August 30, 2026 · Public Safety · 1,811 words · 11 speakers · 50 segments
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you. Thank you. All right, everyone, welcome to the possibly last or second to last meeting of the Public Safety Committee for this year. Madam Secretary, would you please conduct the role?
Schultz. Present.
Alaniz. Mark Gonzalez.
Here. Haney.
Harbidian. Lackey.
Here. Wynn.
Here. Ramos.
Sharp Collins.
That's the spirit, Assemblymember Wynn. All right. We have a quorum present. I'd like to welcome everyone back. Today we'll be hearing two bills, Assembly Bill 282 and Assembly Bill 2344. Both have been referred to the committee pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.2. I'll briefly dispense with our housekeeping items. As a reminder, there are some general rules of conduct before we start our hearing. Please note that in order to facilitate the goal of conducting a legislative hearing, and as we proceed with witness and public comment, throughout the hearing, I want to ensure that everyone understands that the Assembly has rules to ensure that we maintain order and run an efficient and fair hearing. We will not permit conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of today's proceeding, so all 10 of you in the audience, or five of you, don't get rowdy. Please be aware that violations of these rules may subject you to removal or other enforcement actions. I see that we have Assemblymember Peller in here. She's going to be presenting on AB 282. Assemblymember, come forward as a reminder. Once you're finished presenting, do you have any witnesses? Anybody want to be a witness? If you have a witness, they'll have five minutes, as will opposing witnesses, and we'll take the Me Too's in between as well. I think that they're busy. Anyway, thank you.
Good afternoon. So just this year in California and Georgia, conspiracy theorists seeking to undermine long ago certified election results seized and attempted to seize ballots and election records. The federal administration and those seeking to spread lies about our democracy continue to call for interference in elections in ways we have never seen before in this country. AB 282 seeks to prevent the gravest threat to our elections by preventing any attempts to seize ballots, election records, and certified voting technology before our election results are certified. AB 282 makes clear that interfering with ballots or voting equipment before an election is certified is a serious offense with serious consequences. Specifically, it will make it a felony to seize, cause, or assist in the seizure of ballots, election records, or certified voting technology before election results are certified by the elections official. That's punishable by up to three years in prison. And anyone who directs someone else in their supervision to do the same is punishable by up to four years in prison. Among increasing threats to the integrity of our state-administered elections, AB 282 helps ensure that every lawfully cast vote can be counted and that the will of the voters of every political party will be respected. So I respectfully ask for your aye vote. Thank you very much.
Do we have any witnesses testifying in support? Okay, we'll take any other Me Too's if you want to register a support position. Okay, do we have any opposition witnesses wanting to testify? Nope. Anyone else having an opinion whatsoever? All right, back to the dais. Questions, comments? A lot of thumbs up. A lot of thumbs up. All right, or motions. We can take that at this time. Great, we have a motion and a second. Assemblymember Pellerin, would you like to close?
For the state of our democracy, protect elections, I respectfully ask for your aye vote.
Well said. You have the chair's aye recommendation. Let's conduct the roll. For AB 282 by Assemblymember Pellerin, the motion is to concur in Senate amendments and re-refer to the Appropriations Committee.
Schultz? Aye. Schultz, aye. Alaniz? Gonzales? Gonzales, aye. Haney? Aye. Haney aye Harbidion Lackey No Lackey no Nguyen Nguyen aye Ramos Aye Ramos aye Sharp Okay that bill is out We allow a few other members to add on If you a member of the
committee and you're not here, we only have one more bill. We are going to adjourn on time so we can give it to appropriation, so make your way to room 126. Thank you, Assemblymember Pellerin. Colleagues, that brings us to our second and final bill of today. Before he presents, I will mention And there is a possibility we may have a hearing tomorrow night, depending on if a bill survives and makes it over here. So obviously I know how to find you all, but we may meet one more time tomorrow. All right. Final bill for today, AB 2344 by Assemblymember Haney.
You can begin when you're ready. Thank you, Mr. Chair and members. AB 2344 as a measure that has had bipartisan support and will help animals involved in cruelty cases find safe, permanent homes quicker rather than remaining in shelters for unnecessarily long periods of time. This committee has heard this bill before, and it's back in front of you because we made some amendments in the Senate. Under current law, animal shelters are required to hold seized animals unless the animal was seized under Penal Code Section 597.1 or through a search warrant. In Los Angeles County alone, shelter holds costs approximately $105 per animal per day, imposing significant financial burdens on shelters and making it increasingly difficult to provide quality care for every animal in custody. AB 2344 will provide a common-sense solution by expanding the payment requirement due by animal owners accused of abuse under Penal Code Section 591 to animal seizures pursuant to all other California laws. Broadening this penal code will allow abused animals to be forfeited 14 days after the individual fails to pay their fees, helping them move to stable homes quicker. with me to testify and support are Dan Felizato on behalf of the LA District Attorney's Office and Nick Sackett on behalf of social compassion and legislation.
Mr. Chairman, members, Dan Felizato on behalf of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. AB 2344 now closes a loophole in existing law that excludes animals that are seized without a warrant from the 14-day notice for payment. There's no legal or policy reason to not include animals that were seized without a warrant on the provision. While the approach is different than when this bill was in the committee originally, the end result will be the same. So we ask for
your aye vote. Chair, members, Nicholas Sackett on behalf of co-sponsor Social Compassion in legislation. I just want to thank Assemblymember Haney for his work on this bill. The committee, both committees and both houses really appreciate it. As everyone knows, California has a terrible pet overpopulation crisis that we are all trying to fix, and this is one tool that will help shelters get animals in and out of the shelters faster. So with that respect, we ask for an aye
vote. All right. Well, thank you all very much for your testimony. Would anyone else like to register a Me Too position of support? Okay. Do we have any opposition witnesses present by a show of hands? Anyone else wanting to register any other position? No. Bringing it back to the dais. Questions, comments, or motions? Move it. Second. Okay. We have a motion and a second. Assembly
member, would you like to close? Thank you to the committee. Thank you to the sponsors. We also were able to bring everyone together and kind of work out some of the concerns raised by opposition So we were able to have a unified front on helping our dogs and cats and making sure they can have a permanent, supportive, stable home. With that respect, we ask for your aye vote.
All right. Well, thank you. Great bill. Big fan of it. And boy, if we can run our hearings next year like this efficiently, we're going to just blaze on through it. We have a motion in a second. Let's conduct the roll. For AB 2344 by Assemblymember Haney, the motion is to concur in Senate amendments.
Schultz? Aye. Schultz, aye.
Alanis. Gonzalez. Gonzalez. Aye. Haney. Aye.
Haney. Aye. Harbidian. Lackey. Aye.
Lackey. Aye. Nguyen. Aye. Nguyen. Aye. Ramos. Aye.
Ramos. Aye. Sharp Collins.
Okay. That bill is out. Thank you, everyone.
Before we, before I get to the closing comments, I know you all want to run. I just wanted to say two quick things. If I could ask for everyone helping me and giving a round of applause for our staff who came in on a weekend to make this happen today. Thank you to our staff for all your work this year. And I'm not going to overdo it because I think we will meet tomorrow, but I did want to acknowledge that Mr. Lackey is leaving our committee. Tom, it's been an absolute pleasure working with you. Thank you for your years of service, Tom.
Thank you.
Okay. It is 3.44 p.m. If you're a member of this committee, I will keep the roll open for 10 minutes. The rest of you are free to go. If you are not here by 3.55 p.m., the committee will stand adjourned. Bills are out. and to the appropriation staff that's listening, the room is yours in 10 minutes. All right, we'll keep the roll open.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Thank you Thank you.
Okay, noticing the presence of Assemblymember Harbidian, Madam Secretary, would you please
allow him to add on? For AB 288 by, excuse me, AB 282 by Assemblymember Pellerin, Harbidian?
Aye.
Harbidian, aye. For AB 234 by Assemblymember Haney, Harbidian?
Aye.
Barbady, an aye. Okay. Those bills remain out. I think at this point, we're just waiting on Assembly Members Alanis and Sharp Collins. Again, we're going to adjourn in seven minutes. So if you're staff for those members, please have them come immediately to room 126. We're handing the room over to Appropriations. Thank you all.
Thank you.
Okay, I see our vice chair is back. Madam Secretary, please allow him to add on to both measures.
For AB 282 by Assemblymember Pellerin, Alanis?
Aye.
Alanis, no.
For AB 2344 by Assemblymember Haney, Alanis?
Aye.
Alanis, aye. Okay, both measures remain out. Thank you to all members of the committee for being here. Final reminder, we have a five-minute warning to Dr. Sharp-Collins if she can come to room 126. Otherwise, we will stand adjourn at 3.55 p.m.
Thank you. Thank you.
All right, I've just heard from Dr. Sharp Collins. She's tied up in another committee. Madam Secretary, just to confirm both measures are out without the presence of Dr. Sharp-Collins, correct?
Yes.
All right. Very good. Committee stands adjourned.
Thank you.