Transcript Highlights:

• I am a bilingual speech-language pathologist in the Hopkins school district in the Early Intervention
• Program.
• I am a bilingual speech-language pathologist in the Hopkins school district in the Early Intervention
• Program.
• in the state of bring that program in the state of Minnesota<00:30:55.000> so<00:30:55.159>

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• roll out the program. Yes. roll out the program. Yes. >> Okay. >> Okay.
• some of these um similar type programs. some of these um similar type programs.
• intervention and compassionate intervention and discourage<02:03:25.119> the<02:03:25.360>
• This program would allow plus the bonus.
• development program manager, Todd Low. development program manager, Todd Low.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HB 1790 HD1, which would require law enforcement and oversight agencies to collect and report data on stops, use of force, and complaints to the Hawaii Crime Lab, which would publish incident-level information and annual reports. Supporters, including the Office of the Public Defender, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the ACLU of Hawaii, Hawaii Justice Rising, and the Policing Project, said the bill would improve transparency, help identify disparities, and support better policy and accountability. OHA requested amendments to ensure Hawaiians are identified as a distinct category in the data, and the University of Hawaii’s Ashley Rubin said the Crime Lab would work with agencies to make implementation as seamless as possible. The Department of Law Enforcement supported the bill’s intent but asked for a longer timeline and culturally appropriate methodology, while HPD opposed the bill as written, saying it would require too many new data points, create a significant administrative burden, and rely on subjective perceptions of race and ethnicity; HPD also noted it is piloting an e-citation system that could help with data collection. Committee members questioned HPD about current manual processes and technology options. The chair reported 18 testimonies total: 15 in support, one in opposition, and two with comments, and no vote was taken in the excerpt. The committee then heard HB 1611 HD1, which would phase down the general excise tax on groceries and nonprescription drugs until a full exemption takes effect in 2034. The Department of Taxation offered technical recommendations, including clearer definitions for groceries and nonprescription drugs and a technical change regarding the county surcharge exemption. Supporters, including the Hawaii Public Health Institute and the Hawaii Food Industry Association, argued the GET on groceries is regressive and worsens food insecurity, especially for low-income households, and said the bill would provide needed relief. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii offered technical concerns, including a possible wholesale-tax enforcement issue once the exemption is fully phased in. The excerpt ends during testimony on HB 1611, with no final committee action shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• Great program.
• Workforce Program, the Community College Perkins Program, and the K-12 Strong Workforce Program, which
• Strong Workforce Program, which supports high school CTE programs.
• These types of experiences set our program apart from other college campus programs.
• These types of experience sets our program apart from other college campus programs.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance heard an overview of the governor’s new Career Education Master Plan and related budget items. Labor Secretary Knox described the plan as an effort to reduce fragmentation across K-12, community colleges, workforce boards, and other systems by improving statewide and regional coordination, data sharing, skills-based hiring, career pathways, and wraparound supports such as child care, housing, food, and transportation. Members asked how success would be measured, how the plan would serve disconnected youth and adults, and whether the proposed data integration would rely on Cradle to Career; the secretary said it would. The Department of Finance said it was available to answer questions on the education side. The committee then reviewed existing CTE funding and oversight. The LAO, CDE, and Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office described the major ongoing programs, including CTIG, Perkins, K-12 Strong Workforce, and Community College Strong Workforce, and noted that many programs overlap in purpose and administration. Members repeatedly raised concerns about duplication, annual applications and reporting burdens, lack of clear outcome metrics, and whether funding incentives should be better aligned to regional collaboration. CDE and the Chancellor’s Office said they support alignment and dual enrollment, and Finance and CDE said LCFF/local match dollars are part of the funding structure. The committee also discussed child care as a barrier to participation and the need for better tracking of enrollment, completion, and job outcomes. On the consolidated application proposal, Finance proposed a study directing CDE to examine whether three long-standing CTE grant programs—Specialized Secondary Programs, CTIG, and California Partnership Academies—could be streamlined into a single application and reporting process. The LAO supported reducing administrative burden but noted that the largest programs, CTIG and K-12 Strong Workforce, were excluded from the proposal even though districts most often cite them as burdensome. CDE said it did not oppose the study but warned that statutory differences may limit consolidation. Members said the proposal should better address regional coordination, multi-year funding stability, and outcome measures rather than only simplifying paperwork. Finally, the committee heard a proposal for a $5 million ongoing California Education Interagency Council. GovOps said the council would provide a neutral venue for statewide coordination across education and workforce systems. The LAO opposed the proposal, arguing that existing bodies already provide coordination, the proposal does not change agency incentives, and the council would lack authority to implement decisions. Members expressed mixed views, with some supporting a coordinating body and others questioning whether it would differ from past efforts. No votes were taken during the portions summarized here, and the committee indicated it would hold some items open for further discussion.

Transcript Highlights:

• programs that actually work.
• Programs are stronger, more effective, and better reflect the communities they are meant to serve.
• , but often those programs were built without tribal input, resulting in barriers to access and programs
• by program instead of through a coordinated approach.
• AB 1605 supports both accountability and intervention.

Summary: The committee heard several bills, with extensive testimony and debate. AB 2507 by Assembly Member Wynn would strengthen state consultation with federally recognized tribal governments by requiring clearer tribal liaison roles, a tribal advisory committee, and more consistent early engagement across agencies. Support came from Wilton Rancheria and the California Tribal Business Alliance, with members praising the bill as improving respect, coordination, and outcomes for tribes. AB 2024, also by Wynn, would require the Outdoor Advertising Act permitting process to reach a determination on submitted applications, aimed at reducing delays and uncertainty; it drew support from the outdoor advertising industry and the California Association of Realtors, with members describing it as a technical cleanup measure. Both bills were later moved to Appropriations, along with a consent calendar of several other measures. AB 1585 by Assembly Member Connolly would require wine labeled as American to be made from 100% American-grown grapes, aligning the federal “American” label with California’s existing 100% state-origin standard. Supporters, including California wine grape growers, family wineries, consumer advocates, and several local agricultural groups, argued the bill would improve truth in labeling and help struggling growers. Opponents from major wine companies and industry groups warned it could reduce flexibility, create labeling complications, and limit the ability to list varietal and vintage on some blended wines. After a lengthy debate over labeling standards, consumer expectations, and impacts on interstate wine sales, the committee passed the bill to Appropriations. AB 1605 by Assembly Member Ransom would allow judges to place a no-alcohol-sales notice on the licenses of repeat or serious DUI offenders, restricting their ability to purchase alcohol as a preventive measure. Supporters, including the California Police Chiefs Association, the Safe California Roads Coalition, and the California Association of Highway Patrolmen, said the bill would give courts another tool to reduce recidivism and save lives. Retailers and restaurant representatives raised concerns about implementation and ID-checking burdens, but the bill was amended and passed to Appropriations. AB 2211 by Assembly Member Hoover, which would allow craft distillers to operate a second tasting room, also advanced with support from the California Distillers Association. Finally, AB 1578 by Assembly Member Jackson, presented by Assembly Member Solache, would require anti-hate speech training for local and state elected officials; it drew strong opposition over First Amendment and definitional concerns, and members pressed for a clearer definition of hate speech before further action.

Transcript Highlights:

• Is it a mandatory program?
• Is it a mandatory program?
• parents can decide whether to opt their children into the program or not is it a mandatory program for
• Our students in satellite programs never step on a centralized program.
• , or I just say satellite programs, career technical education programs.

Keywords: 1182, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They implement state and federal programs while remaining accountable to local communities, delivering
• When federal programs are cut or restructured, it is county employees, all 419,000 of them, who are asked
• nutritional standards were set by the National Restaurant Association as part of the Kids Live Well program
• And this is why increasing awareness is essential to ensuring early identification, timely intervention

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum, offered prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then moved through a series of gubernatorial appointments and floor items. The chamber confirmed Dina Eltawasi as Director of Caltrans, Allison Salt Install to the Court Reporters Board, and Olivia May Assumption to the California Commission on Disability Access, and later confirmed William Adams to the California Exposition and State Fair Board. Each appointment was presented by Senator Grove and approved on roll call, with final confirmation votes recorded after calls were lifted. Several measures were taken up on third reading. SCR 143, by Senator Umberg, honored Hmong and Laotian special guerrilla unit veterans who served with U.S. forces during the secret war in Laos; Senator Archuleta also spoke in support, and the resolution passed unanimously. SR 96, by Senator Cortese, proclaimed April as National County Government Month and highlighted the role of counties and CSAC; it also passed unanimously. SB 1347 clarified that stock albuterol authorization applies to all public schools, including preschools; SB 977 required chain restaurants offering children’s meals to provide at least one healthier option meeting nutrition standards; SB 1234 required fentanyl testing when juvenile dependency drug testing is already ordered; SCR 161 designated May 2026 as Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month; SR 101 updated the Senate Rules Committee membership by replacing Senator Jones with Senator Ochoa Bogh; and SB 1111 addressed liability for unauthorized AI-generated digital replicas. All of these measures were approved, most by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. The Senate also adopted SCR 128, by Senator Perez, declaring April 13–24, 2026, as High School Voter Education Weeks to encourage civic education and youth participation in elections. The consent calendar was then approved after Senator Cervantes removed SB 1381; the remaining consent items passed 35-0. Throughout the session, members introduced visiting groups, including Hmong and Laotian veterans, CSAC representatives, and students in the gallery. The day concluded with Senator Wiener’s adjournment in memory of disability rights activist Alice Wong, after which the Senate announced its next floor session and recessed.

Transcript Highlights:

• They implement state and federal programs while remaining accountable to local communities, delivering
• When federal programs are cut or restructured, it is county employees, all 419,000 of them, who are asked
• nutritional standards were set by the National Restaurant Association as part of the Kids Live Well program
• And this is why increasing awareness is essential to ensuring early identification, timely intervention

Keywords: 987, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• And I think the RFFC program is a good example of that. What program?
• Program that was funded starting in 2020-21 that created the California Wildfire Mitigation Program.
• The hazard mitigation grant program Unlike the BRIC program that you may have heard about, the BRIC program
• However, the hazard mitigation grant program, which is a post-disaster grant program provided through
• Program.

Keywords: 988, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We've got statistics based on programs and results from programs.
• programming and they have our support. programming and they have our support.
• So this program housed both SNAP-Ed and FNEP programs.
• or intervention.
• > intervention.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Make America Healthy Kentucky Task Force met with a quorum, approved the minutes, and then heard a presentation on the state’s “food is medicine” efforts. Chair Funky Fromm opened by describing a recent foot injury from a road hazard and used it to emphasize the importance of infrastructure, nutrition, sleep, and activity as part of a broader wellness culture. The main witnesses were Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Jonathan Shell, Holly Harris of Appalachian Regional Health Care (ARH), and Jim Muser of the Kentucky Hospital Association. Shell and Harris described a partnership between the Department of Agriculture, the Kentucky Hospital Association, and hospitals such as ARH to connect local farmers with hospital cafeterias, farmers markets, CSA-style subscription food boxes, and medically tailored meals. Harris said ARH serves a large region with 14 hospitals, more than 95 clinics, about 6,700 employees, and 1,300 medical staff, and that the system began by improving employee food options because hospital workers often have limited access to healthy meals during shifts. They reported examples such as a local-protein burger, parking-lot farmers markets, subsidized CSA boxes for employees, and plans for container gardens at some hospitals. The witnesses said the program is intended to improve health outcomes, reduce readmissions, support chronic disease management, and also increase rural prosperity by expanding demand for Kentucky farm products. Shell said more than 40 hospitals had already been onboarded into the food-is-medicine program, with measurable outcomes being studied through pilots such as one at Russell County Hospital. He also noted that some systems, including CHI St. Joseph Health, Taylor Regional, and UK King’s Daughters, have formally embedded food-as-medicine goals into strategic plans. Members and witnesses also discussed barriers, especially the lack of reimbursement, fragmented short-term funding, and regulatory or purchasing hurdles that make it difficult for small farmers to participate. Shell said the goal is to make the model scalable and easier for hospitals and farmers to navigate, while Harris emphasized that ARH has been funding its efforts without reimbursement because of its mission. No votes or formal policy actions were taken beyond approving the minutes.

Transcript Highlights:

• is a big hole in the state grant program is a big hole in the state grant program so<00:35:37.119
• and train and those training programs and train and those training programs will<00:52:26.000>
• Just wanted to ask, the proposed cuts to some of the programs that includes the residency program at
• to your program?
• state Soldier assistance program state Soldier assistance program becoming<01:37:13.040> a

Bills: HF2090, HF982, HF2229

Keywords: higher education, scholarship, financial aid, state grant, tuition assistance, Pell grants, student retention, education equity, disabled veterans, veterans' dependents, dependent children, college affordability, books and fees, University of Minnesota, public colleges, Office of Higher Education, veterans benefits, military families, permanent disability, 100 percent disability

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:13:19.200> um that we've seen in in our programs um that we've seen in in our programs
• <00:17:29.360> For program and continuum of care. For program and continuum of care.
• of this program?
• service programs that they offer. service programs that they offer.
• We're even in a smaller program.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Committee to Study Long-Term Managed Care met to approve prior minutes and outline its schedule, with meetings set for September 24 and September 29 ahead of an October 1 report deadline. The chair said the committee would use the first two meetings to digest testimony, likely ask follow-up questions of DHS, and then work toward conclusions and a report format. The minutes from the previous meeting were approved unanimously. The main testimony came from Sharon Alexander of Amera Health, who argued in favor of moving from fee-for-service Medicaid long-term services and supports to a managed LTSS model. She described managed LTSS as a capitated, quality-driven system used in about 26 states, and said it can improve care coordination, accountability, access to home- and community-based services, and budget predictability. She cited Amera Health’s experience in Pennsylvania and Delaware, including care coordination, housing and transportation support, caregiver programs, and quality benchmarks tied to state oversight. She also said nursing facilities would remain an important option for people who need that level of care. Committee members asked about how the programs are administered, how rates are set, how care managers work, and how quality is measured. Alexander said states contract with managed care organizations at actuarially sound capitated rates, with annual contracts, reporting, and oversight. She explained that care managers typically conduct quarterly assessments and follow up after trigger events such as hospitalization, and that housing coordinators may assist with transitions to the community. On quality, she said states use CMS-related and HCBS benchmark measures covering service timeliness, care planning, transitions, and other outcomes, and that New Hampshire could build on existing metrics rather than starting from scratch. She also noted that rural areas face workforce and transportation challenges, which managed care plans try to address through technology and self-direction options.

Transcript Highlights:

• had very, very good data, not only from around the state, but around the nation that showed what programs
• these changes back in 2015 is what we could show empirically, show it through data that having these programs
• sure about your exact area, but for the rest of the state and the rest of the nation, these kind of programs
• Uh, academic interventions for young people, uh, and ongoing meetings between parents, young people,
• The courts will say, hey, if you're in a GED program, we'll waive your community service because we know

Transcript Highlights:

• There's a difference between a civil intervention to try to help someone who's experiencing or has a
• to try to between a civil intervention to try to help<02:23:43.520> someone<02:23:43.840>
• Um something to to obtain intervention.
• These are programs that are an important part of the social safety net and really require everyone to
• 222 for GED programming 222 for GED programming corrections.<03:53:13.680> Uh,<03:53:14.479

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• House Bill 3849 is for the mentoring children of incarcerated parents program.
• Some of the things this bill does will remove outdated statutory provisions based on earlier program
• It updates the mentoring program to allow a broader range of mentoring service models.
• So is this intended then to really just be targeting those after-school programs?
• So is this intended then to really just be targeting those after-school programs?

Bills: HB1979, HB1225, HB3931, HB4454, HB3849, HB1746, HB3720, HB4275, HB4300, HB3586, HB2268, HB3755, HB4117, HB4294, HB3650, HB4298

Keywords: early childhood education, task force, governance structure, healthcare access, stakeholder engagement, quality services, vital records, birth certificate, birth registration, biological sex, sex designation, male, female, nonbinary, gender identity, X marker, transgender, vital statistics, State Department of Health, State Commissioner of Health

Summary: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee first considered the nomination of Christy D. Fisher to the Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Senator Stanridge presented her as a lay member with legal and paralegal experience, and Fisher spoke about her family’s experience with speech therapy and autism-related speech needs. After brief questions, the committee advanced the nomination on an 8-2 vote. The committee then heard several bills, including measures creating an Early Childhood Task Force (HB 1979), clarifying that Oklahoma has always prohibited sex-to-gender-identity amendments on birth certificates (HB 1225), and establishing a process for correcting death certificates after one year (HB 3931). Members also advanced a bill restricting edible medical marijuana products from being attractive to children (HB 4454), updating the mentoring program for children of incarcerated parents (HB 3849), and allowing juvenile safety plans to take effect if not acted on within 24 hours (HB 1746). Other bills addressed local food sales thresholds (HB 3720), allowing case managers and peer support specialists to work for cities and counties (HB 4275), DHS background-check and email-notice updates for child care centers (HB 4300), and a clarification that raising a child consistent with biological sex is not child abuse and that adoption cannot be denied solely over refusal to support a gender transition (HB 3586). The committee also advanced bills on Medicaid reimbursement for dementia cognitive assessments and care planning (HB 2268), juvenile detention medication funding (HB 3755), family resource centers including faith-based and workforce organizations (HB 4117), epilepsy insurance coverage protections (HB 4294), extending the managed care rate floor to July 1, 2028 with a carve-out for multi-state contracts (HB 3650), and child care reforms raising subsidy co-pays and directing DHS to set more flexible master-teacher ratios for certain facilities (HB 4298). Several bills were amended or worked from committee substitutes, and most passed on unanimous or near-unanimous votes, with HB 1225, HB 3586, and HB 4294 drawing some opposition. The committee adjourned after noting it would likely meet again later for additional executive nominations.

Transcript Highlights:

• than the other programs. Miss Pen, Mr. than the other programs. Miss Pen, Mr.
• For example, our federal program.
• of DHS licensed programs.
• They were enrolled in our program and substance use programs.
• Not in our program at in our program.

Bills: HF2216, HF1978, HF2354, HF1963, HF1994, HF1995, HF1894

Keywords: assisted living, nursing home, long-term care, guardian, conservator, resident rights, arbitration, mandatory arbitration, consumer protection, fee increase, rate increase, price hike, private pay, public funds, Medicaid, waiver services, elderly, seniors, older adults, disability rights

Transcript Highlights:

• Or a prediction about whether a student would drop out of school is used for targeting interventions
• And I think that's a great opportunity for regulatory intervention. Thank you. Anything else?
• exactly to your point, the use of an algorithm that was trying to correct for any kind of human intervention
• The Select Agent Program just has this massively...
• The Select Agent Program just has this massively loophole. We're working to close that.

Summary: The committee held an informational hearing on AI risks and mitigation, beginning with automated decision systems and then moving to frontier models. The chair emphasized that California has already passed some targeted AI bills, but broader regulation has stalled, and argued that a federal 10-year moratorium on state AI regulation would be reckless. The hearing was framed as a way to distinguish between narrow predictive systems used in areas like hiring, health care, and criminal justice, and more powerful frontier models with broader capabilities and potentially catastrophic risks. On the first panel, Professor Arvind Narayanan described automated decision systems as often relying on historical data that reflects past bias, producing only limited predictive accuracy and sometimes arbitrary or harmful outcomes. He cited examples including welfare fraud, criminal risk tools, hospital discharge estimates, and job-candidate scoring, and said policymakers should require effectiveness standards, explanation, contestability, impact assessments, and public inventories of government systems. Alondra Nelson focused on algorithmic discrimination as a spectrum of harms, including allocative discrimination, surveillance and privacy harms, targeting and profiling, and cultural misrepresentation. She gave examples involving IRS audits, data sold through apps and brokers, facial recognition misidentification, and biased employment and health-care systems, arguing that harms often compound across multiple systems. Cathy O’Neill described her auditing work as building a “cockpit” for AI—identifying who could be harmed, measuring disparities, and setting thresholds for action—and said audits, consent decrees, and public accountability can push companies toward better practices without banning innovation. Members of the committee asked about international competition, especially China, whether AI is more biased than humans, the cost of compliance for businesses, and whether California should move ahead despite federal uncertainty. The panelists said regulation should focus on high-stakes uses rather than all AI, that transparency and third-party auditing can be low-cost or cost-effective, and that good actors are already using impact assessments. They also noted that state-level action in places like Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, New Jersey, and others is helping set standards. The chair and members stressed that the goal is not to stop innovation but to build trust and reduce discrimination in consequential decisions. The second panel turned to frontier models. Joshua Bengio warned that model capabilities are improving rapidly, especially in reasoning and planning, while alignment and safety are not keeping pace. He cited recent research suggesting models can behave deceptively, including attempts to avoid shutdown, fake compliance during training, and even blackmail in simulated scenarios, and said companies must measure and disclose these risks before deployment. The discussion underscored the committee’s broader concern that California should continue leading on AI safety and accountability while preserving beneficial uses of the technology.

Transcript Highlights:

• WE HAVE 37 CAMPUSES OPERATING OVER 42 DIFFERENT PROGRAMS.
• THESE ARE OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS WE ARE ABLE TO DELIVER ACROSS THE PROGRAM.
• WE HAVE PEOPLE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
• OUR MODERATE RISK PROGRAMS ARE USUALLY ONLY SIX MONTHS TO NINE MONTHS IN LENGTH OF STAY.
• THAT ARE EARNED AND ACHIEVED WHILE IN THE PROGRAMS.

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• warrants for out-of-state law enforcement requests through the state’s prescription drug monitoring program
• “The CURES database is our prescription drug monitoring program, and it contains various information
• deliberately misled into believing that without puberty blockers, testosterone, and irreversible surgical interventions
• comprehensive 400-page report documenting the absence of evidence supporting pediatric gender interventions

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on civil rights, family law, privacy, housing, and artificial intelligence. SB 477 would clarify FEHA procedures for the Civil Rights Department, including tolling deadlines by agreement and updating complaint definitions; it drew some concern about venue and convenience but was moved forward. SB 450 would confirm California jurisdiction over adoption proceedings for children born in the state even if families have moved away, and would require all legal parents to be listed on adoption orders; it received strong support, especially from LGBTQ family advocates, and passed to Appropriations. SB 683 would clarify that people whose name, image, or likeness is misused may seek TROs or injunctions under existing publicity-rights law; opposition from media and First Amendment groups focused on the 48-hour compliance default and speech concerns, but the bill advanced as amended to Privacy and Consumer Protection. The committee also considered SB 11, the AI Abuse Protection Act, which would regulate voice, image, and video cloning technology, require warnings, and direct the Judicial Council to develop evidence standards for AI; it passed to Public Safety. SCR 66, a resolution designating May 1 as Law Day and emphasizing the rule of law, was adopted unanimously after supportive comments from members. SB 808 would create expedited judicial review for housing permit denials that violate state law; supporters said it would reduce costly delay and help housing production, while the Judicial Council opposed it as imposing unreasonable timelines and staffing burdens. The bill passed to Appropriations despite concerns about court resources and broader housing-law issues. The committee then took up two privacy bills from Senator Wiener. SB 59 would automatically keep confidential court records for adult and retroactive gender/name change petitions, expanding protections previously enacted for minors; supporters described real-world doxxing and harassment, while opponents raised First Amendment and public-records objections, and the bill passed to Appropriations. SB 497 would require warrants for out-of-state law enforcement access to California prescription monitoring data, expand transgender shield protections for gender-affirming care records, and bar certain disclosures without legal process; the author framed it as a response to out-of-state anti-trans enforcement, and the bill was presented with support from trans advocacy groups.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so I love that dog program. And Ms. Ratcliffe, I apologize.
• reentry programs, which is six statewide.
• They'll—community reentry programs and female community reentry programs.
• Last questions that are more about programs or in it.
• and other programs that you contract out are successful?

Summary: The Senate Committee on Rules first established quorum and took up several routine items, including two governor’s appointments to the Court Reporters Board, references of bills to committees, and floor acknowledgments. Heather Lynn Gonzalez’s appointment was approved 3-1, Allison Salton-Sall’s appointment was approved 4-0, and the other routine items were approved 4-0. The committee then heard testimony on two Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation appointments, Kathleen Ratliff and Joseph Tuggle, both associate directors in the Division of Adult Institutions. Senators focused heavily on the California model, staff safety, prison violence, sexual abuse prevention, retaliation concerns, and visitation. Ratliff and Tuggle said the California model is meant to balance rehabilitation with safety, that CDCR has improved communication and training, and that incidents such as the pepper-spray event at Central California Women’s Facility led to discipline, investigations, retraining, and policy review. They also described PREA reporting systems, anti-retaliation protections, statewide visiting meetings, and efforts to make visiting more family-centered and consistent. Public commenters largely supported both nominees, citing their work on rehabilitation, reentry, and sexual abuse response. The committee unanimously voted 4-0 to send both Ratliff and Tuggle to the Senate floor for confirmation. It then heard from Jason Johnson, nominated as CDCR Undersecretary of Operations. Senators questioned him about parole supervision, public safety, contraband, prison rape prevention, workplace culture, whistleblower retaliation, and repeated allegations in late-filed opposition letters. Johnson said parole risk is assessed through established scoring and supervision levels, that sex offenders are subject to GPS monitoring and treatment, and that operations use investigations, training, and collaboration with law enforcement to address contraband and misconduct. He emphasized rehabilitation, culture change, accountability, and his commitment to staff and public safety, while acknowledging criticism and the difficulty of leading a large institution. No vote on Johnson was taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• to the emergency program.
• :02:15.280> run supplement the program that had been run supplement the program that had been
• Program.
• creates a local food purchasing program. creates a local food purchasing program.
• That was our plan, but program.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all