this is the team's second state title since 2019, proving that high school football prominence in California doesn't only belong to, you know, the big urban areas in the Bay Area or Southern California, but that in Central California, we're also a place where athletes can put themselves on the map of success.

So, Members, please help me welcome this incredible young group of athletes, student athletes, most of them, who are, I think, in the gallery. And then we have many of the students here represented. So congratulations to you gentlemen for being the 2025 Division 1A champions. Go Central East.

Congratulations and thank you, Assembly Member Soria. We will move to Assembly Member Pellerin so we can bring your next guest forward.

Good morning, Madam Speaker. Members, please join me in welcoming our leadership. Morgan Hill Class of 2026. They're up there in the gallery today. They've been here in Sacramento to learn how we pass legislation. It's a great honor to have them here. So please join me in welcoming them to Sacramento.

Assemblymember Calderon, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Thank you, Madam speaker, it's my honor to introduce students, teachers and parents for from Southlands Christian School's fourth grade class. They're here today visiting the Capitol to learn about the work that we do. And please give them a big welcome to the state Capitol.

Assemblymember Soria, you are recognized once again for your guest introduction.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a very special guest that has joined me. From the Central Valley in Fresno we have Juan Esparza Loera, who has been one of the top journalists in California for decades. And he certainly has name recognition and universal admiration throughout California's Central Valley.

Esparza was born in Mexico on his grandparents ranch at the age of two. His parents brought him to Texas and after a brief stay in New Mexico, he arrived to Kern county as a teenager. After graduating Delano High School, where he wrote for the high school newspaper, he attended Bakersfield College.

To give you a sense of how long Juanes Parza has dedicated his life to reporting the news, he began his career as a freelance sports reporter for the Bakersfield Californian while attending college in the year 1974. After graduating from Fresno State, Esparza took a job with the Modesto B.

He would go on to write for several publications after that, but remained a central figure and senior reporter for the Fresno Bee. In 1990, he was appointed editor and Director of the new bilingual newspaper Vida del Valle, a first of a kind publication focused on stories that impacted the Latino community in the Central Valley.

Vida Nelvalle at 1.0 had a circulation over 165,000 copies weekly and received numerous awards. During the historic run, esparza worked over 50 years contributing to local journalism, a form of public service that so often is underappreciated.

His voice, the pen he used to write it, never failed to capture the soul of the San Joaquin and Central Valley, and always with a focus on Latino families and the stories that impacted them. Just to name a few of the individuals he also had an opportunity to interview over the years.

Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Dolores Huerta, Selena Oscar De La Hoya, Guillermo Del Toro, Ricky Martin, Alfonso Cuaron, Senator Alex Padilla, Fabian Nunez, and one of our former governors, just to name a few.

For decades leading up to his retirement, Esparza has been the opinion editor at the Fresno Bee, an important position since his voice has been a constant point of comfort, revelation, and validation for Latinos across California.

When a voice as big and meaningful as Esparza goes away, it leaves a large void that doesn't go unnoticed for quite some time, especially at a time where we see unprecedented attacks on journalists, attacks on media companies, and even lawsuits against their parent companies for simply reporting on stories that those in power don't find of their liking.

For over 50 years, he woke up every single day to perform his duty to the public, to all the residents of the Central Valley and to all the Latino communities throughout our state who felt their stories weren't being told. Juan told them.

So Members, I just want to congratulate Mr. Esparza on five decades of reporting in our local community.

I know that he's already been enjoying retirement, but I hear that he can't stop writing, and I think that I just wanted today to celebrate the contributions that he's made to the Central Valley and just applaud the efforts for representing our community and telling our stories every single day he wrote.

So thank you, Juan Esparza Loera, for all your contributions. Congratulations on 50 years. Remarkable journey that you've had. Thank you for everything that you've done and welcome to the State Assembly floor.

Thank you, Assemblymember Sorian. Thank you for your service. Moving to business on the daily file. Second reading file items 1 through 4.

The Clerk will read Assembly Bill 16561618 with amendment 1688 with amendments and Assembly Bill 1604 with amendments.

All bills deemed read and all amendments deemed adopted concurrence and Senate Amendment. File Item 5 we will pass and retain on reconsideration. File Item 6 through 8. All items will be continued. Moving to the third reading file. File Item 9 will pass and retain. Moving to File Item 10. ACR 139, the Clerk will read Assembly

Concurrent Resolution 139 by Assembly Member Calderon and others relative to Sleep Apnea Awareness Month.

Assemblymember Calderon, you are recognized on the matter.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Members, today I rise to present ACR 139, declaring March as Sleep Apnea Awareness Month. Sleep apnea impacts an estimated 75 to 80 million adults in the United States. Chances are each of us knows someone who struggles with this condition and the toll it takes on their daily life.

Even more concerning, medical experts in estimate that up to 90% of sleep apnea cases remain undiagnosed. That means millions of Americans are living with an elevated risk of serious health complications, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, without even knowing it. Beyond the personal health consequences, sleep apnea presents significant workforce and public safety concerns.

Excessive daytime sleepiness, impaired concentration and reduced cognitive performance can impact dog productivity and increase the risk of workplace and roadway accidents. Despite how common and serious this condition is, awareness remains far too low. By designating March as Sleep Apnea Awareness Month, we can encourage earlier screening, promote timely treatment, and reduce preventable health risks for millions of Californians.

Thank you. And I respectfully request an aye vote for ACR 139.

Thank you, Assemblymember Calderon. Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez, you are recognized on the matter.

I'll be quick. I'll be brief. Thank you, Madam Speaker. Sleep apnea is kind of embarrassing to talk about as a. As a man. And I was embarrassed for many years. And then I found out a lot of my veteran brothers and sisters have sleep apnea. And it's like this huge community.

My wife woke me up one time and said, you have stopped breathing every time you sleep. And I was like, I don't know about that. I'm good. I'm awake. But wives across America need. Our husbands, need their husbands to know about this and reach out and talk to a physician about this because it is a big issue.

So I am thankful for my cpap. I'm thankful that my wife isn't kicking me across the bed. And I'm thankful that this is. This is something that we're bringing up so with that, I rise in support of ACR139.

Thank you, Assembly Members, seeing and hearing no further debate on the matter. Assembly Member Calderon, would you like to close?

Thank you, Madam Chair. I respectfully request an aye vote on ACR 139.

And would you like the first roll be open for co authors? Yes. Clerk will open the roll for co authors on the resolution. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. This is for co authors on the resolution. All Members vote who desire to vote. This is for co authors.

Clerk will close the roll and tell you that there are 61 co-authors on the resolution. Without objection, we will take a voice vote on this resolution. All in favor say Aye. All opposed say no. The resolution is adopted. We will pass and retain on file items 11 and 12. Moving to file item 13, AB 1656.

The Clerk will read.

Assembly Bill 1656 by Assembly Member Davies and accolades to human trafficking.

Assemblymember Davies, you are recognized open on the matter.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Members, today I'm here to present AB 1656. Members. AB 1656 is a common sense victim protection Bill that expands the crimes which are included in the definition of good cause for a continuance of a criminal trial to include human trafficking. Survivors of human trafficking frequently experience severe trauma and coerce control.

It's very hard for survivors to trust persons with authority. Continuance preserves continuity of counsel, which is particularly important where victims rely on a trusted point of contact. Forcing victims to proceed with a substitute attorney due to scheduling conflicts may undermine victims cooperation, increase anxiety and lead to delay or incomplete testimony.

Under current law, good cause is already defined to include cases in which the prosecutor has another court appearance to make for cases involving murder, stalking, domestic violence or hate crimes. This Bill passed public safety Committee unanimously and I respectfully asked for an aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Davies. Seeing and hearing no further debate on the matter, the Clerk will open the roll. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the vote. 58. Ayes. No. 0. This measure passes.

Moving on, we will pass and retain and file items 14 through 20. Moving to this third reading file. Senate bills file item 21 through 25 will be passed and retained. Moving to a vote on the consent Calendar file items 28 and 29. Does any Member wish to remove anything from the consent calendar? Seeing and hearing, none.

The Clerk will read the second day consent calendar.

Assembly Bill 1583. By Assembly Member Rogers and acclaim the criminal procedure.

The Clerk will open the roll on the consent calendar. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll and tally the votes. 63 Ayes, no 0. Consent calendar is adopted. The Clerk will read the remaining items on the consent calendar.

And Senate Concurrent Resolution 111.

Ayes 63, No 0. Members. We will now move to adjournments in memory. The quorum call is still in place. Let's give our respectful attention to those who were granted prior permission to speak on indeterminate memories. So please have a seat or take your conversations off the floor. Mr. Rogers, you are recognized for your adjournment memory.

Thank you so much. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Celinda Gonzalez, an incredible member of the Yurok Tribe and a tireless advocate for mental health services in Humboldt County.

In addition to acting as a caregiver for her elderly parents, Selinda dedicated countless hours to improving the lives of others, particularly through mental health services and suicide prevention initiatives. Her personal experience deeply shaped her advocacy.

After the tragic loss of her 19 year old son and her brother to suicide, she committed herself to helping others navigate grief, mental health challenges and life crises. She became a guiding light in the community, offering one on one support to individuals of all ages and backgrounds, often referring to those she mentored as brothers and sisters.

She was a leader in tribal governance. Solinda worked to create meaningful change for the Yurok community on the North Coast. She organized resources, led training courses and spearheaded programs that had lasting impacts on public health and community well being.

She also helped local fire and police departments to recognize potential signs of intent to self harm in members of their community. Among her many initiatives was the Elders Christmas Gifting Program, which drew from many different tribes participating and it became a beloved tradition.

She also played a significant role in organizing the annual Suicide Prevention Walk and gave presentations at conferences to raise awareness about suicide prevention and mental health. She also led walks to raise awareness about domestic violence, about the use and the impact of meth and fentanyl in her community.

Celinda believed in the resilience of her people facing a shortage of mental health specialists and the challenges of rural living. She never lost faith in her mission. In 2020 she told a reporter that her people survived wars, floods, fires and landslides, so she wasn't going to ever give up on them.

She believed in the strength and she fought for it. And unfortunately, a few months ago she was taken from US Celinda will be remembered for her dedication to turning her personal pain into change in her community and support that she so freely gave to those in need.

She actually, her family was just sharing with me that when they were cleaning out her things, they found resources, shoes, clothing for domestic domestic violence survivors and their children in her car that she could leave for folks where they needed it.

She also arranged for mental health services to be available at her funeral and was honored by multiple tribes on the north coast. Her family is with us to join in honoring her memory. We have her daughter Monica, her grandchildren Adam, Andrew and Ryan.

We have, from the Yurok Tribal Council, Council Member Philip Williams, and we have the COO of the tribe, Terylnyn Ipena. I hope you will join me in adjourning in Solinda's memory.

Thank you, Assemblymember Ramos. You are recognized on this adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I too would like to speak to this adjournment in memory. And I thank our colleague from Santa Rosa for lifting up the Yurok people in his district. Today we ask for you to adjourn in the memory in the honor of Celinda Gonzalez.

Ms. Gonzalez was a tireless advocate for her Yurok community and in particular for improving access to mental health services for all Native Americans in the state of California. Her work will have a lasting impact on public education and community well being.

Her many community initiatives included the organizing of physical and mental health resources, training, including the annual suicide prevention walk. Ms. Gonzalez, who understands and lived by the principle of giving and building relationships, also initiated a beloved tradition, the Alders Christmas Gift Program. She worked to ensure that no one, no one was forgotten and that all are included.

She lived a life of passion, resilience and service. Through her advocacy and personal connections, she saved lives, strengthened her community in all communities, and inspired countless individuals to continue her work in mental health and suicide prevention.

Members, as we adjourn in her memory today, let it also be a call to action for this body to make sure that adequate resources flow into Indian country for these types of mental health resources. As we adjourn in her memory, let it also be a call to action. I ask that we adjourn in her memory.

Thank you, Assembly Member Ramos. May her memory be a blessing. Thank you for sharing her with us. Moving to Assemblymember Lackey, you are recognized for your adjournment memory.

Madam Speaker, Members, I rise today to adjourn in the memory of Sandy Steers, a visionary conservationist, mentor and beloved mother and Member of the Big Bear community. Sandy lived in Fonskin, California, where her passion for wildlife and the natural world became her life's calling.

She passed away February 11th of this year at the age of 73, leaving behind a legacy that stretches far beyond the mountains she cherished. Sandy served as the Executive Director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, where for 25 years, she fought tirelessly to protect the wildlife and wild spaces of Big Bear Valley.

Through her leadership, the world was introduced to Jackie and Shadow, the beloved Bald Eagle pair who lives inspired millions of people. Sorry. Whose lives inspired millions of people. Sandy helped design the Big Bear Bald Eagle nest camera system, blending science and storytelling in a way that brought people closer not only to nature, but to each other.

Today, the organization's social media platform reaches more than 2.4 million followers worldwide, a testament to Sandy's vision of connecting global audiences to local conservation. For decades, she stood as a guardian of Big Bear Valley's wildlife, advocating fiercely for the preservation of habitats, including Jackie and Shadow's grounds, which remain at risk today.

To the world, she was a conservation leader and educator. To her community, she was an inspiration. And to those fortunate enough to know her personally, she was simply Sandy, generous in spirit, boundless in imagination, and unwavering in her love for the natural world.

Thank you for allowing us the privilege of honoring Sandy's stairs and the enduring light she brought to the Big Bear Valley and beyond. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Lackey. May her memory be a blessing. Thank you. Please bring the names to the desk to be printed in the journal. All request your journal in memory will be deemed read and printed in the journal. Moving to announcements. The session schedule is as follows. Friday, March 13th. No floor session, no check in session.

On Monday, March 16th, we will have both floor session and the Women of the Year ceremony at 1pm so Members, please be on time to show our guests that we are prompt in our arrival to the Legislature. Seeing and hearing no further business, I'm ready to entertain a motion to adjourn.

Majority Leader aguiar curry and Ms. Besito moves, and Ms. Macedo seconds that the House stands adjourned until Monday, March 16, at 1pm Quorum calls lifted and we are adjourned.