Assembly Floor

The assembly is now in session. Assemblymember Ta notices the absence of a quorum. Sergeant arms will prepare the chamber, bring in the absent members. Clerk will call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Members, the quorum is present. We ask our guests and visitors in the rear of the chamber and in the gallery to please stand for today's prayer. Reverend Nostra will offer today's prayer. Reverend Oshita.

Please join me in a moment of reflection. Over the past weekend, a dear frame friend came to visit us. With his unassuming and enduring nature, Patty and I have long referred to him as our Uncle Mitts. He was here in this assembly chamber last month for the day of remembrance as a survivor of the American concentration camps during World War two. He knew what it was to be betrayed and falsely imprisoned, then to start over with nothing to rebuild his life and community.

Uncle Mits Yamamoto is a 100 years old and as sharp as can be. The content smile that rarely leaves his face reflects his warm heart and his positive outlook. When I said, uncle Mitts, you look great. His quick response was, don't look under the hood. During a during a thoughtful moment, he said, when I look back on my life, I feel that I'm the luckiest guy in the world.

And I would add that he is one of the happiest people I know. And to me, he embodies what Mahatma Gandhi's definition of happiness is. Mahatma Gandhi said, happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. There is so little harmony in the world today, which may reflect the lack of harmony we feel within ourselves. Let us try to embody the deep gratitude of our uncle myths and have what we think, what we say, and what we do be in harmony.

Let us try to live with kindness and gratitude beyond words.

We ask our guests and visitors to remain standing to join us in the flag salute. Assembly member Jeff Gonzales will lead us in the pledge of allegiance.

As we remain standing, let us remember the men and women who serve around the world. Ready? Begin. I pledge allegiance.

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

Assembly Chamber Sacramento, Tuesday, 01/20/2026. The assembly met at 1PM. The honorable Josh Lowenthall speaker pro temporary, the Assembly presiding

leader, Aguiar Curry, moves and miss Sanchez seconds that the reading of the previous day's journal be dispensed with. Presentations 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 on to motions and resolutions. The opposite of the date will be deemed read and printed in the journal. Members, can I have decorum, please?

Thank you, members. Speaker Rivas, you are recognized for your remarks.

Thank you, mister speaker Pro Tem. I wanna take a moment this morning to honor the the women who have recently and and and bravely come forward to share their stories of sexual abuse by Cesar Chavez. You know, stories that are painful, stories that are disturbing, and long overdue to be heard. You know, someone who grew up in the farm worker movement as a son and and grandson of farm workers who raised my brother and I, as a father and as a Latino. You know, I'm shocked.

I am angry, and I'm deeply, deeply disappointed. You know, the fact that that many of these women were children when they were abused makes this even more heartbreaking. But today and this morning, you know, above all, we recognize their courage because speaking the truth, especially after so many years, that takes extraordinary strength. And to these women, I wanna say very clearly, we hear you, we believe you, and we stand with you. And Dolores Huerta, who also has spoken out about the abuse she suffered.

You know, I've had the privilege of of knowing her my whole life. You know, she worked alongside my grandfather to secure the first labor contract at Almaden Vineyards in the nineteen sixties, the same vineyard where I grew up. And her resilience is already legendary, and what she has revealed only deepens my respect for her incredible strength. But let me be clear about something. The farmworker movement was never ever about one man.

It was built by thousands, tens of thousands of workers. People like my grandfather, people like many of your parents and relatives, people who labored in the fields, people who organized, who sacrificed, and who stood up when it was hard. Their legacy is not defined by one individual. It is defined by a movement, a movement for dignity, a movement for justice, and a movement that still lives to this day. And now now we have a responsibility, not just to remember that movement, but to carry it forward with integrity.

And that is why we're working with Senate pro tem to be introducing legislation to rename Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworker Day because this moment calls for honesty. It calls for reflection, and it calls for a renewed commitment to the values that the farmworker movement was built on. And so this morning, today, we stand with survivors, and we must recommit ourselves to justice, to dignity, and to the people who built the farm worker movement. Thank you, mister Pro Tem.

Thank you, mister speaker. Members, we're moving on to motions and resolutions. Madam majority leader, you are recognized for your procedural motions.

I move to strike file item 33 from the file.

Seconded by Assemblymember Ortega. Members, this is a procedural motion requiring 41 votes. Excuse me. Without objection. Such will be the order. Madam majority leader, you're recognized for your procedural motion.

I request unanimous consent to suspend assembly rule 45.5 to allow assembly member Rambula to speak in adjourn in memory today.

Without objection, such shall be the order.

I request unanimous consent to suspend assembly rule 118 a to allow Assemblymembers Addis and Patterson to have guests in the rear of the chamber today, and Assembly member Duin to have a guest seated at her desk.

Without Objection. Such shall be the order.

Pursuant to Assembly Rule 96, I request unanimous consent to re refer the following bills to committee. Safety Committee to the Judiciary Committee. AB 1870 Flora, from the Local Government Committee to the Labor and Employment Committee and the Judiciary Committee. AB 2054 Gipson, from the Insurance Committee to the Military and Veterans Affairs and then back to the Insurance Committee. AB 2069 Krell, from the Revenue and Taxation Committee to the Agriculture Committee and then back to the revenue and taxation committee.

Ab 2385 Petrie Norris, from the local government committee to the emergency management committee, then back to the local government committee. And AB 2504 Bauer Kahan, from the Business and Professions Committee to the Higher Education Committee and Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.

Without objection, such shall be the order. Okay, members. We are moving on to guest introductions. Assembly member Wilson, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Good morning. I'm looking for my Vacaville High students. They would stand. Alright. Good morning, members.

It is my honor to welcome AP United States government and politics students from Vacaville High School who has joined us today in the gallery. This is the fourth annual trip Vacaville High students have made to the capital. And this group today is led by their teacher, Jessica Johnson. Every year, some students are captivated by public policy, but miss Johnson said this particular group features a much larger contingent of students who are very much interested. Some of the children participating, are even participating in civic engagement.

Now a few of them have not visited the capitol, and I'm gonna ask my colleagues to help be respectful on the floor by quieting their voices for our students, learning about civic engagement. Thank you. So thank you for that respect because a few of them, this is their first time visiting the capital. Here, they will see how their government is in action after learning to think critically about how how the law works and how it applies to their lives. It is crucial.

We help further children's education, especially those dedicated to public service as they will one day shape our, our future California's future. And so I'm proud to recognize these wonderful students. Please join me in applause and welcome them to our state's capital.

Alright, Vacaville. I want you to remain standing if you intend to run for the assembly one day. Alright. Let's go, leaders of tomorrow. Let's go. Welcome, Vacaville. Assembly member Flora, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Thank you, mister speaker. Colleagues, I rise to welcome the Jackson three foundation who are supports children and families who have recently experienced traumatic losses. They just do this through a variety of programs that foster human connection, civil engagement, and general well-being. And I think for so many people that have lost a loved one, your story is gonna resonate with a lot of people who are just so proud of you today. Thank you for being on the floor.

I thank you for joining us. So give them a round of applause.

Thank you, Assemblymember Flora. Assemblymember Rubio, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Thank you, mister speaker and members. Today, I want I would like to ask for you to please join me in welcoming Western Governors University representatives, WGU, to the assembly chambers. Yesterday, WGU alumni, staff, and students participated in their first annual day at the capitol. WGU is the largest nonprofit competency based online university in the country with 16,000 students here in California. WGU is all about expanding access to affordable, flexible higher education for working adults and nontraditional students. Please join me in welcoming them to the California State Assembly today.

Okay. We are going to move on to business on the daily file. We will come back to some very important guest introductions. Beginning with the second reading, file items one through 16, clerk will read.

[Second Reading]

All bills will be deemed read, and all amendments will be deemed adopted. Concurrence and senate amendments, that's file item 17, we will pass and retain. Reconsideration file items 18 through 20. All items shall be continued. All bills will be deemed read, and all amendments will be deemed adopted. Concurrence and senate amendments, that's file item 17, we will pass and retain. Reconsideration file items 18 through 20. All items shall be continued.

Thank you, members. We are gonna move on to the Senate, excuse me, the assembly third reading file. That's file items 21 through 33. We will pass and retain them file items 21, 22, 23. We have very special guests accompanying a few of these resolutions. So, we're gonna go out of file order members and go to file item number 27. That's HR 83 by Assemblymember Nguyen. The clerk will read.

House Resolution 83 by Assemblymember Nguyen, relative to developmental disabilities awareness month.

Assemblymember Nguyen and Hannah, you are recognized.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. I'm proud to be able to bring this to the floor, House Resolution 83, recognizing the month as developmental disabilities month. And last week, we recognized and honored the Special Olympics, both Northern California and Southern California, and we talked about how much confidence and how much it meant for these individuals to be able to be a part of Olympics and just being a part of the community.

And I'm here to talk to you about something that is very near and dear to me. And it is estimated that over 615,000 individuals are impacted by a developmental disability, but it hits you more if you're a parent of one, a parent of a child that has a disability. I brought Hannah with me to the floor for a few years now and she's brought her friend, Stitch.

I remember the first time I brought her to the floor, I told you that she has a vocabulary of less than 100. And every year since I brought her to the floor, she's increased in her vocabulary. And now, and now she tells the truth, and it bothers me because sometimes I don't want her to be honest with me about certain things. But the great part is that she's now speaking in sentences and she's sharing her feelings and her thoughts. But that she's 11 years old.

She's 11 years old. She just turned 11 year old a few weeks ago. And of 11 years old, she's not reading chapter books. She's just now learning how to add double digits. You asked her what four times one is.

I don't think she'll be able to answer that. She has a different learning ability. And while we call it a developmental disability, I call it different abilities, because she may not be able to do what your typical 11-year-old does. But I can tell you this, she knows when she's being denied.

She knows when somebody doesn't wanna be her friend. She knows when somebody is mean to her. She knows when somebody is treating her different because she is different. And as a parent, many of you send off your kids hoping they'll have a good day. As a parent with a kid with special needs, we send off our kids hoping that everybody will be nice to them and that they will include them in everything they do.

And that one day, it'll happen, she will be bullied because kids like her get bullied every day. They get bullied in school, on the playgrounds. And my hope is that you all encourage your children, your grandchildren, your nieces, and your nephews to understand, to understand kids like Hannah and to try to include them as much as you can in what you do, but to also learn about it. Because had it not been for me to be blessed by a child like Hannah, I don't think I would have understood this world as much as I do today. I don't think that I would bring this voice to this floor as I do today.

We all serve in this capacity for a reason. And this is my reason here. This is why I wanted to be a state assembly member because there needs to be a voice for kids like Hannah and her friends. She's gonna grow up one day. And I hope that the world is going to be a better place and it would welcome her.

And that it would take her in and include her in all the things that we get to be included in. That she would one day be able to find a job and a career and an opportunity where she could contribute to everything in this world. But if you ask me if that is something she can do today, I would have to tell you no. I would have to tell you no because I read about it. I see about it all the time where kids continue to make fun of kids like Hannah.

It happens. And that she would be lucky enough to find another classmate that would stand up, stand up and call it out and say that it's wrong and that they shouldn't do this to other kids. But we, as adult, needs to do that as well too. And so, HR 83 isn't just about recognizing it. It's just not one that I wanna bring every single month.

It's one that I want your commitment on. Your commitment on recognizing this day, but also committed to standing up for adults, for kids, for families that have to live with this every single day. I stay up at night not because I'm worried about the votes we have to take or the bills that come up, but I worry about her and her friends and every single person that lives with a disability. Because we need to do better. This isn't just something that impacts us here in California.

It impacts all of us across the world. But we can be that leader here in California and show every other state and show the world that we accept, we support, and we stand right there with this community from the time they're babies to the time they grow up to adults and in their senior years. I ask not just for your aye today, but I ask for your commitment and your support to be able to help kids like Hannah because I will bring her back every single year so that you can all watch the growth that Hannah has since she's been here. I will also say that she has developed a friendship, a special friendship with our Reading Clerk, David Bowman, who she calls her best friend. And while we find opportunities where it could be tough, Hannah is the complete opposite because she finds joy in every single thing.

Every single thing she finds joy. So, we could learn a lot from people like Hannah, and we could start finding positivity and joy in everything. So, members, I respectfully ask for your aye vote on HR 83.

Thank you, Assemblymember Nguyen. Assemblymember Jeff Gonzalez, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of HR 83. And to my colleague, I rise in support of you. I rise in commitment to you that you are, you are heard. We hear you.

And I commit to always, always join you in fighting for this cause because of your daughter, my son, and the sons and daughters of California that need us to rise up, not only to speak on one day, but to be committed every single day. So, with that, I urge my colleagues not only to rise in support but be committed to this fight because this fight will go on for longer than we will be alive. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Assemblymember Gonzalez. Assemblymember Patterson, you are recognized.

Great. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of HR 83 by my colleague in Sacramento. This morning, I was driving from, from Rockland and road rage filled morning, driving through traffic. And I pull into the garage, and right in front of me is my colleague from Sacramento and her daughter.

And I'm still just mad at life, you know, dropping off my kids, which was good. But then, driving through traffic, and I hadn't even really had coffee yet. And the first thing that I heard coming into the swamp was my colleague's daughter, Hannah, saying, "Hi." And so, that was a really nice experience, but I think this is the fourth year you've brought your daughter here every year. And, and I mentioned this last year, but I've seen the great improvements that—and strides that she's made.

And, you know, when you say you come to the Capitol and, you know, you think about people like your daughter and, you know, all the time. Right? When you go home, you're thinking about how you're gonna care for your daughter. And, you know, we do have a lot of decisions that are gonna be coming up in the coming months that impacted this community. And I think, fortunately, you know, a lot of people, and we're gonna meet some more caring families later, that they bring their children into their homes, they're caring for them.

You see the strides that they make year after year, and not all of them are that fortunate to have that love and support, and they depend on the, really, the resources that the state provides. And so, you know, I this is a really important day as we go into those discussions and many, many weeks of, you know, budget hearings and things like that just as a reminder about how important it is to support these children and adults as the parents get older and are aging and how are we gonna continue to care for them. So, thank you for bringing your daughter year in and year out so we can continue to see the great improvements that not only your daughter's making, but also that you're helping her along, and it's very inspirational to see. So, with that, I rise in support of this measure. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Patterson. Dr. Arambula, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. I wanna begin by thanking our colleague from Elk Grove for bringing forward HR 83, as well as our colleague from Indio and Rocklin for speaking in support. This is a bipartisan issue and should not stand beside partisan lines for us to make sure that we're standing up for the disability community. And while we'll speak words today and pass a resolution today, the love language I want us to speak in support of our disability community is showing them the money. Too often, we forget them when it comes to our budget.

Too often, we're not paying the direct support professionals what they deserve. Too often, they're not getting the services because they can't compete with fast food restaurants who are hiring the direct support professionals that are needed to provide services right now. And so, while it's easy to stand up today and to stand up in support, I'm looking for you guys when it comes to June, when it comes after the May Revise, when they're gonna come after and take money from the vulnerable. We need to make sure that we're standing up and supporting and delivering the resources they desperately need. I've heard our colleague from Elk Grove.

Just as I heard every single family who came before me when I was the chair of budget sub one. It was one of the proudest things I've ever done here in the assembly is I never cut a single person off who came to speak in the people's house. And what I heard was stories just like our colleague from Elk Grove. Families who needed services that were denied them. Families who wanted their kids to get the care they deserved, but there weren't the direct support professionals to deliver them.

So, let's make sure that we don't just stand up for resolutions, but that we stand up for these families when it comes budget time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to address the body today.

Thank you, Dr. Arambula. Assemblymember Bryan, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Seaker and colleagues. I too rise in support of HR 83. I wanna thank my colleague from Sacramento for bringing this forward as she does every single year. I've shared this story a few times. I grew up in a family that my parents were foster parents for 26 years.

My mother always took the hardest to place cases. Sometimes that was a call in the middle of the night. There was no other family that would take a young child. Sometimes it was children that came from really deep trauma. Other times it was children with disabilities.

Those are the hard to place cases, and they shouldn't be. My mother adopted nine of us, including four of my siblings who have developmental disabilities. My youngest brother, Evan, has cerebral palsy and a shunt that drains fluid from his brain to his stomach, that he's had since he was born. He was born in the NICU, and they called my mother because nobody would come to visit him. And so, she would visit with Evan.

His name was Dennis at birth. She would she would visit with Evan every single day and pleaded with the hospital to be able to take Evan home. He was hooked up to oxygen. She was gonna have to have a ventilator, set up our entire house to cater to the needs, of this baby boy, but she didn't want him to die in a hospital. Evan wasn't supposed to make it.

My mother loved him, adopted him as quickly as possible. He became a Bryan. He's also 24 now. And that's what happens when you both love a child and build a home and a society that's inclusive of all children. But it's not, and it shouldn't be just the families that do that work.

It shouldn't be our colleague from Elk Grove who is doing that work. We should all be committed to building a society that is inclusive and meeting the needs of everybody. Last night was also a gala for Disability Rights California. If you didn't know, you should know and mark your calendar for next year. Some of us showed up, and I hope more of us show up next year.

But, again, these aren't issues for one community. Anything that impacts one community and serves as an injustice is an injustice to all of us, and we have to step up and do all we can, to right those wrongs and build a California that is a thriving place for all children, all families, and all people. And I respectfully ask your aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Bryan. Assemblymember Lackey, you are recognized.

Yeah. Thank you. Only reason I'm standing because I wanna tell you that this support is not automatic. When I got here in 2014, there was a protest outside the Capitol, and I was surprised to see that it was a group of developmentally disabled people holding signs. And I thought, what in the world is happening?

Make a long story short, I found out what was happening is that this population was being completely and summarily dismissed. That they were the only group that had not had any restoration from the cuts back in 2008 and 2010 when everything was absolutely devastated. I couldn't believe that there wasn't an advocacy for this population. But come to find out as I looked into it further, further, it took years, folks. It took almost six years before we they got restored in our budget process.

It does not happen automatically. And so, to my colleague from Elk Grove, thank you. It's hard for me to understand how a body could be so dismissive of something so powerful and so evident, but it can happen. And that's the only reason I stand before you today. Please don't let that happen again.

I'm not gonna be here, but our member from Elk Grove will still be here, and hopefully all of you will still be here. Well, some of you. Nonetheless, please remember that stuff doesn't happen automatically, and I couldn't believe how long it took to make it happen. And I'm not saying I'm all that and a bag of chips, but what I am is someone who really truly cares about this population. And I, I thank you all for being part of what needs to happen. Thank you.

Thank you, Assemblymember Lackey. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assemblymember Nguyen, do you wish to close?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanna thank all the members that spoken—spoke—from your heart because this truly is a, a topic that is near and dear to my heart. And I, I just wanna be clear that it's the best thing in the world to be a parent to a kid with special needs. It's the best thing. I've been so blessed to be able to have Hannah in my life and that we should all be so blessed to have a child like that in our life if we ever have the opportunity to have one.

Because you could be that voice for that child in that community. And they need it more now than ever. And so, I rise today and speak today and ask for your vote, your aye, your commitment, not just today, but every single day. And as we introduce other young people earlier today, I ask all of you—I ask you to also make sure that you stand up you stand up for kiddos like Hannah and her friends. And that in your school, when you see another classmate that is being bullied, that you stand up for that classmate as well.

And that's what this is about. This is about understanding. This is about recognizing. This is about supporting. But this is about also speaking out and being the reality behind what happens to this community every single day. And with that, sir, I ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Assembly member, do you wish for the first role to be open for co authors? Thank you, Assemblymember Nguyen. All debate having ceased, Clerk will open the role for co-authors. Members, this is for co-authors. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. This is for co-authors. Clerk will close the roll, tally the votes.

There are 70 co-authors added. Without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Assemblymember Nguyen, you have two separate guest introductions. You are recognized.

I do. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Hannah's very fortunate to have amazing teachers in her life. Her fifth-grade teacher, Nico Hogan, and the paraeducator, Ms. Eight, but also members from EGSPEAK who advocate every single day for this community are right here. Please help me in giving them a huge round of applause. Additionally, standing behind us right there in the back is her best friend, Zareya, and her mom, April. And then, of course, you all know my daughter, the 11-year-old, the amazing Hannah.

Thank you so much, Assemblymember Nguyen and Hannah. Assemblymember Pacheco, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Good morning, Mr. Speaker and members. Today, I have the pleasure of welcome welcoming Ms. Caitlin students from Kirkwood Christian School in Downey. Let's give them a round of applause. Go Downey.

Okay. Thank you, Assemblymember Pacheco. Go Downey. We're moving backwards to file item number 26. That's ACR 154 by Assemblymember Patterson. The clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 154 by Assemblymember Patterson relative to California Down Syndrome Awareness Week and Day.

Assemblymember Patterson, you are recognized.

Great. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, continuing our discussion from the last measure, I'm honored to present ACR 154 to recognize Down Syndrome awareness a day and week. Down Syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition.

About 5,000 people are born with Down Syndrome every year or about one in every 700 and 75 babies. Approximately 200 and 20,000 people in The United States have Down Syndrome. And I'm confident that many of you have met or know somebody or related to somebody with Down Syndrome.

If anything, you've met, many of my guests year after year that I have the privilege of bringing to the assembly floor. You know, I was talking with my colleague from Pasadena earlier this morning, and I'm sure he'll give his he'll say his own words.

But we're talking about how in some of our lifetimes, individuals born with Down syndrome were recommended by society to be institutionalized, where the quality of life and the longevity of life was much different and much shorter.

And today and every year that I've I've done this resolution, I've brought some children and adults with Down Syndrome to the assembly floor. You may have witnessed Mr. Speaker high-fived one of them on his way out of the the chambers. That was actually perfect perfect timing there.

My colleague from Los Angeles has been replaced by Alan who's sitting in his desk. Don't tell the sergeants. And last year, and I think in prior years, you've met John who works in the governor's mail room and has worked there for, I think, eighteen years now.

And I think we have a lot of we've done a lot of good things in this state. I think we can do a lot more. And but I think just, you know, the awareness and why I think this resolution is really important is because the families that are caring, for these individuals, you know, are doing a great job and

giving them a a great quality of life. And I know it's a huge effort to actually bring them to the assembly floor every year, and I'm very appreciative of that. But I'm thankful for the families as well, for caring for them, for loving them. Obviously, all of them are very happy and excited to meet you shortly here.

But, you know, one other thing I wanna say is that, you know, we you know, it's I said a little bit last time, but we have, you know, we will be making decisions in these coming months that impact this population. And while many of our friends here today are fortunate enough to have family members caring for them,

that's not the case with every individual with Down Syndrome. And, you know, you think about cuts to things like the preschool programs for kids with developmental disabilities. And we really do make decisions in this building that impacted.

I've had the privilege of sitting on the budgets, that deals with health, and I see the impacts of decisions that we're making. And fortunately, the legislature has restored a lot of the funding, actually, that has been proposed to to be cut.

But we wanna make sure all of them continue to have his productive of his life, is more productive than my life, that's for sure, being a politician up here. But if anything, I hope you get an opportunity to go back when after we do guest introductions and meet some of my friends.

With and just get a happier day than fighting over whatever we're gonna fight over in the next next coming months. But with that, I respectfully ask for your Aye vote and, when and when the time comes, ask for co authors.

Thank you, Assemblymember Patterson. Assemblymember Harabedian, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wanna thank my friend from from Rockland for bringing this and and how we ended it, I think, is really to highlight that this is a happy day. You know, this has been a rough week, and there's been some emotions for other things, and there's been some tears on this floor.

But I think those tears that were shed today by most of us are are ones of joy and ones of happiness. And I appreciate you highlighting the community, of our Down Syndrome, residents and citizens, family members.

And I'm just so inspired. I'm so inspired by my colleague from Elk Grove and and how good of a parent she is and how hard it is for her to do this every year, and she does it. And I think she inspires us and my friend from Indio for being the parent that he is, and obviously the hero that was that is

the mother of our friend from Los Angeles. Those are the stories that really inspire us and keep us going. And my sister, my older sister has Down Syndrome. And as a family member of someone with Down Syndrome. I feel truly blessed every day to have a family member with DS.

And, my friend from Rockland did mention, we've come a long way. Today, we it was a huge inspirational moment a few years ago when a baby with Down Syndrome was featured on a diaper box. And we now see them in commercials, and we see them highlighted in entertainment, and they're being celebrated.

You know, in the nineteen seventies and eighties, when my sister was born, medical professionals, doctors who delivered these babies, would recommend to parents that they be institutionalized.

My parents were young parents, and when they had my sister, the doctors came in and said, you've had a you've had a daughter with Down Syndrome. We recommend that you institutionalize her and not bond with her and give her up right away.

And I wanna thank my parents for disregarding that medical advice at the time, for keeping my sister, for allowing me to grow up with my sister. Because while it as a family member, it's it's a struggle. There's a lot that goes into raising and being with individuals with disabilities.

You get so much more than you give. We we learn so much more about what humanity can be in a world full of hate. They are pure love. And they remind us every day what what the best of us can actually be.

And so I wanna thank my parents and all the parents who continue to raise individuals with disabilities, including DS children. And I just wanna say, it's so great to see you guys here. All the kids there in the back, you guys are our inspiration. You can do whatever you wanna do.

Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Your parents believe in you. We believe in you. You guys inspire us every day. And hopefully, one day you can be right here on the floor of the assembly, the floor of the legislature, leading this great state that we live in.

But thank you for being here. You brighten our day, and, you really inspire all of us. So thank you for being a blessing to us every day in this day in particular. So I strongly urge an Aye vote on ACR 154.

Thank you. Assemblymember Harabedian and Assemblymember Addis, you are recognized.

So much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you Members, and thank you to our colleague from Northern California. I know I hate to come here and fight with you. So hopefully, we won't have any fights the rest of this week. But thank you to my colleague from Southern California as well for speaking

about his personal story. I think many of you, know me as a somewhat quiet person who actually doesn't enjoy fighting with anyone on this floor. But you also know me to be somebody who once I'm in, I'm all in. And I stay in until we get the job done.

And that really comes from one of my students that I taught who is a seventh grader with Down Syndrome, Jack. And when Jack was in middle school, he wanted to be in shop class. And I was his special education teacher, his special day class teacher, and his family wanted him to be in shop class.

And so we started talking with school administration and talking with the teacher of that shop class. And what we were told, it still sometimes makes me teary today. Because what we were told was, well, Jack is absolutely welcome to come to shop class to sweep the floor. And mind you, this was

not more than fifteen years ago. And mind you, this was not more than fifteen years ago. And not more than fifteen years ago. And so we were told, sure, Jack doesn't have the skills to do shop class, but of course, we want to include people with special needs so he can come clean up after us.

And so his family said no. I said no. And we had a huge fight on our hands. And it wasn't a public fight. It was a very private fight. And it was one in which I went to class with Jack every single day for an entire year to make sure that he was doing the shop projects.

To make sure that he could use the tools, to make sure that even if he couldn't read and do the multiple choice test, things that he was phenomenal at doing because he was an artist and he had a passion. And by the end of that class, the teacher told us that Jack was one of his absolute favorite students.

Not just because of the joy he brought to the class, but because of the kind of student he was, because he had stick to itiveness, because he fully invested, because he got the job done, because he rose to the level of what was required in that classroom.

And so I would hope that every single one of us on this floor, when we look at people with disabilities, when we look at people with Down Syndrome, we look at them as more than their disability and more than somebody who will bring joy to us.

But we look at them for their full capability of their contributions to our society and to our world. And so I wanna say thank you again to my colleague, from Northern California, from Southern California, and respectfully ask for your vote on ACR 154.

Thank you so much. Assemblymember Addis, Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assemblymember Patterson, do you wish to close?

Great. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you so much, to everybody who has spoken support of this measure. You know, every year, we've proposed this resolution, and and and I think, you know, it's a lot of work, you know, not not I'm not necessarily for me or my team, but, you know, for the

families to to come here and we're asking them, hey. Can you come to the assembly chambers? You know, wake up early, drive through that traffic, and and bring your loved ones here. But you know, what I've realized is it's really important to them and we're appreciative to the families that bring them because of the exposure.

The contribution that they're bringing is is bringing their families, their family members here so we can add a little bit of awareness to, you know, not only all of you, but the people of California. So I'm really appreciative to them, and we will continue to do this resolution every single year.

And I talked with my colleague from Pasadena earlier, so maybe we'll have a maybe maybe we'll have some more surprise visitors in the future. I don't know. But with that, I respectfully ask for an Aye vote, and I would love for the role to be open for co authors.

Okay. Absolutely. Thank you, Assemblymember Patterson. All debate haven't ceased, the clerk will open the roll. Members, this is for co authors. All members vote who desire to vote. All members vote who desire to vote. Members, this is for co authors. All members vote who desire to vote.

The clerk will close the roll, tally the votes. There are 67 co authors added. Without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor, say Aye. All those opposed, no.

The Ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Assemblymember Patterson, you are recognized for your very important guest introductions.

Great. Well, thank you. If you haven't noticed, we have some individuals in the back of the floor here with champions in the Down Syndrome community. Thank you for being here. And we also have some more in the, some more families in the gallery.

Really appreciative, of you being here as well. And, everybody, please welcome my guests to the assembly chambers.

Members, we are going to need to continue with business on the daily file. Thank you, Members. Thank you, Members. Members, we are going to, go backwards to file item number 24 that's ACR 148 by Assembly member Addis. The clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 148 by Assemblymember Addis relative to family physician week.

Quorum. Assemblymember Addis, you are recognized.

Thank you, mister speaker and members. I am back at the mic to talk about another group of people, maybe not quite as cute, but equally as important. I am proud to present ACR 148 which designates the week of March 15 as Family Physician Week.

As you all know, I represent the Central Coast from Santa Cruz to the Southern San Luis Obispo County line, a breathtaking region that I know many of you to to recreate along our pristine coast. What you may not know is that the Central Coast suffers from a lack of family physicians who provide preventative and primary care.

And this lack of physicians actually plagues all of California. We, like many of you, have constituents who wait months, if not a full year, for primary care appointment. We have families who drive hours to the nearest specialty care.

We have seniors who cannot access health care at a reasonable distance or an affordable cost on their fixed incomes. The reality of our need for family physicians and those who provide primary and preventative care is stark.

California's physician population is already well below the national average and continues to be reduced as many primary care doctors are nearing retirement.

And adding to the shortage are attacks from HR1 that reduce the ability for students and their families to access federal loans or for medical school. And this is expected to result in a more homogeneous, wealthier cohort of doctors entering the profession.

We also are seeing the increases in visa fees, which is expected to further constrict our ability to hire specialists from international communities. So I'm incredibly proud to honor the work of our family physicians.

They are the people who demonstrate dedication to the health and well-being of Californians by providing coordinated care, better health outcomes, and patient experience, and health equity. Family physicians provide reduced cost to the health care system and work on the front lines every single day.

So colleagues, ACR 148 recognizes the invaluable contributions of family physicians to California's health care system and encourages continued investment in primary care. I wanna say thank you to our primary care providers and ask that the role be open for co authors and for your support on ACR 148.

Thank you, Assemblymember Addis. The Assemblymember has asked for the first roll to be open for co authors. Seeing and hearing no further debate. The clerk will open the roll for co authors. All Members vote who desire to vote. Members, this is for co authors. All members vote who desire to vote.

All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the role, tally the votes. There are 60 co authors added. Without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution.

All those in favor, say Aye. I'll so let's do that again. All those in favor, say Aye. All those opposed, no. The Ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Assemblymember Addis, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Thank you again. I'd also like to take a moment to welcome four family physicians who are visiting the capitol and back in the, in the back of the chamber today, Doctor Kim Yoo, Doctor Brent Sugimoto, Doctor Maile Concepcion, and Doctor Lisa Fohlberg. Colleagues, please give them a warm welcome.

Welcome, doctors. Welcome. Okay. We are gonna continue on. We are gonna pass and retain on file item 25. We've already dispensed with file items 26 and 27. We will pass and retain on file items 28, 29, 30. That brings us to file item number 31. That is ACR 156 by Assemblymember Hoover. The clerk will read.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 156 by Assemblymember Hoover relative to National Day of Play.

Assemblymember Hoover, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity to present ACR 156. This resolution recognizes March 21 as the National Day of Play. Across our country, we are seeing an increase in loneliness and a decline in meaningful social connection.

Many individuals spend more time alone and on their devices than they do with their family and friends. This trend contributes to higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and disease. ACR 156 encourages people of all ages to engage in play.

Simple community focused activities that promote social connection. Play supports physical health, reduces stress, and strengthens relationships within families and local communities. It encourages individuals to step away from screens and actively engage with others in a more purposeful way.

And I know, for myself speaking as a parent, I would love to see us all set a great example for our kids, Put down these devices, get outside, and touch some grass. I respectfully ask for an Aye vote.

Thank you, Assemblymember Hoover. Mr.Hoover, do you wish for the first role to be open for co authors?

Yes. Thank you.

All debate having ceased. Clerk will open the role for co authors. All Members vote who desire to vote. All Members vote who desire to vote. This is for co authors, Members. All Members vote who desire to vote. Clerk will close the roll tally votes. There are 60 co authors added.

Without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor, say Aye. All those opposed, no. The Ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. We're gonna pass and retain on file item 32. We have already dispensed with file item 33, brings us to the Senate third reading file.

File items 34 through 38, we're gonna pass and retain on those items, which brings us to the consent calendar. We're moving to a vote on the consent calendar. That's file item number 40. Does any member wish to remove an item from the consent calendar? Seeing and hearing none, the clerk will read the second day consent calendar.

Assign Concurrent Resolution 125 by Senator Bahad and others relative to Ramadan.

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. Ayes 60, no, 0. Consent calendar is adopted.

We're moving on to adjournments in memory. Members, the quorum call is lifted. Let's give our respectful attention to those who were granted prior permission to speak on their adjournment in memory, and please take all conversations off the floor.

Members, can you please take your conversations off the floor? Doctor Arambula, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. Today, I rise to adjourn in memory of Raymond Martin Melgosa, who's affectionately known as All Day Ray. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, union member, and proud Central Valley community member whose life was reflected through hard

work, service, and generosity. He was a cement laborer in the Laborers International Union of North America, La Luna Local 294 whose work spanned from 1976 until he retired in 2012. His 36 years were spent building bridges and overpasses and major public infrastructure projects,

such as the Fresno City Hall, the Fresno Convention Center, Clovis Community Hospital, as well as bridges in Yosemite. He later served as the president of his local union's executive board, where he advocated for fair wages and retirement for workers, as well as ensuring that we had strong benefits.

Ray carried forward a proud family legacy of union service and remained deeply committed to standing up for working families. In retirement, he continued working with his hands as a skilled carpenter who did woodworking, and he helped to build stepping stones for family and friends.

Ray is survived by his beloved wife, Susan, their children, Jessica and Jason, and his grandchildren that he revered in Diego, Sofia, Madison, and and Madeline. He was known for his humor, his warmth, and his love of bringing people together.

Ray never missed an opportunity to celebrate life with family and friends. Raymond Alde Rey Melgosa will be remembered as a proud union member, a devoted family man, and a champion of working people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to adjourn in memory of him today.

Thank you, Doctor Arambula. Members, please bring the name to the desk to be printed in the journal. All requests to adjourn in memory will be deemed read and printed in the journal.

Moving on to announcements, I'm ordering the desk to remain open until tomorrow, Friday, March 20, for the purpose of processing author amendments. Session schedules as follows.

Friday, March 20, no floor session, no check-in session. Monday, March 23, Floor session at 1PM, and the joint convention at 03:45 for the state of judiciary address, which is mandatory. Seeing and hearing no further business, I'm ready to entertain a motion to adjourn.

Madam Majority Leader moves and Mr.Harabedian Seconds that this house stands adjourned until Monday, March 23 at 1PM. The quorum call is lifted and we are adjourned.