August 27, 2026 · Public Safety · 968 words · 10 speakers · 28 segments
Good evening. I'd like to call to order this meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Public Safety. We do not yet have a quorum. We're awaiting one more member to establish a quorum. We have one item on our agenda pursuant to Senate Rule 2910D, which is filed in 1 SB 938 by Senator Mendivar. I'm going to turn it over to the Senator to present the bill.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. This bill was heard in this committee early on in the year. It was drastically amended afterwards, which is why I'm back here. I'm only going to speak to on those changes. This bill originally was asking for a complete outright ban of those who participated in immigration enforcement post-January 1st, 2025. That has been removed. We've narrowed it and working with law enforcement to get some of them to move their way from opposition. So I'm grateful for that. We removed the date. We focus on the bill in terms of lateral waivers, such as the basic training waiver and specialized training waiver, that if they wish to become a local law enforcement, they won't be able to be eligible for a waiver to bypass the basic course. They now have to take the basic course at post. This will ensure that they all undergo the same rigorous training that is expected of our local law enforcement. And it includes language that reduces ambiguity with any other laws or regulation. Asking for an aye vote, respectfully.
Thank you very much. And you don't have any witnesses? Okay Is there anyone in the room who would like to express any position support or opposition to SB 938 Seeing no one approach the microphone I bring it back to the committee for any questions or comments Senator Caballero.
I just wanted to thank you very much for working on the bill. It's gotten better, and I really appreciate it very much, so thank you.
Thank you, Senator. I think we're in good shape now. And at the appropriate time, I will make the motion.
Thank you. Thank you.
Yeah, and I have the same. The original bill was really, I didn't think that was very helpful in the big scheme of things. And this bill, while it is better than the other one, I still have problems with interfering with local law enforcement's ability to recruit and train whom they feel like training. They are pretty strict. Most of the local agencies I know, I've got four individual police departments in my district, and they don't just take anybody. But those anybody can be people from other law enforcement agencies that they determine that for one reason or another they're not happy with. I don't like putting additional conditions on federal officers. I think our local police chiefs are perfectly capable of determining whether they are eligible or ineligible and what training level they need to assimilate into a local fire department here in California. So I will not be supporting the bill still, but I do appreciate that you took it back and worked on it.
Thank you.
Okay Thank you also for this bill I have an eye recommendation and if you like to make any closing comments I turn over to you Thank you Senator Yeah it was really important for me to thread the needle to ensure that this was something that could be applied in the state of California And I think it's not so much about making sure who's eligible or not. It's just about doing a standardization to ensure that everyone gets the same training, respectfully asking for an eye vote.
Thank you very much. Okay. Thank you, Senator. Once we establish a quorum, which hopefully will be any minute now, we will make a motion. So we'll recess the committee for five minutes. And once we establish a quorum, we'll entertain a motion on the bill. Okay, we will reconvene the committee hearing. We have established a quorum, so I'd like to ask the committee assistant to please call the roll.
Senators Aragon.
Present.
Aragon present.
Cerrado.
Here.
Cerrado here.
Caballero. Here. Caballero here. Cortese.
Perez.
Wiener.
Here.
Wiener here.
Okay, we have a quorum. And we did hear the author present SB 938. We have a motion by Senator Caballero, which is that the Assembly amendments be concurred in. SB 938, the motion is that the Assembly amendments be concurred in.
Senators Aragine? Aye.
Aragine, aye.
Cerrado? No.
Cerrado no Caballero Aye Caballero aye Cortese Perez Wiener Aye Wiener aye Okay we keep that on call and we will recess the committee as we await other members to add on Thank you Okay, we're going to reconvene the committee hearing. And we did hear the author's presentation on SB 938. And so we will open the roll on SB 938. The motion is that the assembly amendments be concurred in. If we can please call the roll. SB 938, the motion is that the assembly amendments be concurred in. Chair voting aye, Vice Chair voting no, Cortese, Perez, Perez aye. Okay we'll keep that on call. Thank you very much and we'll recess the committee until Senator Cortese arrives. Thank you. We will reopen the hearing and we did hear the author's presentation on our our one item on our agenda, SB 938, by Senator Menjivar. We have a motion, and that is that the Assembly amendments be concurred in. If we can please call the roll. SB 938, the motion is that the Assembly amendments be concurred in. Chair voting aye. Vice Chair voting no.
Cortese? Cortese aye.
Okay. The motion carries in a vote of 5 to 1. And that completes our agenda. Thank you, Senator. With that, the committee is now adjourned. Thank you.