Senate Floor

Secretary, please call the roll.

Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Arreguin, Ashby, Becker, Blakesphere, Cabaldon, Caballero, Cervantes, Troy, Cortese, Dahle, Durazo, Gonzales, Grayson, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, Limon, McGuire, McNerney, Menjivar, Niello, Ochoa Bog, Padilla, Perez, Reyes, Richardson, Rubio, Seyarto, Smallwood Cuevas, Stern, Strickland, Umberg, Valladares, Wahab, Webber Pearson, Weiner.

A quorum is present. Would the members and our guests be on the rail and in the gallery, please rise. Before we proceed with the prayer and pledge today, I ask that you join me in a moment of silence for the tragic shooting that occurred yesterday at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Our hearts go out to the victims, the families of those who lost loved ones, and the entire Muslim community that is grieving.

I especially wanna recognize the courage and sacrifice of the security guard, Amin Abdullah, who gave his life protecting others inside the mosque.

In moments like this, we must come together as one community and reject the hate and division that continue to harm so many across our state and this country. I ask that we join together in a moment of silence for the victims, their families, and the entire San Diego community affected by this tragedy. Thank you. We will now be led in prayer this morning by Senator Durazo, after which please remain standing for the pledge of allegiance to the flag.

Thank you, madam president. Loving and ever present God, when it seemed there was no hope, we have seen your light in the eyes of a child. When it seemed there was no joy, we have heard your delight in the voice of a friend. When life seemed stale, we have smelled the freshness of sunlight on your skin. When all seemed empty, we have touched your presence in the hand of a stranger.

When the future seemed barren, we have tasted life's moisture on the lips of another. We thank you, oh God, for your embodied love. Open our senses to your presence that we may care for you in all things. Amen.

Members, please join me in the pledge of allegiance to the flag. I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America. And to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Senators, we are now at privileges of the floor. We will move on to messages from the governor. They will be deemed read. Messages from the assembly will be deemed read.

Reports of committee will be deemed read and amendments adopted. Senators, we are now at motions, resolutions, and notices. Seeing none, we will move to consideration of the daily file. Second reading, file items. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 887 with amendments, 907 with amendments, 1011 with amendments, 1021 with amendments, 1066 with amendments, 1259 with amendments.

Reading will be deemed read. We are now with governor appointments starting with file item 21. Senator Reyes, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president and members. File item number 21 is the confirmation of Julia Montgomery for reappointment as general counsel for the Agricultural Labor Relations Board. She was first appointed to this position in 2016, and she previously served as assistant chief counsel for the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. She was approved by the rules committee on May 13. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

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

Ashby. Aye. Becker. Aye.

Blake Spear. Cabaldon. Aye. Caballero. Aye.

Cervantes. Aye. Choi Aye. Cortese. Aye. Dahle. No.

Durazo. Aye. Gonzales. Aye. Grayson.

Aye. Grove. Hurtado. Jones. No.

Laird. Aye. Limon. McGuire. Aye.

McNerney. Aye. Menjivar. Aye. Niello?

Ochoa Bogh? Padilla? Aye. Perez? Aye.

Reyes? Aye. Richardson? Aye. Rubio?

Seyarto? No. Smallwood Cuevas? Aye. Stern?

Aye. Rubio? Aye. Strickland? No.

Umberg? Aye. Valladares?

No. Wahab? Weber Pearson? Aye. Weiner?

Aye. Grove? No.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Allen. Alvarado-Gil? No. Blake Spear? Aye.

Choi? No. Hurtado, aye. Limon, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, no.

Call the absent members, please.

Allen, Limon, Niello, Wahab.

Aye's 27, no's 9. That appointment is confirmed. We will now move to file item 22. Senator Reyes, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president, members. File item number 22 is a confirmation of doctor Cynthia Glover Woods for reappointment to the State Board of Education, where she has served since 2022. Doctor Glover Woods held multiple teaching and school administration roles in the Compton Unified School District, the Alvord Unified School District, and the Riverside County Office of Education. She has also been an adjunct professor at the University of Redlands. She was approved by the rules committee on May 13.

I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

Allen. Alvarado Gil. Aye. Archuleta. Aye.

Arreguin. Aye. Ashby. Aye. Becker.

Aye. Blake Spear. Aye. Cabaldon. Aye. Caballero.

Aye. Cervantes. Aye. Choi. Cortese.

Aye, Dahle. Durazo. Aye, Gonzales. Aye, Grayson. Aye, Grove.

Hurtado. Jones. Liard, Aye. Limon, McGuire, Aye. McNerney, Aye.

Menjivar, Aye. Niello, Ochoa Bogh, No. Padilla, Aye. Perez, Aye, Reyes. Aye, Richardson. Aye, Rubio.

Limon, Aye. Seyarto. Smallwood Cuevas. Aye.

Stern? Aye. Strickland? No.

Umberg? Aye. Valladares?

Wahab? Weber Pearson? Aye. Weiner? Aye.

Secretary, call the absent members.

Allen, Choi, Dahle, Grove, Hurtado, aye. Jones, Niello, Rubio, Seyarto, Volodares, Wahab. Volodares, no.

Ayes, 28. No's, 3. The appointment is confirmed. We are now on file item 23. Senator Reyes, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president, numbers. File item 23 is the confirmation of doctor Brenda Lewis for reappointment to the State Board of Education. Doctor Lewis first joined the board in 2022. She held several roles in the Kern High School District from 1988 to 2021, including associate superintendent of instruction, school principal, assistant principal of instruction, and classroom teacher. She was approved by the rules committee on May 13.

I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

Allen. Alvarado-Gil. No. Archuleta. Aye, Arreguin.

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

Aye, Cervantes. Aye, Choi. Cortese. Aye, Dahle. Durazo. Aye, Gonzales.

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

Aye, Limon. Aye, McGuire. Aye, McNerney. Aye, Menjivar. Aye, Niello.

Ochoa Bogh. No. Padilla. Aye, Perez. Aye, Reyes. Aye, Richardson.

Aye, Rubio. Aye, Ciardo. Smallwood Cuevas. Aye, Stern. Aye, Strickland.

No. Umberg. Aye, Valladares. No. Wahab?

Aye. Weber Pearson? Aye. Weiner? Aye.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Allen, Choi, Dahle, Jones, Niello. Seyarto, no.

Aye's, 30. No's, 5. The member is adopted. We will now move to file item 24. Senator Reyes, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president, members. File item number 24 is a confirmation of Gabriela Orozco Gonzalez for the appointment to the State Board of Education. Miss Gonzales is an elementary school teacher serving in the Montebello Unified School District since 2001. She has served on the State Board since 2022. She was approved by the rules committee on May 13.

I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

Allen. Alvarado-Gil. No. Archuleta. Aye, Arreguin.

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

Aye. Cabaldon. Aye. Caballero. Aye.

Cervantes. Aye. Choi. Cortese. Aye.

Dahle. Durazo. Aye. Gonzales. Aye.

Grayson. Aye. Grove. Hurtado. Aye.

Jones. Laird. Aye. Limon.

Aye. McGuire. Aye. McNerney. Aye, Menjivar.

Aye, Niello. No. Padilla. Aye, Perez. Aye, Reyes.

Aye, Richardson. Aye, Rubio. Aye, Seyarto. No. Smallwood Cuevas.

Aye, Stern. Aye, Strickland. No. Umberg. Aye, Valladares.

Wahab. Aye, Weber Pearson. Aye, Weiner. Aye. Valladares, no.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Allen, Choi, Dahle? No. Grove, Jones, Niello.

Aye's 29. No's 6. The appointment is confirmed. We will now move to file item 30. Senator Reyes, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president and members. File item number 30 is a confirmation of George Cardona for reappointment as chief trial counsel for the State Bar of California. Before taking on this role in 2021, he was serving as interim city attorney for the Santa Monica city attorney's office. He is also a former US attorney who held various positions with the Northern And Central Districts Of California from 1998 to 2018. It was approved by the rules committee on April 29.

I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

Allen. Alvarado-Gil. No. Archuleta. Aye, Arreguin.

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

Aye, Cervantes. Aye, Choi. Cortese. Aye, Dahle. Durazo.

Aye, Gonzales. Aye, Grayson. Aye, Grove. No, Hurtado. Aye, Jones.

No, Laird. Aye, Limon. Aye, McGuire. Aye. McNerney.

Hi. Menjivar. Hi. Niello. No.

Padilla. Hi. Perez. Hi. Reyes.

Hi. Richardson. Hi. Rubio. Aye.

Ciardo. No. Smallwood Cuevas. Aye. Stern.

Aye. Strickland. No. Umberg. Aye.

Aye. Volodares. No. Wahab. Aye.

Weber Pearson. Aye. Weiner. Aye.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Alan, Choi, Dali. No. Nilo.

Eyes twenty nine, nose eight. The appointment is confirmed. Senators, before we move to third reading, we'll move back and file to privileges of the floor. Senator Stern, you are recognized for introduction of your guest.

Thank you madam president. I wanna welcome, to the Senate chambers, up in the gallery. It's students, faculty, and staff from Cal Lutheran University, from my district. Wanna wish them well and also, hope hope for a safe return home. We know there's smoke all over the campus right now from the sandy fire that's burning in the hills of Simi Valley at the moment.

So we wish you a safe return home, and thank you for all your studies and leadership.

Welcome to the California State Senate. Alright, senators. It is now time for us to go to our Senate third reading items. We are going to start with file item 89, which is a reconsideration. Secretary, please read.

Senate resolution 111 by Senator Padilla relative to International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia.

Senator Padilla, you are recognized for this reconsideration.

Thank you, madam president and colleagues. This item was taken up and presented on Thursday. Agreed to reconsideration for purposes of a vote.

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

Allen. Alvarado-Gil. Archuleta. aye, Arreguin, aye. Ashby, aye. Becker, aye.

Blakespear, aye. Cabaldon, aye. Caballero, aye. Cervantes, aye. Choi Cortese.

Dahle. Durazo, aye. Gonzalez, aye. Grayson, aye. Grove. Hurtado, aye. Jones. Laird, aye. Limon, aye. McGuire, aye. McNerney, aye. Menjivar, aye. Niello. Ochoa Bogh, aye.

Perez, aye. Reyes, aye. Richardson, aye. Rubio, aye. Seyarto.

Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Strickland. Umberg, aye.

Valladares. Wahab, aye. Weber Pierson, aye. Weiner, aye.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Choi, Dahle, Grove, Jones, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Seyarto, Strickland, Valladares.

Ayes 29, nose 0. The resolution passes. We will now move to file item 43, SCR129. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 129 by Senator Cortesi relative to Rusty Area's Highway.

Senator Cortese, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. I rise to present SCR129, which recognizes the extraordinary contributions of former assembly member and former director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, Rusty Arreas. During his tenure on the Assembly Transportation Committee, Mister Arreas was instrumental in securing a 150,000,000 for improvements to State Route 152 over Pacheco Pass Road. I'm not sure what that dollar amount would be in present dollars, but a lot.

Mister Reyes also oversaw the passage of $6,000,000,000 in park bonds and raised park attendance by 23,000,000 people.

He was critical in securing nearly 300 acres of urban and suburban land that was converted to a park, which the state still owns called Marshall Collar Park in Santa Clara County, which is still in the middle of my district, surrounded surrounded by residential development. Thanks to him, people in my district continue to enjoy this 1 of a kind farm park surrounded by urban development.

To honor his career of service, SCR129 designates part of Highway 152 in Santa Clara County as the Rusty Arrays Highway. I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Strickland. You are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, I rise in support of SCR129. Rusty Reyes was a fantastic member of this body, worked well across the aisle with both Republicans and Democrats, and he deserves this recognition. So I'm rising in support of this measure and urge my colleagues, and I thank my colleague from San Jose for bringing this forward, this important measure. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator Umberg. You are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President and colleagues. I served with Rusty Reyes, and I think it is completely appropriate that we name a highway after him. He was a champion transportation, excellent member. My only concern is it should actually be the Reyes Sandino highway because the smartest thing he did in life was Mary Julie Sandino. So perhaps a future resolution will correct that mistake.

But I wanna thank my colleague from San Jose for bringing this forward. Urgent aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, Senator Cortesi, would you like to close?

Thank you, Madam President. And I'm always very intrigued as our most of you, I'm sure, hearing Senator Umberg's long list of past members who he has served with Including my own father at one point in time. But thank you for your support. Thank you for rising to my colleagues, including my colleague from Huntington Beach. Appreciate it, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Alright. Let's just call the Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 37, noes 0. That resolution passes. We are now moving to file item 74, SCR169. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 169 by Senator Gonzales relative to women's small business month.

Senator Gonzales, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President and members. I rise today to present SCR169, which proclaims October 2026 as women's small business month. Women owned small businesses are the backbone of our communities representing 42% of all businesses in The United States according to the Small Business Administration. Of that 42%, half are owned by women of color. California leads the nation with 1,500,000 women owned businesses, in the state, which is incredible.

In my own district, Downtown Long Beach is home to 72 women's small owned small businesses ranging from food and retail to personal care and professional services. And these locations don't just bring home economic vitality to the neighborhoods they serve, they create spaces where the community can truly come together. Despite women embracing entrepreneurship now more than ever, they often face challenges not typically shared by their male counterparts. Limited access to social and business networks, barriers to capital access and market expansion, and obtaining mentorship.

It's shameful and cannot continue.

Women entrepreneurs are the backbone of our communities. The key to overall economic success here in the fourth largest economy, and I respectfully ask for your aye vote on SC169.

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

[Roll Call]

Aye. 39. Nosed. 0. That resolution passes.

We will now move to file item 84, SCR 173. Secretary, please read.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 173 by Senator Alvarado-Gil, relative to California Fairgrounds Appreciation Month.

Senator Alvarado-Gil, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. Today, I rise as the author of SCR 173, designating the month of May 2026 as California Fairgrounds Appreciation Month. Fairgrounds are woven into the fabric of California, and from the earliest days of statehood, communities recognized the need for places where farmers and ranchers, artisans, inventors, and families could come together to showcase their work, celebrate our agricultural heritage, and strengthen community bonds.

In 1854, the California legislature created the State Agricultural Society, which led the California's very first state fair that same year in, guess, San Francisco. Just twenty two years later in 1876, the Dixon May Fair became our state's first county fair, simple community picnic honoring the arrival of spring.

That modest beginning blossomed into a proud tradition that now spans all of California. These grounds are critical public safety assets. During natural disasters, wildfire foods, or state of emergencies, fairgrounds become evacuation centers, staging areas for the first responders, medical sites, and safe havens for livestock and pets. They preserve and promote our agricultural heritage through youth programs like FFA, four h, and the California Foundation for Agriculture in the classroom.

I'm grateful to to my principal co author, our assembly member from the North State, and to our co authors in both houses.

The resolution is simple but important. It's our chance to say thank you to the thousands of FAIR volunteers, directors, CEOs, staff, business supporters, sponsors, and associations who keep these cherished institutions strong, vibrant, and relevant. I respectfully ask my colleagues to join me in voting aye for SCR 173 and in celebrating May 2026 is California Fairgrounds Appreciation Month.

Thank you. Senator Valladares, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. Members, today I rise in a in support of SCR 173, designating May as California Fairgrounds Appreciation Month. And I wanna say for the people of Senate District 23, this resolution does more than hit home. My district spans the Santa Clarita Valley, the Antelope Valley, and the Victor Valley. Three communities that could not be more different in some ways, but are bound together by something deeply Californian.

A love of community and the fairgrounds offer a place for community and so many unifying activities that make our communities so special. In Lancaster, the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds has been a cornerstone of our community since 1938. Sitting on the one thirty sitting on 134 acres just off the 14 Freeway, it is where generations of families have gathered each summer for the Antelope Valley Fair and the Alfalfa Festival and yes, the California Poppy Festival.

Concerts, livestock, Rodeos, carnival rides, and the kind of community pride that you simply cannot manufacture. It preserves the aerospace and agricultural heritage that defines the Antelope Valley.

And it does so year round, not just during fair season. In Victorville, we have a true treasure alongside the historic Route 66. The San Bernardino County Fair has been held annually in Victorville since 1947 and it is the only remaining fair operating along the historic Route 66. This year marks its seventy ninth anniversary, and it will welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors, neighbors coming together for agriculture exhibits, competitions, live music, and the shared experience of community life. This is not a small thing.

That is the fabric of who we are. Fairgrounds are more than event venues. They are emergency infrastructure. They are economic engines. They are where our kids, four h, and future farmers of America learn what it means to work the land and to take pride in it.

They are where small businesses get their first shot at a real audience. And when disaster strikes, and in Southern California it does, these grounds become staging areas, evacuation sites, and lifelines for families who have lost everything. This resolution before us today rightly honors the thousands of volunteers, directors, staff, and sponsors who keep these venues alive. I want to add my personal thanks to everyone in the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds and the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds in Victorville. Your work matters.

Members, I respectfully urge an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, Senator Alvarado-Gil, would you like to close?

Thank you to my colleague, from the Santa Clarita area, and I kindly ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Secretary?

This item is eligible for unanimous roll call. Seeing no objection.

Ayes 38, nos zero. The resolution passes. We will now move to file item 37, SB 1154. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1154 by Senator Reyes, enact relating to public contracts.

Senator Reyes, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president, members. I rise to present SB 1154, which would allow community college districts to use a best value procurement method for public works projects exceeding $1,000,000. Best value procurement allows contracts to be awarded based on a combination of price and objective qualitative criteria, not simply the lowest bid. In doing so, it provides community colleges with the same flexibility already provided to K12 school districts, the University of California, and Cal State Universities.

Unfortunately, when it comes to delivering major construction projects, community colleges are held to a procurement standard that requires a selection based on the lowest bid, which limits their ability to select contractors based on overall quality and long term value.

SB 1154 allows districts to evaluate contractors experience, safety records, technical expertise, and life cycle costs. These projects are essential to preparing students for transfer, career pathways, and participation in California's evolving workforce, and will ensure we are setting up our infrastructure for long term success. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Senator Ochoa Bogh, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president, ladies and gentlemen of the Senate. While I appreciate the author's intent, I have great concerns about SB 1154. The legislature has passed bills that allow for the best procurement practice to be used in K12, CSUs, and UC settings. And now we want to, compel the community colleges to do as well. I've objected to every bill of this nature and will continue to do so.

It is fundamentally wrong to put into statute which companies can work in this state and which cannot. We talk often in this body about policies that promote opportunity for all, opportunities for education, and most importantly, opportunities to work. Yet we continue to pass bills that hurt communities, the very communities we've promised to help by priorities by prioritizing pay for play. This bill and all other bills regarding best procurement practice have emphasized this notion of a skilled and trained workforce.

These are merely code words, meaning that workers must belong to a certain union or labor group.

Despite these designations, there are companies with employees who have the experience to efficiently and safely perform construction projects. If this bill passes, many highly qualified contractors, which include small and family owned businesses, will effectively be shut out from bidding on contracts despite strong safety records of proven performance. This does not improve safety or accountability. This only gives an advantage to one class of contractors, those based on labor affiliation. These discriminatory laws are personal for me.

As you may know, my husband's family has run a family construction business for more than forty years. My husband and my father-in-law both attended and graduated from local schools in the San Bernardino area. Under the new requirements, they would not qualify to participate or bid on any of these projects, even though they are the very ones who have built many of the schools that these kids are actually attending, the students, or even facilities at the local community colleges.

My family company employs residents who have lived, been educated, and have deep ties into our community. We also employ many types of community members, including students, returned missionaries, and formerly incarcerated.

My father in law's philosophy is that everyone deserves a second chance and an opportunity to work. Unfortunately, because our company is not part of a required union, they face discrimination year after year after year. The very infrastructure that has been enjoyed by so many in the San Bernardino Community College District was built by companies that will no longer be allowed to participate in the process. You're proposing to reduce the opportunity for local workers to find work.

The labor standard in construction code is the same, whether you are under skilled or trained or not.

No company is going to willfully send employees who are untrained to do a job because it would be both a safety and a financial liability. It is unfortunately that we required a skilled and trained workforce when the state has laws to ensure that every licensed company doing this type of work is putting safety at the forefront, which means all companies must currently employ competent workers who always put safety first. Inspectors inspect the same work under the same code construction code.

My family takes great pride in what we do.

And we care about our employees. I want to leave this with you. A company does not have to be a part of a union or a labor group to care and provide for its employees. I urge you to consider what you're doing and voting for today.

I will continue to oppose these types of bills and hope that you'll join me in opposing the bill and ensure that every company, every contractor that follows the laws to be qualified and be licensed under the state has an opportunity to work and provide for their families.

I respectfully urge a no vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, Senator Reyes, would you like to close?

Thank you. I'd I'd like to thank my colleague for bringing up this comment as she did during committee, but I want to make it clear that this bill is not exclusive to union workers. This bill is applicable to nonunion workers as long as they are skilled and trained.

And the definition of a skilled and trained workforce in California law, specifically public contracts code section 2601, refers to a construction workforce for public projects where a percentage of workers are either division of apprenticeship standards, registered apprentices, or skilled and trained journeypersons. And division of apprenticeship standards is California law.

A skilled journey person must have graduated from a division of apprenticeship standards, state approved apprenticeship program, or have at least as many hours of on the job experience as is required to graduate. For some crafts, the minimum skilled and trained percentage on a job site is 60%, and for some crafts, the percentage is 30% to be in compliance. These provisions are not union specific. There are both union and non union state approved apprenticeships programs. And with that, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Thank you. Secretary, please call the roll.

Allen. Alvarado-Gil, no. Archuleta, aye.

Ashby, aye. Becker. Blakespear, aye.

Cabaldon, aye. Caballero, aye. Cervantes, aye. Choi. No. Cortese, aye.

Dahle, no. Durazo, aye, Gonzalez, aye, Grayson, aye, Grove, no.

Hurtado. Jones, no. Laird, aye.

Limon. McGuire, aye. McNerney, aye.

Menjivar, aye. Niello, no. Padilla, aye.

Perez, aye. Reyes, aye. Richardson, aye. Rubio, aye.

Seyarto, no. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Strickland, no. Humbert, aye.

Valladares, no. Wahab, aye. Weber Pierson, aye.

Wiener, aye.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Allen. Becker, aye. Hurtado, aye.

Limon. Niello.

Ayes 29. Nos I'm sorry. Ayes 28, nos nine. The measure is adopted. We will now move to file item 38, SB 1369.

Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1369 by Senator Reyes, inequity into elections.

Senator Reyes, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president, members. I rise to present SB 1369. SB 1369 establishes safeguards for California's judicial recall process while preserving voters' constitutional rights. California's recall process is an important tool of direct democracy democracy.

However, it is increasingly being misused misused, particularly targeting judges for issuing lawful yet sometimes unpopular rulings. When recall efforts are driven by disagreement with lawful rulings rather than misconduct, it risks turning court decisions into political calculations instead of decisions based on law and evidence. SB 1369 would require an oral disclosure when signature gatherers are being paid and shortens the signature gathering period for judicial recalls from one hundred and sixty days to eighty days. This bill does not eliminate the right to recall a judge.

It ensures the process is not misused to punish judges for carrying out their constitutional duties.

I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

Allen. Alvarado-Gil, no. Archuleta, aye. Ashby, aye. Becker, aye.

Blakespear, aye. Caballero, aye. Cervantes, aye.

Choi, aye. Dahle, aye. Gonzalez, aye. Grayson, aye.

Grove, no. Hurtado. Jones, no.

Laird, aye. Limon. McGuire, aye.

McNerney, aye. Menjivar, aye.

Niello, aye. Perez, aye.

Richardson, aye. Rubio, aye.

Seyarto, no. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye.

Strickland, no. Umberg, aye. Valladares, no.

Wahab, aye. Weber Pierson, aye. Wiener, aye.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Allen, aye. Hurtado, aye.

Limon. Niello.

Ayes 29, nos nine. The measure passes. We will now move to file item 41, SB 1048. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1048 by Senator Becker, enacting to pupil instruction.

Senator Becker, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. Members, I'm really excited to present SB 1048, which establishes the seal of climate literacy, a high school diploma distinction awarded to students who demonstrate a strong understanding of climate science and its real world impacts through both coursework and hands on learning. This is a voluntary prog program for local educational agencies and it gives schools the flexibility to implement this diploma distinction in a way that works best for their communities while maintaining consistent statewide recognition.

Students are increasingly interested in climate related careers, but many lack structured opportunities to engage deeply with these issues in school. This bill creates a clear and accessible pathway for students to build that knowledge.

It's supported by a broad array of education and climate advocates. I wanna call it the Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action for their work and secretary state superintendent of public instruction, Tony Thurman. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, senators, this is eligible for unanimous roll call, but we will, call roll. Secretary, please call the roll.

Allen, aye. Alvarado-Gil, aye. Archuleta, aye.

Ashby, aye. Becker, aye.

Blakespear, aye. Caballero, aye.

Cervantes, aye. Choi, aye. Cortese, aye.

Dahle, aye. Durazo, aye. Gonzalez, aye. Grayson, aye. Grove, aye. Hurtado, aye. Jones. Laird, aye. Limon. McGuire, aye. McNerney, aye. Menjivar, aye. Ochoa Bogh, aye.

Padilla, aye. Perez, aye.

Reyes, aye. Richardson, aye. Rubio.

Seyarto. Rubio, aye. Seyarto, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye.

Stern, aye. Strickland, aye. Umberg, aye, Valladares, aye, Wahab, aye.

Weber Pierson, aye. Wiener, aye.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Jones, Limon, Niello, Strickland.

Ayes, 36. Nos, zero. That measure passes. We will now go to file item 42, SB 1229. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1229 by Senator Allen, and accolade to Coastal Resources.

Senator Allen, you are recognized.

Yeah. This bill, prohibits the use of a coastal development permit exemption to rebuild a certain structure destroyed by a disaster if the property owner is not the property owner of record prior to disaster, and

they're impinging upon coastal access. So the bill, sorry, I respect your answer, and aye vote.

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

Allen, aye. Alvarado-Gil, no. Archuleta, aye. Archuelta, aye.

Ashby, aye. Becker, aye. Cabaldon, aye. Caballero, aye. Cervantes, aye.

Choi, no, Cortese, aye, Dahle, no. Durazo, aye. Gonzalez, aye.

Grayson, aye. Grove, no. Hurtado, aye. Jones, no.

Laird, aye. Limon. McGuire, aye. McNerney, aye. Menjivar, aye. Niello. Ochoa Bogh, no.

Padilla, aye. Perez, aye. Reyes, aye. Richardson, aye. Rubio, aye. Seyarto, no. Smallwood-Cuevas, aye. Stern, aye. Stricklan, no. Umberg, aye. Valladares.

Wahab, aye. Weber Pierson, aye. Wiener. Wiener, no.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Limon. Niello. Valladares.

Ayes 28, nos 9. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 44, SB 1106. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1106 by Senator Cabaldon, an act relating to privacy.

Senator Cabaldon you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. In the last legislation session, our colleague from Menlo Park helped enact a groundbreaking delete act with a drop provision that allows Californians to remove their data from data brokers. These are folks that have data about each each of us, but not data that comes from a direct relationship with them. We may Californians often give their data for the purpose of making sure a form is already filled in or that they have a personalized shopping feed or what have you.

But in this case, these are data brokers for which no value has been transmitted to the individual, and the Delete Act allows Californians to remove their data. In January when this law took effect, a 150,000 Californians signed up within the first four weeks.

So there's deep demand in California for rapid response on this. SB 116 simply changes SB 116 simply shortens the time period for data brokers to comply with the law. Since the enactment of the Delete Act, the technical capacity to make to execute the deletions has improved and the trick here is to try to find the right space.

We don't want to give too much time because what we don't want to have occur is data brokers saying to their potential set to their potential buyers, fire sale. We're gonna be deleting this data in the next twenty nine days unless you buy it now.

And so this bill simply shortens from forty five days to thirty days the time period that the data brokers have to comply with the request that hundreds of thousands of Californians are making of them to protect their data, keep it privacy, and delete it from the data broker registry. With that, I ask for an aye vote. Thank you, madam president.

Thank you. Seeing no, Senator Becker, you are recognized.

Yeah. I just wanna thank my colleague for this bill. I think we're up to 282,000 people who've signed up last count. So I appreciate, his, work to continue to build on this. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 29. Nose, nine. That measure passes. We are now at file item 48, SB 1408. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1408 by Senator Areguin, an act relating to transportation.

Senator Arreguin, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. I rise to present Senate bill 1408, a district specific bill to address the transportation needs of the county of Contra Costa. SB 1408 would authorize the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, CCTA, to place a county wide sales tax measure of up to 1% on the ballot to continue funding the county's transportation programs.

Currently, CCTA is receiving funding for measure j, a half cent transportation sales tax that was approved by voters in November 2024 or 2004 rather, but is set to expire in 2034. And measure j is funded freeway and interchange improvements in quarters like Interstate 680 and State Route 4, local street repair programs, expanded bus and rail infrastructure, funded pair transit for seniors and persons with disabilities, and upgrades to pedestrian bridges for walking and biking.

As the prior funding measure is due to lapse, CCTA is seeking to put a new measure on the ballot in future years. An early renewal, one choice smooth transition between the new measure and measure j, allowing for project continuity for various transportation infrastructure projects. I respectfully ask for a nigh vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Aye is 29, nos nine. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 54, SB 1172. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1172 by Senator Hurtado, inequity to tax sharing agreements.

Senator Hurtado, you are recognized.

Good morning, and thank you madam president. Today, I rise to present SB 1172, the local tax savings act. SB 1172 is common sense. It's about, putting guardrails on consultant compensation and local tax sharing agreements to protect public tax revenues, promote transparency, and ensure incentives are aligned with genuine economic development. This bill does not eliminate tax sharing agreements or take away local control.

Instead, it puts it puts in place reasonable caps on consultant compensation and requires full transparency so that decisions are made in the open and with full accountability. And by aligning incentives with genuine economic development, we are ensuring that public dollars are actually reinvested back into the communities that generate them. We with this bill, we are making sure that economic development tools work for our communities and not against them or their pocketbooks. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

Allen.

Aye.

Alvarado-Gil. Archuleta.

Aye. Arreguin, aye. Ashby, aye. Becker.

Aye. Blakespear, aye. Cabaldon, aye. Caballero.

Aye. Cervantes, aye. Choi, aye. Cortezi, aye.

Dahle, aye. Durazo, aye. Gonzales, aye. Grayson, aye. Grove. Hurtado, aye. Jones. Laird, aye. Limon, McGuire, aye. McNerney. Aye.

Menjivar. Aye. Niello. Ochoa Bogh, aye. Padilla. Aye.

Perez. Reyes, aye. Richardson. Aye.

Rubio, aye. Seyarto, aye. Smallwood-Cuevas. Aye, Stern.

Aye, Strickland, aye. Umberg, aye. Valladares, aye. Wahab, aye. Weber Pierson.

Aye, Wiener. Aye.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Alvarado-Gil, Grove, Jones, Limon, Niello, Perez, Aye.

Aye is 35.

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes, 35. No 0. That measure passes. We will move to file item 61, SB1383. Secretary, please read.

SB1383 by Senator Arreguin, inequally to housing.

Senator Arreguin, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. I rise to present SB1383, which is a narrowly tailored amendment to the state density bonus law to make it clear that projects is qualified for incentives in concessions in exchange for providing on-site affordable units cannot waive any locally adopted labor standards. This Bill would fix ambiguity in the current statute by specifically protecting locally adopted labor standards, which are adopted by cities and counties. As my colleagues know, I'm a strong advocate for building more housing.

And as a former mayor of Berkeley, I know how critical the state density bonus law is as a tool in combating our state's housing crisis.

We want developers to include on-site affordable housing and use the many incentives that the density bonus provides to get housing built in California. However, this should not come at the expense of critical labor standards to protect the construction workforce and provide livable wages. SB1383 ensures that increasing our housing supply for all does not come at the expense of worker protections, a good paying job, or construction quality.

And in closing, we are in the process of meeting with, the Home Builders Alliance, CBIA, and other stakeholder groups if this Bill moves out of the assembly on amendments to address any concerns on cost impacts. We wanna make sure that while we protect locally adopted labor standards, we're also getting housing built in California.

And so if this Bill moves out today, you have my commitment that we will continue those conversations to work on on further amendments. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Aye is 28. Nos, nine. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 67, SB 1223. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 1223 by Senator Padilla in Equinix Affairs.

Senator Padilla, you are recognized.

Thank you, madam president. And colleagues rise to present SB 1223, which would require state and county affairs to use competitive bidding standards in the awarding of contracts and prohibits sole source contracting. These requirements are an important tool for transparency and accountability by providing fair competition, ensuring state is securing the best service at the best price. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, senators, this is eligible for unanimous roll call. Seeing no objection, ayes 38, nos zero. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 69, SB 1344.

Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1344 by Senator Cabaldon enacts related to civil actions.

Senator Cabaldon, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. California has almost 200,000 people living without shelter, and local governments across the state, in partnership with the state, are working to try to address this challenge through emergency shelters, interim housing, and permanent supportive housing. These projects have merit, and the Legislature has already enacted legislation to prevent frivolous litigation that's intended simply to stop affordable housing projects and forever homes from being built.

This measure applies that same protection against frivolous litigation to other projects funded through Proposition 1, emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing, and other related temporary housing measures as well. It's sponsored by the Attorney General's Office, and I would ask for an aye vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please.

Strictly no.

Call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 29. No's 7. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 71 SB1371. Secretary, please read.

SB1371 by Senator Durazo and acclimate to local government.

Senator Durazo, you are recognized. Thank you, madam president. SB1371 protects both essential public services and workers' rights by ensuring that solid waste companies cannot use force measure clauses to suspend service during a lawful labor dispute. Solid waste collection is a critical public health service that our communities depend on every day, yet some franchise agreements contain provisions that allow companies to halt service during a sir labor dispute, leaving local governments and residents without reliable waste collection.

These clauses undermine collective bargaining rights while also creating unnecessary service disruptions for the public.

The Bill establishes a clear and balanced policy. Beginning in 2027, waste handling contracts may not include force measure provisions that exclude or suspend a company's obligation to provide service due to work stoppage arising from a labor dispute. This way, we ensure continuity of essential services while protecting the integrity of lawful collective bargaining. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent members.

Ayes.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 28, noes 9. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 71, SB 908. Secretary, please read.

I'm sorry. File item 75.

Senate Bill 908 by Senator Wiener, an act relating to windows.

Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I rise to present Senate Bill 908. The bill streamlines the permit process for code-compliant residential window replacements and restricts cities and HOAs' ability to add costly requirements beyond those needed to meet energy efficiency or other building code standards for window replacements. The bill also prohibits jurisdictions that are both a city and a county from imposing new residential construction requirements other than those required for building code compliance.

The bill does not apply to local historic resources or individually landmark state or federal historic resources.

Colleagues, we know that many residents want to weatherize their windows to lower their energy costs, and this bill will enable them to do so. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 31, noes 7. That measure passes. We will move back in file at this time to file item 63, SB 1361. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1361 by Senator Durazo, an act relating to land use.

Senator Durazo, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. California is making real progress in aligning housing and transportation. In LA County alone, for example, we are currently in the middle of a historic transit expansion with $25 billion in ongoing construction. Transit brings us mobility, cleaner air, jobs, and economic opportunity. At the same time, since last year's enactment of SB 79, unintended consequences are beginning to surface that are creating risks for long-planned transit expansion.

In some communities, local governments are facing significant pressure not to support planned transit stops and routes because those projects could trigger SB 79 density and height requirements. When local support becomes uncertain, the consequences are real: project delays, higher construction costs, and reduced competitiveness for federal infrastructure funds. This bill is a narrow, practical bill to address this issue. The bill simply ensures that local governments cannot take certain actions solely to avoid SB 79 housing standards.

At the same time, transit decisions should continue to be based on legitimate planning considerations such as safety, station design, traffic flow, pedestrian access, construction mitigation, and neighborhood connectivity. I believe planning can and should be cooperative at the local level. I also know that we cannot relitigate current law at the expense of public transit, and when that happens, we need to step in. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 30, noes 8. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 77, SB 1014. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1014 by Senator Grayson, an act relating to development projects.

Senator Grayson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Members, SB 1014 will help provide greater certainty for housing developments by requiring local jurisdictions, within 30 days of submission of a preliminary application, to provide a good faith estimate and list of any on-site and off-site improvements. Development fees and other construction requirements can make up a significant portion of building cost and are much higher in California compared to the rest of the nation.

Despite the state's significant legislative reforms intended to improve fee transparency, builders continue to struggle to anticipate certain development costs such as those for on-site and off-site improvements. So builders may find out about an on-site or off-site improvement late in the process, adding unforeseen development cost and making projects less likely to pencil out.

Ultimately, SB 1014 will help provide more transparency in the development process and help California build more of the housing that it desperately needs. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Ayes 29, noes 9. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 78, SB 1272. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1272 by Senator Menjivar, an act relating to local government.

Senator Menjivar, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Colleagues, SB 1272 is a little personal to me. I'd like to share where this bill came out of. I bought my home about five years ago, and then the city sent me a notice that I needed to tear down my entire cinder block wall surrounding my backyard because it violated building code. I bought the house as is.

I had no idea that it violated building code, and I was given 30 days to knock down my entire wall and pay up front $400. If I needed more than 30 days to knock down my entire cinder block wall and put up a whole new wall, I needed to pay an additional $400 for an extension beyond 30 days.

These, I thought, were astronomical kind of loopholes and fees that people were having to pay for a violation perhaps that they were unaware of, that came with the house that they bought. Enter SB 1272. I was like, city of LA, I'm a legislator. I'm gonna try to fix this issue.

I don't think homeowners should be put, this burden on them when they buy a home and they're so excited, and a violation unbeknownst to them is sent to their home.

So what SB 1272 does first is that if you provide proof that the violation was created before you became a homeowner, provide an affidavit to prove that, and when you bought the home, in the transfer details it did not disclose that there was a violation, you can ask for a minimum of six months to remedy the violation.

Now, six months to do construction of that sort to make sure your dogs don't run away because you don't have a wall at that moment may not be long enough. So if you wanna request an additional six months, this bill will now allow you to request that if you're showing good faith, and not have to pay an additional fee by simply asking for an extension. Because sometimes you're asking for an extension because you can't pay for the construction.

So why should you then pay hundreds of dollars for simply requesting that? SB 1272 allows local government, if they want to, only if they want to, to extend another six months for that homeowner. So SB 1272 is allowing a little bit more leeway for homeowners because I think the current system right now is completely unfair. Respectfully asking for an aye vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 34, noes 1. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 80, SB 1406. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1406 by Senator McNerney, an act relating to taxation, to take effect immediately, tax levy.

Senator McNerney, you are recognized.

Madam Chair and distinguished colleagues, I rise today to present SB 146, which is called the Montana tax loophole. It closes this loophole. It's a rare piece of legislation that will increase the state's revenues by up to $20 million a year without raising taxes, nor will it cost the state a dime to implement. Plus, it will help restore fairness to our tax systems. The Montana tax loophole is a scheme to avoid paying California taxes and license fees on expensive cars and RVs.

The scheme will cost California about $20 million a year in lost revenue. The California Attorney General's Office recently completed a criminal investigation of Californians who exploited this loophole to buy $20 million worth of expensive cars in Montana to avoid paying nearly $2 million of taxes here in California. The investigation took years to finish because the cases are difficult for tax collectors and law enforcement to investigate. That's because the shell companies used in the schemes have no assets, and they hide the identities of their owners.

SB 1406 will strengthen California law by making it easier to go after people behind these tax avoidance schemes.

There doesn't seem to be any opposition. I respectfully ask for an aye vote.

Thank you. Senator Strickland, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Members, I understand where the author's coming from on this issue, but we should look inward and in the mirror and understand why people are going to Montana and trying to do that. The fact of the matter is, when you look at our car registration fee here in California and look at it anywhere else in the country, Florida, for example. My brother lives in Florida. I think their car tax is like $27.

Let's look at how we're overtaxing people in California. And yes, of course, people, if there is opportunity to pay lesser in a car tax, our car tax is ridiculous in what we charge here in California. It's the war on the automobile that we have. We have the highest gas prices in the nation, the highest car tax. It's the war on the automobile that we have here in California.

So instead of creating this bill, how about let's look at ways that we can actually lower the gas tax across the state of California. And so I understand where the author is coming from, and I respect where the author is coming from. But as a body, we need to look in the mirror and see, why are people going to Montana? Why are people trying to, you know, go and evade this?

It's because of our tax structure and what we do here in California, particularly on the car tax.

Look what we pay, and I'll tell all the people watching this now: look what we pay in car registration fee and car tax compared to any other state. That's why people are doing what they're doing. And so with that, I just say, again, let's look in the mirror and figure out a way that we can lower the car registration fee and the car tax for everybody across the state of California.

Thank you. Senator Cabaldon, you are recognized.

Yeah. Thank you, Madam Chair. Let's be clear about what this bill is about, because it is not about Californians trying to avoid the vehicle license fee by crossing the border to buy a car that costs $60,000 in order to avoid the VLF in Nevada or Montana or anywhere. This bill is about planes, yachts, hyper-expensive vehicles. Because what the Montana loophole is, is that a California taxpayer goes to the lengths of forming an entire new company in Montana, registers a

new company in Montana, registers a limited liability corporation, buys the yacht or the plane or the ultra-expensive vehicle to avoid simply the sales tax. They save so much money on a multimillion dollar purchase that it makes sense to form an entirely new company in Montana, purchase the vehicle, the plane, or the yacht in Montana, and then bring it to California to avoid the sales tax alone.

It's a very narrow, simple bill to try to address a loophole that everyone across the country knows exists and is being exploited, and I urge an aye vote.

Thank you. Seeing no further discussion or debate, Senator McNerney, would you like to close?

Well, thank you. I thank my two colleagues for their comments, and I wanna thank the colleague from Huntington Beach, but I didn't get a recommendation whether an aye or a no on this vote. But otherwise, I ask my colleagues for an aye vote.

Thank you. Secretary, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 30, noes 7. That measure passes. We will move to file item 81, SB 1238. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1238 by Senator Wahab, an act relating to common interest developments.

Senator Wahab, you are recognized.

Thank you. The Department of Real Estate reports that 99% of all new housing construction creates an HOA to offset long-term infrastructure costs, but this also comes with long-term effects as the HOA board and management companies have little to no accountability to the homeowners whose property they are responsible for maintaining. Under current law, neither an HOA manager nor an HOA company or management company is subject to licensing and oversight by any state agency.

Homeowners seeking to hold an HOA management company accountable must file a court action in superior court to enforce the law in Davis-Stirling, a very expensive and cumbersome process where homeowners are at a distinct disadvantage. SB 1238 will protect homeowners who reside in communities with a homeowners association by requiring additional disclosures to the homeowner and ensuring HOA managers and boards act in the homeowner's best interest.

The bill will require HOA managers provide a duty of care in the highest good faith effort to the HOA and its members. It clarifies that HOA reserves are not expended on specific types of litigation that are not already authorized in existing law. This ensures that HOA managers can no longer exploit a loophole in current law that allows HOA managers to use reserve funds that are intended for the maintenance and upkeep of the community for their legal defense.

Further, SB 1238 ensures the legal defense line item is in the general fund and not hidden from the homeowner or board. Lastly, the bill will ensure that inspection ratings are transparent and understandable for the homeowner, HOA board, and HOA manager who is responsible for ensuring buildings are habitable and compliant with the state's current health and safety standards.

The bill will ensure property owners can obtain necessary information from the HOA to clarify the financial health of the association, which is particularly critical information homeowners need when selling a condo or home within an HOA. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call the absent members.

[Roll Call]

Aye is 35. Nos two. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 92, SB 868. Secretary, please read.

Senate bill 868 by Senator Wiener, in equanimity to electricity.

Senator Wiener, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, madam president. Colleagues, I rise to present Senate Bill 868, the plug and play solar act, which streamlines approvals and establishes safety standards for plug in, balcony solar devices. SB 868 is about expanding access to safe, clean, and low cost energy while while helping Californians lower their utility bills, especially during the hottest summer months, when air conditioning demand is highest. California families are facing record high electricity prices.

PG&E rates have increased nearly 40% between 2022 and 2025 and roughly 100% over the last decade.

As a result, Californians now pay some of the highest electricity rates in the nation. Plug in solar devices are small portable systems made up of few movable panels and an integrated micro inverter that plugs into a standard outlet. It sends power back through the existing wiring to run household appliances like air conditioners, refrigerators, computers, and lights.

Because these devices are compact, mobile, and relatively low cost, they are especially well suited for renters and apartment dwellers who may only have access to a small patch of sun on a balcony, patio, or backyard. That matters a lot to the more than 40% of households in California who are renters.

Right now, renters effectively do not have access to solar to lower their energy costs, and this will provide access to those renters and also to homeowners who can't afford to put a full installation on their roof. Plug in solar is already gaining significant traction overseas. In Germany, millions of these systems have been installed, by consumers facing high electric costs, and we are seeing it happen in various states. Utah implemented it.

Virginia just adopted it as part of governor Spamberger's, affordability, agenda, and we're seeing other states do so, as well.

SB 868, relieves people of the requirement to get a full interconnection agreement, which is not really feasible in order to install this, device, and it will, really, help people lower their energy costs. So I 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?

Arreguin? Aye. Ashby? Aye. Becker?

Aye. Blakespear?Aye. Cabaldon? Aye.

Caballero. Aye. Cervantes. Aye. Choi.

Cortese. Dahle? Aye. Durazo? Aye, Gonzales? Aye. Grayson? Aye. Grove?Aye. Hurtado? Aye. Jones? No. Laird? Aye. Limon? Aye. McGuire? Aye. McNerney? Aye. Menjivar? Aye. Niello? Ochoa Bogh? Aye. Padilla?

Aye. Perez? Aye. Reyes? Aye. Richardson? Aye. Rubio? Seyarto?

Aye. Smallwood-Cuevas? Aye. Stern? Aye. Strickland? Aye. Umberg? Aye. Valladares?

Aye. Wahab? Aye. Weber Pierson? Aye. Wiener? Aye.

Secretary please call the absent members.

Archuleta, Choi, Cortese, Niello, Rubio. Aye.

Ayes 35, no's 1. That measure passes. We will now move to file item 100, SB 03. Secretary, please read.

SB903 by Senator Padilla in AccuLink to Healing Arts.

Senator Padilla, you are recognized.

Thank you, Madam President and colleagues. I rise today to present SB903. As technological capacity continues to grow and new tools are introduced into the mental health space, we must ensure adequate guardrails are in place to maintain a human centered approach and keep safety and ethical considerations at the forefront. In an industry as high stakes as mental health treatment, it is more important than ever that we ensure adequate guardrails are in place, and we have already seen some consequences of inaction.

AI chatbots advertised as providing therapy have flooded the market using taglines like 247 AI therapist, always at your fingertips or AI therapy in your pocket, or even claiming to specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy.

Many people, including children, have turned to these chatbots for mental health support. And however, research shows that these tools can often do more harm than good. A Stanford study found that AI therapy bots are ineffective compared to human therapists and contribute to harmful stigma or dangerous responses. Clinicians across the nation have raised alarm bells about the risks of these technologies, prompting other states such as Illinois to take bold action to address this crisis.

SB903 would build off that effort by prohibiting the advertisement or offering of psychotherapy services if they are not being controlled and conducted by a licensed professional and setting clear legal guardrails protecting mental health care from unregulated artificial intelligence use emphasizing disclosure, consent, a human in the loop, and data privacy assurances.

This Bill draws a clear line. AI can be a tool in the hands of licensed professionals, but it cannot become the professional itself. Respectfully ask for an aye vote.

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

[Roll Call]

Aye is 39. Nos zero. That measure passes. Senators, at this time, we will now break for lunch for exactly one hour.

One hour. Please stay in the building and return to the Senate floor promptly in one hour. One hour. Sixty minutes. We will resume taking a Bill as soon as we return from lunch.

During lunch, each caucus will meet. So after you get your lunch, please, after you get your lunch, please go to your individual rooms for your caucuses and we will see you back here in one hour.

Senators, we are going to continue in Senate third reading, moving to file item 53, file item 53, SB950. Secretary, please read.

SB950 by Senator Weber Pearson, inequity to health care coverage.

Senator Dr. Weber Pierson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mister President. Fellow senators, I rise to present SB950, which will ensure timely access to FDA approved, medically necessary treatment for Californians with early onset Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, irreversible, and chronic neurological condition marked with abnormal buildup of amyloid plaque that damages and destroys nerve cells in the brain. It affects over 7 million people nationally with 12% residing in California.

For many years, little could be done to slow or stop the disease once identified, but that reality began to change with the development of new FDA approved medications that meaningfully reduce amyloid plaque and slow clinical decline of early Alzheimer's disease.

These innovative medical breakthroughs finally provide families the time and hope they deserve. Medicare, Medi Cal, and CalPERS provides coverage for these treatments, covering a significant portion of Californians living with Alzheimer's, but there are still inconsistencies for those younger with private or commercial insurance. At its core, this Bill sharpens existing law and aligns coverage policies to reflect the necessary urgency of this disease. I respectfully ask for an aye vote on SB950.

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

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call absent members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 38, noes 0. The bill passes. Moving to item 95, SB 874. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 874 by Senator Weber Pierson, an act relating to Medi-Cal.

Senator Doctor Weber Pierson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise to present SB 874, which strengthens oversight and standardization of behavioral health treatment services in Medi-Cal. It will require background checks for behavioral health treatment providers who are not already subject to fingerprinting during licensing, convene a stakeholder work group to advise on standards for BHT services, and issue and maintain clear clinical guidance for BHT services based on stakeholder input and federal guidance.

And report to the Legislature on BHT utilization and recommendations to improve program integrity and compliance. Respectfully ask for an aye vote on SB 874.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no mics up for discussion or debate. Members, this item is eligible for unanimous roll call. Seeing no objection, hearing no objection, ayes 38, noes 0. The bill passes.

We are moving to item 125, SB 1049. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1049 by Senator Weber Pierson, an act relating to health care coverage.

Senator Doctor Weber Pierson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Today, I will be presenting SB 1049, which will ensure providers have a fair opportunity to correct minor technical errors on claims so that payment issues don't interfere with patient care. At its core, SB 1049 addresses a gap in current law by ensuring providers have a meaningful opportunity to correct claims after a plan takes action. Today, providers are working with increasingly complex administrative systems.

Even when the delivery of care is appropriate, they can face denied payments or retroactive recoupments.

Not because the care was wrong or fraudulent, but due to minor correctable errors like coding or documentation. However, under current law, providers are often blocked from correcting them because of rigid filing deadlines tied to the original date of service. From a clinical perspective, that's deeply concerning. When payments are denied or clawed back months or even years later, it creates real instability, especially for small and independent practices. That instability affects staffing, limits access to care, and ultimately impacts patients.

Let me share a very real example from the testimony provided at our Senate Health Committee by Doctor Kathleen Rooney, an OB-GYN and managing partner of a Sacramento private practice. She was recently notified that her health plan was withholding payment from current patient care due to coding errors on past claims. These were 61 pregnancy-related claims spanning a two-year period from January 2023 to January 2025. The issue was not the care itself, but the absence of a required diagnostic or gestational age code.

After discovering the issue, the practice corrected and resubmitted these claims, only to have them denied as untimely because it was past the original 30-day window of when the claim was originally put in two years prior.

In other words, they were notified of the problem nearly two years later, but were then told it was too late to fix it. Meanwhile, the health plan withheld approximately $120,000 in payments, with $60,000 still outstanding, and the practice spent over a hundred hours trying to resolve the issue, often navigating inconsistent responses and limited ability to move claims forward. And importantly, the care itself was never questioned. It was gold standard, medically necessary care that had already been approved. Only a correctable code element was missing.

This is not an isolated case. The core issue is simple: providers don't have a meaningful opportunity to fix errors once identified, especially when those errors are flagged after the filing deadline. SB 1049 offers a balanced, straightforward solution. It allows providers to submit a corrected claim within 90 days of the health plan's latest action, such as a denial or overpayment notice, and prevents plans from rejecting those corrections solely based on a prior deadline having passed.

This is a commonsense reform that reduces unnecessary conflict, improves efficiency, and keeps the focus where it belongs: on patients. I respectfully ask for an aye vote on SB 1049. Thank you.

Thank you, Senator. Seeing no mics raised for discussion, or we do have a mic raised. It just blended in. Senator Ochoa Bogh, you are recognized.

Thank you, Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate. I'll be supporting SB 1049 today because providers should be able to have a fair opportunity to correct a claim when the issue is fixable. Denying reimbursement based on a technical defect, even after a provider promptly corrects it, does not serve patients, providers, or the stability of the healthcare system. I appreciate the author's goal to create a reasonable window for corrections and promote fairness in the claim process.

And with that, I just wanna kind of align it as also with businesses.

When businesses have been, you know, filed claims against what they're doing, they should have an opportunity also to correct. Employers and businesses should be able to have an opportunity to correct whatever it is, that defect or the, I don't know what you call it, the error that they have made, but everybody should have an opportunity to correct. I will be gladly supporting this bill, and I urge an aye vote.

Senator Doctor Weber Pierson, would you like to close?

Wanna thank my colleague and respectfully ask for an aye vote on SB 1049.

Secretary, please call roll.

[Roll Call]

Secretary, please call absent members.

[Roll Call]

Ayes 32, noes 2. The bill passes. Moving to file item 133, SB 1067. Secretary, please read.

Senate Bill 1067 by Senator Weber Pierson, an act relating to pupil instruction.