Assembly Floor Session

Addis, Agriacuri, Ahrens, Alanees, Alvarez, Arambula, Avila Fadius, Baines, Bauer-Cahan, Bennett, Berman, Berner, Bonta, Brian, Calderon, Coloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connelly, Davies, DeMaio, Dixon, El Huari, Ellis, Flora, Fong, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gibson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark Gonzalez, Hadwick, Haney, Harbedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Johnson, Cara, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Lowenthal, Macedo, McKenner, Marisucci, Quinn, Ortega, Pacheco, Pappin, Patel, Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie Norris, Quirk Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Celeste Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Rubio, Sanchez, Chiavo, Schultz, Sharp Collins, Solache, Soria, Stephanie, Ta, Tangipa, Valencia, Wallace, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, Zabur, Mr. Speaker.

Please join me in a moment of reflection. Over the past weekend, a dear friend came to visit us. With this unassuming and endearing nature, Patty and I have long referred to him as our Uncle Mitz. He was here in this assembly chamber last month for the Day of Remembrance as a survivor of the American concentration camps during World War II. He knew what it was to be betrayed and falsely imprisoned, then to start over with nothing, to rebuild his life and community. Uncle Mits Yamamoto is 100 years old and as sharp as can be. The content smile that rarely leaves his face reflects his warm heart and his positive outlook. When I said, Uncle Mits, you look great, his quick response was, don't look under the hood. During a thoughtful moment, he said, when I look back on my life, I feel that I'm the luckiest guy in the world. And I would add that he is one of the happiest people I know. And to me, he embodies what Mahatma Gandhi's definition of happiness is. Mahatma Gandhi said, happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. There is so little harmony in the world today, which may reflect the lack of harmony we feel within ourselves. Let us try to embody the deep gratitude of our uncle Mitz and have what we think, what we say, and what we do be in harmony. Namo Amidam. Let us try to live with kindness and gratitude beyond words.

remember the men and women who serve around the world. Ready, begin. 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 You may be seated To our guests and visitors today state law prohibits persons in the chamber from interfering

Assembly chamber of Sacramento, Tuesday, January 20, 2026. The Assembly met at 1 p.m. The Honorable Josh Sloventhal, Speaker, Bertin Puri, the Assembly presiding. Boarding Leader Aguiar Curry moves and Ms. Sanchez seconds that the reading of the previous day's journal be dispensed with. Presentations and petitions, there are none. Introduction and reference of bills will be deferred. Reports of committees will be deemed read and amendments deemed adopted. Messages from the governor, there are none. Messages from the Senate, there are none.

The opposite of the day will be deemed read and printed in the journal.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker pro tem. I want to take a moment this morning to honor the women who have recently and bravely come forward to share their stories of sexual abuse by Cesar Chavez. Stories that are painful, stories that are disturbing, and long overdue to be heard. who grew up in the farm worker movement, as a son and grandson of farm workers who raised my brother and I, as a father, and as a Latino. You know, I'm shocked, I am angry, and I'm deeply, deeply disappointed. You know, the fact that many of these women were children when they were abused makes this even more heartbreaking. But today and this morning, you know, above all, we recognize their courage. Because speaking the truth, especially after so many years, that takes extraordinary strength. And to these women, I want to say very clearly, we hear you, we believe you, and we stand with you. and Dolores Huerta, who also has spoken out about the abuse she suffered. You know, I've had the privilege of knowing her my whole life. You know, she worked alongside my grandfather to secure the first labor contract at Almaden Vineyards in the 1960s, the same vineyard where I grew up. And her resilience is already legendary. and what she has revealed only deepens my respect for her incredible strength. But let me be clear about something. The farm worker movement was never ever about one man. It was built by thousands, tens of thousands of workers. People like my grandfather, people like many of your parents and relatives, people who labored in the fields people who organized who sacrificed and who stood up when it was hard Their legacy is not defined by one individual It is defined by a movement, a movement for dignity, a movement for justice, and a movement that still lives to this day. And now we have a responsibility, not just to remember that movement, but to carry it forward with integrity. And that is why we're working with Senate Pro Tem to be introducing legislation to rename Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworker Day. Because this moment calls for honesty. It calls for reflection. and it calls for a renewed commitment to the values that the farm worker movement was built on. And so this morning, today, we stand with survivors, and we must recommit ourselves to justice, to dignity, and to the people who built the farm worker movement. Thank you, Mr. Pro Tem. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I move to strike File Item 33 from the file. Seconded by Assemblymember Ortega.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 45.5 to allow Assemblymember Arambula to speak in adjournment in memory today.

I request unanimous consent to suspend Assembly Rule 118A to allow Assemblymembers Addison Patterson to have guests in the rear of the chamber today and Assemblymember Dwynd have a guest seated at her desk.

Pursuant to Assembly Rule 96, I request unanimous consent to re-refer the following bills to committee. AB 1544, Krell, from the Public Safety Committee to the Judiciary Committee. AB 1870, Flora, from the Local Government Committee to the Labor and Employment Committee and the Judiciary Committee. AB 2054, Gibson, from the Insurance Committee to the Military and Veterans Affairs and then back to the Insurance Committee. AB 2069, CREL, from the Revenue and Taxation Committee to the Agriculture Committee and then back to the Revenue and Taxation Committee. AB 2385, Petrie Norris, from the Local Government Committee to the Emergency Management Committee then back to the Local Government Committee. And AB 2504, Bauer-Keyen, from the Business and Professions Committee to the Higher Education Committee in Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee.

Good morning. I'm looking for my Vacaville High students. They would stand. All right, good morning, members. It is my honor to welcome AP, United States Government and Politics students from Vacaville High School who have joined us today in the gallery. This is the fourth annual trip Vacaville High students have made to the Capitol. And this group today is led by their teacher, Jessica Johnson. Every year, some students are captivated by public policy, but Ms. Johnson said this particular group features a much larger contingent of students who are very much interested. Some of the children participating are even participating in civic engagement. Now, a few of them have not visited the Capitol, and I'm going to ask my colleagues to help be respectful on the floor by quieting their voices for our students learning about civic engagement. Thank you. So, thank you for that respect, because a few of them, This is their first time visiting the Capitol. Here they will see how their government is in action after learning to think critically about how the law works and how it applies to their lives. It is crucial we help further children's education, especially those dedicated to public service, as they will one day shape our future, California's future. And so I'm proud to recognize these wonderful students. Please join me in applause and welcome them to our state's capital. All right, Vacaville, I want you to remain standing if you intend to run for the assembly one day. All right, let's go, leaders of tomorrow.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Colleagues, I rise to welcome the Jackson 3 Foundation, who are present in the gallery somewhere. There they are, right up there. The Jackson 3 Foundation supports children and families who have recently experienced traumatic losses. They do this through a variety of programs that foster human connection, civil engagement, and general well-being. And I think for so many people that have lost a loved one, your story is going to resonate with a lot of people who are just so proud of you today. Thank you for being on the floor, and thank you for joining us. So give them a round of applause.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. Today, I would like to ask for you to please join me in welcoming Western Governors University representatives, WGU, to the assembly chambers. Yesterday, WGU alumni, staff, and students participated in their first annual day at the Capitol. WGU is the largest nonprofit competency-based online university in the country with 16,000 students here in California. WGU is all about expanding access to affordable, flexible higher education for working adults and non-traditional students. Please join me in welcoming them to the California State Assembly today.

Clerk will read. Assembly Bill's 1534 with amendments 1552 with amendments 1555 with amendments 1728 with amendments 1829 with amendments 1671 with amendments 1540 with amendments 1951 with amendments 1905, 1948 with amendments 1632 with amendments 1727 with amendments 1844 with amendments 1715 with amendments 1761 with amendments and Assembly Bill 1787 with amendments All bills will be deemed read and all amendments will be deemed adopted.

The clerk will read. House Resolution 83 by Assemblymember Nguyen relative to Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. I'm proud to be able to bring this to the floor. House Resolution 83, recognizing the month as Developmental Disabilities Month. And last week, we recognized and honored the Special Olympics, both Northern California and Southern California. And we talked about how much confidence and how much it meant for these individuals to be able to be a part of Olympics and just being a part of the community. And I'm here to talk to you about something that is very near and dear to me. And it is estimated that over 615,000 individuals are impacted by a developmental disability. But it hits you more if you're a parent of one, a parent of a child that has a disability. I've brought Hannah with me to the floor for a few years now. and she's brought her friend Stitch. I remember the first time I brought her to the floor, I told you that she has a vocabulary of less than 100, and every year since I brought her to the floor, she's increased in her vocabulary, and now she tells the truth, and it bothers me because sometimes I don't want her to be honest with me about certain things, but the great part is that she's now speaking in sentences and she's sharing her feelings and her thoughts but that she 11 years old she 11 years old she just turned 11 year old a few weeks ago And I 11 years old She not reading chapter books She's just now learning how to add double digits. You asked her what four times one is. I don't think she'll be able to answer that. She has a different learning ability. And while we call it a developmental disability, I call it different abilities. because she may not be able to do what your typical 11-year-old does. But I can tell you this. She knows when she's being denied. She knows when somebody doesn't want to be her friend. She knows when somebody is mean to her. She knows when somebody is treating her different because she is different. and as a parent many of you send off your kids hoping they'll have a good day as a parent with a kid with special needs we send off our kids hoping that everybody will be nice to them and that they will include them in everything they do and that one day it'll happen she will be bullied because kids like her get bullied every day bullied in school on the playground and my hope is that you all encourage your children your grandchildren, your nieces and your nephew to understand kids like Hannah and to try to include them as much as you can in what you do but to also learn about it because had it not been for me to be blessed by a child like Hannah, I don't think I would have understood this world as much as I do today. I don't think that I would bring this voice to this floor as I do today. We all serve in this capacity for a reason. And this is my reason here. This is why I wanted to be a state assembly member, because there needs to be a voice for kids like Hannah and her friends. She's going to grow up one day, and I hope that the world is going to be a better place and it would welcome her and that it would take her in and include her in all the things that we get to be included in, that she would one day be able to find a job and a career and an opportunity where she could contribute to everything in this world. But if you ask me if that is something she can do today, I would have to tell you no. I would have to tell you no because I read about it, I see about it all the time where kids continue to make fun of kids like Hannah. It happens. And that she would be lucky enough to find another classmate that would stand up. Stand up and call it out. and say that it's wrong and that they shouldn't do this to other kids. But we as adults need to do that as well too. And so HR 83 isn't just about recognizing it. It's just not one that I want to bring every single month. It's one that I want your commitment on. Your commitment on recognizing this day, but also committed to standing up for adults, for kids, for families that have to live with this every single day I stay up at night not because I worried about the votes we have to take or the bills that come up but I worry about her and her friends and every single person that lives with a disability Because we need to do better. This isn't just something that impacts us here in California. It impacts all of us across the world. But we can be that leader here in California and show every other state and show the world that we accept, we support, and we stand right there with this community from the time they're babies to the time they grow up to adults and in their senior years. I ask not just for your eye today, but I ask for your commitment and your support to be able to help kids like Hannah. Because I will bring her back every single year so that you can all watch the growth that Hannah has since she's been here. I will also say that she has developed a friendship, a special friendship, with our reading clerk, David Bowman, who she calls her best friend. And while we find opportunities where it could be tough, Hana is the complete opposite because she finds joy in every single thing. Every single thing she finds joy. so we could learn a lot from people like Hannah, and we could start finding positivity and joy in everything. So members, I respectfully ask for your aye vote on HR 83.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of HR 83. And to my colleague, I rise in support of you. I rise in commitment to you that you are heard, we hear you, and I commit to always, always join you in fighting for this cause because of your daughter, my son, and the sons and daughters of California that need us to rise up, not only to speak on one day, but to be committed every single day. So with that, I urge my colleagues not only to rise in support, but be committed to this fight, because this fight will go on for longer than we will be alive. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Great. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of HR 83 by my colleague in Sacramento. This morning I was driving from Rockland and road rage, failed morning, driving through traffic, and I pull into the garage and And right in front of me is my colleague from Sacramento and her daughter. And I'm still just mad at life, you know, dropping off my kids, which was good. But then driving through traffic and I hadn't even really had coffee yet. And the first thing that I heard coming into the swamp was my colleague's daughter, Hannah, saying, hi. And so that was a really nice experience. but I think this is the fourth year you've brought your daughter here every year. And I mentioned this last year, but I've seen the great improvements and strides that she's made. And, you know, when you say you come to the Capitol and, you know, you think about people like your daughter and, you know, all the time, right? When you go home, you're thinking about how you're going to care for your daughter. And, you know, we do have a lot of decisions that are going to be coming up in the coming months that impact this community. And I think fortunately, you know, a lot of people, and we're going to meet some more caring families later, that they bring their children into their homes. They're caring for them. You see the strides that they make year after year. And not all of them are that fortunate to have that love and support. and they depend on the, really, the resources that the state provides. And so, you know, this is a really important day as we go into those discussions and many, many weeks of, you know, budget hearings and things like that, just as a reminder about how important it is to support these children and adults as the parents get older and are aging and how we're going to continue to care for them. So thank you for bringing your daughter year in and year out so we can continue to see the great improvements that not only your daughter is making, but also that you're helping her along. And it's very inspirational to see. So with that, I rise in support of this measure. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and members. I want to begin by thanking our colleague from Elk Grove for bringing forward HR 83, as well as our colleague from Indio and Rocklin for speaking in support. This is a bipartisan issue and should not stand beside partisan lines for us to make sure that we're standing up for the disability community. And while we'll speak words today and pass a resolution today, the love language I want us to speak in support of our disability community is showing them the money. Too often, we forget them when it comes to our budget. Too often, we're not paying the direct support professionals what they deserve. Too often, they're not getting the services because they can't compete with fast food restaurants who are hiring the direct support professionals that are needed to provide services right now. And so while it's easy to stand up today and to stand up and support, I'm looking for you guys when it comes to June, when it comes after the May revise, when they're going to come after and take money from the vulnerable. We need to make sure that we're standing up and supporting and delivering the resources they desperately need. I've heard our colleague from Elk Grove. Just as I heard every single family who came before me when I was the chair of Budget Sub 1 It was one of the proudest things I ever done here in the Assembly is I never cut a single person off who came to speak in the People House And what I heard was stories just like our colleague from Elk Grove Families who needed services that were denied them. Families who wanted their kids to get the care they deserved, but there weren't the direct support professionals to deliver them. So let's make sure that we don't just stand up for resolutions, but that we stand up for these families when it comes budget time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to address the body today.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues. I too rise in support of HR 83. I want to thank my colleague from Sacramento for bringing this forward as she does every single year. I've shared this story a few times. I grew up in a family that my parents were foster parents for 26 years. My mother always took the hardest to place cases. Sometimes that was a call in the middle of the night where there was no other family that would take a young child. Sometimes it was children that came from really deep trauma. Other times it was children with disabilities. Those are the hard-to-place cases, and they shouldn't be. My mother adopted nine of us, including four of my siblings who have developmental disabilities. My youngest brother, Evan, has cerebral palsy in a shunt that drains fluid from his brain to his stomach that he's had since he was born. He was born in the NICU, and they called my mother because nobody would come to visit him. And so she would visit with Evan. His name was Dennis at birth. she would visit with Evan every single day and pleaded with the hospital to be able to take Evan home he was hooked up to oxygen she was going to have to have a ventilator set up our entire house to cater to the needs of this baby boy but she didn't want him to die in a hospital Evan wasn't supposed to make it my mother loved him adopted him as quickly as possible he became a Brian he's also 24 now. And that's what happens when you both love a child and build a home and a society that's inclusive of all children. But it's not, and it shouldn't be, just the families that do that work. It shouldn't be our colleague from Elk Grove who is doing that work. We should all be committed to building a society that is inclusive and meeting the needs of everybody. Last night was also a gala for Disability Rights California. If you didn't know, you should know and mark your calendar for next year. Some of us showed up, and I hope more of us show up next year. But again, these aren't issues for one community. Anything that impacts one community and serves as an injustice is an injustice to all of us, and we have to step up and do all we can to right those wrongs and build a California that is a thriving place for all children, all families, and all people. And I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

Yeah, thank you. Only reason I'm standing, because I want to tell you that this support is not automatic. When I got here in 2014, there was a protest outside the Capitol, and I was surprised to see that it was a group of developmentally disabled people holding signs. and I thought, what in the world is happening? To make a long story short I found out what was happening is that this population was being completely and summarily dismissed That they were the only group that had not had any restoration from the cuts back in 2008, 2010, when everything was absolutely devastated. I couldn't believe that there wasn't an advocacy for this population. But come to find out, as I looked into it further and further, it took years, folks. It took almost six years before they got restored in our budget process. It does not happen automatically. And so to my colleague from Elk Grove, thank you. it's hard for me to understand how a body could be so dismissive of something so powerful and so evident but it can happen and that's the only reason I stand before you today please don't let that happen again I'm not going to be here but our member from Elk Grove will still be here and hopefully all of you will still be here. Well, some of you. Nonetheless, please remember that stuff doesn't happen automatically. And I couldn't believe how long it took to make it happen. And I'm not saying I'm all that and a bag of chips, but what I am is someone who really, truly cares about this population. and I thank you all for being part of what needs to happen. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank all the members that spoke from your heart because this truly is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. and I just want to be clear that it's the best thing in the world to be a parent to a kid with special needs it's the best thing I've been so blessed to be able to have Hannah in my life and that we should all be so blessed to have a child like that in our life if we ever have the opportunity to have one because you could be that voice for that child in that community and they need it more now than ever and so I rise today and speak today and ask for your vote, your eye, your commitment not just today but every single day and as we introduce other young people earlier today ask all of you I ask you to also make sure that you stand up you stand up for kiddos like Hannah and her friends. And that in your school when you see another classmate that is being bullied, that you stand up for that classmate as well. And that's what this is about. This is about understanding. This is about recognizing. This is about supporting. But this is about also speaking out and being the reality behind what happens to this community every single day. And with that, sir, I ask for your aye vote. Thank you.

Without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. All those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Assemblymember Nguyen, you have two separate guest introductions. You are recognized.

assembly member Pacheco you are recognized for your guest introduction

Okay. Thank you, Assemblymember Pacheco. Go Downey. We're moving backwards to file item number 26. That's ACR 154 by Assemblymember Patterson. The clerk will read.

Assemblymember Patterson, you are recognized.

Thank you, Assemblymember Patterson. Assemblymember Harbinian, you're recognized.

Thank you, Assemblymember Harbidian. Assemblymember Addis, you are recognized.

Thank you so much, Assemblymember Addis. Seeing and hearing no further debate, Assemblymember Patterson, do you wish to close?

Okay. Absolutely. Thank you, Assemblymember Patterson.

is adopted. Assemblymember Patterson, you are recognized for your very important guest

Thank you. Members, we are going to need to continue with business on the daily file. Thank you, members. Thank you, members. Members, we are going to go backwards to file item number 24, that's ACR 148 by Assemblymember Addis.

I'm proud to see you are recognized.

Thank you, Assemblymember Addis. The Assemblymember has asked for the first roll to be open for co-authors. Seeing and hearing no further debate, the clerk will open the roll for co-authors. All members vote who desire to vote.

Without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor say aye. Let's do that again. All those in favor say aye. All those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. Assemblymember Addis, you are recognized for your guest introduction.

Okay, we are going to continue on. We are going to pass and retain on file item 25. We've already dispensed with file items 26 and 27. We will pass and retain on file items 28, 29, 30. That brings us to file item number 31. That is ACR 156 by Assemblymember Hoover. The clerk will read.

Assemblymember Hoover, you are recognized.

Assemblymember Hoover. Mr. Hoover, do you wish for the first role to be open for co-authors?

All debate having ceased, clerk will open the roll for co-authors. All members vote who desire to vote.

Without objection, we'll take a voice vote on the resolution. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed, no. The ayes have it. The resolution is adopted. We going to pass and retain on file item 32 We have already dispensed with file item 33 Brings us to the Senate third reading file File items 34 through 38, we're going to pass and retain on those items. Which brings us to the consent calendar. We're moving to a vote on the consent calendar. That's file item number 40. Does any member wish to remove an item from the consent calendar? Seeing and hearing none, the clerk will read the second day consent calendar.

We're moving on to adjournments in memory members the quorum call is lifted. Let's give our respectful attention to those who were granted prior permission to speak on their German in memory and please take all conversations off the floor. Members, can you please take your conversations off the floor? Dr. Arambiela, you are recognized for your adjournment in memory.

Thank you, Dr. Ramula. Members please bring the name to the desk to be printed in the journal. All requests to adjourn in memory will be deemed read and printed in the journal. Moving on to announcements, I'm ordering the desk to remain open until tomorrow, Friday, March 20th for the purpose of processing author amendments. Session schedules as follows. Friday March 20th, no floor session, no check-in session. Monday March 23rd, floor session at 1 p.m. and the joint convention at 345 for the State of Judiciary Address, which is mandatory. Seeing and hearing no further business, I'm ready to entertain a motion to adjourn. Madam Majority Leader moves and Mr. Harbidion seconds that this House stands adjourned until Monday, March 23rd at 1 p.m. The quorum call is lifted and we are adjourned.