Senate Floor

Secretary, please call the roll.

Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Aragin, Ashby, Becker, Blake Spear, Cabaldon, Caballero, Cervantes, Troy, 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, Valadares, Wahab, Weber Pearson, Weiner.

A quorum is present. Would the members and our guests beyond the rail and in the gallery please rise? We will be led in prayer this morning by Senator Archuleta, after which please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance to the flag.

Thank you, madam chair. Good morning. Our prayer for today, gracious and merciful God, we pray for your power to be gentle, the strength to be forgiving, the patience to be understanding, and to the endurance to accept the consequences of holding on to what we trust to be right. Please, ladies. May we know the power of love to create a new world where fear and selfishness no longer lead people to commit injustice or bring suffering to others. Devote our energy to the task of making peace and inspiring all to contribute their gifts for the preservation of humanity. We ask this in your name. Amen.

Members and guests, please join me in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. I pledge allegiance

Senators, we are now at privileges of the floor. Senator Ashby, you are recognized for your guest introductions.

Thank you, madam president. I am so proud to rise today and introduce all of you to my guests. Today, I am recognizing the Natomas Nighthawks men's basketball team from Natomas High School here in Sacramento in Senate District 8. The Nighthawks have achieved an extraordinary rise over the past three seasons, consistently competing at the highest levels and representing their school, their community, and their city with pride. This season, the team reached new heights, winning the division four section championship and advancing to the state semifinals. They now compete at a higher division three level due to their hard work and dedication.

Their success builds on a strong track record, including three consecutive regular season league championships, a division four section finalist finish, and multiple runs into the late rounds of state playoffs. The Nighthawks achievements have been fueled by an entire team of exceptional talent, including four All Metro nominees, Alfred Wilkins, Aaron Wallace, Diego Villanueva, and Mano Jenkins.

Together, these accomplishments reflect the team's resilience and commitment to excellence. We are also joined by the Nighthawks coaches, Brian Edwards, D'Angelo Jenkins, and James Littlejohn, whose leadership has spearheaded by head coach Brian McKenzie, has helped guide the team to their extraordinary record while instilling strong values into each of these young athletes. Members, please join me in giving congratulations and a warm welcome to the Natomas Nighthawks on their historic winning season.

If any other members would like to take a photo, please go to the rear of the gallery now. On behalf of the California State Senate, congratulations on a job well done.

Members, at this time, we will begin our recognition of the twenty twenty six James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awardees.

Pro Tim Limon, you are recognized. Good morning, and welcome to this year's James Irvine Foundation Leadership recipients. The California State Senate is honored to have you on the floor with us today. This award recognizes the leaders in our communities who are making tangible changes to help make our state a better place. This year's six honorees work on a range of issues that directly impact our lives.

Those issues include homelessness, racial burials in education, youth civic engagement, Community College Enrollment, and mental health. Their commitment and innovative solutions to these problems have changed the lives of thousands of Californians. At least one honoree has worked with our assembly to pass legislation, and we hope to see more of those bills advance through the legislative process. Organic, grassroot work is vital to making change through all stages of government, whether that be at the local, state, or federal level. Thank you all for all that you do.

I will now turn to my colleague from Berkeley to begin the introduction of the 2026 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Awards.

Senator Aragon, you are recognized.

Well, thank you, madam pro tem. As a resident of Oakland, as a representative of the city of Oakland and the California State Senate, it's an honor to recognize a leader who is shaping positive youth futures through cultural identity, mentorship, and leadership pathways. And that person is Chris Chapman. Having dedicated his career to closing the achievement gap for black boys, Chris founded Kingmakers of Oakland to academically engage youth and increase graduation rates through cultural connection.

Research shows that students of color are disciplined at higher rates for the same behaviors exhibited by other students, which can lead to disengagement in school and lower graduation rates.

And Chris's work includes culturally responsive curriculum, mentorship, leadership training, and strategic partnership building across stakeholders. The KOOs crowns curriculum is a college preparatory elective that teaches African American history from that diaspora through Afrofuturism, giving students the opportunity to connect with thousands of years of African history, culture, and achievement. He is fostering social equity through the belief that focusing on the needs of one group improves outcomes for everyone.

And Chris's work is proof that seeing your culture, community, and history reflected back to you is uplifting in positive ways across your education by educators who share that culture and history is vital to academic success. Members on behalf of the state Senate, please join me in recognizing Chris Chapman for his visionary work and leadership on improving academic success and educator pipelines in the state of California.

Senator Gonzalez, you are recognized for your awardee.

Thank you, madam president. Colleagues, I am proud today to recognize Leanne Chun, executive director of Khmer Girls in Action as a James Irvine Foundation leadership awardee. Leanne came to California as a refugee after her family escaped violence in Cambodia. As a child, she saw firsthand the impacts of the criminal justice system and disenfranchisement of her refugee community. But today, she turned that experience into action joining Khmer Girls in Action in 2009 and becoming executive director in 2011.

And under her leadership, Khmer Girls in Action has become a pillar of Long Beach youth civic engagement, organizing that gives young people the tools to influence policy and shape the future of their city. These youth go on to become confident, skilled civic and community leaders who are breaking the cycle of generational trauma in our Cambodian and refugee and immigrant communities.

Thank you, Leanne, for the work you're doing, for youth in Long Beach and really the region for the inspiration you've also, permeated through Khmer Girls in Action. It has provided inspiration for us all. Colleagues, please join me in welcoming and congratulating Leanne Chun.

Senator McGuire, you are recognized for your honoree.

Thank you so much, madam president. Thank you to the Senator from Long Beach colleagues today. I'm honored to be able to recognize the distinguished leader advancing community college success through student centered research and policy, miss Darla Cooper. You know, California's community colleges make up the largest, largest system in The United States. Half of all students, in higher ed in the state of California go to a community college.

And they have an amazing advocate who is here today, miss Darla Cooper. Over the years, so many in this body has worked to community college, both financially and academically, and miss Cooper's work has been critical to that progress. Miss Cooper's leadership and stewardship of the research and planning group for California Community Colleges means thousands of more students are graduating from community colleges or transferring to four year universities.

Through her research and advocacy on the groundbreaking groundbreaking AB 705, more students are now enrolling directly in transfer level math and English, boosting their chances of transferring to a four year university and candidly saving time and money, putting it back into their pockets for education. Because of her work, more students are reaching their goals and charting their future.

Members, let's give it up loud and proud. Please join me in recognizing Darla Cooper, whose leadership is transforming thousands of lives in the Golden State. Let's give it up for miss Cooper, everyone.

Senator Maguire, you may continue.

Thank you so much, madam president. It is now my honor to recognize two leaders who are transforming youth mental health by integrating clinical care, culture, and leadership. Virgil Morehead Junior and Amy Matheson. Members, two thirds of California youth with mental health needs, they don't receive care. And in rural communities like Humboldt County, access services can be harder to reach, especially for native youth.

At Two Feathers Native American Family Services, these two individuals, Virgil and Amy, have built a model of success rooted in native culture and community. Over the last five years, they have served over 800 youth in therapy in one of the most rural areas of the Golden State. They focus on youth and foster care, juvenile justice system, and alternative schools. They believe that every youth deserves success.

Their model challenges all of us to think differently about how community mentorship, workforce development, and cultural connection all play a role in supporting behavioral health.

Most importantly, ladies and gentlemen, their work reminds us that mental health care is health care. We must continue to protect these vital services, especially in rural communities, and these two amazing leaders are doing just that. Let's give it up. A warm Senate welcome and a big thank you. And that's to recognize Virgil and Amy for their commitment to native youth and their innovative community driven approach to mental health care.

Let me hear you, ladies and gentlemen. Let's say thank you.

Senator Grove, you are recognized for your honoree.

Thank you madam president. It's an honor to present these two incredible women who are building community focused housing to restore stability and belonging to the Central Valley. Adrienne Hillman and Erin Garner Ford. What I love about Adrienne and Erin's work through Salt and Light is they really examined the homelessness in the Central Valley. Our challenges and opportunities are different than San Francisco and Los Angeles, and we need different solutions, and they have figured it out.

Adrian Aaron created the created the Neighborhood Village, an actual neighborhood of permanent housing, including a dog park, a community garden, central laundry facilities, and a community center where they foster regular opportunities for residents to connect, to rebuild, to belong, and a lot of times, our homeless population is surrounded by isolation. They've come up with solutions in a compassionate, loving way to fix that. They made neighborhoods, neighborliness and caring the driving force of how they help people change lives.

And they came up with a real solution that gets people off the street and the services they need and the jobs that help them rebuild with a sense of growth and community. After one year in their program, 9898% of the village's residents remained housed, well above the national average of 87% who remain at remain housed after receiving permanent housing.

They also have jobs, are going back to school, getting their education, investing and reconnecting with their families. This program has truly worked to get individuals off the street and out of despair. What they've done with Salt and Light is a miraculous thing, and I can't wait to see how they when they expand their model with the same heart that they've invested into the village.

Members, please join me in recognizing Adrienne Hillman and Erin Garner Ford for redefining community through caring relationships and making homeless to housing a real success.

Senator Smallwood Cuevas, you are now recognized.

Thank you, madam president, and thank you, Senator Grove. I have the great honor of recognizing a leader whose work is advancing sustainable homeless response systems through frontline workforce training and wellness, Selena Alvarez. Unfortunately, Selena is unable to join us today as she was recently diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Our prayers are with her and her remarkable work and the many accomplishments that led to this recognition must still be honored and acknowledged.

At Housing Works, Selena recognizes that a culture that expects people to constantly put others before themselves can get in the way of improving how we respond to homelessness.

She identified the sustainable work requirements, centering the voices, needs, and well-being of frontline workers, including enhanced training in essential skills such as de escalation and mental health awareness. When Selena became executive director of Housing Works, she rejuvenated her organizational culture by centering trauma informed practices for workers and placing well-being at the heart of Housing Works operations.

The focus on worker wellness and training contributes to Housing Works ninety seven percent retention rate in support of housing for people with complex needs, mental disorders, physical disabilities, and some who previously spent years, even decades, living on the street. The latest step in scaling her work beyond her organization is the certificate of homeless service work launched at Santa Monica Community College in partnership with the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority.

This program teaches the necessary skills for this critical work as well as the empathy, resilience, and understanding that healing requires in stable housing.

Members, please join me in recognizing Cecilia Alvarez for her leadership on frontline worker wellness and education and ensuring a critical part of our workforce is given the tools and space to engage their work sustainably. My colleagues, let's give her a round of applause even though she's not here. A warm congratulations. And next, my colleague, Senator minority leader Jones, will now give us the closing remarks.

You, Senator. Thank you, members. It's an honor to, be a part of the celebration today. And, really, I think we all should be honored that we are in the presence of such great leaders here in the state of California. From rural communities to major metropolitan centers across California, these leaders bring diverse perspectives that shed new light on how to tackle our most pressing challenges here in California.

The commitment to their communities and passion for their causes is exactly what we need to build a better California for, for tomorrow and all Californians. When working in their issue areas, I implore each of us to lean in on these leaders and and experts and learn from their research and successes. We each can thank we each thank you for your contributions, leadership, and service to the state of California.

Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, let's give one more round of applause to these fantastic leaders that are visiting us today.

Congratulations to our twenty twenty six James Irvine Foundation Leadership awardees. Our first photo will be with the PT, the minority leader, and those senators that presented an awardee today. We now invite all senators to the rear of the gallery for a full group photo and with our awardees today. Senators, please join me in welcoming the forty third treasurer of The United States appointed by president Barack Obama and chairwoman of America two fifty, the United States semi quintentennial commission, Rosie Perez. Welcome to the California State Senate.

And if any other senators would love to take a picture with miss Perez, please go to the rear of the chamber.

And if any other senators would love to take a picture with miss Perez, please go to the rear of the chamber.

Senators, we will now continue. Messages from the governor will be deemed read. Messages from the assembly will be deemed read. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments adopted.

We are now at motions, resolutions, and notices without objection pursuant to joint rule 33.1. Joint rule 61 b five will be suspended to allow Senate bill one four four seven to be heard in policy committees after the deadline. This request has been approved by the rules committee. Seeing no further motions, resolutions, or notices, we will move on to consideration of the daily file. We are now at second reading file, items one through 25.

Secretary, please read.

Senate bill eleven sixty seven with amendments, ten ninety two with amendments, fourteen thirty three, fourteen twenty six, eight ninety four with amendments, eleven sixty two with amendments, 12

Second reading will be deemed read. We are now at governor appointments. File item 31. Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. Colleagues, we have five appointments today, so I'll try to get through them quickly. File item 31 is a confirmation of Alan Guy for reappointment to the Contractors State License Board. He is a licensed general contractor and a cofounder and chief executive officer of Anvil Builders, and he also is the president of Anvil equipment company, Anvil Power Incorporated. He was the first appointed in 2022 and currently serves as the board as the board's vice chair.

He was approved on the at the rules committee on March 18 on a five o vote. Respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary, please call the roll.

Allen. Alvarado-Gil. Aye, Archuleta. Aye, Aragin.

Aye, Ashby. Aye, Becker. Aye, Blake Spear. Aye, Cabaldon. Aye, Caballero.

Aye, Cervantes. Choi. Aye, Cortesi. Aye, Dali. Aye, Durazo.

Aye, Gonzales. Aye, Grayson. Aye, Grove. Aye, Hurtado. Aye.

Jones. Aye. Laird. Limon. McGuire.

Aye. McNerney. Aye. McNerney. Aye.

Menjivar, Aye. Nilo, Aye. Achoa Bogue. Padilla, Aye. Perez, Aye.

Reyes, Richardson, Rubio, Aye, Sayardo, Aye, Smallwood Cuevas, Aye, Stern, Strickland, Aye, Umberg, Aye, Valadares, Aye, Wahab. Aye, Weber Pearson. Aye, Weiner.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Allen. Aye, Cervantes. Aye, Laird Limon, Maguire, Aye. Machoabogue, Reyes, Aye. Richardson, Stern, Weiner, Aye.

Ayes, 35. Nos, zero. The appointment is confirmed. File item 32. Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. Colleagues, file item 32 is a confirmation of Henry Nett the third, for reappointment to the contractor state license board. He was a he is a sheet metal worker and a a pre construction worker executive in the Southland Industries. He also serves as a national board of directors for the Lean Construction Institute. He joined the board on 2020 in 2024 and serves at the board's position of specialty contractor.

He was approved, at the rules committee on March 18, and a unanimous vote respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary, please call the roll.

Allen. Aye. Alvarado-Gil. Aye. Archuleta.

Aye. Aye. Aye.

Okay.

Alan. Aye. Aye. Alvarado-Gil. Aye.

Archuleta. Aye. Aye. Aragin. Aye.

Ashby. Aye. Becker. Aye. Blake Spear.

Aye. Cabaldon. Aye. Caballero. Aye, Cervantes.

Aye, Choi. Aye, Cortesi. Aye, Dali. Aye, Durazo. Aye, Gonzales.

Aye, Grayson. Aye, Grove. Aye, Hurtado. Aye, Jones. Aye, Laird.

Limon. McGuire. Aye, McNerney. Aye, Menjivar. Aye, Nilo.

Aye, Achoa Bogue. Padilla. Aye, Perez. Aye, Reyes. Aye, Richardson.

Rubio. Aye, Sayardo. Aye. Weiner. Aye.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Laird, Limon, Ochoa Bog. Richardson. Aye. Stern.

Aye, 36. No zero. That appointment is confirmed. File item 33. Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam, president. File item number 33 is a confirmation of Steven Panelli for reappointment to the contractor state license board. He's the chief plumbing inspector for the city and county of San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection. He first joined the board in 2022 and serves as a board on the board's position for a local building official. He was approved at the rules committee on March 18 on a unanimous vote.

Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary, please call the roll.

Allen. Aye. Alvarado-Gil. Aye. Archuleta.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye, Becker. Aye, Blake Spear.

Aye, Caboten. Aye, Caballero. Aye, Cervantes. Aye, Choi. Aye, Cortese.

Aye, Dali. Aye, Durazo. Aye, Gonzales. Aye, Grayson. Aye, Grove.

Aye, Hurtado. Aye, Jones. Aye, Laird. Limon. Aye.

Maguire. Aye. McNerney. Aye. Menjivar.

Nilo. Aye. Nilo. Aye. Achooobog.

Padilla. Aye. Perez. Aye. Reyes.

Aye. Richardson. Aye. Rubio. Aye.

Sayornto. Aye. Smallwood Cuevas. Aye. Stern.

Strickland. Aye. Umbrg. Valadares. Aye.

Wahab. Aye. Weber Pearson. Aye. Weiner.

Aye. Umbrg. Aye.

Ayes, 37. Nos, zero. That appointment is confirmed. We are now at file item 34. Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. Colleagues, file item 34 is a confirmation of Jacob Archiva Architov for appointment as a public member of the medical board of California. He's an attorney with Zephyrin, Brittenham and he previously served as a corporate associate for, excuse me, O'Melvey and O'Mailvey and Myers. Was approved by the rules committee on March 18. Unanimous vote respectfully asked for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary, please call the roll.

Allen. Aye, Alvarado-Gil. Aye, Archuleta. Aye, Aragin. Aye, Ashby.

Aye, Becker. Aye, Blake Spear. Aye, Caballero. Aye, Cervantes. Aye, Choi.

I Cortese. I Dali. I Durazo. I Gonzales. I Grayson.

I Grove. I Hurtado. Aye, Jones. Aye, Laird. Limon.

Aye, McGuire. Aye, McNerney. Aye, Mengevar. Aye, Nilo. Aye, Ochoa Bog.

Padilla. Aye. Perez. Aye. Reyes.

Richardson. Reyes. Aye. Richardson. Aye.

Rubio. Aye. Sejerto. Aye. Smallwood Cuevas.

Aye. Stern. Strickland. Aye, Umberg. Aye, Valadares.

Aye, Wahab. Aye, Weber Pearson. Aye, Weiner. Aye.

Aye, 30 seven. No zero. That appointment is confirmed. File item 35. Senator Grove, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. And last but not least on the file today, file item 35 is a confirmation of, doctor doctor Viling Tsai for appointment to the Medical Board of California. Doctor Tsai has served in the medical board since 2022. He's an attending physician at the Department of Surgery and UCLA Medical Center, and he also is a clinical professor at U C M UCLA Medical School and works in private practice. He was approved, by the rules committee on a five o vote on March 18.

Respectfully, yes for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary, please call the roll.

Allen. Hi. Alvarado-Gil. Aye, Archuleta. Aye, Aragin.

Aye, Ashby. Aye, Becker. Aye, Blake Spear. Aye, Caballero. Aye, Cervantes.

Aye, Choi. Aye, Cortesi. Aye, Dali. Aye, Durazo. Aye, Gonzales.

Aye, Grayson. Aye, Grove. Aye, Hurtado. Aye, Jones. Aye, Laird Limon.

Aye, McGuire. Aye, McNearney. Aye, Menjivar. Aye, Nilo. Aye, Ochoa Bog, Padilla.

Aye, Perez. Aye, Reyes. Richardson. Aye, Rubio. Aye, Sayardo.

Aye, Smallwood Cuevas. Stern. Strickland. Aye. Aye.

Umberg. Aye. Aye. Valadares. Aye.

Wahab. Aye. Weber Pearson. Aye. Weiner.

Aye.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Laird. Achoa Bogue. Reyes? Aye. Smallwood Cuevas?

Aye. Stern?

Aye. 37. No zero. The appointment is confirmed. Members, we will now move to Senate third reading.

File item 62, SR 88. Secretary, please read.

Senate Resolution 88 by Senator Blake Spear relative to modern biotechnology.

Senator Blake Spear, you are recognized at the majority leader's desk.

Thank you, madam president and colleagues. I rise today to present SR 88, which celebrates two historic milestones, the fiftieth anniversary of modern biotechnology and the twentieth anniversary of the California Biotechnology Foundation. California is not just a part of biotechnology story. We are the birthplace. In the early nineteen seventies, labs in our state pioneered recombinant DNA and genetic engineering, launching a new era of medicine that continues today to transform lives every single day.

Powered by California's world class universities, research institutions, and trailblazing biotech companies, the life sciences industry supports more than 1,000,000 jobs across our state and generates hundreds of billions of dollars in economic activity. In the span of just five decades, biotechnology has turned once theoretic science into effective drugs and therapies that improve and extend millions of lives. Conditions that were once considered a death sentence or a lifelong burden are now treatable, manageable, and even sometimes curable, thanks to biotech's advances.

Some of these innovations include the creation of genetically engineered insulin, providing safe and reliable treatment for diabetics, antibody therapies that have revolutionized cancer care, turning deadly diagnoses into manageable conditions, and vaccines that helped end a global pandemic and continue to protect millions of lives today. For the past twenty years, the California Biotechnology Foundation, CBF, has been the trusted bridge between our innovators and policy makers.

CBF is a nonprofit dedicated to education and outreach with a mission to advance informed policy making and increase awareness of California's life sciences industry. The foundation holds educational briefings, convenings, and public forums, ensuring our policy conversations are informed by science. Beyond the capital, CBF elevates programs that build STEM and biotech literacy, which helps develop the next generation of life science innovators.

As we celebrate these dual anniversaries, we must recognize the people behind all this work, the scientists, the innovators, educators, administrators, and entrepreneurs whose vision and hard work have advanced medicine, strengthened our economy, and saved lives. As policy makers prioritizing an environment for science to thrive, it's crucial for scientific breakthroughs and advancements that benefit all of us and fuel California's economic growth and improve our lives.

I'm happy to recognize the importance of modern biotechnology and the California Biotechnology Foundation today, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, secretary this is actually eligible for unanimous roll call. Seeing no objections. Ayes, 37. No, zero.

The resolution passes. We will now move back to privileges of the floor for your introduction. Senator Blakesphere, you are recognized.

Thank you, colleagues. With me today, I have on the floor to celebrate SR 88, Patricia Cooper, the executive director of the California Biotechnology Foundation, Tim Scott, president and CEO of BioCom, Flo Khan, deputy vice president of advocacy of pharmaceutical research and manufacturers of America, Amanda Banks, president of the California Biomedical Research Association, and even more folks who are up in the gallery to celebrate these milestones.

I encourage all of you to come and say hello to these lovely folks who contribute so much to our life sciences and our biotech sector in California. Thank you for your hard work, and thank you for being in Sacramento today. Please join me in recognizing their contributions to modern biotech.

Thank you all so much, and congratulations on twenty years. If there are any members who would would like to take a photo, please go to the rear of the chamber. Senators, we will move on to file item 63, SR 90. Secretary, please read.

Senate resolution 90 by Senator Gonzales relative to Khmer New Year.

Senator Gonzales, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president and members. I rise today to present Senate Resolution 90, which will recognize April 14 through the sixteenth as Khmer New Year. Khmer New Year or Cambodian New Year is also known as Moa Sangran Kranta and coincides with the traditional solar new year celebrated across Southeast Southeast Asia in parts of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand. In Cambodia specifically, the new year is celebrated by a three day public holiday with various acts of worship performed on each day.

Today, California is home to the largest population, as I always say, of Cambodian Americans and the city of Long Beach, my home district, is home to the largest community of Cambodians outside of Southeast Asia.

In fact, a stretch of Anaheim Street in downtown Long Beach is officially designated as Cambodia town, and in fact, they're going to receive their beautiful arch sign in the in the coming year, which is very exciting to finally designate that as a true Cambodia town. And for the Cambodian diaspora in California, the new year represents a time to honor culture, cultural heritage with food, dance, and so much more, and a beautiful parade that we've just celebrated in Long Beach.

Colleagues, I hope you will join me in officially recognizing here in the state of California, Khmer New Year. I respectfully ask for aye vote.

Thank you, Senator Gonzales. Seeing no further discussion or debate, senators, this item is eligible for unanimous roll call. Seeing no objection, ayes 37, nos zero. That resolution passes. We are now at committee announcements.

If anyone would like to announce their committees, please raise your mic. Senator Richardson, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. Immediate well, five minutes after we adjourn, sub five will be meeting in Room 112. We're actually covering, we're looking at the prison situation, some of the vacancies that are occurring in the mental health space. So if anyone would like to participate, you're more than welcome to join us. Thank you.

Thank you. Senator Menjivar, you are recognized.

Madam President, budgets sub three on health and human services will be meeting fifteen minutes upon adjournment of session in Room 1200 Street.

Thank you. Senator Perez, you are recognized.

Madam president, budget sub one, will be meeting in Room 2100 fifteen minutes after session ends. Thank you.

Thank you. Senator Reyes, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam chair. Sub budget sub two, we'll be meeting in Room 2200. Fifteen minutes after, we'll be covering sustainable aviation fuel tax credits, greenhouse gas reduction fund expenditure plan, zero emission vehicle incentive proposal, among other things.

Thank you. Senator Hurtado, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. Budget subcommittee four will convene fifteen minutes after session in Room 113.

Thank you to all of the budget chairs as this is budget season. We will now be returning to motions, resolutions, and and this is the time for our adjourn in memories. Senator Cortese, you are recognized for your adjourn in memory. Thank

you. Thank you, madam president and colleagues. I rise today to ask that we adjourn in memory of Rod Diridon senior. Rod was born on 02/08/1939 in Huayra, California to Claude Diridon. His father, Claude, an Italian immigrant, worked as a railroad brakeman and piano teacher to provide for the family.

Rod grew up at the foot of Mount Shasta, Siskiyou County in a small town called Dunshire. As a child, Rod struggled with dyslexia before the diagnosis was commonly known and was often singled out and bullied for his learning difficulties. Despite that, he later worked his way through college also as a railroad brakeman and fireman. He was lucky as a child to become a boy scout as he learned outdoor skills and conquered new challenges. He began to feel accepted and like he was part of something bigger.

Soon enough, he was not just earning badges, he had transformed into an accomplished leader. And with that confidence, Rod found a teacher, who offered to assist with his reading. I heard that story firsthand from Rod during the holidays and was very, very moving. He essentially attributed all of his success the rest of his life to that one teacher. With his help, he became the sharpest in his class, outperforming his peers, just a standout student.

And through his his increasing rank progression, Rod began to soar as well. Rod later graduated from San Jose State University in 1961 with a bachelor of science in accounting, continuing to earn an MSBA in statistics. While at San Jose State, he met his first wife, Mary Ann Fudge. Feeling called upon by his country, Rod then attended the United States Naval Officers Candidate School when he served two combat tours in the United States Navy in Vietnam from 1963 to 1967.

Rising to the rank of lieutenant, he served on destroyers patrolling the coastline.

Rod and Mary Anne were married in 1964 in Saratoga, California, which was the only time Rod ever took leave from his tour of duty with the Navy. After leaving his sir service, Rod briefly worked for Lockheed in his own research firm before being elected to the Saratoga City Council in 1971. In '74, he was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors defeating a fourteen year incumbent. That's when I first met him, as a high school senior.

During his twenty years on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Rod served as a progressive trailblazer.

He's credited with ushering in a new political error for Santa Clara County by advocating relentlessly, for LGBTQ issues, environmental protections, healthcare access, and most notably for public transportation expansion. One of his most significant achievements was leading the successful 1976 campaign in Santa Clara County dedicated to transit funding. Some of us in transportation space will recognize that as one of the first self help measures ever produced by a county.

This funding plan was the first of its kind in California, indefinitely laid the financial foundation for the county's modern transit network. Believing deeply in his work, Rod was once quoted in saying, if you're driving a car alone, you're doing something wrong.

After his extensive work with the board of supervisors, Rod served as a founding executive director for the Mineta Transportation Institute, the San Jose State University. I have to say it at the time, he founded the institute, I wondered and whether it would be kind of a useless endeavor or something that actually has impact. There are colleagues in this room at the moment that will tell you how much impact the Moneta Transportation Institute has had over the years, including as recently as this week in the legislature.

The institute under Rod's leadership worked to increase the safety, efficiency, and accessibility of transportation through vital academic research and workforce development. In 2000, Rod was called upon by Governor Gray Davis to serve on the California High Speed Rail Authority where he chaired the authority from 2001 to 2003 and served until 2010.

During that time, Rod successfully bolstered statewide support for a bond intended to fund California's high speed rail project. And since 2020, Rod also served as co chair of the of the US High Speed Rail Association, a coalition of over 50 leading unions, public agencies, and companies who advocate for world class high speed rail projects across the nation. Rod was an accomplished speaker, and to hear him speak on this topic of high speed rail was really actually a treat.

And he not only did that locally and elsewhere in the state of California, but all over the world. All over the world.

It's hard in the transportation space to find anyone who doesn't recognize his name. But for all of Rod's accomplishments, what will leave the most lasting mark is how he collaborated and mentored those who knew him. He inspired many with his passion, his kind guidance, and his unending dedication to creating a better world. Of course, I needed to give this biographical information. I'd like to just make a couple personal reflections as well.

I think had I stood up, had I risen today and just said, we lost Rod Diridon. He has the San Jose Train Station named after him and sat down and just let people use their imagination as to what someone would have to do at the age of 55. He lived to 87. He just passed away April 3. At the age of 55, to have the third largest city in the state name his train station after him.

You know, he never flaunted that. Never. But, obviously, he and his family have always been very proud of that designation. I mentioned Rod's military experience, naval experience. For most of his life until his his health finally started to fail most recently, to me he looked like Clark Kent.

Yeah. The always the perfectly tailored suit. But the physique to go with that. And finally asked him one day, I said, how do you do this? And then he told me his his regimen.

You know, every morning he got up and did this unbelievable number of of push ups and sit ups and and other exercises, and, you know, that that showed. It just showed. And he had, you know, the rest of the looks to go along with that part. He was always a coveted endorsement right up to 2026. And I won't get into the, you know, the the campaign politics stuff because because that's not really appropriate on the floor.

But how many people can you think of, really, that left office, his last elective office in 1995, who would still be one of the most coveted political endorsements in the valley, in our valley. He had a very, very special relationship with somebody else who had things named after him. Former secretary Norman Etta. And, you know, their their relationship around transportation was part of it.

They also were big backers of somebody who had served in Congress in our area, Congressman Mike Honda at the time, who also was a very strong advocate for transportation and ended up being so in Washington.

But one of the reasons, you know, Rod was sought after, you know, from a political standpoint is to see what follow through. And he'd have these events at his house, in his yard, that were just, you know, fun, beautiful events.

But to walk in there and see everybody mingling and Rod and Norman Etta sitting on the couch, I mean, two individuals, one who has it sounds like a train station named after him and one who has the San Jose International Airport named after him, having their own little private conversation going on, it was it was telling. It was telling. And of course, most of us in Santa Clara County knew them on a first name basis, so I'm not talking about awe.

I'm just talking about respect that should be paid for two folks who were literally living legends. Rod was extremely strong around parks and open space, especially during his twenty years on the board of supervisors. Basically, whatever you wanted from the League of Conservation voters went through Rod Dyridon. He played a significant role in that way and also in terms of air quality. You know, I couldn't sleep so well last night.

And I say this next thing really just to give you some insight maybe into his personality because he was a consummate politician. And I kept having this recurring dream all night last night of Rod running his own memorial service. And I I say that, you know, respectfully, but also to give you a feel for him. And when I say that, I don't mean running it behind the scenes.

I mean, doing what he did, you know, basically coming up to people like myself and saying, David he called me David oftentimes, which was going back to my my teenage years.

David, you need to know this person. This person. You need to know this person. And and I'm I'm quite sure that in the services that come ahead, people will think about that and also miss him. It it just hard to think about being in a crowd that revolves around his universe without him being there literally doing those kinds of things, making those warm introductions and telling people what he needed them to do.

He wouldn't I always, you know, wondered I know he had some aspiration of maybe serving in the legislature at some point in time. I'm not sure if he would have enjoyed it so much. He always had three votes on the board of supervisors in a big county, and he was able really to to tell people what he wanted done. And I think if he ever had come to Sacramento, he would immediately turn his attention to how do I become the executive, you know? How do I become the governor?

Because I need to tell people what to do, not ask people what they'll let me do. And and that was him. Let me conclude by saying that his advice and friendship on a on a personal level was really, really important to me. I know it was really important to others, even though those kind of conversations were not generally observable because he would come in and close the door and sit down, not only give advice, especially over the last ten to fifteen years, he'd asked for advice.

He'd asked for advice at the most personal level. Like, how do you deal with this? And and that meant a lot to me. It really meant a lot to me. His whatever whatever power he wielded, you know, especially during his elected years, Somehow that transcended later on in his life to humility and gratitude that really just shine through his personality. And to say that he'll be missed as as I noted is is an understatement.

I I don't know how I I think a lot of people in Santa Clara County are just thinking how strange it's gonna be to not see him everywhere like we always have in participating everywhere and participating actively. I do want to close by saying clearly it's not an overstatement by any means to say that he is Silicon Valley's father of modern transportation. Just about every transportation project in our valley can be traced back to Rod's actions or his direct influence.

He survived by his wife, Gloria, who they married in 2001, a beautiful relationship, I might add. I visited both of them at their house recently, not long before Rod passed, and and the beauty of their relationship was very, very obvious.

And his two children, Rod Junior and Mary Margaret, four grandchildren, of course, during that visit was basically all that Rod wanted to talk about. We'll all miss him. His family will miss him, and our heart goes out to him, and I'll ask the Senate to adjourn in his memory. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. Senator Wahab, you are recognized.

Thank you. I think what the Senator from San Jose stated is exactly who Rod Diridon was. In so many ways, he was an individual that was a giant in Silicon Valley and throughout the Bay Area. You know, the big joke for a lot of us was, like, he has a transit station named after him. Right?

As much as we talk about transit, he literally was the father of public transit in our area. And I had a lot of conversations with him, and I think, you know, some of the things are I'm just gonna go more on the personal side. He was an individual that, yes, he was in his eighties. We lost a giant this past week.

And he was somebody that would always kind of reach out to you, text you, say, hey, you know, do you wanna come to this, you know, rotary meeting?

I'd love to introduce you to somebody to that I think would be very important for you to have a conversation on whatever your interest area was. And the conversations that we've had in the last three years regarding public transit in the Bay Area, he had opinions on, and he would invite you to his home. And I remember having conversations with him in his backyard in the sun. And he would say, okay, Ayesha. What do you think about this?

And he would share his opinions. And when we would talk about public transit consolidation in the Bay Area, he said, this is the thing that needs to be done. This is one of the most courageous stances you can take and positions you can take in today's, public transit battle, in today's fiscal crisis, in today's, you know, literally the the innovation, the industry, the impact in the region. And he said that, but nobody else will take this stance because it's a hard one, and people are afraid.

And he said, but it's the right stance to take.

And he would explain what he saw as a problem. And we would have conversations like this because he was a thought leader. He wasn't somebody that listened to other people and completely ignored them because he thought he was right. He would actually take your opinion, your consideration, your input, your lived experience, and actually incorporate it to formulate a new opinion, a new thought. I remember one of the first conversations we had with him, he kept telling me about everybody needs to drive an electric vehicle.

And I said, yeah, but not everybody can afford an electric vehicle. And we would debate, you know, with renters not being able to plug in their vehicle and charge it and how the entry point was nearly $70,000 and and so forth.

And he said, yeah, but if you do the math, and he would literally put on a piece of paper, even a napkin, how much it costs to do an oil change, to do a smog check, to do all of these things in the payment versus what you have with an EV. And more than that, besides trying to kind of help you, trying to explain things, trying to understand your perspective, he would also bring community together.

He would have plenty of events him and his wife would host, in their backyard, introduce people, invite young people.

He was one of the few giants in our community that absolutely would bring in young people to say, learn, experience, be exposed to these community members, these conversations, and try to do more and do better. So I say all of this because not only was Rod a thought leader in this state, he was a very gracious and humble individual.

He was somebody that extended his hand and genuinely loved bringing community together and having the the real robust conversations without any ego, without any opinion that that would would make you not want to talk to somebody. He wouldn't say, I know better because I've done it for decades. He would say, absolutely.

That's something that we need to kind of consider. So I am very, very saddened by his loss, and he was a a personal friend, a personal supporter, and he genuinely deserves to be recognized. And I'm very, very honored to be able to adjourn in his memory because he was one of the giants in California, let alone in the Bay Area. So thank you.

Thank you. Senator Becker, you are recognized.

Well, thank you. I wanna thank my colleagues for their words. And, this is a rare case where legend is an understatement. You know, Rod is a absolute legend in our area. I represent Northern Santa Clara County, so didn't interact with him as often as my colleagues.

But I wanted to share a couple of reflections from folks I know, some I don't know that I saw online when the reports about his passing. Permission to read?

Permission granted.

So this one comment, Rod was both a force of nature and exceedingly kind man. A rare combination. I think that gives you a little more context to his personality. A warm and generous soul. And this one, for someone I know very well, Rod elevated everyone involved in policy making through his dedication, wisdom, and compassion.

Mitch chose the size of his personality, the forcefulness, but also the kindness and compassion. I really got to know him through he chaired the Santa Clara County League of Conservation Voters for twenty years. Twenty years, he chaired.

And that was really my where I really got to know him and, you know, you're getting from all of our statements just a sense of how much he will be missed in our area, how much he will be remembered and honored, and how lasting his impact, will continue to be. I wanna join with my colleagues in adjourning his memory.

Thank you. The Senate sends it condolences to a an amazing legend. Thank you so much to the senators who spoke today and Senator Cortese, if you can bring his name forward so that he may be properly memorialized. If there is no other business, Pro Tem Limon, the desk is clear.

Thank you, members. The next floor session will be on Monday, April 13 at 2PM. Enjoy your weekend.