Senate Floor

Secretary will call the roll.

Alan, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Adegin, Ashby, Becker, Blake Spear, Cabaldon, Caballero, Cervantes, Choi, Cortesi, Dali, Durazo, Gonzales, Grayson, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, Limon, McGuire, McNerney, Menjivar, Nilo, Ochoa Bog, Padilla, Perez, Reyes, Richardson, Rubio, Sayardo, Smallwood Cuevas, Stern, Strickland, Umberg, Boladares, Wahab, Weber Pierson, Weiner.

A quorum is present. Members, if we could return to our desk and guests beyond the railing, please rise. We will be led in prayer this morning by sister Michelle Gorman, after which please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance.

As we spin on our beautiful planet Earth, we pray in the words of E. E. Cummings. I thank you God for most this amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. I who have died am alive again today and this is the sun's birthday.

This is the birthday of life and of love and wings and of the gay, great happening, illimitably earth. How should tasting, touching, hearing, seeing, breathing any human merely being, doubt unimaginable you. Now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are open. Amen.

Please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance. Without objection, members, rule Senate rule of 55 is suspended to allow guests on the floor for today's floor session. We're gonna be moving into privileges of the floor. On behalf of Senator Perez, it gives me it gives me great pleasure to welcome state superintendent, Thurman's celebration of young authors, which includes 10 elementary to high school students who have been selected to have their work published.

What have you done up to the age of 10 years old? They're amazing. We'd like to give them a round of applause to our 10 published authors. If you could please rise. Congratulations, everyone.

And a warm welcome to our superintendent who's on the floor with us today. On behalf of Senator Allen, we'd like to also welcome, who are joining us in the gallery, the leadership of the twenty twenty eight LA Olympic Games. We'd like to recognize their service in preparing for the games. Here today, we have Joey Freeman, Janet Evans, and Reynold Hoover. Without objection, we'll move to Senate third reading to take a file item 34, SCR 138 by our majority leader.

If we can have

Thank you, madam president.

Hold on, Senator. Fine. Senators, if we can please return to our desk. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 138 by Senator Ashby, relative to architecture week.

Majority leader.

Thank you so much, Madam President. I rise today to present SCR 138, which recognizes architecture week here in the state of California. California's architects are national leaders in climate resilience, in energy efficiency, wildfire safety, and innovative housing solutions. Through this work, they advance accessibility, sustainability, and quality of life in all of our districts.

I am especially proud of the contributions the architects have made here in Sacramento, which you all enjoy when you are visiting your second hometown. Many of our new state office buildings are highly energy efficient, carbon free, and fully electrified. This week, we recognize the essential public service and innovation of our architects while encouraging the next generation to enter this vital profession.

Today, women only make up 17% of licensed architects in the United States, which is why I'm especially honored to introduce Ida Claire, California's first female state architect. She's a role model for young women and a leader in advancing sustainable and accessible design across the state of California.

Commissioner Claire joins us on the floor today as well as several members from the American Institute of Architects and the California Architectural Foundation are here with us, either in the gallery or on the floor. I respectfully ask for an aye vote, senators, on SCR 138.

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

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 32. Nos, zero. The resolution is adopted. Moving back to privileges of the floor for the majority leader to introduce her guest.

Yes. Thank you so much. As I mentioned in my speaking points, we are very privileged to have with us today California's first female state architect, Ida Claire. With Ida Claire are Ginger Thompson, Melissa Goodrow, and Kimberly Anderson. And in case it's missing you, we are really driving home the point that only 17% of licensed architects are women, and we would like more of them.

These are four extraordinary, exemplary architects in the state of California. Please join me in welcoming them.

Amazing work, and welcome to the California State Senate. Alright. Now, the individual photo is done. Members, if you would like to participate in this photo, please join in the back. Oh, good.

Messages from the governor will be deemed read. Messages from the assembly will be deemed read. Reports of committee will be deemed read and amendments adopted. Moving into motions, resolutions, and notices, motion to approve Senate journals. Without objection, the Senate journals for 03/23/2026 through 03/26/2026 will be approved as corrected by the minute clerk.

Senator Wiener, you're recognized from the jury leaders desk.

Thank you very much, madam president. I'd, would like to, pull from the, consent, agenda file item 63, SCR 124.

The desk will note.

Thank you.

See no other member wishing to be recognized here. We're gonna move into consideration of the daily file. We have items one through nine on the second reading file. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill nineteen eight nine eighteen with amendments, nine seven seven with amendments, ten forty seven with amendments, nine sixty four with amendments, ten forty nine with amendments, nine seventy one with amendments, ten thirty three with amendments, eleven thirty with amendments, eight ninety five with amendments.

Thank you, secretary. We have items eleven and twelve under governor's appointments by Senator Gomez Reyes. She is ready to go. Senator. We're not ready to go.

Give us a second. Now we're ready.

Thank you, madam president, members. File item number 11 is a confirmation of Francisco Kim for reappointment to the California Acupuncture Board. Mister Kim is a licensed acupuncturist with Harmony Holistic Wellness Center and also an instructor of acupuncture. He was initially appointed in 2018 and currently serves as the as the board's vice president. He was approved by the rules committee on March 11.

I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

Allen.

Alvarado Gil. Archuleta.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye. Ashby. Aye. Becker.

Aye. Blake Spear. Aye. Cabaldon. Aye.

Caballero. Cervantes. Aye. Choi. Cortesi, aye.

Dally, Durazo, aye. Gonzales, aye. Grayson, aye. Grove, Hurtado, aye. Jones, Laird.

Aye. Limon. Maguire. Aye. McNerney.

Aye. Menjivar. Aye. Nilo. Ochoa Bogue.

Padilla. Perez, Reyes, aye, Richardson, aye, Rubio, Searto, Smallwood Cuevas, aye, Stern, Strickland, Umberg, Valadares, Wahab, aye. Weber Pearson? Aye. Weiner? Aye.

Please call the absent members.

Alvaro Gil Caballero. Aye. Grove, Jones, Limon, Nilo, Ochoa Bog, Padilla, Perez, Rubio, Searto, Dally, Grove, Jones, Limon, Nilo, Ochoa Bog, Padilla. Aye. Perez, Rubio, Sayardo, Stern, Strickland, Valadares.

Ayes 28, no zero. The appointment is confirmed. Ayes 27, no zero. The appointment is confirmed. Senator Reyes, file item 12.

Thank you, madam president, members. Item file file item number 12 is the confirmation of Davina Hurt for appointment to the California Water Commission. She's an attorney and

the California Climate Policy Director at Pacific Environment. She also previously served on the Belmont City Council and as a governor's appointment on the California Air Resources Board. She was approved by the rules committee on March 11. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

The fine city of Belmont and have known Divina for a long time, and through her service on the Air Resources Board, recommend her very highly. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

Allen. Aye. Aye. Alvarado-Gil. No.

Archuleta. Aye. Aragin? Aye. Ashby?

Aye. Becker? Aye. Blake Spear? Aye.

Cabaldon? Aye. Caballero? Aye. Cervantes?

Aye. Choi? Aye. Cortesi? Choi?

Aye to No. Cortesi? Dolly? Durazo? Aye.

Gonzales? Aye. Grayson? Aye. Grove?

Hurtado? Aye. Jones? Laird? Aye.

Limon? Maguire? Aye. McNerney? Aye.

Menjivar? Aye. Nilo? No. No.

Ochoa Bogh? No. Padilla? Aye. Perez?

Reyes? Aye. Richardson? Aye. Rubio?

Seyarto? No. Smallwood-Cuevas? Aye. Stern?

Strickland? No. No. Umberg? Aye.

Aye. Valdares? Aye. Aye. Weber Pierson?

Aye. Weiner? Aye.

Please call the absent members.

Cortezi, Dahle, Grove, Jones, Limon. Jones, no. Perez. Rubio. Stern.

Cortezi, aye.

Ayes, 26. Nose, 7. The appointment is confirmed in. Moving into committee announcements. Now is the time to announce a committee after session.

Senator Becker?

The Senate human services, committee will meet ten minutes after the adjournment of session in Room 2200.

Senator Cabaldon.

The inaugural hearing of the Senate Committee on Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection will take place in Room 1200 immediately upon adjournment.

Congratulations. The joint hearing for Senate budget sub three and assembly budget sub one will be meeting in the Capitol Room 127 right after session. Going back to motions and resolutions, is there a time for adjourning memories? Now I kindly ask if we can return to our desk, take all conversations off the floor so we can pay our respects, for the loved ones that each senators have lost. Senator Wiener?

Thank you very much, madam president and colleagues. It's with profound sadness that I rise today, to ask, that the Senate adjourn in the member in the memory of, Andrea Shorter, a San Francisco LGBTQ icon, a passionate advocate, a dedicated civic leader and a true political force of nature. I have I knew Andrea for for decades and she passed away peacefully on March 19, just a couple of weeks ago.

She was born in Indianapolis in 1965, and she and her family later moved, to Paris, California, where she graduated from high school, before attending Whittier College. She would, graduate as a distinguished scholar and was nominated to the 1987 Leadership America cohort studying overseas in Denmark and Russia.

After moving to San Francisco in 1991, Andrea dedicated herself to civic engagement and community advocacy. She took on leadership roles with Equality California, Al and Equal, the Names Project, ACE Memorial Quilt, and the Center for Juvenile and Criminal Justice. She served on the board of the Alice b Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club and with the LGBT Community Center. She focused intensively on developing policies and programs aimed at systemic reform, always centering the needs of those most impacted by inequality.

For twenty years, Andrea served on the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, including terms as the commission's president.

And during her time with the commission, she helped to shape policy impacting women and families across the city, reinforcing a commitment to advancing gender equity with attention to race, class, and intersecting identities. She was appointed to serve, to fill out an expired expiring term on the San Francisco Community College Board of Trustees, where she was instrumental in renaming the Family Resource Center after Betty Shabazz.

She would also serve on the San Francisco Arts Commission, selection committee for the doctor Maya Angelou Monument that is now in at the San Francisco Public Library. Politically, Andrea was deeply involved in numerous campaigns and causes. She was especially proud of her efforts early on, in the campaigns of Vice President Kamala Harris, her work with mayor Willie Brown, with mayor London Breed, with speaker American Merida Pelosi, and with, Congresswoman Latifa Simon among many, many others over decades.

She used her experience and knowledge to benefit many organizations as a board member, including Lyric, which serves LGBTQ youth in the Castro, and was a co founder and board member of the Center for Young Women's Development. She co founded the Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition to serve our black LGBTQ community and she was dedicated to building bridges between LGBTQ and African American communities. In recent years, her work included delivering, to the city of Los Angeles a multi year strategic plan for civil and human rights.

And most recently, she helped drive forward the vital conditions framework for a thriving community initiative as part of the Inland Empire Community Foundation. Andrea was recognized nationally.

She received the David, Bonnet LGBT leadership fellowship at the Harvard, Kennedy School. And in 2009, she was honored as a grand marshal of the San Francisco Pride Parade. Her life reflects a deep commitment to bettering the world. She fought for equality and social justice, helped strengthen communities, and was a positive force for change for all those who had the pleasure of knowing her. As I mentioned, Aye, knew Andrea for for decades and she was, one of those people who always told it, like it is.

And sometimes you would get the call, from her, about, something maybe you had done that you should have done in a different way and it was always very refreshing because she's someone, she knew. She had been around for a long time, had been in leadership for a long time and had very, very broad perspective. And so I always always valued her input and her sage advice and we miss her tremendously. She's survived by her partner, Lubav Smith, her mother Karen, her brothers Aaron and Lawrence.

Lawrence Lawrence also is a friend of mine.

Two nephews, Khalil and Lucas, and many close family members in Indianapolis. She's preceded in death by her father, Leon Shorter. Please join me, colleagues, in adjourning the Senate in memory of Andrea Shorter.

Senator, please bring the advocate and champion's name forward so that she may be forever memorialized. Senator Arreguin.

Thank you, madam president. I'm proud to rise today to honor the life of country Joe McDonald, an internationally recognized singer, songwriter, and activist whose music captured the spirit and conscience of a generation during the Vietnam War era. Country Joe was also a constituent and longtime residence of the city of Berkeley.

Born in Washington DC in 1942, Country Joe grew up in Southern California before settling in Berkeley during the height of the free speech movement in the mid nineteen sixties after spending three years in the US Navy. And he was proud of his experience as a veteran and later became an advocate for veterans issues in the East Bay community.

And this is how I met Joe when I was the mayor of Berkeley working with him to organize a city sponsored Veterans Day celebration and to also advocate for the renovation of the Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Berkeley. Shortly after arriving in Berkeley, he formed his band Country Joe and the Fish. And Country Joe and the Fish reached their pinnacle a few years later, where in 1969, they performed in front of hundreds of thousands of people at the Woodstock Festival.

Their anti war album, I'm feeling like I'm fixing to die a rag, highlighted their style of blending art with activism, becoming one of the most recognizable protest songs of the time and a symbol of the countercultural movement. In addition, after the band broke up, Country Joe would continue a solo career with his voice reflecting and defining counterculture and the politically rebellious nature that permeated the East Bay and beyond.

His music and songwriting went beyond the melody. It told a story, often satirical, of the commentary of the world around him, advocating for peace, civil rights, freedom of expression, and the environment, issues that we still fight for today. Energy and frustrations that people had over the Vietnam War made him stand out, connecting people of different backgrounds towards a common cause.

Country Joe remained active in his later years participating in concerts throughout Northern California while acknowledging the shadow of the Vietnam War remained a major part of his legacy. Despite his opposition to the war, he as a veteran held a deep respect for our country's service members and kept engaged in veterans issues as I previously mentioned.

He argued that the way to achieve peace is through understanding war and recognizing the key role that veterans play in that. May his legacy remind us of our own individual power and making a difference by speaking out and standing true to your beliefs. Colleagues, I respectfully ask the state Senate adjourn in his memory today.

Senator, thank you for sharing this Ingrid's legacy with us. Please bring his name forward so that he may be properly memorialized. Senator Hurtado.

Thank you, madam president. Today, I rise to honor the life of Brenda Jo Martin, lovingly known as Beans, who passed away on 01/27/2026 at the age of 61. Brenda was born on 04/23/1964 in Porterville California. While attending Clovis high school she was on the softball team and a member of a Christian youth activities group where she discovered her passion in photography and graphic design. Brenda then turned that early love into a successful business called called Outwest Productions.

In 1991 Brenda met her loving husband Rusty and together they built a life in Lemoore rooted in family, faith, and community. They shared a love for animals especially her horse miss little and enjoyed the outdoors together through camping and boating. While she cherished her roles as a wife and aunt and did so with joy and devotion she will be remembered in the community for her decades of service to the city of Lemoore.

Brenda dedicated decades to local organizations including the Lemoore Chamber of Commerce, the Sarah Mooney Museum, the World Ag Expo in Tulare, the Lamar Senior Citizen Center and the Downtown Merchant Association. From 2024 to 2026, she served as a CEO of the L'Amour chamber of commerce where she worked tirelessly to revitalize the organization and strengthen connections between local businesses and the community through musical events, festivals, and programs.

Brenda survived by her husband Rusty, her parents Margie Russell and James and Linda Martin, her siblings Ed and Sally Martin, Candace and Dennis Quint, Lisa and David Gosch, and Joseph Martin as well as her aunts, uncles, and many cousins. Her life reminds us that true leadership is rooted in devotion to others and in building up the communities we call home. May Brenda's memory be a blessing and may her life inspire us to feed it forward in our own communities.

Beautiful life you shared you shared with us. Thank you, Senator. Please bring her name forward that she may be forever memorialized. Madam Pro Tem, there is no other business. The desk is clear.

Thank you, madam president. The next floor session is scheduled for Thursday, April 9 at 9AM. Thank you.

The Senate will be in recess until 03:30pm, at which time the adjournment motion will be made. We will reconvene Thursday, 04/09/2026 at 9AM.