Senate Floor

Secretary will call the roll.

Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Arreguin, Ashby, Becker, Blakespear, Cabaldon, Caballero, Cervantes, Choi, Cortese, Dahle, Durazo, Gonzales, Grayson, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, Limon, McGuire, McNerney, Menjivar, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Perez, Reyes, Richardson, Rubio, Seyarto, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Strickland, Umberg, Valladares, Wahab, Weber Pierson, Wiener.

A quorum is present. Colleagues, if we can return to our guests and please rise to return to our desk and please rise. Will the guests be on the railing please rise? We'll be led in prayer this morning by Senator Cortese, after which please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance. Senator Cortese.

Thank you, madam president. Gracious and merciful God, since 1993, World Water Day has been celebrated on March 22. This year, the theme water and gender explains how water access affects gender equality. We pray for all women and girls who are mostly responsible for collecting water each day in many parts of the world, walking long distances to accomplish the task. We lament this burden that keeps girls out of school and limits their opportunities to contribute to the betterment of their societies.

We pray to be aware that as climate change leads to scarcity of water in countries already experiencing droughts, women and girls experience more domestic violence because of their inability to find sufficient water. Merciful God, give us guidance on how to be better stewards of this finite resource on which all our lives depend. Open our eyes to the urgency for governments and civil society to work for sustainable and affordable solutions to the world water crisis. We ask all of this in your name. Amen.

Please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag. On the floor for today's floor session. Moving to privileges of the floor, we have four introductions today. Senator Laird has two special introductions from the majority leader's desk.

Senator Laird, if your guests are ready.

I would just do I would do the picture

of the thing without the easel, and I could do the image after

the light. Perfect.

Senator Laird.

Thank you, madam chair. I I rise to welcome the winner of the 2025 California wildlife photo of photo of the year, miss Alice Cahill, who happens to be a resident of my district in Morro Bay. The Sierra Nevada Conservancy and the California Watchable Wildlife sponsor the annual wildlife photo contest to acknowledge photos that illustrate California's diverse wildlife and natural lands. Miss Cahill's photo was taken at Atascadero Lake, obviously not far from Atascadero in San Luis Obispo County in in my district.

And it's an incredible photograph and we will be photographed with it in the back in a moment so you can all see it, that shows the exact instant a bald eagle snatched an American coot out of midair.

This is not an older guy. This is actually an animal that was a coot that was snatched out of the air. She is joined by her husband Don. We must thank for gifting Alice with her first real camera in 1992. The photo reflects, her passion, patience, and commitment to her craft.

I ask my colleagues, to give a warm welcome to this honoree, miss Alice Cahill.

Congratulations. Let's see that photo, Senator. Please join the award recipient for a group photo. Alright. Senator Laird, you may proceed with your second introduction.

Thank you. The second introduction is somebody you all know, Chuck Bonham, who just finished fifteen years as the longest serving director of Fish and Wildlife in California history. He managed to shepherd the department through the hundred and fiftieth anniversary. He was a key strategist of the governor in the 2024 strategy for salmon surviving in a hotter, drier future. He led the development of major five major water infrastructure permits.

His department has really been instrumental in the marine protected areas and and the enforcement. He has had an amazing career, and there are now more scientists in the Department of Fish and Wildlife than wildlife officers. It has been a real orientation, and he has really moved this department into the modern centuries.

Going on to the Nature Conservancy, where many of us will be able to continue to work with him because he is the California director, but he was part of an amazing team that really protected fish and wildlife in California. And I know there's another speaker another two speakers.

Uh-oh. Here comes the Joshua tree. But, I I just hope that at the appropriate time, you will all join me in thanking him for an incredible public career.

Before we thank him, we're gonna move into our speakers, Senator Grove, on this introduction.

Thank you, madam president. I just echo my colleagues' comment comments because, you were a really good director. And not that we agreed on everything that you did. As a matter of fact, we probably didn't agree on a lot, but you were always responsive. You always were solution orientated.

You if we couldn't get everything we wanted, you were trying to navigate how we could make things better, especially in our rural communities, rural mountain communities, and in the Kern River area where I was at, so where I'm at. So thank you very much for your service.

Senator McGuire, you're recognized.

Thank you so much, madam president. I rise alongside, both senators to be able to to say a few words about, mister director's outstanding leadership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. I've had the honor to better work with him over the past decade as chair of the joint committee on fisheries and aquaculture. And I gotta say, Chuck Bonham shows up every single time, returns every text, returns every phone call and email.

If you wanna know anything about Dungeness crap, quagga mussels, zebra mussels, purple urchin, smelt, oysters and kelp, Chuck is your guy.

And perhaps the most difficult task of all, and then I gotta say it's one of the most difficult jobs in state service, has been balancing the stewardship of some of California's most threatened species, from wolves to dungeness crab, while also recognizing the communities whose livelihood is depend on healthy fisheries and ecosystems. And mister director has never shied away from these challenges. For more than fifteen years, he's been a steady and thoughtful leader, responsive, dedicated, and put people over politics each and every time.

Through fisheries disasters, domoic acid outbreaks, whale entanglements, wildfires, he's worked to be able to ensure that California's storied fishing fleet can endure, while protecting the fish and wildlife that make these waters so extraordinary. In our sheet, he has put in over three hundred hours into the Dungeness Crab Working Group.

Ladies and gentlemen, can I get a shell? Yeah. And what I'll also say is we cut our teeth on the issue of landing fees. And that was incredibly difficult to be able to land with the fleet. But guess who was always there every step of the way?

Chuck Bonham. I just wanna take a moment to say thank you for your leadership. We wish you continued success. You have been the best thing that's happened to that agency. We are gonna miss you deeply and really grateful for your incredible work.

Senator Stern.

It's very little I can add other than a few other species to that list. So I just wanna round it out for you. Not just the wolves and the mussels and the we have lions. There's there's there's an extinction event that would otherwise have occurred on our watch that isn't now. I believe we won't see that in Southern California because Chuck Bonham.

And it's not just about the fish and the mammals and the things we love about California, the wildness that makes us great. It's as people, how we behave in in positions of power and how not to let our stature and our ego dominate how we do that job somehow to be that sort of that soldier mindset to not be above others.

I think that's why you have such respect from across this, that servant mentality even though you might, you know, wield a large budget and and have the ability to to give people the stiff arm you never did. And so we'll we'll be missing a great leader, but we know you're not leaving our service. You're never allowed to stop serving the state of California.

Thank you, Chuck.

Seeing no other mics up, we'd like to give a round of applause and thank the director for his service and ongoing service in the state of California. Members, if we could do a group photo in the back with the director, please. Senator Gonzales, please introduce your special guest.

Thank you, madam president. Colleagues join me in welcoming to the Senate Chamber, Michael Alegria, the fire chief for the city of Avalon. Fun fact, he's not just the fire chief, he's actually my cousin. Chief Alegria is a fourth generation islander. You can tell by the amazing shirt that he's wearing today.

But he has served the city of Avalon for over twenty four years, rising through the ranks of firefighter, engineer, captain, before being appointed as chief. He leads the Avalon Fire Department's emergency response, fire prevention, and public safety operations.

The department responds to approximately 1,200 fire and EMS calls within city limits each year, and he is responsible for the city of Avalon's sole fire station, including 10, fire fighters and, that are full time and supported by thirty year round reserve firefighters ensuring the safety of 4,000 residents and approximately 1,000,000 visitors annually. Please join me in thanking the chief, my dear cousin for his dedication and service to the island and the Avalon community, and the brave men and women who serve long alongside him.

Thank you members.

Chief Cousin, thank you so much for your fire service. For anyone else wishing to crash the family photo, please join in the back. Our final special guest introduction today is gonna be from Senator Gomez Reyes and Senator Rubio from the majority leader's desk.

Thank you, madam president. Today, alongside Senator Rubio, I am proud to introduce and welcome a delegation of Inland Empire students, student leaders from Cal Poly Pomona to the senate floor. They were referred referred to us by doctor Susan Terry Gomez, provost at Cal Poly Pomona, and I will follow in the lead of my colleague, Senator Gonzalez. Fun fact, doctor Susan Terry Gomez is my sister.

These students are here through CHES, California Higher Education Student Summit, to meet directly with legislators and advocates for policies that impact higher education and the California State University system.

The Cal Poly Pomona Associated Students Inc delegation is a diverse group of student leaders representing the academic excellence, professional ambition, and civic commitment of the California State University system. They are engaging in critical conversations around affordability, access, student success, and the future of public higher education in our state. Composed of students across disciplines including political science, communications, psychology, engineering, architecture, animal science, finance, and urban planning. This delegation reflects the breadth of California's future workforce.

Thank you, madam president. As a state Senator representing Cal Poly Pomona, it is my honor to introduce you to these students joining us here today. At the forefront of this delegation is president Emia Ellsworth, a political science major who will be attending Northeastern School of Law to focus on human and civil rights law.

She is joined by vice president Bea Meishan Meishan, a communications major with an emphasis in multimedia journalism, who also has earned graduate school acceptance from Stanford, USC Berkeley, and USC, an extraordinary achievement that highlights the caliber of CSU students. Supporting their effort is secretary of external affairs Alejandra Lopez Sanchez, a political science major who successfully coordinated and secured legislative meetings for the delegation's advocacy efforts at the capitol today.

A great group of students who already came to my office, and I'm super impressed with their talent, just their drive, and their dedication to making things better for students. Their delegation includes students preparing for careers in law, public policy, journalism, mental health, higher education leadership, engineering, health care, and sustainable design.

Together, these students embody Cal Poly Pomona's learn by doing philosophy, demonstrating leadership not only in the classroom, but also in the halls of government, all while representing the next generation of leaders committed to serving and strengthening California's communities. Ladies and gentlemen, please help me welcome these fine students from California State University University. Thank you so much.

Big round of applause to all of them.

Before we do, sorry. So we have one more speaker on this item. Senator Perez.

Just wanted to join with my colleagues and just welcoming you all from Cal Poly Pomona. I know you all are here for CHESS, for your CSU lobby day, which is extra special. I used to be a part of the Cal State Student Association almost twelve years ago and so it's so exciting to see so many of you participating today. I I know for some of you, it's your first time visiting Sacramento and visiting the capitol, and so I hope that you'll soak up the process.

I remember being in this chamber for the first time and thinking, man, it'd be so cool to one day be a Senator.

And now, here I am. So, I hope that you all will continue to be inspired by this work, continue to be involved, and continue to advocate for your fellow students.

And now we can welcome the these future leaders to the California State Senate.

Messages from the governor will be deemed read. Messages from the assembly are at the desk. Secretary, please read.

Madam president, I am directed to inform your honorable body that the assembly on this day passed. Passed, assembly bill 2156. Sue Parker, chief clerk of the assembly.

Reports of committee will be deemed read and amendments adopted. Moving under motions, resolutions, and notices. Without a motion to approve Senate journals, without objection, the Senate journals for 03/16/2026 through 03/19/2026 will be approved as corrected by the minute clerk. Would any other member wish to be recognized under this section? Seeing none, moving into consideration of the daily file.

We have items one through four under second reading files. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 868 with amendments943 with amendments978 with amendments, and Senate bill 985 with amendments.

Second reading file has been read. We're gonna move into Senate third reading. We have one item, item 29 by Senator Ochoa Bow. From the majority leader's desk. Secretary, please read file item 29.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 132 by Senator Ochoa Bogh relative to California STEAM Robotics Day.

Senator. Thank you, madam president. And ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, I'm pleased to present SCR 132 which recognizes March 22 as California Steam Robotics Day. Science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, or STEAM, programs help focus students on career technical education training, exposing them to many career paths early on. Today, we celebrate the growing innovation and creativity found in classrooms across California.

Students are not just participating in the future, they are building it through the designing, coding, and engineering technologies that will shape our communities. Robotics education provides high quality technical training and it teaches students how to solve real world problems, giving them twenty first century skills that will serve them throughout their life. Research has shown that seventy eight percent of college students majoring in these fields made a decision to pursue STEAM related careers while in high school, and twenty one percent said middle school or earlier.

Proclaiming a California STEAM Robotics Day acknowledges the value of partnerships between our tech industry and our educational institutions in supporting the development of STEAM programs in California schools. Let's continue supporting our students and the STEAM programs that are shaping the next generation.

I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Choi, you're recognized.

Thank you, madam president and colleagues. I rise in strong support of our senate, concurrent, resolution one thirty two, establishing 03/22/2026, as California Steam Robotics Day. My support, for this measure is, rooted, in my background as an educator. Before serving in the legislature and at the local level, I spent time teaching at universities and the community colleges, college levels, and later served the on the Irvine Unified School District Board of Education.

Those experiences showed me that how we teach matters just as as much as what we teach.

Students learn best through hands on experiential learning. That is exactly what the robotics education delivers. As recognized in SER-100 and 32 STEAM programs help students build critical thinking like teamwork and problem solving while preparing them for careers in fields like engineering, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing. From the classroom to the school board, I have seen how these programs can change a student's direction. They spark curiosity and open doors to real opportunity.

Organizations like FIRST, along with our career technical education programs like my SB 1222 are helping students across California turn knowledge into innovation. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Senator, doctor Weber Pierson, you're recognized.

Thank you. Thank you, madam president. I too rise in support of SCR one thirty two and wanna thank the Senator for bringing this bill forward. As someone who has done STEM, STEAM, as a child but also continues to do that currently, many of you are aware of the fact that on the weekends I work with my Links chapter and we have our Links to STEM program and we are an f l l robotics team.

And so I work with the kids, teaching them coding along with other experiments.

In fact, I just got back with them yesterday from Baltimore because it's also the NSBE junior chapter, And NSBE stands for National Society of Black Engineers. And so we took them there to compete and so proud of our team that took second place in mathematics. And so it is extremely important they were competing against students from all over the country, that we are ensuring that we are preparing our California students to not only compete nationally, but also internationally.

And so with that, I respectfully ask for an aye vote on SCR 132. Thank you.

I see no other mics up. Senator Ochoa Bogh, you may now close.

Thank you, madam president. I just wanna thank my colleague from Irvine and my colleague from San Diego for sharing their their experiences with STEAM. Very proud to know and learn what we have, the talents that you have, and thank you, Senator from, San Diego for the work or your volunteer hours, on the weekend. This is the just shows the caliber of folks that we have on the senate floor and so proud to be able to serve with all of you.

With that, madam president, I just ask for I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Ayes 34, no zero. The resolution is adopted. Senator Ohoa Bogh, I believe you have some special guests. Now is the time to introduce them.

Thank you, madam president. As a matter of fact, I do. I'm pleased to welcome to the Senate floor some incredibly talented individuals who are making incredible strides within the robotics field. The first is Ethan Wynne, a senior from Poway High School and president of his high school robotics competition team. He has been a he has been a strong advocate on this issue in the legislature for several years.

Next, I'll introduce the team from Garner Holt productions. Garner Holt president and CEO, Jermaine Kaufman, vice president, and Stephen Butler, director of finance. When Ethan first started high school, he says he lacked motivation and direction for his future, but everything changed when he was introduced to his school's robotics competition team. Ethan has gained hands on experience, learned industry level skills, and met many people in the tech industry, which he has which has sparked his passion for electrical engineering as a future career.

Ethan's team, team Spider sixteen twenty two, is a part of FIRST Robotics, which stands for stands for for inspiration and recognition of science and technology.

There are two thousand six hundred and ninety ninety seven FIRST robotics teams serving more than 35,000 California students who are gaining confidence and learning the valuable skills needed to inspire the next generation of industry leaders for California's STEM workforce. Ethan finished a competition yesterday in San Diego and immediately jumped on a flight to be here with us today. Thank you, Ethan. I'm honored to be collaborating on this issue with such a brilliant young man, and I look forward to seeing what he does next.

I'm also pleased to have the team from Garner Holt Productions with me today.

I know many of you have experienced the magic of animatronics at Disneyland and Disney World, many of which were design designed by mister Garner Holt. Since 1975, mister Garner Holt himself has been immersed in the making of mechanical magic. Some of his most notable works include the animatronics at the MGM Grand Adventures in Las Vegas and the Haunted Mansion holiday ride and Fantasmic at Disneyland.

Mister Garner Holt also started Garner Holt Education through Imagination or ETL ATI, which is a national leader in hands on STEAM education for students of all ages. ETI created Garner hold anti maker spaces and career exploration labs, which deliver cutting edge programs that integrate robotics, engineering, and creative design.

These spaces help students build confidence, strengthen critical thinking skills, and introduce STEAM career pathways. Please join me in recognizing the Garner Holt team and Ethan Wynne for their achievements in the robotics industry.

Welcome to the California State Senate. We will now be moving into governor's appointments. We have five items under governor's Appointments67810 and eleven, all by Senator Groove. Senator Groove, file item six.

Thank you, madam president. Colleagues, file item six is a confirmation of Paul Toopy for appointment of director of alcohol department of alcohol and beverage control. Prior to his leadership role, he'd been serving in the department for a deputy division chief. He started his career at ABC over seventeen years ago and an enforcement agent in 2009. He was approved by the rules committee on the eleventh with a 5-0 vote. Respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no mics up, secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Aye 34. No. Zero. The appointment is confirmed.

Senator Grove, file item seven.

Thank you, madam president. Colleagues file item seven is the confirmation of Peter Breitery for appointment for the Southwestern Low Level Radioactive Waste Commission. He has a long history with the commission. Prior to his appointment, he had been serving as an alternate member since the commission's creation in 1985. He also currently serves as assistant chief for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

He was approved by the rules committee on the eleventh with a 5-0 vote, respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 34. Nos, zero. The appointment is confirmed. Senator Grove, file item eight.

Thank you, madam president. Colleagues file item eight is a confirmation of, doctor Yungping Chen for appointment to the California Acupuncture Board. Doctor Chen has served, since 2020 and is currently serves as the board's president. She, is a licensed acupuncturist and a doctor that specializes internal Chinese medicine. She is also a professor at, Alhambra Medical University, and, she was approved on the eleventh as well by the rules committee respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Seconder, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 34. No zero. The appointment is confirmed. Senator Grove, file item 10.

Thank you, madam president. File item 10 is a confirmation of Gregory Long for reappointment to the California Acupuncture Board. He's currently retired and is the first appointed, to was first appointed to the board in 2024. Prior to his retirement, he had a long career as a registered nurse in public health and the health care industry. He was approved also on the eleventh by the rules committee on a 50 vote. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Aye, 34. No zero. Appointment is confirmed in. Senator Grove, final item. Item 11.

Thank you, madam president. Colleagues, final item the final item today is file 11 with the confirmation of, Roy Mather for appointment to the board of pilot commissioners in the bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Sousan. He is the wharf master for Martinez Refining Company and previously served as a supervisor in the Office of Spill Prevention and Response at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. He serves as a board in the board's position as a representative tanker company operations.

He was approved on the eleventh as well, on a 5-0 vote with the for the rules committee or by the rules committee. Sorry. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Five presentations. I get it, Senator Grove. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 34. No zero. The appointment is confirmed. We're gonna be returning to motions and resolutions to suspend the joint rules. Without objection, joint rule 62 a will be suspended to allow the Committee on Governmental Organization to hear Assembly Bill 2156 on Tuesday, 03/24/2026 without sufficient notice in the daily file.

Senators, give me a quick minute. Still under motions and resolutions, we have one aim to do today. Senator Blakespear, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. Colleagues, I rise today to adjourn in memory of Anne Culchin, a dedicated public servant, trailblazer, and cornerstone of the Carlsbad community who passed away on March 9 at the age of 93. Anne was a role model for local government officials who learned from her example. She devoted over three decades of her life to public service in Carlsbad, serving on the city council from 1980 to 2012. That's 32 years.

Her commitment to good governance, fiscal responsibility and quality of life helped transform Carlsbad from a quiet seaside town into the thriving, well planned city that we know today, with the population more than tripling during her tenure. Long before she entered politics and made her mark as an educator, inspiring students with her energy, compassion and love of learning. Teaching gave an a unique perspective. She understood how policies affect families, schools and opportunities.

Her background as an educator grounded her approach to governance, ensuring that every decision she made considered the next generation.

Anne was instrumental in ensuring that Carlsbad's growth was balanced with environmental preservation so that the natural beauty of the city's coastline, lagoons, and backcountry was protected in the general plan. She helped shape land use policies that be have become models for sustainable city planning throughout California. Anne had a rare gift. She listened before she spoke. She believed in practical progress.

She took time to understand the needs of residents and work toward consensus rather than generating conflict. Her calm, methodical approach set a standard for civic leadership. Her colleagues call called her the conscience of the council, reminding everyone to put the community first. She was also known for her meticulous attention to detail. She reportedly read every page of every staff report, and we all know how challenging that can be.

But Anne's impact extended far beyond city hall. She served on the boards of many coastal preservation groups as well as the North County Transit District, the San Diego County Water Authority, the Encino Wastewater Authority, and the San Diego Division of the League of California Cities. She was always she and she always found dream in her schedule for those who needed help or advice. Anne's leadership left a tangible legacy. She helped to build parks, libraries, and infrastructure that continue to serve residents today.

In fact, the courtyard of the beautiful dove library, which includes a theater and a gallery, is named in her honor. Not long before her passing, she joined family members there for a concert, enjoying the fruits of her labor. Anne embodied public service in its truest form. Her life reminds us that good governance is built on kindness, integrity, and persistence. Anne was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, David.

Our condolences go to Anne's children, Steve, Laura, and Leslie, and her many grandchildren and great grandchildren. W with gratitude for Anne's extraordinary decades of service, I ask that we adjourn today's Senate in her memory. May we continue to be inspired by her legacy of compassion, wisdom and community leadership. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator, for sharing Anne's vast legacy with the Senate. Please bring her name forward so that she may be properly memorialized. Members, as a reminder, immediately following a session, we will be, following our pro tem. We have been asked to arrive in the assembly chambers together for the joint convention on the state of the judiciary address. If you need a quick break, we'll wait for you at the gate, but we have to walk over together.

Madam pro tem, there is no other desk on there is no other business on the desk. It is clear.

Thank you, members. After the state of Judish, we will have our next floor session, which is scheduled Thursday, March 26 at 9AM.

The Senate is in recess until all legislative business has been received. We will reconvened Thursday, 03/26/2026 at 9AM.