Senate Floor Session

standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. As we spin on our beautiful planet Earth, we pray in the words of E.E. Cummings. I thank you, God, for most this amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky, and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes. I who have died am alive again today, and this is the sun's birthday. This is the birthday of life and of love and wings and of the gay great happening, illimitably, earth. How should tasting, touching, hearing, seeing, breathing, any human merely being doubt unimaginable you. Now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are open. Amen. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Thank you, Madam President.

Fine.

Thank you so much, Madam President. I rise today to present SCR 138, which recognizes Architecture Week here in the state of California. California's architects are national leaders in climate resilience, in energy efficiency, wildfire safety, and innovative housing solutions. Through this work, they advance accessibility, sustainability, and quality of life in all of our districts. I am especially proud of the contributions the architects have made here in Sacramento, which you all enjoy when you are visiting your second hometown. Many of our new state office buildings are highly energy efficient, carbon free, and fully electrified. This week, we recognize the essential public service and innovation of our architects. while encouraging the next generation to enter this vital profession. Today, women only make up 17% of licensed architects in the United States, which is why I'm especially honored to introduce Ida Clare, California's first female state architect. She's a role model for young women and a leader in advancing sustainable and accessible design across the state of California. Commissioner Clare joins us on the floor today as well as several members from the American Institute of Architects and the California Architectural Foundation are here with us either in the gallery or on the floor. I respectfully ask for an aye vote, Senators, on SCR 138.

Yes, thank you so much. As I mentioned in my speaking points, we are very privileged to have with us today California's first female state architect, Ida Clare. with Ida Clare are Ginger Thompson, Melissa Goodrow, and Kimberly Anderson. And in case it's missing you, we are really driving home the point that only 17% of licensed architects are women, and we would like more of them. These are four extraordinary, exemplary architects in the state of California. Please join me in welcoming them.

Thank you very much, Madam President. I would like to pull from the consent agenda file item 63, SCR 124.

We're not ready to go. Give us a second. Now we're ready. Thank you, Madam President. members. File item number 11 is a confirmation of Francisco Kim for reappointment to the California Acupuncture Board. Mr. Kim is a licensed acupuncturist with Harmony Holistic Wellness Center and also an instructor of acupuncture. He was initially appointed in 2018 and currently serves as the Board's Vice President. He was approved by the Rules Committee on March 11th. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

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Daly.

Grove. Jones. Limon. Nilo. Ochoa Bogue. Padilla. Perez. Rubio.

Aye.

Aye. Aye.

Thank you, Madam President. Members, file item number 12 is the confirmation of Davina Hurt for appointment to the California Water Commission. She is an attorney and the California Climate Policy Director at Pacific Environment. She also previously served on the Belmont City Council and as a Governor's appointment on the California Air Resources Board. She was approved by the Rules Committee on March 11. I respectfully ask for your aye vote.

The fine City of Belmont and have known Davina for a long time and through her service on the Air Resources Board recommend her very highly.

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Nilo? No.

No. Padilla? Aye.

Reyes? Aye.

Aye. Rubio?

Smallwood Cuevas? Aye.

Strickland? No.

Aye. Valadares?

Aye. Weber Pearson? Aye.

Please call the absent members.

The Senate Human Services Committee will meet 10 minutes after the adjournment of session in room 2200.

The inaugural hearing of the Senate Committee on Privacy, Digital Technologies, and Consumer Protection will take place in room 1200 immediately upon adjournment.

Thank you very much, Madam President and colleagues. It's with profound sadness that I rise today to ask that the Senate adjourn in the memory of Andrea Shorter, a San Francisco LGBTQ icon, a passionate advocate, a dedicated civic leader, and a true political force of nature. I knew Andrea for decades, and she passed away peacefully on March 19th, just a couple of weeks ago. She was born in Indianapolis in 1965, and she and her family later moved to Paris, California, where she graduated from high school before attending Whittier College. She graduated as a distinguished scholar and was nominated to the 1987 Leadership America cohort studying overseas in Denmark and Russia. After moving to San Francisco in 1991, Andrea dedicated herself to civic engagement and community advocacy. She took on leadership roles with Equality California, Allen Equal, the Names Project, AIDS Memorial Quilt, and the Center for Juvenile and Criminal Justice. She served on the board of the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club and with the LGBT Community Center. She focused intensively on developing policies and programs aimed at systemic reform, always centering the needs of those most impacted by inequality. For 20 years, Andrea served on the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, including terms as the commission's president. And during her time with the commission, she helped to shape policy impacting women and families across the city, reinforcing a commitment to advancing gender equity with attention to race, class, and intersecting identities. She was appointed to serve, to fill out an expiring term on the San Francisco Community College Board of Trustees, where she was instrumental in renaming the Family Resource Center after Betty Shabazz. She would also serve on the San Francisco Arts Commission Selection Committee for the Dr. Maya Angelou monument that is now at the San Francisco Public Library. Politically, Andrea was deeply involved in numerous campaigns and causes. She was especially proud of her efforts early on in the campaigns of Vice President Kamala Harris, her work with Mayor Willie Brown, with Mayor London Breed, with Speaker Emerita Pelosi, and with Congresswoman Latifah Simon, among many, many others over decades. She used her experience and knowledge to benefit many organizations as a board member, including Lyric, which serves LGBTQ youth in the Castro, and was a co-founder and board member of the Center for Young Women's Development. She co-founded the Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition to serve our black LGBTQ community, and she was dedicated to building bridges between LGBTQ and African American communities. In recent years, her work included delivering to the city of Los Angeles a multi-year strategic plan for civil and human rights. and most recently she helped drive forward the vital conditions framework for a thriving community initiative as part of the inland Empire Community Foundation Andrea was recognized nationally She received the David Bonet LGBT Leadership Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School and in 2009, she was honored as a Grand Marshal of the San Francisco Pride Parade. Her life reflects a deep commitment to bettering the world. She fought for equality and social justice, helped strengthen communities, and was a positive force for change for all those who had the pleasure of knowing her. As I mentioned, I knew Andrea for decades, and she was one of those people who always told it like it is. And sometimes you would get the call from her about something maybe you had done that you should have done in a different way. and it was always very refreshing because she was someone she knew. She had been around for a long time, had been in leadership for a long time, and had very, very broad perspective. And so I always, always valued her input and her sage advice, and we miss her tremendously. She's survived by her partner Lubav Smith, her mother Karen, her brothers Aaron and Lawrence. Lawrence also is a friend of mine. two nephews, Khalil and Lucas, and many close family members in Indianapolis. She's preceded in death by her father, Leon Shorter. Please join me, colleagues, in adjourning the Senate in memory of Andrea Shorter. Senator, please bring the

Senator Adagin. Thank you, Madam President. I'm proud to rise today to honor the life of Country Joe McDonald, an internationally recognized singer, songwriter, and activist whose music captured the spirit and conscience of a generation during the Vietnam War era. Country Joe was also a constituent and longtime residence of the city of Berkeley. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1942, Country Joe grew up in Southern California before settling in Berkeley during the height of the free speech movement in the mid-1960s after spending three years in the U.S. Navy. And he was proud of his experience as a veteran and later became an advocate for veterans' issues in the East Bay community. And this is how I met Joe when I was the mayor of Berkeley, working with him to organize a city-sponsored Veterans Day celebration and to also advocate for the renovation of the Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Berkeley. Shortly after arriving in Berkeley, he formed his band Country Joe and the Fish. And Country Joe and the Fish reached their pinnacle a few years later, where in 1969, they performed in front of hundreds of thousands of people at the Woodstock Festival. Their anti-war album, I'm Feeling Like I'm Fixing to Die a Rag, highlighted their style of blending art with activism, becoming one of the most recognizable protest songs of the time and a symbol of the countercultural movement. in addition after the band broke up Country Joe would continue a solo career with his voice reflecting and defining counterculture and the politically rebellious nature that permeated the East Bay and beyond his music and songwriting went beyond the melody it told a story often satirical of the commentary of the world around him advocating for peace civil rights freedom of expression and the environment, issues that we still fight for today. Country Joe understood the power of music in bringing people together and challenging authority, and he believed that folk music should be about speaking the truth, even when the truth is uncomfortable. His ability to tap into the energy and frustrations that people had over the Vietnam War made him stand out, connecting people of different backgrounds towards a common cause. Country Joe remained active in his later years participating in concerts throughout Northern California while acknowledging the shadow of the Vietnam War remained a major part of his legacy. And despite his opposition to the war, he as a veteran held a deep respect for our country's service members and kept engaged in veterans' issues, as I previously mentioned. He argued that the way to achieve peace is through understanding war and recognizing the key role that veterans play in that. May his legacy remind us of our own individual power in making a difference by speaking out and standing true to your beliefs.

Thank you, Madam President. Today I rise to honor the life of Brenda Jo Martin, lovingly known as Beans, who passed away on January 27, 2026 at the age of 61. Brenda was born on April 23, 1964 in Porterville, California. While attending Clovis High School, she was on the softball team and a member of a Christian youth activities group where she discovered her passion in photography and graphic design. Brenda then turned that early love into a successful business called Out West Productions. In 1991, Brenda met her loving husband, Rusty, and together they built a life in L'Amour rooted in family, faith, and community. They shared a love for animals, especially her horse, Miss Little, and enjoyed the outdoors together through camping and boating. While she cherished her roles as a wife and aunt and did so with joy and devotion, she will be remembered in the community for her decades of service to the city of Lemoore. Brenda dedicated decades to local organizations, including the Lemoore Chamber of Commerce, the Sarah Mooney Museum, the World Ag Expo in Tulare, the Lemoore Senior Citizen Center, and the Downtown Merchant Association. From 2024 to 2026, she served as a CEO of the L'Amour Chamber of Commerce, where she worked tirelessly to revitalize the organization and strengthen connections between local businesses and the community through musical events, festivals, and programs. Brenda survived by her husband Rusty Her parents Margie Russell And James and Linda Martin Her siblings Ed and Sally Martin Candice and Dennis Quint Lisa and David Gosch And Joseph Martin As well as her aunts, uncles And many cousins Her life reminds us that true leadership Is rooted in devotion to others And in building up the communities We call home May Brenda's memory be a blessing And may her life inspire us to feed it forward in our own communities.