Transcript Highlights:

• . work.
• I'm going to be doing that work for us.
• So far, we're working pretty well. This committee, especially being new to it, works well together.
• It's good work. Chairs, you worked hard. Our committee administrators worked hard.
• We worked hard. It's our committee.

Bills: HF2436

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Transcript Highlights:

• It's been a lot of work done on the bill, and it's all been necessary work.
• But really, we want the system to work, and right now it really isn't working that well.
• But really, we want the system to work, and right now it really isn't working that well.
• If we want to keep California working, we need to make sure the rules work too.
• Thank you for the work.

Summary: The committee heard SB 1375 by Senator Cortese, which would streamline environmental review for certain transit and rail projects that have already undergone extensive prior review. Supporters, including VTA, San Jose transportation staff, BART, Caltrain, MTC, and Climate Reality Silicon Valley, said the bill would reduce duplicative analysis, save time and money, and help advance projects like the Diridon Station modernization in San Jose. Committee members emphasized the bill’s narrow scope and the added amendments requiring displacement planning, legal services for displaced residents, construction-impact mitigation, and natural resources planning. The bill was approved on a 5-0 vote and sent to Transportation as amended. The committee also took up SB 1031 on compostable plastics labeling and waste-stream impacts. The author and supporters such as Californians Against Waste argued the bill would reduce greenwashing, clarify labeling, cut contamination in compost and recycling streams, and direct OEHHA to study health and environmental effects. Opposition from manufacturers, BPI, retailers, and others focused on concerns that the bill would effectively ban compostable products in California, create costs, and fail to fix a separate federal/NOP labeling problem. After extensive discussion about composting capacity, labeling clarity, and costs, the bill passed 3-2 to Appropriations. SB 958 by Senator Weber Pierson addressed the Midway Rising redevelopment project in San Diego. The bill, as amended, would no longer create a full CEQA exemption but instead clarify CEQA treatment of building-height impacts in the project’s future EIR. Supporters said the project would deliver thousands of housing units, including affordable housing, along with parks, a new arena, and economic benefits on underused city land. The committee voiced support for the project’s housing and revitalization goals, and the bill passed 3-0 to Local Government as amended. The committee also heard SB 1075 on strengthening AB 617 community air protection plans, with environmental justice supporters backing stronger enforcement and local implementation while local governments, business groups, and air district representatives warned it could create uncertainty, raise costs, and function as a land-use mandate; the bill was held on a 2-2 vote after the author accepted several amendments and continued negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• It's working.
• I mean, he really had to hustle to keep work. He had to work the phones.
• So working with the different parishes, did some parishes work better than others?
• Thank you for all that hard work and working with everybody to accomplish that.
• So these are people who can work, want to work. So thank you. Appreciate it.

Committee: House Appropriations

Transcript Highlights:

• work that she's done to work with the retail community on this broad issue.
• Later, I did full-service sex work for survival. Sex work was empowering for me as a survivor.
• But this bill further criminalizes the work we do without addressing the labor violations of work, like
• Later, I did full-service sex work for survival. Sex work was empowering for me as a survivor.
• But this bill further criminalizes the work we do without addressing the labor violations of work, like

Summary: The House Community Safety Committee held public hearings on several bills. House Bill 2209 would add 12- or 24-month sentencing enhancements for theft-related offenses when the value of stolen, possessed, or trafficked property exceeds $20,000 or $50,000, respectively. Rep. Mari Leavitt said the bill targets organized retail theft and related violence, emphasizing business losses, worker safety, and links to broader criminal activity. Supporters included prosecutors, retailers, law enforcement, and city officials who described organized retail crime as coordinated, underreported, and harmful to employees and communities. Opponents argued theft trends are declining, existing penalties are sufficient, and sentencing enhancements would worsen incarceration and racial disparities. The hearing on HB 2209 was left open for additional testimony. House Bill 2403 would revise penalties for failure to register as a sex offender or kidnapping offender, including lowering the seriousness level for second and subsequent offenses from level 2 to level 1 in the proposed substitute. Testimony was overwhelmingly supportive or neutral. Proponents from the Sex Offender Policy Board, sentencing commission, public defenders, prosecutors, and sheriffs’ representatives said the bill reflects long-negotiated recommendations, better matches the offense’s administrative nature, and may improve compliance by pairing shorter prison terms with community custody and supervision. The committee then closed the public hearing on HB 2403. House Bill 1591, in a proposed substitute, would create a sentencing alternative, resentencing option, and conviction-vacation process for defendants who are verified survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking, where abuse was the primary and proximate cause of the offense. Supporters, including survivor advocates, prosecutors involved in diversion programs, and researchers, said many incarcerated women are survivors and current law often fails to account for coercion and trauma. Some witnesses urged broader eligibility and less reliance on formal documentation. Prosecutors and sheriffs’ representatives expressed concerns about discretion, potential public-safety impacts, and whether existing sentencing factors already address these cases. The committee also heard extensive testimony on House Bill 2526, which would rename patronizing a prostitute as commercial sexual exploitation, expand the offense to include providing anything of value, elevate it from a misdemeanor to a Class C felony, and increase associated fees. Supporters framed it as a response to trafficking, exploitation, and violence against women and children, while opponents—many of them sex workers or survivors—argued it would criminalize consensual adult sex work, push the industry further underground, and reduce safety and income for vulnerable people.

Transcript Highlights:

• And so that doesn't work.
• No, at this point, we've worked with a total of four. We're working with VBC and Tracy.
• We're working with Ottawa and we're working with Nashua in Idaho. I see.
• We're working with Ottawa in Idaho, and we're working with Nashua in Idaho. I see. Okay.
• We've got to work.

Summary: The committee held its second hearing on housing construction innovation, focusing on factory-built and modular housing as a way to lower costs, speed delivery, and expand housing supply. The chair framed the effort as a search for practical innovation paired with land use, financing, and regulatory changes that could make housing more affordable for working families. Government witnesses from HCD, the Strategic Growth Council, and the tax credit and bond allocation agencies explained how factory-built housing is regulated, how California standards and third-party approvals work, and how state programs are trying to build regional demand and financing pipelines for modular production. Testimony from investors and developers emphasized both the promise and the risks of modular construction. JP Morgan Chase and the Housing Accelerator Fund described projects that achieved meaningful time and cost savings, but said lenders still see elevated risk because of manufacturer solvency, upfront deposits, transportation and installation issues, and the need for standardized designs and experienced teams. They urged more standardization, more local factories, better alignment between financing timelines and construction schedules, and state support such as backstops, top-loss capital, and scoring preferences in tax credit and bond programs. Several speakers noted that recent federal changes to the 4% tax credit program increased production capacity, but warned that without continued state investment the pipeline could face a future funding cliff. The workforce panel, including union contractors, factory supervisors, and labor representatives, said modular construction can support good jobs if it is paired with union labor, training, and fair standards. They described benefits for workers such as steadier schedules, less commuting, improved safety, and better work-life balance, while also stressing the need for wages, health coverage, retirement benefits, and apprenticeship opportunities. Union representatives supported a model that keeps both factory and on-site work unionized and said the industry could create more jobs overall if California builds more factories and develops a stable, long-term demand pipeline. No formal votes or actions were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• We're committed to working with both parents to make the program sustainable and work for families.
• Our city has committed real resources to this work. $75,000. committed real resources to this work, $75,000
• for doing the work.
• I have seen firsthand how it works.
• EBT stopped working. Food banks ran out of supplies as lines... EBT stopped working.

Committee: House Human Services

Transcript Highlights:

• I mean, so it works like that.
• So the meds I was on really didn't work for me. It wasn't working for me.
• And we did hear about a working group that has been working.
• So I think essentially, yes, the work group is working.
• I cannot do this work alone.

Summary: The Assembly Budget Subcommittee hearing focused on the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s handling of mental health care in prisons and allegations of sexual abuse, retaliation, and excessive force in the state’s women’s facilities. CDCR officials described their PREA-based prevention and response efforts, including training, oversight, body-worn cameras, retaliation follow-up, and partnerships with outside groups. The Office of the Inspector General explained its monitoring role, noting increased authority under SB 1069, but also limited staffing and the ability to monitor only a portion of cases. The Legislative Analyst’s Office added that prison population trends could allow the state to close a prison and save over $100 million, with some savings potentially redirected to prevention or response efforts. Advocates and formerly incarcerated witnesses from Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition and the California Coalition of Women Prisoners testified that meaningful systemic change has not occurred and that retaliation, blocked programming, and unsafe reporting conditions remain widespread. They described alleged barriers to community-based services, forced or coercive treatment concerns involving Suboxone, and the need for survivor-centered reentry support, trauma-informed care, and more independent oversight. Sandra DeAnda gave detailed testimony about alleged staff abuse, retaliation, denial of mental health care, and a large use-of-force incident at Central California Women’s Facility, while Amika Mota and April Grayson urged release or resentencing for survivors housed with their abusers and greater investment in outside programs. Members of the committee pressed CDCR and OIG on accountability, use-of-force standards, criminal referrals, disciplinary outcomes, and whether investigations are completed within statutory timelines. CDCR acknowledged cultural problems at both women’s prisons and said it was retraining staff and working on reforms, while OIG said it had monitored 161 investigations and found most grievance routing appropriate, though some cases had lapsed due to time limits. Later exchanges revealed that CDCR has over 13,500 active cases and 109 investigators, and that some cases have exceeded deadlines, prompting concerns from members about whether the current system can adequately investigate misconduct and impose consequences. No votes were taken.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, we did the hard work. We did the hard budget work.
• not work for them.
• You do that work.
• It's been a pleasure to work on the committee and in the working group. Working group.
• So good to work with, so good to work with.

Transcript Highlights:

• We know what works, we know what doesn't work.
• This is work Mark Levin started. This is work Bill Hammond started.
• These alternatives work.
• They are my life's work.
• My time before that was clinical work, mental health work.

Bills: HB31 , HB3360

Committee: House S/C on Juvenile Justice

Keywords: juvenile justice, community supervision, felony offenses, treatment of children, juvenile facilities, chemical dispensing device, solitary confinement, rehabilitation, criminal proceedings, delinquency

Transcript Highlights:

• come to notice serving on the work group is since all nine presidents are on the work group, guess what
• </c> I've observed the makeup of this work I've observed the makeup of this work group<00:05:05.840><
• </c> universities on the makeup of the work universities on the makeup of the work of<00:05:22.120><c
• ><c> guess</c> presidents are on the work group guess presidents are on the work group guess what<00:
• </c> what they make up a quorum of the work what they make up a quorum of the work group<00:05:54.800

Summary: The committee first took up House Bill 276, which would revise the membership of the performance-based funding work group for postsecondary education. Representative Tipton explained that the committee substitute changes the group so the CPE president chairs it as a nonvoting member, all nine university and KCTCS presidents serve as nonvoting advisory members, and the voting members are three House members, three Senate members, the state budget director, and one gubernatorial appointee. He said the goal was to reduce deadlock among institutions and allow legislators to deliberate before meetings. Some members raised concerns that the change shifts influence away from the universities and toward the legislature, but Tipton said he had not heard pushback from the presidents. The committee adopted the substitute and passed HB 276 with an expression of opinion that it should pass with the committee substitute attached; several members voted yes, while Representative Roarx voted no and Representative Stalker passed. The committee then considered House Bill 711, another bill sponsored by Representative Baker and presented by Representative Tipton. Tipton said the measure is a cleanup bill for postsecondary statutes, repealing outdated provisions for groups that have not met in years, including the Strategic Committee on Postsecondary Education, the STEM Initiative Task Force, and local P-16 councils, and removing obsolete language about one-time board appointments. It also strikes the statutory definition of remedial education because Kentucky public postsecondary institutions no longer offer remedial classes, instead using transitional courses with wraparound support that count for credit. A question was raised about whether Senate confirmation requirements for some appointees had been removed in the committee substitute, and Tipton confirmed they had. The committee then passed HB 711 with an expression of opinion that it should pass with the committee substitute attached. After the bills, the committee reviewed administrative regulations from the Council on Postsecondary Education. CPE Senior Vice President and General Counsel Travis Pahl explained that the regulations update the performance funding model for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to reflect changes made by Senate Bill 191, including a Community Needs Index that reallocates part of an equity adjustment based on regional poverty, unemployment, and labor participation across the 16 colleges. Members were told the committee could ask questions, propose amendments, or find the regulations deficient, but no further action was taken. The meeting then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Still working on it.
• I know, because I work a lot in smaller communities, I work with schools that often have to do a lot
• Now, can they work in these FQHCs? Can they work in these facilities?
• Are you guys working together?
• So I appreciate your work.

Committee: House Legislative Health & Human Services Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• We are very much committed to working within the resources that we have to do what we can and to working
• So I know the work, I've done the work, but I'm really excited about being able to invest in the team
• So I know the work, I've done the work, but I'm really excited about being able to invest in the team
• Don't take offense to this—I don't want the opportunity to work with you, because I have worked with
• Thank you for your work.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Rules met to consider a series of gubernatorial appointments, bill referrals, and two Senate Rule 26 authorship-change requests. The committee first approved, on 4-0 votes held open for absent members, a slate of appointments not required to appear, including J. Bradshaw to the Transportation Commission, Kylie Bolser to the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, and several appointments to the Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, as well as Monique Moyer to the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority Board. The committee also approved bill referrals and, after a clarification that only authorship changes were before the committee, approved the Rule 26 requests involving former Assembly Member James Gallagher’s bills AB 2676 and AB 2700. After absent members arrived, those earlier actions were confirmed by 5-0 votes. The main hearing was on Megan Hurdle’s appointment as Director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hurdle emphasized a science-based, collaborative approach balancing conservation with the needs of farmers, ranchers, local governments, tribes, and communities. Senators focused on human-wildlife conflict, including wolves and mountain lions, the Western Joshua tree program and its costs for homeowners and local projects, invasive golden mussels, staffing shortages among wildlife officers, marine protected areas and 30x30, tribal co-management and land return, and oil spill prevention and response. Hurdle said the department is using data sharing, less-lethal tools, task forces, public education, and partnerships to address these issues, while also trying to improve permitting and reduce burdens where possible. The committee then heard from Caroline Thomas Jacobs, nominated to lead the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Jacobs highlighted her prior leadership roles in wildfire safety and her earlier service at Cal OES, and said her priorities include statewide preparedness, next-generation 911, recovery from the Los Angeles fires, and planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics. Senators questioned her about disaster debris clearance, public safety power shutoffs, governance for the 911 rollout, earthquake preparedness, mutual-aid equipment, and how Cal OES coordinates with local and out-of-state law enforcement for major events. Jacobs said Cal OES should show up quickly, coordinate clearly, and use lessons from past disasters to reduce delays and improve response. Both nominees received broad support from public witnesses, and each was advanced to the Senate floor by committee vote; Hurdle’s appointment was later confirmed 5-0, and Jacobs’s appointment was confirmed 5-0 after the committee reconvened.

Transcript Highlights:

• We carry the work with us as we're moving forward and as we add to the work.
• That works for me. All right.
• We carry the work with us as we're moving forward and as we add to the work.
• She talked about the work that this PCA working group is doing.
• of work.

Summary: The Massachusetts Permanent Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities held its quarterly meeting virtually and in person at the State House. The commission approved the March minutes and elected its officers by unanimous roll call vote: Denise Garlick as chair, Chris White as vice chair, Carl Richardson as treasurer, and Osmondahar as secretary. The meeting also welcomed several new commissioners, including Rep. Jay Livingstone, Rep. Vanna Howard, Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, Rep. John Marzi, and Leo Sarkisian, with brief introductions from the new legislative members. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the commission’s current work and the broader policy environment affecting people with disabilities. Commissioners and subcommittee leaders raised concerns about federal threats to Medicaid/MassHealth, Section 504 accessibility protections, DEI-related rollbacks, immigration policy impacts on the direct care workforce, and the loss of funding for youth employment and vocational rehabilitation programs. Members also discussed ableist language in public discourse and the need for stronger advocacy and communication in response to these developments. Subcommittee reports highlighted recent activity on disability employment, workforce supports, and long-term services and supports/health equity. Presentations included veterans with disabilities, employment programming for young adults with disabilities, immigration and labor protections, MassHealth’s PCA working group, and a health equity roundtable. The commission also discussed future plans to create an advisory board, develop successor and mentoring planning, and launch regional “meeting the moment” listening sessions across the Commonwealth to strengthen outreach and leadership development. The meeting ended with an open invitation for commissioners to share urgent information with staff for broader distribution and a unanimous motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• working day and 18 hours in the other working day.
• working day and 18 hours in the other working day.
• So they would have to use two working days. ...in the other working day.
• They work on weekends. They work these 24-hour shifts.
• Some of the people that are going to work on the weekends don't have to work on the weekends.

Committee: House Veterans and Armed Forces

Transcript Highlights:

• I know you've done a lot of work.
• Anyway, thank you for all the hard work.
• for his work on it, and you, Chairwoman, did a lot of work on this bill, and we appreciate that very
• I just want to thank the majority leader for the work on this, the governor for his work on it, and I
• I see how hard you guys worked. It's a lot of work to do. So I want to thank you for that.

Committee: Assembly Education

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> the licensure work that they do. the licensure work that they do.
• </c> we're continuing to work on. we're continuing to work on.
• We need to work on that.
• We need to work on that.
• We need to work on that.

Committee: Senate Labor

Transcript Highlights:

• So once people are working With us, we then work with them continuously.
• but Yes, we're still working on it.
• We work really hard to ensure that.
• So we do work in Cathryn County.
• He's looking for work. He's kind of a history major, and this is kind of Interesting work.

Committee: House Water & Natural Resources Committee

Transcript Highlights:

• It's been a pleasure to be the chair and to work with Chair Vang. We worked very well together.
• Thank you, Chair McDonald, for working so hard in dedication and working with our great Chair Vang.
• Um, we had a clip we had to work with.
• And I just have to the specific work.
• That's the way it works.

Transcript Highlights:

• I was working here in DC in the 80s.
• So I would be happy to work with you though on kind of what we're thinking and happy to work with you
• Keep up the fantastic work.
• But then that means our department has to do the work of, truly the work is doing the grant agreements
• And so I am looking forward to working with you and working with this committee to craft bipartisan surface

Committee: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

Keywords: surface transportation, infrastructure reauthorization, bipartisan collaboration, safety, federal programs, funding challenges, bureaucracy, transportation needs, critical projects, public testimony

Summary: The committee meeting focused on the development of the next surface transportation reauthorization bill. Discussions centered around key principles aimed at improving the safety and reliability of the transportation network, reforming federal programs for efficiency, and addressing the diverse transportation needs across various states. Members emphasized the importance of bipartisan collaboration to streamline processes, eliminate bureaucratic delays, and ensure timely funding for critical infrastructure projects. There were also notable conversations about specific projects and funding challenges, reflecting the urgency for action and commitment to modernizing America's infrastructure.

Transcript Highlights:

• I worked in Long Beach for some period of time and also in the Antelope Valley when I was working at
• We're working with Congress.
• And, I mean, I, in my work in the state libraries, we work with local libraries.
• How can you maintain your work?
• Back to work. Back to work. Yeah, thank you.

Summary: The joint informational hearing focused on how federal actions are affecting arts, culture, humanities, libraries, museums, and creative industries in California. Chair Ben Allen, Vice Chair Chris Ward, and other members described the moment as a crisis, citing proposed or implemented cuts to the NEA, NEH, and IMLS, grant terminations, leadership removals, and budget proposals to zero out major cultural agencies. Members emphasized that arts and humanities are both culturally essential and economically significant, and they framed the hearing as a chance to hear impacts on the ground and consider state and federal responses. Testimony from Aaron Harky of Americans for the Arts and Jolie Fisher of SAG-AFTRA highlighted the scale of the problem. Harky said federal rescissions and policy changes are causing immediate financial harm, forcing hiring freezes, program cancellations, and emergency fundraising, while disproportionately hurting rural, immigrant, elder, and small community organizations. She noted California’s creative economy generates hundreds of billions of dollars and urged support for restoring state arts funding, museum grants, and legislation such as SB 456 and AB 3149, along with federal measures like the Charitable Act and Performing Arts Tax Parity Act. Fisher focused on film and television production, saying runaway production, outdated tax rules, and weak federal IP protections are harming workers and local businesses; she urged federal production incentives, tax parity for performers, and stronger protections against AI misuse of artists’ voices and likenesses. State agency leaders Rick Noguchi of California Humanities, Greg Lucas of the State Library, and Danielle Purcell of the California Arts Council described direct impacts from federal funding disruptions. Noguchi said California Humanities lost NEH support immediately, putting grants and documentary projects at risk and prompting possible litigation and appeals. Lucas said the State Library initially faced a major IMLS funding loss but has since had part of the money restored, though still with a reduced amount that will limit local assistance. Purcell said the California Arts Council is assessing terminated grants and fielding urgent calls from grantees, while continuing to distribute state arts funds and track the damage. Members asked about bipartisan support, business coalition-building, economic measurement, AI threats to creative work, and the implications of federal leadership changes; no votes were taken, but the hearing ended with calls for continued advocacy, legal action, and possible state investment to stabilize the sector.