ALL RIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR ATTENDING THE SENATE
RULES COMMITTEE HERE ON THIS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8TH. WE HAVE A
PACKED AGENDA. WHAT WE'D LIKE TO
BE ABLE TO DO IS ESTABLISH A
QUORUM. MADAM SECRETARY, CAN YOU
PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? MAGUIRE.
HERE. MAGUIRE HERE. GROVE.
GROVE. HERE. EGGMAN. HERE.
EGGMAN HERE! JONES! I'M HERE!
JONES! HERE! LAIRD. HERE LAIRD.
HERE. QUORUM. ALL RIGHT, LADIES
AND GENTLEMEN, WE HAVE A FULL
HOUSE. WE WELCOME OUR COMMITTEE
MEMBERS. IT'S A BUSY WEEK IN THE
CAPITOL, AND IT'S A BIT OF A
SPRINT BETWEEN NOW AND THE END
OF THE MONTH. SO WE'RE GRATEFUL
THAT EACH OF YOU ARE HERE TODAY.
WHAT WE'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO
IS TAKE UP WHAT WE CALL OUR
HOUSEKEEPING AGENDA, WHERE WE'RE
GOING TO BE TAKING UP SOME
ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS, AND WE'RE
GOING TO CALL THOSE WHO ARE
REQUIRED TO APPEAR UP. AND WE
WELCOME EACH OF YOU TO BE TO
COMMITTEE TODAY. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR TAKING TIME OUT OF YOUR
BUSY SCHEDULES. SO IT WILL TAKE
US JUST A FEW MINUTES IF IT'S
ALL RIGHT WITH EACH OF THE
POTENTIAL APPOINTEES. AND LET'S
START WITH GOVERNOR. APPOINTEES
NOT REQUIRED TO APPEAR WOULD
LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SEE IF THERE
IS ANY DISCUSSION ON ITEMS TWO E
THROUGH J, AND IF NO DISCUSSION,
WE'LL ALSO TAKE A MOTION. WE
HAVE A MOTION BY MADAM VICE
CHAIR. MADAM SECRETARY, CAN YOU
PLEASE CALL THE ROLL MAGUIRE I
MAGUIRE I GROVE GROVE I EGGMAN,
EGGMAN I JONES I JONES I LAIRD I
LAIRD I 5 TO 0. THAT'S A50 VOTE.
THAT MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU SO
MUCH. MEMBERS WE'RE NOW GOING TO
BE MOVING ON TO THE ISSUE OF
BILL REFERRALS. BILL REFERRALS.
THIS IS ITEM THREE. ANY
DISCUSSION OR WE'LL ENTERTAIN A
MOTION. WE HAVE A MOTION BY
MADAM VICE CHAIR. MADAM
SECRETARY, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL
THE ROLL GROVE? I'M SORRY
MCGUIRE. AYE. MCGUIRE. AYE.
GROVE. GROVE. AYE EGGMAN.
EGGMAN. AYE. JONES. JONES. AYE
LAIRD. LAIRD. AYE. 5 TO 0.
MEMBERS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT'S
A50 VOTE. THE MOTION PASSES.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF
COMMITTEE, WE'RE NOW GOING TO BE
MOVING ON TO COMMITTEE
APPOINTMENTS. THIS IS ITEM
NUMBER FOUR TO APPOINT SENATOR
CORTEZ AS A MEMBER OF THE SENATE
COMMITTEE ON BUDGET AND FISCAL
REVIEW. AND I WANT TO TAKE A
MOMENT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH
TO THE CHAIRPERSON, WHO DOES AN
AMAZING JOB ON BEHALF OF THE
PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA ON THAT
COMMITTEE, SENATOR CORTEZ WOULD
BE REPLACING SENATOR MINH WOULD
LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SEE IF
THERE'S ANY DISCUSSION. AND
WE'LL LOOK TO THE CHAIRPERSON.
CAN I ASK, CAN WE DO FOUR AND
FIVE TOGETHER? I GOT QUESTIONS,
WE ABSOLUTELY CAN DO FOUR AND
FIVE TOGETHER. MADAM SECRETARY,
IF YOU'RE COOL WITH THAT, WE'LL
DO ITEM FOUR AND FIVE TOGETHER.
WE'LL SAY THAT OUT LOUD. THAT'S
ITEM FOUR, WHICH IS COMMITTEE
APPOINTMENTS. AND THEN ITEM FIVE
IS SUBCOMMITTEE RATIFICATION TO
BE ABLE TO REPLACE SENATOR MINH
WITH SENATOR CORTEZ. MR. CHAIR,
ON ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE, WOULD
YOU LIKE TO MAKE THE MOTION? I
MOVE THAT THE FOUR AND FIVE WE
HAVE A MOTION BY SENATOR LAIRD
AND ITEMS 4 OR 5. MADAM
SECRETARY, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL
THE ROLL? MCGUIRE. AYE. MCGUIRE.
AYE. GROVE AYE. GROVE. AYE.
EGGMAN. EGGMAN. AYE. JONES AYE.
JONES. AYE. LAIRD. AYE. LAIRD.
AYE. 5 TO 0. MOTION PASSES FIVE
ZERO VOTE. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE'RE ON OUR LAST, ITEM ON
ADMINISTRATION HERE. AND THAT'S
FLOOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, ITEMS SIX
THROUGH 11. ANY CONVERSATION?
THÀNH. AND WE'LL ALSO WELCOME A
MOTION. WE HAVE A MOTION BY
MADAM VICE CHAIR. MADAM
SECRETARY, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL
THE ROLL? MCGUIRE AYE. MCGUIRE.
AYE. GROVE. GROVE. AYE. EGGMAN
EGGMAN. AYE. JONES. JONES. AYE.
LAIRD. AYE LAIRD. AYE. 5 TO 0.
THAT'S A50 VOTE. LOOK AT THAT.
MOTION PASSES. I'M GOING TO
CLOSE THE ROLL. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE
NOW GOING TO GET INTO THE BULK
OF OUR BUSINESS TODAY. THANK YOU
SO MUCH MEMBERS FOR THE
EFFICIENCY ON THAT. AND WE'RE
GOING TO WELCOME SECRETARY MOSS.
WHY DON'T YOU COME FORWARD.
MADAM SECRETARY, IT'S SO
WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE, MADAM
SECRETARY, FIRST AND FOREMOST,
JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE
PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA. AND LET'S
BE HONEST, YOU'RE TAKING ON AN
AGENCY PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST
CRITICAL TIMES IN OUR STATE'S
HISTORY WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING
AND THE ISSUE OF HOMELESSNESS.
WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR HARD
WORK. WE'RE GOING TO ASK YOU TO
KEEP YOUR COMMENTS AND OPENING
REMARKS TO ABOUT 1 TO 2 MINUTES.
WE WELCOME YOU TO, THANK AND
ACKNOWLEDGE ANY FAMILY MEMBERS
THAT MAY BE HERE IN THE HEARING
ROOM OR ONLINE. I'LL GIVE YOU A
32ND PROMPT AS YOU GET CLOSE TO
THAT TWO MINUTES. I'M NOT TRYING
TO BE RUDE OR PUSHY, AND THEN
WE'LL OPEN UP FOR QUESTIONS AND
COMMENTS FROM THE COMMITTEE.
AGAIN, MADAM SECRETARY, IT'S
WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU. THE FLOOR
IS YOURS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR MCGUIRE
AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
FIRST, I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE
MY FAMILY WHO IS WITH ME HERE
TODAY, MY WIFE GUTHRIE AND MY
AUNT VINITA, WHO WITHOUT THEM, I
DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD BE HERE,
WITHOUT THEIR LOVE AND SUPPORT,
I AM HONORED. GOVERNOR NEWSOM
APPOINTED. APPOINTED ME
SECRETARY OF BUSINESS, CONSUMER
SERVICES AND HOUSING AGENCY. AND
TO ALL OF YOU TO BE CONSIDERED
FOR THIS CONFIRMATION. I BRING
TO THIS ROLE MORE THAN 20 YEARS
OF EXPERIENCE FIGHTING FOR
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE,
MOST RECENTLY AS FOUNDER AND CEO
OF ALL HOME, AN ORGANIZATION
THAT ADVANCES REGIONAL SOLUTIONS
TO DISRUPT POVERTY AND
HOMELESSNESS IN THE BAY AREA. I
HAVE ALSO WORKED IN LOCAL
GOVERNMENT AS CHIEF OF STAFF TO
OAKLAND MAYOR LIBBY SCHAAF AND
AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HOPE
SF, AN INITIATIVE IN THE MAYOR'S
OFFICE TO REVITALIZE PUBLIC
HOUSING IN SAN FRANCISCO. BKSH
TOUCHES THE LIVES OF NEARLY
EVERY CALIFORNIAN, FROM
DEFENDING CIVIL RIGHTS OF THOSE
WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED
DISCRIMINATION IN HOUSING AND
EMPLOYMENT, TO LICENSING MORE
THAN 4 MILLION BUSINESSES AND
PROFESSIONALS, AND TO ADDRESSING
OUR HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
CRISIS HERE IN CALIFORNIA. AS
SECRETARY, I AM COMMITTED TO
LEADING THE 12 DEPARTMENTS AND
36 BOARDS WITH THE SENSE OF
MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY, SHARED
VISION AND A SENSE OF URGENCY.
AS THE CO-CHAIR OF THE
CALIFORNIA INTERAGENCY COUNCIL
ON HOMELESSNESS, I WILL WORK
WITH OUR STATE PARTNERS TO EMBED
A COORDINATED STRATEGY ACROSS
ALL OF GOVERNMENT TO PREVENT AND
END HOMELESSNESS IN OUR STATE.
I'LL BE LOOKING AT STRATEGIC
SOLUTIONS TO STRENGTHEN OUR
CIVIL RIGHTS PROTECTIONS SO THAT
PEOPLE CAN HAVE MORE ACCESS TO
DIGNIFIED HOMES AND JOBS FREE OF
DISCRIMINATION. I WANT TO EXPAND
THE PATHWAYS TO LICENSURE SO
MORE CALIFORNIANS CAN EARN
HIGHER WAGES AND HAVE A PLACE TO
CALL HOME IN OUR GREAT STATE.
AND I WANT TO TRANSLATE THE
SENSE OF URGENCY THAT YOU ALL
FEEL EVERY SINGLE DAY FROM YOUR
CONSTITUENTS INTO OUTCOMES THAT
CALIFORNIANS EXPECT AND DESERVE
FROM THEIR GOVERNMENT. LET'S
LEAVE FROM A PLACE OF ABUNDANCE,
BUILD ON EFFICIENCIES AND SCALE
THOSE SOLUTIONS THAT WE ALL KNOW
WORK. I AM REALLY EAGER TO
PARTNER WITH ALL OF YOU. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. AND I LOOK FORWARD
TO YOUR QUESTIONS. MADAM
SECRETARY, THANK YOU SO MUCH
AGAIN. YOU HAVE BEEN IN THIS
ROLE FOR ABOUT 60 DAYS NOW. YES.
AND YOU HAVE INCREDIBLE
EXPERIENCE. AND I ALSO KNOW IT'S
A FIREHOSE, IN THE BEGINNING.
AND I'LL JUST SPEAK FOR MYSELF
ON THAT, AND I THINK IT'S REALLY
IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO NOTE AS
CO-LEADING THE INTERAGENCY
COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS, BEING
IN THIS ROLE FOR ONLY ABOUT 60
DAYS, YOU HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT
REPORT THAT I KNOW THE
LEGISLATURE TO THE SENATE. AND
THIS RULES COMMITTEE IS LOOKING
FORWARD TO SEEING. AND WE HAVE
HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR THAT WE
WANT TO BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON
ACCOUNTABILITY. WE WOULD
RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT, RULES
COMMITTEE SEES THAT REPORT IN
THE NEXT 30 DAYS. AND I KNOW
THAT THE DEPARTMENT UNDER YOUR
LEADERSHIP IS ALREADY WORKING ON
THAT. I JUST WANT TO BE VERY
CLEAR, THOUGH, THROUGH THAT
REPORT, YOU HAVE BEEN ON THIS
JOB FOR 60 DAYS, AND SO YOU'RE
INHERITING THAT. AND I KNOW
THAT'S A TOP PRIORITY FOR YOU,
MADAM SECRETARY. SO WHAT WE'D
LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO IS START
OUT WITH QUESTIONS, COMMENTS,
FROM THE COMMITTEE. I'M GOING TO
START WITH SENATOR JONES. THEN
WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE COMMITTEE. AND
AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BEING HERE. MY PLEASURE. THANK
YOU, MR. CHAIR, WELCOME,
SECRETARY MOSS. AND I WILL, BACK
UP ALL THE COMMENTS THAT THE
CHAIRMAN OPENED WITH AND KIND OF
IS RAISING SOME OF THE CONCERNS
THAT I'M GOING TO ADDRESS A
LITTLE BIT HERE TODAY. I WILL
RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A HUGE
UNDERTAKING AND, A BIG,
DEPARTMENT, YOU'RE GOING TO BE
IN CHARGE OF SEVERAL
DEPARTMENTS. SO, AGENCY OF THE
GOVERNMENT, RECOGNIZING THAT,
YOU KNOW, 12 DEPARTMENTS, ANY
BEING THE HEAD OF EITHER ANY
SINGLE ONE OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS
IS A BIG JOB. I HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH THE
DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE ON A
REGULAR BASIS. I'M A LICENSED
AGENT, NOT ACTIVE RIGHT NOW,
BUT, YOU KNOW, AND I'VE NEVER
HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE, ALWAYS HAD
HAVE HAD A GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH
THEM AND THE OTHER AGENCIES
THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE THAT
I'VE, I'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH THE
BECAUSE THERE'S SUCH A FOCUS, I
THINK, WITH YOUR APPOINTMENT
SPECIFICALLY TO HOUSING AND
HOMELESSNESS, THOSE ARE THE
ISSUES I'M GOING TO,
SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS TODAY,
RECOGNIZING THAT THERE'S
PROBABLY HUNDREDS OF OTHER
ISSUES WITH ALL THESE OTHER
DEPARTMENTS WE COULD ADDRESS.
CERTAINLY WE DON'T WANT TO BE
HERE TILL NEXT WEDNESDAY
ADDRESSING ALL OF THOSE. AND IN
FAIRNESS TO YOU, RECOGNIZING
THAT ALSO, YOU'VE BEEN ON THE
JOB FOR 60 DAYS. SO, YOU MAY NOT
EVEN HAD A CHANCE TO MEET WITH
ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS YET. I
DON'T KNOW, I'M NOT. THAT'S NOT
ONE OF MY QUESTIONS. SO I WANT I
WANT TO AS THE SECRETARY,
YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY A
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE GOVERNOR.
AND, WHEN HE'S NOT AVAILABLE,
THAT'S YOUR JOB TO BE AVAILABLE
FOR HIM. SO I'M GOING TO RAISE
SOME CONCERNS. THAT MAYBE ARE
MORE FAIR ASKED OF THE GOVERNOR,
BUT YOU'RE THE ONE SITTING HERE
TODAY. IN 2020 AND THE
GOVERNOR'S STATE OF THE STATE
ADDRESS WHEN HE WAS SPECIFICALLY
SPEAKING ON HOMELESSNESS, HE WAS
RAISING THE CONCERN ABOUT
ACCOUNTABILITY. AND I'LL READ
YOU A COUPLE OF QUOTES AND THEN,
MAYBE I'LL READ A COUPLE OF
QUOTES, AND THEN YOU CAN JUST
RESPOND, TO HOW YOU WOULD HANDLE
THIS, IN ADDRESSING THE
STATEMENTS THAT HE'S MADE. SO HE
WANTS TO TRACK RESULTS. AND THE
FAVORITE LINE IS BECAUSE ONE OF
HIS LINES FROM THE STATE OF THE
STATE WAS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T
MANAGE WHAT YOU DON'T MEASURE,
SO WE NEED ACCOUNTABILITY. SO
HERE'S HERE'S SOME OF THE QUOTES
BECAUSE IT'S ALL ABOUT
ACCOUNTABILITY. K¾T MATCHING
RESOURCES TO RESULTS. SO INSTEAD
WE'RE PROPOSING STRICT
ACCOUNTABILITY, COMPREHENSIVE
AUDITS AND A QUOTE, DO IT OR
LOSE IT POLICY TO HOLD LOCAL
GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR
RESULTS. NEXT QUOTE TAKE ACTION
OR LOSE ACCESS TO THIS NEW
FUNDING. NEXT QUOTE. TO TRACK
PROGRESS, THE STATE WILL
ESTABLISH A UNIFIED HOMELESS
DATA SYSTEM TO CAPTURE ACCURATE
LOCAL INFORMATION. AND THE LAST
QUOTE THAT I WILL RAISE FROM
THAT STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS,
THIS IS IN 2020, JUST FOUR YEARS
AGO, AND I THINK WE'RE STILL
WAITING FOR THE 2024 STATE OF
THE STATE ADDRESS, BECAUSE YOU
CAN'T MANAGE WHAT YOU DON'T
MEASURE, YOU'VE OBVIOUSLY UP TO
SPEED ON THE MEDIA AND THE PRESS
AND THE $24 BILLION THAT HAS
BEEN TALKED ABOUT BEING SPENT
OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS TO
ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS AND AN
AUDIT THAT WAS RECENTLY DONE
THAT THEY COULDN'T EVEN COMPLETE
THE AUDIT BECAUSE THESE, THINGS
THAT THE GOVERNOR WAS TALKING
ABOUT, THE DATA SYSTEMS, THE
ACCOUNTABILITY, THE REPORTS, THE
WEREN'T EVEN AVAILABLE FOR THE
AUDIT TO BE COMPLETED AND, AND
COME UP WITH A REASONABLE
RESULT. AND I THINK THAT'S
DISAPPOINTING TO A LOT OF US IN
THE LEGISLATURE, ME FOR SURE.
AND I JUST WANTED TO PRESENT
THAT TO YOU. AND WITH 60 DAYS OF
EXPERIENCE, HOW WOULD YOU
RESPOND TO THAT? US NOT LIVING
UP TO THE GOVERNOR'S
EXPECTATIONS FROM 2020? WELL,
THANK YOU, SENATOR. I THINK IT
IS A VALID QUESTION. AND I GUESS
I WOULD START OFF BY SAYING,
PRIOR TO THIS ADMINISTRATION, WE
HAD NOT SEEN THE LEVEL OF
INVESTMENT IN HOUSING AND
HOMELESSNESS FROM ANY OTHER
GOVERNOR. FOR AS LONG AS I'VE
LIVED IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA, WHICH IS NOW 21
YEARS. AND BECAUSE WE HADN'T
SEEN THOSE RESOURCES DEDICATED
TO THIS ISSUE, WE HAVE INHERITED
A CHALLENGE THAT IS DECADES IN
THE MAKING. AND SO WHEN THE
GOVERNOR GAVE HIS SPEECH IN
2020, THE PRIMARY ISSUE OF
EVERYBODY, I THINK IN THIS ROOM,
CERTAINLY, AND EVERYBODY IN THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA, IS THAT WE
ARE INDEED EXPERIENCING A
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS CRISIS.
THAT IS, I PERSONALLY BELIEVE,
IS THE SOCIAL ISSUE OF OUR TIME.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO START BY
SAYING THE URGENCY AND MAGNITUDE
OF THIS CHALLENGE DIDN'T
ORIGINATE IN 2020. IT DIDN'T
ORIGINATE DURING THIS
ADMINISTRATION. SO I THINK IT'S
IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THE
CONTRIBUTIONS THAT THIS
ADMINISTRATION HAS, HAS MADE TO
THE PROBLEM, NOT JUST IN
FUNDING, BUT ACTUALLY IN
CREATING THE INFRASTRUCTURE AT
THE STATE LEVEL TO BE ABLE TO
STAND UP A DATA SYSTEM THAT HAS
NEVER EXISTED ACROSS ANY PLACE
IN THE COUNTRY WHERE YOU ARE
AGGREGATING DATA FROM 44
CONTINUUMS OF CARE AND TRYING TO
SYNTHESIZE THAT. AND THAT'S
PERSONAL LEVEL DATA TO
SYNTHESIZE THAT DATA, TO GIVE,
INPUT AND, FRANKLY, INFORMATION
NOT JUST TO THE STATE PARTNERS,
BUT TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT ABOUT
HOW THESE RESOURCES ARE ACTUALLY
SERVING PEOPLE WHO NEED THOSE
SERVICES AND HOUSING THE MOST.
AND SO THAT INFRASTRUCTURE JUST
STARTS TO BE BUILT IN 2021. AND
SO IT IS GOING TO TAKE US TIME
TO REALLY SEE THE FRUITS OF THE
LABOR THAT THAT THE GOVERNOR
TALKED ABOUT IN HIS SPEECH. I
THINK ACCOUNTABILITY ISN'T JUST
ABOUT WHO'S WHO'S RESPONSIBLE
FOR SPENDING THEIR MONEY WELL,
OR WHOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR DOING
THE WORK. IT'S ACTUALLY MUTUAL
ACCOUNTABILITY ABOUT WHO IS
ACTUALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR
ADDRESSING THE DEGRADATION OF
180,000 CITIZENS. CALIFORNIA
ALIENS WHO ARE UNHOUSED EVERY
SINGLE DAY IN OUR IN OUR STATE.
AND SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT
ACCOUNTABILITY, YOU ASKED HOW I
WOULD REACT TO THOSE STATEMENTS.
I REALLY THINK ABOUT HAVING
WORKED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT,
LOOKING TO THE STATE FOR
GUIDANCE ABOUT HOW DO WE
LEVERAGE AND UTILIZE OUR
RESOURCES TO HAVE THE MOST
IMPACT THAT WE CAN ON THE GROUND
THAT ACTUALLY IS HAPPENING? WE
HOUSE THOUSANDS OF FOLKS EVERY
SINGLE DAY. WE DISRUPT THAT
HOUSING CRISIS FOR THEM EVERY
SINGLE DAY IN THE CITY OF LOS
ANGELES, THEY HOUSE 227 PEOPLE
EVERY DAY. AND DURING THAT SAME
PERIOD OF TIME, ALMOST DOUBLE.
THAT BECOMES UNHOUSED DURING THE
SAME PERIOD OF TIME. SO I THINK
THE CHALLENGE THAT WE'RE
CONFRONTED WITH IS SYSTEMIC,
WHERE OUR INFLOWS INTO
HOMELESSNESS IS OUTPACING OUR
EXITS. WE CAN'T HOUSE PEOPLE
FAST ENOUGH FOR ALL OF THE FOLKS
THAT ARE FALLING INTO
HOMELESSNESS ACROSS THE STATE.
AND SO I THINK THE AUDACITY OF
WHAT THE GOVERNOR WAS TALKING
ABOUT IS EXACTLY AT THE RIGHT
LEVEL. IT'S GOING TO TAKE US
TIME TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE
INFRASTRUCTURE, THE STAFFING,
THE TRAINING, THE EXPECTATIONS
ACROSS ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
AND FRANKLY, THE ENTIRE
ECOSYSTEM TO MAKE SURE WE ARE
REALLY ORGANIZED, COORDINATED
AND HOLDING OURSELVES
ACCOUNTABLE TO THE GOALS THAT WE
SET BECAUSE THE SOLUTIONS ARE
NOT A MYSTERY, BUT WE HAVE NOT
BEEN ABLE TO SEE ENOUGH
RESOURCES AT SCALE TO BE ABLE TO
ATTACK THE PROBLEM AT THE SIZE
OF THE PROBLEM. AND WE NEED TIME
AND ACCOUNTABILITY, BUT WE
CERTAINLY NEED TIME TO MAKE SURE
THAT LOCAL JURISDICTIONS ÓRDENES
STATE INFRASTRUCTURE ACTUALLY
KNOWS HOW ARE WE REACHING OUR
GOALS? HOW DO WE ITERATE? I AM
SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES IN
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. IT IS
NOT. I AM NOT INTIMIDATED BY THE
AUDIT FINDINGS. I WELCOME THEM,
THE GOVERNOR WELCOMES THEM
BECAUSE IT MAKES US BETTER AND
NOBODY WINS WHEN WE JUST POINT
OUR FINGERS AND SAY IT WAS YOUR
FAULT, THAT THAT PERSON IS
UNHOUSED, ESPECIALLY THE PERSON
WHO'S UNHOUSED. SO IT'S OUR
RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT
ACCOUNTABILITY IS SHARED. WE'RE
ACTING WITH THAT SENSE OF
URGENCY, AND WE'RE LIVING UP TO
THOSE ASPIRATIONS THAT THE
GOVERNOR REFERENCED IN HIS
ADDRESS BECAUSE I BELIEVE THEM.
GREAT. THANK YOU. AND I THINK
THE ONE IN THE REPORT THAT
YOU'RE GOING TO BE PROVIDING TO
THE LEGISLATURE AND, YOU KNOW,
ADDITIONAL AUDITS. I THINK THE,
YOU KNOW, SPEAKING FOR MY
CONSTITUENTS, TAXPAYERS AND
VOTERS IN THE 40TH SENATE
DISTRICT AND AS MINORITY LEADER,
HEARING FROM OTHER CONSTITUENTS
AROUND THE STATE, CALIFORNIANS
ARE VERY FRUSTRATED WITH THE
HOMELESS SITUATION IN
CALIFORNIA. OF COURSE, THEY'RE
FRUSTRATED THAT WE'VE SPENT $24
BILLION IN FOUR YEARS, WHICH IS
A LOT OF MONEY, THAT'S THE
EQUIVALENT TO SOME STATE'S
ENTIRE, ANNUAL BUDGET AND PER
YEAR. ALSO SO, THEY'RE EXPECTING
RESULTS. THEY'RE EXPECTING US TO
BE ABLE TO TELL THEM WHERE THIS
MONEY WENT. AND SITTING HERE
TODAY, THE GOVERNOR CANNOT TELL
THE TAXPAYERS OF CALIFORNIA
WHERE THAT $24 BILLION WENT.
WHAT IT DID, HOW MANY PEOPLE IT
SERVED, HOW MANY PEOPLE GOT OFF
THE STREETS INTO TEMPORARY
HOUSING OR INTO REHABILITATION
OR IN INTO ANY KIND OF SUPPORT
COURT? AND THEN FURTHERMORE,
FROM THAT SITUATION, INTO
PERMANENT HOUSING. AND SO WE'VE
GOT A LONG WAYS TO GO ON THIS,
AND I'M HOPING THE GOVERNOR WILL
GIVE YOU THE TOOLS THAT YOU NEED
TO DO IT. BUT BUT, YOU KNOW, SO
FAR I DON'T THINK HE'S DONE
THAT. SO THAT'S IT FOR ME. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MADAM
SECRETARY. I'M GOING TO HAVE YOU
RESPOND IF YOU'D LIKE. AND THEN
WE'RE GOING TO TURN THE FLOOR
OVER TO SENATOR EGGMAN. MADAM
SECRETARY, IF YOU'D LIKE TO
RESPOND TO SENATOR JONES.
CERTAINLY. AND I JUST WANT TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT IS
ABSOLUTELY TRUE THAT
CALIFORNIANS ARE FRUSTRATED WITH
OUR HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND
HOMELESSNESS CRISIS. WE ALL
SHOULD BE. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR STATE
WITH REGARD TO THIS ISSUE. AND I
THINK WE HAVE TO BE MUCH MORE
STRATEGIC ABOUT HOW WE'RE TRYING
TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM SO THAT
WHEN WE ARE ALLOCATING
RESOURCES, WE CERTAINLY WANT TO
KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE
RESOURCES. AND I HAVE SOME OF
THE DATA POINTS THAT THE REPORT
THAT YOU REFERENCED. WE WILL
HAVE THAT TO, THIS COMMITTEE BY
THE END OF THE WEEK NEXT WEEK.
SO WE WILL WE ARE ABSOLUTELY
URGENT IN THAT RESPONSE. BUT WE
DO KNOW SOME THINGS, SENATOR,
AND I JUST WANT TO SHARE A
COUPLE OF, OF THINGS FROM OUR
GIS SYSTEM THAT YOU REFERENCED
EARLIER. SO BETWEEN IN THE YEARS
OF 2022, 2023, MORE THAN 349,000
CALIFORNIANS ACCESS SERVICES
THROUGH THE SYSTEM THAT THAT IS
THE DATA THAT IS SHARED WITH US
ACROSS ALL OF THE 44 COCS THAT
WE RECEIVE, 184,000 FOLKS WERE
NEWLY EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
DURING THAT SAME YEAR, AND THE
OUTFLOW INTO PERMANENT HOUSING
WAS ABOUT 72,000 PEOPLE
RECEIVING PERMANENT HOUSING
SOLUTIONS. SO AGAIN, WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT THE INFLOWS INTO
HOMELESSNESS AND THE EXITS, WE
MUST LOOK AT PREVENTION. WE MUST
FIGURE OUT HOW, IN FACT, WE ARE
PREVENTING FOLKS FROM FALLING
INTO THIS CRISIS IN THE FIRST
PLACE AND DOING THAT IN A
TARGETED WAY. SO WE LOOK AT THE
INDICATORS THAT TELL US WHO'S
MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE
HOMELESSNESS. AND WE HAVE, SOME
PARTNERS, BOTH FROM UCLA AND.
THE POLICY LAB DOWN THERE THAT
ARE DOING SOME PREDICTIVE
ANALYTICS TO HELP US UNDERSTAND
WHO, IN FACT, ARE WHO, IN FACT,
ARE MOST AT RISK AT HOME OF
HOMELESSNESS SO THAT WE CAN
PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE,
CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES, HOUSE
LEGAL SERVICES TO MAKE SURE THAT
THOSE FOLKS DON'T FALL INTO
HOMELESSNESS. SO I, I UNDERSTAND
THE FRUSTRATION. I HONOR THAT I
SIT IN THIS SEAT WITH A SENSE OF
URGENCY. VÆ IT IS NOT, IT IS NOT
NEW TO ME. JUST 60 DAYS AGO THAT
THIS CRISIS IS THE CRISIS OF OUR
TIME. I'VE BEEN AT THIS A LONG
TIME, AND I HAVE WITNESSED
FAMILIES WHO, WHEN I WAS THE CEO
OF HAMILTON FAMILIES IN SAN
FRANCISCO, WE WERE WORKING, VERY
HARD TO RESOLVE HOMELESSNESS FOR
FAMILIES AND CHILDREN AND FOR
EVERY FAMILY I WOULD HOUSE.
THREE MORE WOULD BECOME HOMELESS
DURING THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME.
SO I, I THINK WE HAVE TO BE MUCH
MORE KHÓ, COMPREHENSIVE IN THE
SOLUTIONS THAT WE ARE BRINGING
TO THE TABLE AND MAKE SURE THAT
WE ARE WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP
WITH OUR LOCAL JURISDICTIONS AND
THE STATE TO HAVE THOSE MUTUAL
ACCOUNTABILITY, OUTCOMES THAT
WE'RE ALL LOOKING FOR. SO I
REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR QUESTION.
THANK YOU, MADAM SECRETARY. THIS
TURNED OVER TO SENATOR EGGMAN.
THANK YOU, GOVERNOR MCKEE, WHOSE
PIO. I'M JUST SAYING, BECAUSE
YOU BROKE DOWN THE SECOND THAT
YOU. YEAH. IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE
COULD UNDERSTAND. AND, AND LIKE
YOU, I HAVE WORKED AT ALL LEVELS
OF GOVERNMENT AND DIRECTLY IN
THE FIELD, AND THIS IS
INCREDIBLY COMPLICATED STUFF. I
REMEMBER IN, IN. SO I'M A SOCIAL
WORKER. AND SO I'VE WORKED IN
AND AROUND HOMELESSNESS AND, AND
HOUSING ISSUES AND MENTAL HEALTH
ISSUES. LET'S ADD THAT IN AND
LET'S ADD IN ADDICTION ISSUES,
AND EVERY DIFFERENT SYSTEM THAT
INTERSECTS WITH ALL OF THOSE AS
WELL AS A NONPROFITS ALL GETTING
IN THERE TO DO THEIR PART. AND
IT JUST MAKES IT INCREDIBLY
COMPLICATED. WHEN I WAS IN CITY
COUNCIL IN 2000, 2010, I HAD MY
INTERNS AND I WORKED STARTED
WORKING ON THE FIRST, TEN YEAR
PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS, FIRST
1 IN 2010. WE DIDN'T, YOU KNOW,
WE FAILED, BUT ALSO, RIGHT AFTER
THAT, THE BOTTOM FELL OUT IN
STOCKTON AND WE ENDED UP
SPIRALING INTO BANKRUPTCY AND
HAD, YOU KNOW, IT WAS IT WAS A
HORRIBLE TIME. SO SINCE 2010,
I'M JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT AS
WE WERE TRYING TO JUST BEGIN TO
STAND UP, THE SYSTEMS. HOW DID
YOU ENTER THE DATA? RIGHT. HOW
DID YOU MAKE SURE THERE WAS A
CENTRAL LOCATION AMONGST ALL THE
NONPROFITS IN TOWN, AND THE
CITIES AND THE COUNTY AND THE
SHELTERS? INCREDIBLY COMPLEX
NETWORK, AND NOW AND THEN WE
JUST, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLY THAT UP
. SO I AM I AM GLAD YOU ARE
GOING TO BE THERE. I'M GLAD
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE YOUR, YOUR
YOUR VERY PRACTICAL, EXPERIENCE,
LIVED EXPERIENCE AS YOU BRING IT
TO FROM EVERY LEVEL OF
GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS YOUR YOUR
URGENCY THAT YOU FEEL. BECAUSE I
THINK IT IS URGENT. SO MY
QUESTION IS KIND OF AT A BROADER
LEVEL. SO ONE OF MY FIRST
HEARINGS WHEN I WAS HERE WAS ON
I WAS ON THE BMP HEARING AND THE
PEOPLE WERE LINED UP OUT THE
DOOR, LINED UP, LINED UP, AND IT
WAS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF
COSMETOLOGY, THE BOARD OF
COSMETOLOGY AND BARBERING. AND
I'M LIKE, OH MY GOODNESS. LIKE,
I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS SO
IMPORTANT. BUT FOR EACH
PROFESSION, SOMETHING IS LIKE SO
IMPORTANT. YOU LINE UP AND
PEOPLE PAY FOR BUSSES TO BRING
YOU UP. SO YOU KNOW IT'S AN
IMPORTANT ISSUE. PEOPLE ARE
LOBBYING ON GENERALLY A SCOPE OF
PRACTICE. SO HOW WITH EVERYTHING
UNDER THIS AGENCY, ARE YOU GOING
TO BALANCE CONSUMER AFFAIRS? I
MEAN, ALL OF THE BOARDS THAT ARE
UNDER THAT HOMELESSNESS AND
HOUSING, HOW DO YOU BALANCE ALL
THOSE AND PRIORITIZE? IT'S A
GREAT QUESTION, AND MAYBE I'LL
RESPOND FIRST TO YOUR COMMENTS
BECAUSE WE ARE KINDRED SPIRITS.
I STARTED MY WORK HERE IN
CALIFORNIA AS A SOCIAL WORKER
WITH THE TENDERLOIN NEIGHBORHOOD
DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. AND SO
THAT IS THE SPIRIT IN WHICH I DO
THIS WORK. SO I REALLY
APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU'VE
DONE AND HOW HOW YOU APPROACH
YOUR ROLE, THE OTHER THING I
WANTED TO COMMENT ON WAS THE
IDEA THAT AS YOU DESCRIBE THE
SYSTEM AS A COMPLICATED WEB,
BKSH IS JUST ONE ENTITY IN THE
SCOPE OF AN ECOSYSTEM
RESPONSIBLE FOR ADDRESSING OUR
HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING CRISIS.
AND SO AS THE CO-CHAIR OF THE
INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON
HOMELESSNESS, WE HAVE 14 OF OUR
DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES AT THE
HELM. I CO-CHAIR THAT COMMITTEE
OR THAT COUNCIL WITH WITH
SECRETARY GHALY, WHO OVERSEES
OUR HUMAN HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES. AND EVEN WITHIN THAT
AGENCY, THERE IS A TREMENDOUS
AMOUNT WITHIN OUR WELFARE AND,
MENTAL HEALTH AND HEALTH
SYSTEMS, RIGHT? THAT ALL NEED TO
COME TOGETHER SO THAT WE ARE
HAVING AN ALL GOVERNMENT, ALL
HANDS IN APPROACH TO ADDRESSING
THIS CRISIS. SO I JUST WANTED TO
LIFT UP THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT
ONLY WHAT WE NEED TO BE DOING
WITH ACCOUNTABILITY FOR OUR HAP
FUNDING AND OUR OUR ENCAMPMENT
RESOLUTION FUNDING. BUT FRANKLY,
THERE ARE RESOURCES ACROSS ALL
OF THOSE AGENCIES AND
DEPARTMENTS THAT ALSO NEED TO BE
COORDINATED AND REALLY ALIGN SO
THAT WE'RE GETTING THE MAXIMUM
IMPACT WITH ALL OF OUR STATE'S
INVESTMENTS. SO I JUST WANTED TO
LIFT THAT UP IN TERMS OF HOW I
APPROACH THE SORT OF DIVERSE
PORTFOLIO OF BKSH. I THINK IT'S
AMAZING IN SOME WAYS, I AS I
CAME INTO THIS ROLE, I'VE ALWAYS
BEEN OBVIOUSLY SPENT A LOT OF
TIME IN THE HOUSING AND
HOMELESSNESS SPACE, BUT I WAS SO
EXCITED TO GET TO KNOW ABOUT THE
CONSUMER PROTECTION SIDE BECAUSE
WE ACTUALLY LICENSED 4 MILLION
INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUALS AND
BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE OTHER
SIDE OF HOUSING AFFORDABILITY,
IT'S ECONOMIC MOBILITY AND
OPPORTUNITY. AND IF WE ARE ABLE
TO MAXIMIZE US ACCESS TO THOSE
PROFESSIONS, CREATING LIVABLE
WAGE JOBS, FRANKLY, THAT WILL
ALLOW PEOPLE THE INCOMES THAT
CAN HELP THEM SECURE THE HOUSING
THAT THEY NEED AND TAKE CARE OF
ALL THE OTHER HOUSEHOLD AND
FAMILY NEEDS THAT THEY MIGHT
HAVE. I SEE A REALLY DIRECT
CONNECTION THERE. I THINK ABOUT
OUR CIVIL RIGHTS WORK AND HOW
IMPORTANT IT IS TO MAKE SURE
THAT PEOPLE ARE FREE OF
DISCRIMINATION, BOTH IN THEIR IN
THEIR JOBS AND IN THEIR HOUSING.
RIGHT. THOSE THOSE RIGHTS NEED
TO BE PROTECTED. SO IN SOME
WAYS, AS ECLECTIC AS THIS AGENCY
IS, I SEE THE MOSAIC OF
OPPORTUNITY WE'RE BUILDING ON
OUR WORKFORCE AND ECONOMIC
MOBILITY STRATEGIES. WHILE ALSO
MAKING SURE THAT THOSE FOLKS
HAVE A SAFE AND STABLE PLACE TO
LIVE. THAT IS THE POWER OF THIS
AGENCY. IN ADDITION TO BEING
ABLE TO WORK WITH MY COLLEAGUES
ACROSS THE ADMINISTRATION TO
LOOK IN THEIR POCKETS, ALSO,
BECAUSE MY TRANSPORTATION
COLLEAGUES THERE, IT MATTERS
WHEN HOUSING IS CLOSE TO
TRANSIT. WE WANT TO REDUCE
GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS. WE ALSO
WANT TO REDUCE SPRAWL, RIGHT? IT
MATTERS WHEN WE LOOK AT OUR
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS. THE
PEOPLE MOST IMPACTED BY NATURAL
DISASTERS ARE PEOPLE OF THE
LOWEST INCOMES, FOLKS WHO ARE
UNHOUSED. AND SO I SEE
INTERCONNECTEDNESS ACROSS THE
ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM. AND SOME
PEOPLE MIGHT CALL THAT MY
ACHILLES HEEL, BUT I KIND OF SEE
THE WORLD IN TECHNICOLOR, AND IF
WE ARE ABLE TO BREAK DOWN THOSE
SILOS AND YOU UTILIZE THE ASSETS
, THE POWER OF ALL THAT WE HAVE
TO OFFER, THAT'S HOW WE SCALE
THE IMPACT THAT WE'RE LOOKING
FOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, THANK
YOU. I LIKE YOUR METAPHOR BETTER
THAN MINE. MINE'S A WEB WHERE
PEOPLE GET STUCK. YOURS IS A
MOSAIC. WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SOME
ART. YOU CAN HAVE IT. RIGHT? ALL
RIGHT, SO YOU MAKE THAT ONE
WORK. I'M FOR THE ART. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, SENATOR.
PLEASE, MADAM VICE CHAIR. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM SECRETARY,
FOR BEING HERE TODAY, I DID I
HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ON MY
SCHEDULE, PORTION OF QUESTIONS
THAT I WANTED TO ASK, BUT I WANT
TO FOLLOW UP ON A COUPLE OF
QUESTIONS THAT YOU JUST
ANSWERED, IF THAT'S OKAY. YOU
LOOK DOWN AT YOUR NOTES AND YOU
SAID YOU DO HAVE, SOME NUMBERS
THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO RELEASE TO
US TODAY, BUT THE FULL REPORT
WOULD BE AT THE END OF THIS
WEEK. AND THAT'S YOUR GOAL OF
MAKING IT HAPPEN. YOU SAID WE
HAD 349,000 PEOPLE SEEK,
SERVICES, SEEK SERVICES OUT OF
THE 44 COX THAT THAT YOU ARE
OVER. CORRECT. OR SO THE NØ. NO,
NO, THE 44 COX PROVIDE DATA TO
OUR STATE SYSTEM QUARTERLY. WE
SYNTHESIZE THAT DATA. AND THAT'S
HOW WE ASSESS HOW MANY
CALIFORNIANS ARE UTILIZING
SERVICES ACROSS THE STATE. AND
THE OTHER NUMBER YOU GAVE US WAS
184,000 PEOPLE. AND YOU'LL HAVE
TO GIVE ME THE REASON FOR IT. I
DIDN'T GET IT. 184,000 FOLKS IN
THAT SYSTEM DATA SET WERE NEWLY
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, AND
72,000 RECEIVED HOUSING. YES.
HOW MUCH DID ALL THAT COST OR
JUST THE 72,000 TO GET HOUSING?
WELL, SO WE ARE CURRENTLY IN OUR
FOURTH ROUND OF HAP FUNDING AND
IT'S $1 BILLION TOTAL. WE'VE
ADMINISTERED THE FIRST HALF OF
THAT. SO 500 MILLION TO
JURISDICTIONS ACROSS THE STATE.
AND WE WILL ALL, WE WILL
ADMINISTER THE SECOND HALF OF
THAT FUNDING. ONCE JURISDICTIONS
HAVE EXPENDED UP TO 75% OF THE
FIRST TRANCHE. BUT I WILL SAY
THE, THE COST IS JUST THAT'S
JUST OUR HAP FUNDING. AND OUR
EMERGENCY, OUR ENCAMPMENT
RESOLUTION GRANT FUNDS. THOSE
ARE ONLY TWO PROGRAMS. THESE
NUMBERS ALSO INCORPORATE LOCAL,
FEDERAL AND STATE DOLLARS. SO
THE SYSTEM ITSELF IS, AGAIN, A
MOSAIC OF RESOURCES. BUT THE
FUNDING STREAMS THAT WE MONITOR
WITHIN BKSH ARE THE HAP FUNDS
AND THE EMERGENCY OR THE, THE
ENCAMPMENT RESOLUTION FUNDS.
THANK YOU. I THINK THAT WHERE
WHERE I'M COMING FROM ON THIS
QUESTION IS, IS THAT I WOULD
LIKE TO CORRELATE THE DOLLARS
WITH HELPING HOMELESSNESS. DO I
THINK THAT WE HAVE A HOMELESS
CRISIS? ABSOLUTELY WE DO. I AND
WE HAVE A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION
ON WHERE IT OR HOW IT HAPPENS. I
THINK IT'S POLICIES THAT COME
OUT OF THIS BUILDING THAT
INFLATE THE COST OF LIVING, THE
COST OF FUEL, THE COST OF FOOD.
AND THEN PEOPLE HAVE TO MAKE
CHOICES BECAUSE THEY CAN'T
AFFORD EVERYTHING THAT THEY USED
TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD IN
CALIFORNIA. BUT I THINK THE MOST
PHONE CALLS THAT I GET IN MY
OFFICE ARE THE FRUSTRATIONS THAT
$1.1 BILLION WAS SPENT IN SAN
FRANCISCO AND 31 PEOPLE GOT
HOUSED, 2.8 BILLION FROM 16 TO
17. AND EVEN A JUST A FAIRLY
LARGER NUMBER GOT HOUSED. SO AND
I THINK THAT CAL MATTERS AND
SOME OTHER ARTICLES WERE PUT OUT
ABOUT $179,000 PER TENT FOR
HOMELESS PEOPLE. AND I WISH I
HAD THAT ARTICLE HERE. I COULD
BE GLAD TO PROVIDE IT TO YOUR
OFFICE, I APPRECIATE THE FACT
THAT YOU'RE ONLY ON THE, ONLY
HERE FOR 60 DAYS. I APPRECIATE
THE FACT THAT YOU ARE ABIDING A
WHOLE. I MEAN, I DON'T WANT TO
BE AWFUL, BUT IT'S LIKE YOU'RE
GOING TO TRY TO EAT THE WHOLE
ELEPHANT AT THE SAME TIME. AND
THE REASON WHY I SAY THAT IS
BECAUSE IT'S LIKE IT'S THE
BIGGEST MONSTER IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA RIGHT NOW. BESIDES
INFLATION IS HOMELESSNESS AND
YOU'RE GOING TO TACKLE IT. AND
SO I THINK THAT'S A BIG BITE OF
THE APPLE, SO I APPLAUD YOU FOR
THAT. I DO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT
YOUR PREDECESSORS AND WHAT
HAPPENED IN THE PAST ABOUT
SPENDING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF
TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND NOT SOLVING
THE PROBLEM, THERE WAS AN
ARTICLE IN THE LOS ANGELES
TIMES, WHICH IS NOT THE MOST
CONSERVATIVE PAPER IN THE IN THE
STATE, AND THEY WERE TALKING
ABOUT THE, CONTINUOUS,
DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE HOUSING
HOMELESSNESS. AND THEY DON'T
REALLY TALK TO EACH OTHER. AND
IT'S MOST OF THE FUNDING GOES TO
ADMIN AND STUFF, BUT NOTHING
GOES TO DIRECT SERVICES TO THE
HOUSING POPULATION. SO, I DON'T
KNOW IF THOSE ARE THINGS THAT
ARE ON YOUR RADAR THAT YOU'RE
GOING TO BE, LOOKING AT IN THE
FUTURE, IN, IN THE, IN THE REAL
WORLD, I GUESS AS A BUSINESS
OWNER, YOU WOULD CALL IT A ROOT
CAUSE ANALYSIS, LIKE FIND OUT
WHAT THE ROOT CAUSE IS AND WHY
HOMELESSNESS IS HAPPENING. AND
WHAT RESOURCES NEED TO BE
ALLOCATED TO FIX THAT SITUATION,
I'LL LET YOU RESPOND TO
THURMOND. I'M GOING TO GO INTO
MY QUESTIONS THAT I REALLY HAD
FOR YOU ON THE SUBJECT MATTER.
THANK YOU, SENATOR. AND, I FIRST
WANT TO SAY I AGREE. IT IS, IT
TAKES US TOO LONG TO BUILD
HOUSING IN CALIFORNIA AND IT
COSTS TOO MUCH. AND SO ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT I LOOK FORWARD
TO IS BUILDING ON THE WORK THAT
THE LEGISLATURE AND THE
ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE TO
STREAMLINE OAN, HOUSING,
GETTING HOUSING BUILT IN ALL
PARTS OF CALIFORNIA, IT REALLY
DOES REQUIRE THAT LEVEL OF
DIRECTION AND LEADERSHIP SO THAT
LOCAL JURISDICTIONS CAN
STREAMLINE THOSE PROJECTS AND
GET THEM BUILT AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE. WE CAN'T HAVE THE
AVERAGE COST OF A HOME COSTING
ALMOST $1 MILLION, LIKE WE'RE
NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE
OUR CRISIS. SO I DO NOT DISAGREE
THAT THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO
DO, BUT I HAVE TO SAY I'M NOT
STARTING FROM SCRATCH. I'M
INHERITING A LEGACY OF WORK,
THAT I CAN BUILD ON, THAT WE CAN
EXPEDITE. RIGHT. I THINK WE HAVE
SOME OPPORTUNITIES, TO LEVERAGE
EXISTING RESOURCES WITH THE
PASSAGE. PASSAGE OF PROP ONE.
THOSE ARE NEW RESOURCES THAT
WILL BE AVAILABLE TO COUNTIES
AND LOCAL JURISDICTIONS SO THAT
WE CAN BE MUCH MORE SURGICAL IN
TERMS OF HOW WE ARE DELIVERING
THOSE SERVICES TO FOLKS AND HOW
WE'RE BUILDING THE HOUSING THAT
PEOPLE SO DESPERATELY NEED. I
WILL SAY, THOUGH, THAT I THINK
THE PRIMARY ISSUE THAT CAUSES
HOMELESSNESS IS HOUSING A LACK
OF IT. SO FOR EVERY 23 PEOPLE
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR DEEPLY
AFFORDABLE HOUSING, OR SORRY FOR
EVERY 100 HUNDRED PEOPLE WHO IS
ELIGIBLE FOR DEEPLY AFFORDABLE
HOUSING, WE ONLY HAVE 23 UNITS
OF HOUSING. SO WE HAVE A REALLY
LONG WAY TO GO IN TERMS OF
MEETING DEEPLY AFFORDABLE
HOUSING NEEDS THAT WE HAVE
ACROSS THE STATE, AND THAT'S NOT
ONLY MY PRIORITY. I ACTUALLY
THINK WE NEED HOUSING AT THE
FULL CONTINUUM OF HOUSING. OUR
CALHFA, WHICH IS ALSO UNDER THE
AGENCY, IS PROVIDING, FIRST TIME
HOMEBUYER OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR
FROM OUR DREAM FOR ALL PROGRAM.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
AREN'T JUST SUBSISTING IN
CALIFORNIA. THEY'RE NOT JUST
MAINTAINING, BUT THEY'RE
THRIVING. SO ONCE YOU GET OUT OF
THAT HORRIBLE SITUATION OF BEING
UNHOUSED, WE WANT FOLKS ON A
TRAJECTORY FINDING EMPLOYMENT,
RESTORING THEIR LIVES, FINDING
DIGNITY SO THAT PERHAPS THEY MAY
OWN A HOME IN CALIFORNIA AGAIN,
BUT THAT THAT DREAM FEELS REALLY
FAR AWAY FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. SO
I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN MAKING
SURE THAT WE ARE PROVIDING
HOUSING INTERVENTIONS IN DATA
INFORMED HOUSING INTERVENTIONS.
FRANKLY AT EVERY INCOME LEVEL,
SO THAT WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND THIS IS
A PLACE YOU WANT TO CALL HOME,
THERE'S A PLACE FOR YOU. AND
YES, I THINK WE CAN POINT TO
STORIES. I'VE LIVED IT. I'VE
ONLY BEEN IN THIS JOB FOR 60
DAYS. BUT, YOU KNOW, I WAS OUT
THERE DOING THE WORK OF ADVOCACY
AND, AND TRYING TO ACTUALLY GET
OUR, OUR SYSTEMIC RESPONSES MUCH
MORE COORDINATED, ALL OF THAT IS
GOING TO TAKE US SOME TIME. BUT
IF WE ARE GUIDED BOTH BY
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT AND THAT
SENSE OF URGENCY AND
ACCOUNTABILITY, I, I KNOW WE,
THIS COMMITTEE AND ALL OF US CAN
GET THERE. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR
PARTNERSHIP. THANK YOU. I DO, MY
COLLEAGUE FROM STOCKTON ASKED
YOU OR MADE A COMMENT ABOUT, YOU
KNOW, ALL THESE PEOPLE IN BNP.
COMING UP AND IT WAS A
COSMETOLOGY AND BARBER, YOU
KNOW, BLOCKING THE HALLWAYS. I
MEAN, TO HAVE THEIR OPINIONS,
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LIKED,
WHAT YOU SAID, THAT YOU SAID
THERE'S IT'S A FULL FACETED
THING THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT PEOPLE GET THOSE LICENSES
BECAUSE THEY NEED TO HAVE JOBS
AND SO THAT PUT A LITTLE GLIMMER
OF HOPE IN MY HEART FOR WHAT
YOU'RE DOING. AND BECAUSE I
THINK A LOT OF TIMES WE DON'T
LOOK AT THE BUSINESS ASPECT OF
IT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE
CONTINUALLY WE'RE THE HIGHEST
LITIGATED STATE IN THE, YOU
KNOW, NATION FOR BUSINESS. LAST
SIX YEARS IN A ROW, WE HAVE, YOU
KNOW, SOME OF THE TOUGHEST
REGULATORY PROCESSES. AND WE
HAVE BUSINESSES FLEEING THE
STATE ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY.
SO WITHOUT THOSE JOBS AND BEING
ABLE TO PROVIDE JOBS TO PEOPLE
THAT ARE LOOKING FOR THAT, WE I,
I WORK WITH A NONPROFIT IN MY
DISTRICT WHERE WE DO HOMELESS TO
HOUSING, AND WE ACTUALLY ARE
BUILDING HOUSING 136 UNITS. BUT
WE HAD TO GO, I MEAN, JUMP
THROUGH SOME HURDLES AND WE HAD
TO BRING STUFF IN FROM OUT OF
STATE SO THAT WE COULD JUST
STACK IT UP AND THEN PUT THE
WRAPPER ON THE OUTSIDE. AND
BECAUSE OF ALL THE RESTRICTIONS
HERE IN CALIFORNIA, THERE IS A
WAY AROUND ALL OF THIS STUFF.
BUT IT DOES TAKE A WHOLE LOT OF
OUT OF THE BOX THINKING TO MAKE
IT HAPPEN FOR AN AFFORDABLE HIGH
PRICE. THE BOTTOM 13 UNITS ARE
GOING TO BE FOR FOSTER CARE KIDS
THAT ARE EMANCIPATED. AND THEN
OF COURSE, HOMELESS AND HOUSING
OFF THE STREET NAVIGATION
CENTER. AND IT'S GOING TO BE
VERY, VERY AFFORDABLE, RENT
FULLY FURNISHED, FULLY STOCKED,
KIND OF LIKE A WALK IN. AND
YOU'RE THERE AND IT'S NOT JUST A
WALK IN AND YOU'RE THERE AND
THIS IS YOUR HOUSE. IT'S LIKE,
WHAT COLOR DO YOU LIKE? WHAT
COLOR DO YOU LIKE? IF YOU LIKE A
YELLOW KITCHEN, THEY'RE GOING TO
MAKE IT YELLOW BECAUSE THEY WANT
THAT PERSON TO FEEL WHOLE AND
ACCEPTED. BUT IT DOES REQUIRE
ACCOUNTABILITY. NO DRUGS, NO
VIOLENCE, NO, NONE OF THOSE
THINGS. THEY HAVE WRAPAROUND
SERVICES. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S
. SO I LIKE YOUR WHOLE HEARTED
APPROACH AND I THINK THAT WILL
WORK VERY WELL. I DO HAVE A
COUPLE OF QUESTIONS REGARDING
LIKE MY COLLEAGUE SAID, IT'S A
WHOLE BROAD OF SPECTRUM, A WHOLE
BROAD SPECTRUM THAT YOU ARE
OVER. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
YOU'RE OVER IS THE CRD. ARE YOU
FAMILIAR WITH THE CRD? YES. OKAY
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE CRDS
CASE AGAINST CISCO ALLEGING
CASTE BASED DISCRIMINATION? YES.
OKAY I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, IS
THAT AGAIN, I KNOW YOU'VE ONLY
BEEN OVER THE CRD FOR THE LAST
60 DAYS, BUT THE LEAD PLAINTIFF
OR THE LEAD? THE LEAD, OPPONENT
OR THE PERSON WHO WAS BEING
SUED. SO I APOLOGIZE. I'M NOT AN
ATTORNEY, BUT THE PERSON THAT
WAS BEING SUED WAS ALLEGED TO BE
A HIERARCHY HINDU. AND HE WAS,
HE WAS CHARACTERIZED BY THE CRD
AS, RAPINGS RAPING, SPITTING ON,
GOSH. ACTIVELY OPPOSING, WHAT
THEY WOULD CALL A DALIT, IN THIS
PARTICULAR CLASS OF PEOPLE, AND
THAT, THE LAWSUIT ALLEGED,
ALLEGED BASICALLY THAT HE WAS
DOING ALL THIS STUFF BECAUSE HE
WAS HINDU AND HE'S NOT EVEN
HINDU, BUT THE CRT COSTS THIS
COMPANY THAT WAS DOING NOTHING
BUT PROVIDING JOBS IN THE BAY
AREA, THOUSANDS OF JOBS TO ALL
KINDS OF PEOPLE DALITS, HINDUS,
DEAD MATTER, ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE
THAT WERE QUALIFIED TO DO THE
JOB. SO NOW THAT YOU'RE FAMILIAR
WITH IT, DO YOU AGREE WITH CRDS
CHARACTERIZATION OF THEIR
COMPLAINT, ALLEGING THE
FOLLOWING THAT INDIANS ARE
OVERREPRESENTED AT CISCO, THAT
WAS CRDS COMPLAINING DEPARTMENT
THAT YOU'RE OVER. THEY SAID
INDIANS ARE OVERREPRESENTED IN.
I MEAN, WHY CAN'T INDIANS HAVE
JOBS AS WELL? I AM NOT AS
FAMILIAR WITH THE LEVEL OF
DETAIL THAT YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT,
SENATOR. SO I'M HAPPY TO GET
BACK TO YOU ON THIS PARTICULAR
CASE, I WILL SAY ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT I HAVE BEEN REALLY
IMPRESSED ABOUT CRD IS THAT THEY
DO FOLLOW UP ON EVERY COMPLAINT
THAT COMES TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS
DEPARTMENT. AND IT IS NOT, THERE
ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS THAT
COME BEFORE THAT DEPARTMENT
EVERY YEAR. AND OUR TEAM
INVESTIGATES ALL OF THOSE
COMPLAINTS. WE RESPOND TO THE
COMPLAINTS, AND CERTAINLY NOT
EVERY COMPLAINT, GOES TO
LITIGATION. BUT THERE IS A
RESPONSE TO THE COMPLAINANT. AND
I THINK THAT LEVEL OF CUSTOMER
SERVICE, THAT LEVEL OF
RESPONSIVENESS IS CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT. I WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT OUR CIVIL RIGHTS DEPARTMENT
IS CERTAINLY FOLLOWING THROUGH
WITH WITH THE LAW AND MAKING
SURE THAT WE ARE PROTECTING THE
RIGHTS, OF CALIFORNIA FROM
DISCRIMINATION AND EMPLOYMENT.
SO ALL ALL ALL. ABSOLUTELY. AND
AS THE MISSION OF CRD, IT IS NOT
COMMON PRACTICE FOR THE
DEPARTMENT TO DISCRIMINATE IN
AND OF ITSELF, BUT ACTUALLY
PROTECT THOSE RIGHTS OF, OF
PEOPLE NO MATTER WHAT THEIR,
THEIR, CULTURAL IDENTITIES ARE.
AND SO I WILL DEFINITELY LOOK
INTO THAT SITUATION AND GET BACK
TO YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT THERE
WERE 20 YEARS OF DOCUMENTS
PRODUCED AT THIS INDIVIDUAL, WAS
NOT A HINDU, WAS NOT HINDU, HAD
NO AGNOSTIC FOR ALL THAT
MATTERS. CAME HERE TO AMERICA TO
DO A START UP COMPANY WAS VERY
SUCCESSFUL AND, ACTUALLY THE
DISCRIMINATION CASE WAS JUST FOR
BACKGROUND. IT WAS A DALIT
SAYING THAT HE DIDN'T GET THE
JOB, BUT ANOTHER DALIT DID. IF
YOU'RE GOING TO USE THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CASTE
SYSTEM, BUT THE CRT MADE
HORRIFIC ACCUSATIONS AND THIS
IS, LIKE I SAID, A DEPARTMENT
UNDER YOUR, UNDER YOUR TUTELAGE
NOW, I GUESS, BUT AT SOME OF THE
THINGS THAT WERE ACTUALLY AND
THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE MY PHONE
IS JUST BLOWING UP RIGHT NOW
BECAUSE THEY KNOW YOU'RE HERE.
RIGHT? SO I'M JUST TELLING YOU
THAT, IN A RECENT LAWSUIT OVER
THE PAST FOUR YEARS, THE CRT
REPEATEDLY CALLED FOR THE FOR A
CALLED OR PLATFORM. THE
FOLLOWING 20 PLUS REMARKS. THIS
IS PUBLICLY BASED ON THE CRT.
WHAT THEY SAID CALLING UPPER
CASTE INDIAN AMERICANS AS
DOMINANT, HOSTILE, OPPRESSIVE,
PRIVILEGED, CARRYING CASTES.
BIAS INSINUATED THEM OF DUAL
LOYALTY TO THE UNITED STATES AND
ACCUSED THEM OF BEING, BIGOTED
AND TRIBAL. THAT WAS THE
ACCUSATIONS MADE BY A GOVERNMENT
DEPARTMENT TO A COMPANY THAT IS
HERE JUST TRYING TO MAKE A
LIVING AND PROVIDE PEOPLE, JOBS,
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE'S JOBS IN
THIS PARTICULAR THING. AND THEN
ONCE THEY IN THIS PARTICULAR
COMPANY AND ONCE THEY FOUND OUT
AND IT WAS PROVEN AND HE WAS
DISMISSED FROM THE CASE, HE WAS
DISMISSED BECAUSE IT WAS PROVEN
THAT HE WAS AGNOSTIC AND HAD NO
TIES TO HINDUISM WHATSOEVER. SO
THE CASE WAS KIND OF FALLING
APART. HE WAS DISMISSED. THE CRT
CAME BACK IN, DOUBLED DOWN.
THAT'S THE TYPE OF STUFF THAT
I'M WORRIED ABOUT. OF THE
DEPARTMENT'S ONE, JUST ONE OF
THE DEPARTMENTS THAT YOU OVERSEE
THAT THIS. I AGREE THAT THE CRT
WAS PLACED IN A IN AN IN STATUTE
OR REGULATORY PROCESSES BECAUSE
THEY WANTED TO ADDRESS, YOU
KNOW, RACISM. THEY DO. THEY WANT
TO THEY WANT TO ADDRESS THIS.
BUT THE BOTTOM LINE FOR A STATE
AGENCY TO GO AFTER A BUSINESS
AND I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH ALL
THESE DOCUMENTS, I CAN PROVIDE
YOU WITH THE COURT CASE THAT
DISMISSED THE LEAD INDIVIDUAL,
AND I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THE
LAWSUIT THAT THE, THAT THE,
HINDU AMERICAN FOUNDATION HAS
NOW TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE BECAUSE OF
WHAT HAPPENED. AND THIS IS A
STATE AGENCY OR AN AGENCY THAT
YOU'RE IN CHARGE OF ONLY FOR 60
DAYS. BUT I WOULD EXPECT YOU TO
AT LEAST LOOK AT THAT AGENCY, AS
YOU MOVE FORWARD IN THIS
POSITION. ABSOLUTELY. AND PLEASE
DO GET ME THE INFORMATION THAT
YOU HAVE. I, HAVE ACTUALLY, I
THINK IT WAS MAYBE, SOMEONE WHO
SAID YOU HAVE YOU EVEN MET WITH
ALL OF YOUR DEPARTMENT
DIRECTORS? I HAVE, AND I MEET
WITH THEM REGULARLY. AND WHEN
CONCERNS COME UP FROM ANYONE,
NOT JUST, OUR FAIR SENATORS, BUT
ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC OR ANYONE
WHO HAS AN ISSUE ABOUT HOW WE
ARE ADMINISTERING THE SERVICES
AND PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR TO THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT
IT. SO I'M MOST CERTAINLY, HAPPY
TO FOLLOW UP VERY SPECIFICALLY
ABOUT THIS CASE, BUT I ALSO KNOW
THAT OUR CRD DEPARTMENT IS ABOUT
PROTECTING CITIZENS OF
CALIFORNIA FROM DISCRIMINATION.
SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I
UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE NUANCE OF
THIS CASE AND RESPOND TO YOU
WHEN I HAVE THAT INFORMATION,
MADAM SECRETARY, THAT I WAS JUST
GONNA SAY, MADAM SECRETARY TO
THE VICE CHAIR, I THINK ON THIS
SPECIFIC ISSUE, I THINK WE HAVE
TWO FOLLOW UPS THUS FAR IN THE
HEARING. MADAM SECRETARY, YOU'RE
GOING TO BE FOLLOWING UP WITH
MADAM VICE CHAIR, YOU'RE GOING
TO DIG DEEP A LITTLE DEEPER INTO
THIS ISSUE. ABSOLUTELY. DIRECT
FOLLOW UP, IF YOU DON'T MIND,
WITH MADAM VICE CHAIR. AND THEN
WE'LL ALSO DO A FOLLOW UP ON THE
REPORT AS WELL. I KNOW YOU'RE
SAYING BY THE END OF THIS WEEK,
BUT NEXT AND END OF NEXT WEEK.
NEXT WEEK. YES, MA'AM. THANK
YOU. AND PLEASE, MADAM VICE
CHAIR, ON YOUR NEXT SUBJECT.
THANK YOU. SO THERE'S ALSO IN
JUST THESE ARE SOME THINGS THAT
I REALLY WANT TO ADDRESS. THE
CRD ALSO PUT OUT THERE PUBLICLY
THAT, HINDU AMERICANS ARE
ASSAULTING AND RAPING THOUSANDS
OF AMERICAN DALITS. I WANT THAT
PROOF THAT YOUR CRD DEPARTMENT
HAS THAT HINDU AMERICANS ARE
RAPING THOUSANDS OF THOUSANDS OF
DALITS. THAT'S A PUBLIC
STATEMENT FROM YOUR CRD. SO I, I
WANT THAT PROOF, BECAUSE IF
THAT'S HAPPENING, WE NEED TO
PROTECT THOSE WOMEN OR THOSE
INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE BEING
RAPED. BUT THERE'S NO EVIDENCE
OF THAT. AND FOR A STATE AGENCY
TO GO AND SAY THAT IS COMPLETELY
ABSURD. AND I GUESS OTHER THINGS
THAT I CAN GET THESE TO YOU,
THERE, I CAN GET THESE TO YOU. I
GUESS, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE A
HUGE PROBLEM WITH, YOU KNOW,
NON-INDIAN WORKERS ENGAGING IN
CASTE BASED DISCRIMINATION. THEY
HAVE. I MEAN, THIS IS A WHOLE
INDIAN COMMUNITY THAT CAUSED
ALMOST AN UPROAR IN THE CAPITAL
LAST YEAR UNDER THIS, AND IT WAS
BASED ON THIS BASICALLY ONE CASE
WHERE THE, LIKE I SAID, THE
INDIVIDUAL WHO'S BEING ACCUSED
WASN'T EVEN HINDU, WAS DISMISSED
FROM THE CASE, AND THE CRD
DOUBLED DOWN ON MAKING SURE THAT
THAT INDIVIDUAL SUFFERED AND
PAID MORE MONEY. I BELIEVE THAT
THEY'LL BE JUSTICE SERVED IN
RESTITUTION, BECAUSE I THINK THE
DOCUMENTS ARE ON THEIR SIDE. BUT
AGAIN, I KNOW YOU'RE JUST COMING
INTO THIS FOR 60 DAYS, AND I
THINK THAT, YOU'D BE A WONDERFUL
PERSON AT THE TOP AS LONG AS YOU
COULD GO THROUGH THE WEEDS AT
THE BOTTOM AND MAKE SURE THAT
PEOPLE WERE DOING WHAT THEY WERE
SUPPOSED TO BE DOING. AND I
WOULD LIKE THE I'M LOOKING
FORWARD TO THAT REPORT THAT THE
WHOLE COMMITTEE IS LOOKING
FORWARD TO AS WELL. THANK YOU,
MR. CHAIR, FOR ALLOWING ME TO
ASK THOSE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU
SO MUCH, MADAM VICE CHAIR, TO
SENATOR LAIRD, IF THERE ARE ANY
ITEMS. THANK YOU. AND THANKS FOR
, FOR THE MEETING BEFOREHAND. I
APPRECIATED THE CONVERSATION AND
EVEN THOUGH A MENTION OF MY
PRIOR JOB MAKES SENATOR GROVE
JUMP OUT OF HER CHAIR, I WAS
SIMILARLY UP FOR CONFIRMATION AT
ABOUT THE SAME TIME, AND IT WAS
A WONDERFUL THING TO NOT HAVE
HAD RESPONSIBILITY FOR
EVERYTHING IN THE DEPARTMENT YET
AND BE ABLE TO DO IT. SO
CONGRATULATIONS. I THINK MY
COLLEAGUES HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB
OF GETTING INTO SOME OF THE
PLACES WHERE I WANTED TO GO. BUT
LET ME ADD WITH A QUESTION OR, A
COUPLE ON, THE UNHOUSED AND ONE
IS, IS I KNOW THERE WAS A
STATEMENT THAT THAT PEOPLE
AREN'T GETTING SERVICES. AND YOU
TALKED ABOUT THE TASK FORCE THAT
SORT OF HAS ALL THE DIFFERENT
DEPARTMENTS. HOW DO YOU MAKE
SURE THAT THERE IS A LEVEL OF
COORDINATION BETWEEN ALL OF THEM
? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE ARE
PEOPLE THAT DELIVER SERVICES OUT
OF REPRESENTATIVES ON THE TASK
FORCE. HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT
THERE ISN'T THAT DUPLICATION,
THAT PEOPLE ARE WORKING
TOGETHER, THAT IT'S ALL MOVING
AHEAD IN ONE DIRECTION? IT'S A
GREAT QUESTION, SENATOR. I THINK
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY WITH THE
EXPANDED AUTHORITY OF OUR
INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON
HOMELESSNESS, THROUGH AB 977,
THAT WILL REALLY SEE IT IS
EXPANDED. THE DATA COLLECTION
THAT WE WILL BE HAVING ACROSS
ALL OF OUR MEMBER AGENCY MEMBER,
MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBERS, ON
KALISH, IT'S ALLOWING US AS WE
UPDATE OUR ACTION PLAN, WE ARE
IN THE MIDST OF UPDATING OUR
HOMELESSNESS ACTION PLAN FOR THE
STATE. AND IT'S MY GOAL AS ONE
OF THE CO-CHAIRS TO REALLY GET
INTO GOAL SETTING, RIGHT, REALLY
UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE WE
COLLECTIVELY DOING, ACROSS ALL
OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS AND
AGENCIES THAT TOUCH THIS WORK,
WHAT ARE WE COLLECTING
COLLECTIVELY DOING AND HOLDING
OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE TO IN IN,
DEMONSTRATING OUTCOMES ON THE
GROUND. AND SO THAT PROCESS IS
UNDERWAY. I SAT ON KALISH AS A
MEMBER, A SENATE APPOINTMENT
APPOINTEE, PRIOR TO BEING
APPOINTED TO SECRETARY, AND I
WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE OUR
DESIRE. I WAS ON THE ON THE
COUNCIL FOR TWO YEARS, AND WE
WANTED TO SEE THE STATE TAKE
MORE OF A LEADERSHIP ROLE AND
SETTING THE PERFORMANCE METRICS
THAT WERE THEN ADOPTED BY,
THANKS TO THE LEGISLATURE AND
THE ADMINISTRATION INTO HALF
THREE AND HALF FOUR. RIGHT. WE
WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, AS ALL
OF YOU HAVE REQUESTED, THAT
WE'RE NOT ONLY TRACKING OUR
RESOURCES, BUT WE WANT TO SEE
REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF OUR
NEIGHBORS WHO ARE UNHOUSED IN
OUR COMMUNITY. AND WE WANT TO
SEE THAT QUICKLY, AND SO I THINK
THE COUNCIL'S WORK AHEAD IS
MAKING SURE THAT THAT ACTION
PLAN GIVES US THE BLUEPRINT FOR
HOW TO DO THAT, THAT WE ARE
UTILIZING OUR OUR DATA SYSTEM IN
A WAY THAT IS PUBLICLY FACING.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
WE'RE I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IS
SORT OF A DASHBOARD THAT FOLKS
CAN TRACK OUR PROGRESS. HOW ARE
WE ACTUALLY DOING WHEN WE MAKE
CONCURRENT INVESTMENTS? AND THIS
IS ANOTHER THING. YOU CAN'T JUST
DO ONE THING AT ONCE. IT'S NOT
ENOUGH. WE ACTUALLY NEED TO BE
INVESTING IN PREVENTION, INTERIM
HOUSING AND PERMANENT HOUSING
ALL AT THE SAME TIME. AND I KNOW
THAT WE HAVE, BUDGETARY
CONSTRAINTS THAT WE ALL HAVE TO
LIVE WITH. BUT THE FACT OF THE
MATTER IS, WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE
ABLE TO GET TO THAT INFLOW AND
OUTFLOW CHALLENGE THAT I SPOKE
OF EARLIER. UNLESS WE'RE MAKING
THOSE CONCURRENT INVESTMENTS,
AND THAT'S THE LEVEL OF DETAIL
WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE AT THE
COUNCIL LEVEL. AND WITH THE
STAFF. AND I HAVE TO JUST SAY IT
HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARY TO COME
INTO THIS AGENCY AND SEE THE
DEDICATION, EXPERTISE AND
PASSION OF THE THOUSANDS OF
WORKERS THAT ARE DOING THIS
INCREDIBLE WORK EVERY DAY. AND I
GET TO REPRESENT THEM. BUT IT IS
AMAZING TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE
TALENTED PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE
AS COMMITTED AS I AM TO
ADDRESSING THIS CRISIS, AND
WE'LL BE ABLE TO REALLY LEAN IN
AND SUPPORT OUR STAFF, CERTAINLY
WITHIN AGENCY. BUT ALSO I WANT
TO PROVIDE MUCH MORE LOCAL
SUPPORT. THAT TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE IS CRITICAL WHEN WE
PROVIDE THOSE RESOURCES. WE WANT
TO MAKE SURE THAT LOCAL
JURISDICTIONS ARE LOOKING UNDER
THE COUCH CUSHIONS AND THE HOOD
AND TRYING TO BRAID ALL OF THE
RESOURCES THAT THEY HAVE AT
THEIR DISPOSAL WITH OUR STATE
INVESTMENTS. SO THAT THE IMPACT
CAN GO FURTHER. AND THAT LEVEL
OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WILL
DEEPEN ONCE OUR GRANTS
MANAGEMENT OF OUR, HAP FUNDS AND
OUR URF FUNDS, GO OVER TO HCD,
WHICH IS ALSO IN THE PORTFOLIO,
AND I THINK BY, CREATING THIS
ACCOUNTABILITY UNIT THAT THE
GOVERNOR ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK,
IT'S GOING TO BUILD ON OUR
HOUSING ACCOUNTABILITY UNIT.
THAT WAS STARTED, JUST A COUPLE
OF YEARS AGO. AND THAT PAIRED
WITH OUR, SURPLUS LAND ACT, HAS
UNLOCKED 20,000 UNITS OF HOUSING
THAT OTHERWISE WOULDN'T HAVE
BEEN AVAILABLE TO LOCAL
JURISDICTIONS TO BUILD
AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE ARE
BRINGING THAT LEVEL OF
ACCOUNTABILITY AND PARTNERSHIP
INTO, AND SORT OF EXPANDING THIS
UNIT INTO WHAT WE'RE CALLING
HARP AND I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR
THAT BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO GIVE
LOCAL JURISDICTIONS THE TOOLS
THAT THEY NEED TO DEEPEN THEIR
IMPACT AND US A PATHWAY TOWARD
SOME OF OUR COLLECTIVE GOALS. THINGS YOU SAID
THAT YOU HAD IN THERE, YOUR PART
OF IT AND THE CONTINUUM OF CARE
THAT YOU MENTIONED, USUALLY THE
FEDERAL MONEY, AND WE'VE NOT
TALKED ABOUT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT IN THIS YET. THE
FEDERAL MONEY DOESN'T COVER
CONTINUING THE CONTINUUM OF
CARE, DOESN'T COVER INTERIM
HOUSING. AND WE TALK TO THE FACT
THAT THAT MY HOMETOWN, WHERE I
WAS ONCE MY RAMBUNCTIOUS
HOMETOWN, WHERE I WAS ONCE THE
MAYOR, AS ARGUABLY THE HIGHEST
PER CAPITA HOMELESS POPULATION
IN THE STATE AND WE GOT MONEY TO
THEM FOR INTERIM CARE BECAUSE IT
DIDN'T COME THROUGH ANY STATE
PROGRAM. AND NOW IT'S GOING TO
END ON JULY 1ST. AND THEY HAVE A
FEW HUNDRED PEOPLE THAT ARE
HOUSED THAT WILL GO ON THE
STREET. WE CAN'T CONTINUE. AND
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES NOT
RECOGNIZE INTERIM CARE, HOW DO
YOU THEN WORK WHEN YOU'RE
ALREADY TRYING TO COORDINATE ALL
THESE AGENCIES AND SERVICES IN
MAKING SURE CERTAIN THINGS ARE
MET, WHEN YOU KNOW THAT THAT HAS
TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION?
YEAH. I MEAN, I THINK IT'S A
REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION
BECAUSE I THINK JURISDICTIONS AS
PROVIDERS HAVE HAD TO MAKE THESE
HARD CHOICES. IT'S EITHER
PERMANENT OR NOTHING, AND SO WE
KNOW THAT THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS
TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE HAS A
PERMANENT HOME. BUT WE ALSO KNOW
THAT WE HAVE MANY OF OUR
BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO ARE
OUTSIDE ON THE SIDEWALK WAITING
FOR HOUSING. AND SO WE NEED TO
HAVE AN INTERIM SOLUTION FOR
THEM SO THAT THEY CAN COME
INDOORS, HEAL. THAT'S WHY
HOUSING FIRST MATTERS, RIGHT? WE
NEED TO BE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT
WE CAN CREATE THAT BASELINE OF
STABILITY. AND THAT'S NOT THE
END POINT. WE NEED A FLOW INTO
PERMANENT HOUSING. WORKING WITH
THOSE FOLKS TO STABILIZE, TO GET
ON MEDI-CAL, TO FIGURE OUT WHAT
THEIR BENEFITS AND JOB PROSPECTS
ARE. RIGHT. SO THAT THEY ARE
HEALTHY ENOUGH, SO THAT THEY CAN
TRANSITION AND SUCCEED IN
PERMANENT HOUSING AND LIVING
INDEPENDENTLY. I EXCUSE ME FOR
INTERRUPTING. I TOTALLY AGREE.
IT'S JUST IT SOMETIMES THE STATE
OR GOVERNMENT DOES NOT
FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE INTERIM
HOUSING, WHICH HAS THE ROLE THAT
YOU JUST SAID OF THE VALUE OF
STABILIZING AND BRINGING THE
SERVICES IN. AND THAT IS A
CHALLENGE. WELL, WE HAVE BEEN
VERY FORTUNATE IN MAKING SURE
THAT THE HAP FUNDS ALLOW FOR
INTERIM USES, OUR PROJECT OR
PROJECT ROOMKEY, AS YOU KNOW,
WAS AN INTERIM HOUSING SOLUTION
WITH THE HOTELS AND MOTELS. IT
WAS SORT OF REALLY DEAD STATING
THAT THIS MODEL WORKED. WHAT
CAME THEN FROM ROOMKEY CAME
HOMEKEY, WHICH WAS THE
TRANSITION OF THOSE INTERIM,
HOTELS AND MOTELS INTO
PURCHASING THOSE FOR PERMANENT
HOUSING. THAT IS THE, THE
SOLUTION SET THAT IS NECESSARY
FOR US TO TACKLE THIS CRISIS.
AND WE ARE CERTAINLY TALKING
WITH OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS TO
ENSURE THAT HUD HAS THAT SAME
FLEXIBILITY BECAUSE UNTIL WE CAN
GET FOLKS INTO HOUSING,
PERMANENT HOUSING THAT THEY
NEED, I DO NOT RESIDE HÌNH TO
THE FACT THAT OUR SIDEWALKS
SHOULD BE THE WAITING ROOM FOR
OUR NEIGHBORS TO DIE ON. I
REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT, AND
THEREFORE WE NEED INTERIM
SOLUTIONS. BUT WE NEED TO ASSESS
HOW MUCH INTERIM IS NECESSARY.
RIGHT? YOU DON'T NEED TO HOUSE
EVERYBODY IN INTERIM HOUSING.
SOME PEOPLE JUST NEED FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE AND CAN REHOUSE
QUICKLY. THAT'S WHY PREVENTION
MATTERS. SOMEBODY WHO HAS AN
ECONOMIC OR A HEALTH EMERGENCY
NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO JUST GET YOU
KNOW, $5,000 TO PAY THEIR RENT.
LET'S DO THAT. RATHER THAN
WAITING TILL THEY ARE SO
DESTITUTE AND IN NEED OF MUCH
MORE INTENSIVE SERVICES. SO I
WANT TO BE ABLE TO CUSTOMIZE
THOSE INTERVENTIONS, INCLUDING
INTERIM DEMONSTRATE THAT THIS IS
A PROOF OF CONCEPT THAT WORKS,
AND MAKING SURE THAT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT UNDERSTANDS THAT
JURISDICTION AND STATES NEED
THAT LEVEL OF FLEXIBILITY. WELL
JUST TO PUT ONE THING ON THE
RECORD THAT WE TALKED ABOUT AND
IT'S INTERESTING LOOKING AT THE
COMMITTEE MEMBERS, I THINK A LOT
OF OUR PROGRAMS ARE VERY URBAN
CENTRIC, AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT A
COMMITTEE THAT OF PEOPLE THAT
DON'T REPRESENT NECESSARILY
URBAN AREAS. AND THE POINT IN
TIME COUNT, WHICH DRIVES ME
COMPLETELY CRAZY, IS, AS WE
TALKED, IF YOU HAVE THE
TENDERLOIN ON, AND YOU'RE DOING
A POINT IN TIME COUNT, YOU
GENERALLY KNOW WHERE EVERYBODY
CAN GO IF YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE
OF AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER AND
YOU'RE IN A TOWN THAT'S
SURROUNDED BY FORESTS ON THREE
SIDES THAT GO FOR MILES, YOU'RE
NOT SURE WHERE TO FIND PEOPLE,
YOU'RE NOT GETTING AN ACCURATE
COUNT BECAUSE THAT HAPPENS. AND
SO I HAD SOMEBODY ARGUE WITH ME
FROM AN AGENCY AND SAID, IT'S
EQUALLY FLAWED TO EVERYBODY.
THAT WAS LIKE A DISTINCTLY
UNSATISFIED, RESPONSE. AND SO I
WOULD JUST SUGGEST THAT'S
SOMETHING YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT
OVER TIME. AND THEN AND I REALLY
APPRECIATE, SENATOR EGGMAN'S ON
THE AGENCIES, AND WE TALKED
ABOUT THAT. AND, AND I WAS
INTRIGUED BY HER BECAUSE I'VE
BEEN MARRIED FOR OVER 40 YEARS
TO SOMEBODY THAT WAS REGULATED
BY THE BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY. AND
I CAN IMAGINE THEIR INTEREST.
AND HE IS ONE OF THE MOST
OPINIONATED PEOPLE IN THE
UNIVERSE. SO GOOD LUCK WITH WITH
ALL THE REGULATION, THE ONE LAST
THING I'LL ASK ABOUT THAT HASN'T
COME UP YET IS YOU HAVE CANNABIS
IN YOUR, YOUR PORTFOLIO AND WE
HAVE PROBLEMS OF MAKING THE
LEGAL SYSTEM WORK AND MAKING IT
DISADVANTAGED TO STAY ON THE
ILLEGAL SIDE. AND HOW DO YOU
SEE, WITH THE WISDOM OF 60 DAYS,
HOW TO BALANCE THAT AND TRY TO
MOVE TOWARD MAKING THE LEGAL
SYSTEM WORK TO THE EXCLUSION OF
THERE STILL BEING ECONOMIC
DISADVANTAGE, TO BE IN THE
ILLEGAL SIDE OF THE HOUSE? YEAH,
IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND I DID
WANT TO RESPOND FIRST, THOUGH,
TO YOUR COMMENT ABOUT, HOW OUR
POINT IN TIME COUNT KIND OF
FAVORS URBAN, AREAS. I DO THINK
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO
LOOK AT HOW HOW HOMELESSNESS IS
IMPACTING OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES
AS WELL. WE SAW WHEN I
REFERENCED, I RAN HAMILTON
FAMILIES AND WE WERE HOUSING
FOLKS AS FAR AS SACRAMENTO JUST
TO FIND HOUSING, AND SO WE SEE
POVERTY KIND OF MOVING EAST, AND
IN CASES LIKE THAT, IT'S, IT'S
WHEN YOU'RE ABLE TO APPLY THE
SOLUTIONS THAT WE KNOW WORK TO
THOSE COMMUNITIES. IT MAKES A
TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT WHERE IF,
YOU KNOW, I MET WITH THE MAYOR
OF BAKERSFIELD RECENTLY AND THEY
HAVE FOLKS THEY HAVE ABOUT, I
DON'T KNOW, I THINK SHE SAID
1100 UNHOUSED PEOPLE IN
BAKERSFIELD. I WAS LIKE, MAYOR,
WE CAN FIX THAT. I MEAN, THOSE
ARE THEY HAVE SHOULD HAVE SAID
THAT BEFORE, I MEAN, THEY
THEY'RE DOING SOME EXTRAORDINARY
THINGS IN BAKERSFIELD, BUT THEY
ARE ALSO THOSE ARE, THE NUMBER
OF FOLKS EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS IN THAT COMMUNITY.
IF WE ARE ABLE TO GET THE
PERMANENT HOUSING PERMITTED IN
THOSE COMMUNITIES, GET THROUGH
THE RED TAPE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL,
THROUGH THE ZONING, THE ALL OF
THE STREAMLINING THAT'S BEEN
DONE AND ACTIVATE ALL OF THE
WORK THAT THE CITY AND COUNTY
ARE ALREADY DOING TOGETHER, THAT
THAT'S HOW YOU GET THERE. AND SO
TARGETING RESOURCE SOURCES AND
SOLUTIONS TO COMMUNITIES WHERE
YOU CAN GET SOME ECONOMIES OF
SCALE, I THINK IS CRITICAL. AND
THAT THAT'S CERTAINLY HAPPENING
IN OUR IN OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES,
AS WELL AS STRENGTHENING OUR
PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR TRIBAL
COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE THAT'S
ANOTHER PLACE WHERE THE
DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT FOR OUR
INDIGENOUS BROTHERS AND SISTERS
IS EXTRAORDINARY. AND I THINK
THAT THERE'S A LOT TO DO WITH
PARTNERING WITH OUR TRIBES AND
MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE GETTING
HOUSING AND SERVICES TO THOSE
COMMUNITIES AS WELL. YOU KNOW,
IT WAS SAID BY ONE PERSON IN THE
ADMINISTRATION AND A
CONVERSATION I HAD NOT YOU THAT
THERE WAS CONCERN THAT MONEY WAS
GOING IN AND IT WAS DISPLACING
MONEY THAT CITIES AND COUNTIES
WERE ALREADY PUTTING IN FOR
SHELTERING ON THE HOUSE. AND I
JUST WANT TO SAY THAT'S NOT MY
EXPERIENCE. MINE EITHER. THAT IS
JUST NOT MY EXPERIENCE. THANK
YOU. SO YOU WERE GOING TO GET TO
THE CANNABIS? YES. SO CANNABIS.
SO WE KNOW THAT, TWO THIRDS OF
THE CANNABIS MARKET IS ILLEGAL,
AND SO IT IS REALLY THE WORK OF
THE DEPARTMENT AND THE AGENCY TO
FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN
INCENTIVIZE MORE OF OUR, MARKET
TO COME INTO THE LEGAL MARKET. I
THINK IT IS, TRUE THAT THERE ARE
, CHALLENGES FOR FOLKS TO GET
INTO THE LEGAL MARKET THAT
SOMETIMES MAKES THE ILLEGAL
MARKET MORE ATTRACTIVE. AND I
THINK DIRECTOR ELLIOTT IS DOING
SOME REALLY AMAZING WORK WITH
HER TEAM TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE
REDUCE THOSE BARRIERS, HOW DO WE
MAKE IT MORE, WE'RE DOING SORT
OF A, A MARKETING CAMPAIGN TO
LET FOLKS KNOW THE BENEFITS OF
BEING A PART OF A CALIFORNIA VÀ
SUPPORTED CANNABIS MARKET, WHERE
YOU GET THE PROTECTION OF IT
BEING REGULATED, AND WE HAVE
SOME EQUITY EFFORTS WITHIN THE
DEPARTMENT THAT IS TARGETING,
YOU KNOW, FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN
DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED,
NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY THE
CARCERAL SYSTEM FOR THE USE OF
MARIJUANA AND TRYING TO
INCENTIVIZE THOSE FOLKS TO START
BUSINESSES AND ACCESS THE LEGAL
MARKET. SO I THINK WE HAVE A LOT
MORE WORK TO DO THERE. BUT I AM
INSPIRED BY THE, YOU KNOW, THAT
THAT DEPARTMENT JUST STOOD UP
THREE YEARS AGO. AND THE FACT
THAT WE HAVE REGULATIONS IN
PLACE, WE HAVE ENFORCEMENT IN
PLACE, AND WE HAVE A THIRD OF
THE MARKET THAT'S IN THE LEGAL
SPACE IS EXTRAORDINARY, GIVEN
JUST THE TIMELINE AND THE
LABORIOUSNESS OF SETTING UP SUCH
AN AGENCY OR A SUCH A
DEPARTMENT. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO
FIGURING OUT, WAYS TO MAKE THOSE
THE EQUITY PROGRAMS MUCH MORE
TARGETED. LIKE HOW DO WE REALLY
REDUCE THE BARRIERS FOR THOSE
WHO WANT TO COME INTO THE MARKET
, NOT JUST JUST BY WAIVING FEES,
BUT GETTING ACCESS TO CAPITAL IF
THEY WANT TO COME INTO, YOU
KNOW, BANKS ARE NOT NECESSARILY
PROVIDING THAT KIND OF CAPITAL
FOR THIS MARKET. JUST YET. SO I
THINK THERE'S SOME
OPPORTUNITIES, FRANKLY, FOR US
TO WORK TOGETHER AND OTHERS ON
HOW TO STREAMLINE SOME OF THOSE
ACTIVITIES AND GROW THAT THIRD
TO AT LEAST A HALF. AND THEN
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU.
THE RESPONSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE
ANSWERS. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. FULL
DISCLOSURE FOR A COMMENT,
BECAUSE MY FORMER SECRETARY OF
NATURAL RESOURCES MADE A COMMENT
ABOUT MY CITY. I HAVE THE MOST
INCREDIBLE MAYOR EVER IN
BAKERSFIELD. YOU DO? MAKES ME
HAPPY THAT YOU HAVE BEEN
SPEAKING TO HER, BECAUSE SHE IS
VERY WELL BALANCED AND SHE IS
ELECTED TO A VERY CONSERVATIVE
CITY AND STILL VERY WELL
BALANCED, THE NEEDS OF OUR
COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU. YOU'RE
WELCOME. I WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT THAT WASN'T VERY IMPORTANT.
THE RECORD STRAIGHT. THANK YOU,
MADAM VICE CHAIR. I WANT TO SEE
IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL FOLLOW
UP. I HAVE A FEW COMMENTS AND
QUESTIONS, BUT, MADAM SECRETARY,
THANK YOU SO MUCH. A FEW ITEMS
THAT I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO
ADVANCE. AND, ON HOMELESSNESS
AND THEN ALSO WOULD LIKE TO TALK
ABOUT CANNABIS AS WELL. BY THE
WAY, DIRECTOR ELLIOTT DOES
PHENOMENAL WORK AND GRATEFUL TO
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE
TO WORK WITH HER. I THINK ONE IS
CONTROLLING EXPECTATIONS ON THE
ISSUE OF HOMELESSNESS. AND I
THINK, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO
FOCUS ON ACCOUNTABILITY.
ABSOLUTELY PUBLIC DESERVES IT. I
THINK THAT WE CAN ALL AGREE THE
HOMELESSNESS CRISIS, WHETHER YOU
LIVE IN A LARGE COMMUNITY OR
SMALL TOWN, IT'S APPALLING AND
IT'S UNACCEPTABLE FOR THOSE WHO
ARE LIVING ON THE STREET AND FOR
THOSE WHO ARE LIVING IN THE
COMMUNITY AS WELL. AND I THINK
THAT AT TIMES THE STATE HAS OVER
PROCLAIMED HOW QUICKLY WE'RE
GOING TO BE ABLE TO MOVE, AND I
THINK THAT IS DANGEROUS. AND
ANYONE THAT SELLS A QUICK FIX TO
HOMELESSNESS IS SELLING SNAKE
OIL. IF I COULD JUST BE SO
BLUNT, AND I ALSO BELIEVE THAT,
THE PUBLIC, AS WE'VE HEARD FROM,
THE ESTEEMED SENATORS ONE
ANSWERS, AND I KNOW THAT THAT IS
ACCOUNTABILITY IS REALLY
IMPORTANT TO YOU, AND I'M
GRATEFUL FOR THAT. BUT I THINK
IT'S HOMELESSNESS IS NOT A SOUND
BITE. IT'S NOT A POST ON
FACEBOOK, AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE
TIME. YOU'RE DEALING WITH HUMANS
. AND I ALSO BELIEVE THAT WE
HAVE NOT TALKED ABOUT THE STORY
AND HOW WE GOT HERE. IT'S
DECADES IN THE MAKING. YEAH,
IT'S AND I'M NOT TRYING TO BE
POLITICAL UP HERE, BUT I THINK
THAT WHEN YOU SAW THEN-GOVERNOR
REAGAN SHUT DOWN MENTAL HEALTH
FACILITIES ACROSS THE STATE,
WE'VE NEVER RETURNED THAT HUD
HAS NEVER KEPT UP ON THE FEDERAL
LEVEL WHEN IT COMES TO
INVESTMENT, WHETHER IT'S
HOMELESS SERVICES AND OR
AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THE STATE
HAS DONE A POOR JOB OF KEEPING
UP WITH HOUSING LINKED TO JOBS.
WE'VE HAD TREMENDOUS GROWTH IN
OUR ECONOMY OVER THE LAST 40
YEARS, AND EVERYBODY LOVES
AFFORDABLE HOUSING. UNTIL IT'S
NEXT TO THEM. AND WE ALL TALK
ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT AFFORDABLE
HOUSING IS. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO
STREAMLINING, THERE ARE MANY
THAT WILL LOOK THE OTHER WAY. SO
I THINK WE REALLY HAVE TO BE
REAL WITH FOLKS IN A TIME OF
CRISIS. AND AT TIMES, I BELIEVE
THAT THIS STATE HAS SOLD A QUICK
FIX WHEN IT COMES TO
HOMELESSNESS, AND IT'S JUST
SIMPLY NOT THE FACT. AND I THINK
WE HAVE TO BE TRUE TO OUR WORD
THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE
CONTINUING TO FOCUS IN ON IT AND
CONTROLLING EXPECTATIONS. I'D
LIKE YOU TO TALK ABOUT PROP ONE,
FIRM BELIEVER THAT WE
DESPERATELY NEED THESE
RESOURCES, AND, YOU KNOW, 11,150
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH BEDS, 26,700
TREATMENT SLOTS. WHAT DO YOU SEE
AS YOU TAKE ON THIS NEW ROLE
OVER THE NEXT 36 TO 48 MONTHS?
ON WHAT THAT'S GOING TO MEAN,
FOR THOSE WHO ARE ON THE STREETS
. WELL, WHAT WHAT I'M EXCITED
ABOUT FOR, FOR PROP ONE IS THAT
IT GIVES US, NOT JUST ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES FOR, FOR BUILDING
DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING ACROSS
THE STATE. SO WE WILL BE
ADMINISTERING, ABOUT $2 BILLION
OF THE PROP PROP ONE FUNDS
THROUGH, AND SERVING OUR
VETERANS EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS AND OTHER FOLKS
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. I
THINK WHAT WHAT IT WHAT IT GIVES
US A CHANCE TO DO IS REALLY WORK
MUCH MORE STRATEGICALLY WITH OUR
CITIES AND OUR COUNTIES IN
PARTICULAR, TO LOOK AT HOW DO WE
ENSURE THAT THE PROGRAMS THAT WE
HAVE WITHIN OUR HUMAN SERVICES
AGENCY, PAIRED WITH THE PROGRAMS
THAT WE ADMINISTER, HOW ARE THEY
ACTUALLY BEING LEVERAGED TO HAVE
THE KIND OF IMPACT THAT THAT YOU
ALL AND OTHERS EXPECT AND SO WE
HAVE AN INNER AGENCY STRIKE TEAM
THAT IS WORKING ON THIS. WE ARE,
EXPEDITING THE GUIDANCE FOR THE
FUNDING THAT IT'S NOT DUE UNTIL
JULY OF 2025. THAT'S TWO THAT'S
NOT FAST ENOUGH FOR US. SO WE
ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH GETTING
THE GUIDANCE AND THOSE RESOURCES
OUT FOR SOME OF THE FUNDING ON
THE ON THE BOND FUNDS. BUT I
THINK THERE'S A MUCH MORE
STRATEGIC, THICK PIECE OF PROP
ONE THAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT,
WHICH IS, AGAIN, NOT ALL FOLKS
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS HAVE
SEVERE, HEALTH, PHYSICAL OR
MENTAL DISABILITIES. AND SO FOR
THOSE THAT DO, LET'S MAKE SURE
THAT WE ARE TARGETING THE
INTERVENTIONS THROUGH THESE
RESOURCES AND OTHERS THAT THAT
TRULY DISRUPTS THE CYCLE OF
HOMELESSNESS FOR THEM, WHETHER
IT'S, YOU KNOW, TARGETED, BRIDGE
HOUSING THROUGH CARE COURT,
WHETHER IT IS, FACILITIES THAT
ACTUALLY PEOPLE MIGHT NEED FOR A
HIGHER ACUITY OF CARE OR WHETHER
IT'S MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE
DEEPLY PERMANENT SUPPORTS,
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IN OUR
COMMUNITY. SO AGAIN, THIS, THIS
OPPORTUNITY GIVES US A CHANCE TO
REALLY LOOK AT THE CONTINUUM OF
NEED FOR THOSE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS. I'M REALLY EXCITED
TO WORK WITH SECRETARY SIN WITH
CALVET TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR
VETERANS ARE PRIORITIZED. AS WE
KNOW, THAT IS WHAT THE VOTERS
EXPECT, AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS PUT A
LOT OF RESOURCES INTO, REDUCING
VETERANS HOMELESSNESS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. AND WE WANT TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THAT, YOU MENTIONED
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SORT OF
DISINVESTING IN HOUSING AND
HOMELESSNESS. WE YOU KNOW, I
THINK THAT THAT IS ANOTHER
EXAMPLE OF WE NEED ALL LEVELS OF
GOVERNMENT IF WE'RE GOING TO
SOLVE THIS COMPLEX PROBLEM, AND
IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO JUST
HAVE THE HUD ALLOCATIONS THAT WE
RECEIVE STATEWIDE, RIGHT? WE
NEED THE TAX CREDITS. WE NEED
THE, AND THE BILL THAT'S GOING
THROUGH THIS, THE CONGRESS RIGHT
NOW, WE ARE DEEPLY SUPPORTIVE OF
THAT. WOULD UNLOCK MORE THAN
300,000 UNITS OF HOUSING OVER
THE NEXT DECADE FOR US. AND SO
WE APPRECIATE THE LEADERSHIP
THAT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
HAS SHOWN IN TERMS OF
PRIORITIZING, HOUSING AND
HOMELESSNESS. AND WE NEED TO GO
FURTHER BECAUSE WE'VE HAD, AS
YOU SAID, MORE THAN 20 YEARS OF
DISINVESTMENT FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO
WORKING WITH OUR FEDERAL
PARTNERS TO RESTORE SOME OF
THOSE RESOURCES AND TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF WHAT'S IN THE
PIPELINE. I APPRECIATE THAT.
ANOTHER COMMENT ON HOMELESSNESS
AND I'M GOING TO TRANSITION TO
CANNABIS. REPRESENTATIVE,
PRIMARILY, IF YOU TAKE A LOOK,
TAKE A LOOK AT LAND, MASS RURAL
DISTRICT. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT
POPULATION, SUBURBAN DISTRICT,
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE TO THE OREGON
BORDER, YOU KNOW, BACK IN 2015,
NOT ONE DIME OF STATE
HOMELESSNESS DOLLARS, NOT A
SINGLE PENNY WENT NORTH OF
SONOMA COUNTY. AND YOU TAKE A
LOOK AT THE HIGHEST RATES PER
CAPITA OF HOMELESSNESS, NOT JUST
IN THE STATE, BUT IN THE NATION.
IT'S IN MENDOCINO LAKE AND
HUMBOLDT COUNTIES. LAKE HAS THE
HIGHEST UNSHELTERED RATE IN THE
STATE. MENDOCINO COUNTY NOW HAS
THE FIFTH LARGEST HOMELESS
POPULATION PER CAPITA IN THE
NATION. AND I KNOW THAT THERE
ARE WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER.
YEAH, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES
TO ACCOUNTABILITY, HOW PUBLIC
DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT AND HOW
MANY FOLKS ARE GETTING OFF THE
STREET INTO HOUSING 110. AND
THAT'S WHY, EXCITED ABOUT YOUR
LEADERSHIP? BECAUSE I KNOW THAT
IS WHERE YOU WANT TO LEAD. AND
THIS GOVERNOR, UNLIKE ANY OTHER,
HAS INVESTED. AND WE ARE
APPROACHING NOW OVER 600 MILLION
IN RURAL PART OF THE NORTH
COAST, 600 MILLION AND LITERALLY
HUNDREDS OF FOLKS COMING OFF THE
STREET INTO HOUSING IN SOME OF
THE MOST CHALLENGING BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH, ISSUES THAT I'VE EVER
SEEN, SO I ALSO THINK IT'S
IMPORTANT THE NUMBERS ARE
IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO TALK
ABOUT WHAT THE PUBLIC, BECAUSE
THERE IS REALLY GOOD WORK
HAPPENING, AND GOOD STORIES TO
TELL. AND I THINK THAT'S JUST
REALLY CRITICAL. I THINK WE
SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN
GOVERNMENT IN A BIT OF A DOOM
LOOP, AND THERE IS A LOT OF, I
THINK, SOME POSITIVE STORIES
THAT WE CAN BE TELLING AND WE
NEED A BETTER ACCOUNTABILITY.
AND I KNOW THAT'S, IMPORTANT. I
WOULD JUST SAY SEE THE CHANGE.
SONOMA COUNTY HAS REDUCED OUR
HOMELESS POPULATION YEAR TO YEAR
BY 22. SO THERE IS SOME MOVEMENT
HAPPENING ON CANNABIS AGAIN,
THIS IS NOT AN AREA IN
GRIEVANCES OR FESTIVUS HERE, BUT
HERE'S WHAT I'LL SAY IS THAT I
WOULD CALL THE NORTH COAST
CANNABIS CAPITAL OF NORTH
AMERICA. AND WHAT HAPPENED WITH
PROP 64 DOES NOT WORK. IT'S NOT
WORKING. I THINK I WOULDN'T WANT
TO PUT WORDS IN DIRECTOR ELIOT'S
MOUTH, SO I WON'T. AND YOU TAKE
A LOOK. THE VAST MAJORITY OF
CANNABIS FARMERS ON THE NORTH
COAST ARE SMALL FAMILY FARMERS,
JUST LIKE YOU MAY HAVE AN ALMOND
GROWER OR A GRAPE GROWER OR A
TOMATO FARMER, THEY'VE BEEN
GROWING CANNABIS FOR 3 OR 4
GENERATIONS, AND THE HURDLES
THAT HAVE BEEN PUT UP IN THIS
INITIATIVE SIMPLY DOESN'T WORK.
TO BE ABLE TO EXPECT A FAMILY
FARM TO GO THROUGH A FULL
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AND
ON A 10,000 SQUARE FOOT CANNABIS
FARM IS COCKAMAMIE. IT DOESN'T
WORK. HOW DO YOU PUT THAT? SO
SO, THE OTHER ISSUE IS, IS NOT
WHAT HE MEANT. HEY, THERE WE GO,
WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT
ENFORCEMENT, DIRECTOR ELLIOTT IS
WORKING DAY AND NIGHT TO BE ABLE
TO GET ADDITIONAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS INTO THE
INTO HER DEPARTMENT, TO BE ABLE
TO GET FOLKS OUT ENFORCING THE
LAWS THAT WE HAVE OVER THE LAST
THREE YEARS, ONLY 1.5 MILLION.
AND WE GOT IT. 1.5 MILLION HAS
GONE INTO SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT TO
BE ABLE TO GO AFTER THE WORST OF
THE WORST, WHO ARE GROWING
ILLEGALLY IF THERE IS NO
CONSEQUENCE FOR GROWING
ILLEGALLY OR OPENING UP. AND
PUTTING A SHINGLE OUT AND
SELLING CANNABIS, FOLKS ARE
GOING TO KEEP DOING IT. SO I
FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE TO
HAVE A CARROT AND A STICK. AND
YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE TYPE OF
FOLKS WHO ARE GROWING. IT IS
ORGANIZED CRIME AND SOME
MULTINATIONAL CARTELS ON THE
NORTH COAST, AND IT'S WELL
DOCUMENTED THROUGH STATE OES,
LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. I SAY ALL
THAT IS, I REALLY THINK THAT WE
NEED TO RELOOK AT THE WAY WE ARE
ADVANCING CANNABIS IF IT'S TRULY
AN AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY. WE'RE
NOT ASKING A TOMATO FARMER TO BE
ABLE TO DO A FULL YEAR TO BE
ABLE TO GROW, ESPECIALLY IN
10,000 FLIP AND 10,000FT². I'LL
LEAVE IT THERE, THOSE ARE
COMMENTS, AND YOU CAN JUST GIVE
A WINK AND SAY, LET'S MOVE ON,
AND YEAH. AMEN YEAH. SO IT IS
SOMETHING THAT I'M GOING TO
FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ON. AND THE
LAST THING AND I DON'T MEAN TO
DO THIS TO YOU AS WELL, IS,
LOOK, WE'VE ALREADY CONSOLIDATED
THE TAXES ON IT. WE GOT RID OF
THE CULTIVATION TAX, WHICH HOSED
THESE SMALL FAMILY FARMERS. IT'S
NOW JUST ONE EXCISE TAX, IT IS
GOING TO TAKE GOING BACK TO THE
VOTERS, THE TAXING SYSTEM IN
THIS STATE IS TOO HIGH,
WASHINGTON, OREGON, COLORADO
HAVE ALL LOOKED AT TAX REFORM IN
REGARDS TO CANNABIS. AND I THINK
THAT'S ANOTHER ISSUE THAT WE'RE
GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT. MADAM
SECRETARY, THIS IS FOR ANOTHER
DAY. AND I WELCOME YOUR
COMMENTS. IF YOU HAVE ANY, AND
LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING AN
OFFLINE CONVERSATION WITH YOU ON
THIS. AND I APPRECIATE YOUR
PATIENCE WITH ME. GREAT. I LOOK
FORWARD TO PARTNERING WITH YOU
ON ON THIS, NO, I WOULD JUST SAY
WE, YOU KNOW, WE WHAT'S UNIQUE
ABOUT BKSH IS I, I WANT TO
PROMOTE GOOD BUSINESS PRACTICES
AND MAKE SURE WE ARE PROVIDING
PATHWAYS INTO OPPORTUNITY FOR
THE DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE
IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. AND
SO CONSUMER PROTECTIONS ARE
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR US.
IT'S OUR NORTH STAR. AND I WANT
TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE A
PLACE TO LIVE, AND SO THOSE
THINGS, AS I SAID, SORT OF
INTERTWINE AND I AND HEARING
SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU
RAISED ABOUT CANNABIS, THIS IS
WHY WE HAVE TO ITERATE ON
IMPLEMENTATION. AND ONCE THESE
LAWS PASS, WE IMPLEMENT, WE SEE
HOW CHALLENGING IT MIGHT BE IN
REAL TIME. AND WE COME BACK AND
WE FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE THE
ALTERNATIVES TO THOSE BARRIERS
THAT ARE UNDERMINING OUR
INTENDED CONSEQUENCES. SO I
REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING
MORE OF YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT
WE CAN DO TO MOVE MORE FOLKS
INTO THE LEGAL CANNABIS MARKET
AND MAKE IT, A SUSTAINING
BUSINESS FOR THOSE THREE, FOUR
GENERATIONS OF GROWERS WHO ARE
NOW NOW READY TO TAKE THEIR
BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND
ARE STYMIED BY SOME OF THE
CHALLENGES THAT THEY FACE. I
THINK ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
PARTS OF LIFE IS ADMIT WHEN
YOU'RE WRONG. YEAH WE WERE WRONG
IN REGARDS TO PASSING A
PROPOSITION THAT'S GOING TO
SADDLE A SMALL FAMILY FARM, LIKE
WHAT WE WOULD DO WITH A
MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR CORPORATION
, AND SO THAT'S WHAT IT'S GOING
TO TAKE, AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
TO ULTIMATELY GO BACK TO VOTERS
BECAUSE SOME OF THIS IS NOW
MANDATED BY INITIATIVE. SO IT'S
AN ITEM THAT WOULD LIKE TO
FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ON, AS I SAID
, AND I'M GOING TO GET OFF MY
SOAPBOX AND OPEN IT UP FOR
PUBLIC COMMENT. MADAM SECRETARY,
THANK YOU. SO WHAT WE'D LIKE TO
BE ABLE TO DO, AND SHE SAID,
THANK GOODNESS. WE'RE GOING TO
OPEN IT UP FOR ANY AND EVERY ONE
OF YOU WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE
TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE
SECRETARY. WHAT WE'RE GOING TO
ASK IF YOU COULD PLEASE STATE
YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME AND THE
ORGANIZATION THAT YOU'RE WITH.
WE'RE GOING TO WELCOME FOLKS TO
BE ABLE TO COME FORWARD AT THIS
TIME. WE'RE LOOKING FOR THOSE
WHO ARE IN SUPPORT, THOSE IN
SUPPORT. 30S PLEASE FIRST AND
LAST NAME HOT ROLLING DEEP HERE
TODAY. MY GOODNESS. COME ON UP.
HI EVERYONE. DARBY KIERNAN
REPRESENTING LEADING AGE
CALIFORNIA AND REDIF IN SUPPORT
OF SECRETARY MOSS. THANK YOU.
GOOD AFTERNOON. NEVADA MERRIMAN
WITH MID-PEN HOUSING. I'M HERE
IN SUPPORT OF SECRETARY MOSS
CONFIRMATION. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU. HEY. GOOD
AFTERNOON, GRACIELA CASTILLO. I
AM HERE ON BEHALF OF TWO
ORGANIZATIONS IN STRONG SUPPORT
OF THE SECRETARY'S CONFIRMATION
THÀNH FOR ALL HOME AND ALSO FOR
THE CALIFORNIA HOUSING
CONSORTIUM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
SO MUCH. GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOOD
AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR.
CHAIRMAN. MEMBERS MICHAEL
GUNNING HERE. LIGHTHOUSE PUBLIC
AFFAIRS, ON BEHALF OF HABITAT
FOR HUMANITY AND FOR SPUR IN
SUPPORT OF SECRETARY MOSS. THANK
YOU AND GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. GOOD AFTERNOON, SIR
, JUSTIN GARRETT WITH THE
CALIFORNIA STATE ASSOCIATION OF
COUNTIES AND STRONG SUPPORT OF
THE CONFIRMATION OF SECRETARY
MOSS. THANKS, JUSTIN. HEY. GOOD
AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR.
CHAIR. AND MEMBERS. ANDRES
RAMIREZ, ON BEHALF OF OAKLAND
MAYOR SHENGTAO, EMERYVILLE MAYOR
COURTNEY WELCH AND BERKELEY
MAYOR JESSE ARREGUIN, AS WELL AS
THE NONPROFIT HOUSING
ASSOCIATION OF NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA, ALL IN SUPPORT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE
IT. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD
AFTERNOON. DANNY KENDALL KAISER,
ON BEHALF OF THE CALIFORNIA LOW
INCOME CONSUMER COALITION IN
STRONG SUPPORT. THANK YOU SO
MUCH. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD
AFTERNOON. TIM SCHMELZER WITH
WINE INSTITUTE. DID YOU KNOW
THAT YOU ALSO OVERSEE THE
DEPARTMENT OF ALCOHOL BEVERAGE
CONTROL? I HAD A I HAD A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE
SECRETARY. I STRONGLY SUPPORT
HER. HER CONFIRMATION, THANK YOU
FOR LISTENING TO MY TALE OF WOE
ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA WINE
INDUSTRY. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO
YOUR PARTNERSHIP AND GETTING
OURSELVES BACK UP, THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. GOOD
AFTERNOON. I'M SARAH KARLINSKY.
I'M THE RESEARCH DIRECTOR AT THE
TERNER CENTER FOR HOUSING
INNOVATION AT UC BERKELEY. I'M
SPEAKING IN MY PERSONAL CAPACITY
AND NOT ON BEHALF OF THE
UNIVERSITY, AND I'M SPEAKING IN
STRONG SUPPORT OF SECRETARY
MOSS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK
YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. JULIE
SNYDER WITH THE METROPOLITAN
TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION AND
ASSOCIATION OF BAY AREA
GOVERNMENTS, WE'RE SAD TO LOSE
YOU IN THE BAY AREA, BUT IT'S
THE STATE'S VICTORY, SO THANK
YOU VERY MUCH. WELL SAID. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. HEY, HOW YOU DOING?
ELIZABETH KIM WITH PICO,
CALIFORNIA. AND STRONG SUPPORT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. GOOD
AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON,
SUSANNA PARSONS HERE ON BEHALF
OF ENTERPRISE COMMUNITY
PARTNERS. AND AS A FORMER STAFF
MEMBER IN STRONG SUPPORT OF THE
CONFIRMATION OF THE SECRETARY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. HEY, GOOD
AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. KIM
LEWIS, REPRESENTING THE
CALIFORNIA COALITION FOR YOUTH,
WHO HAS MANY MEMBERS IN THE BAY
AREA AND PARTICULARLY LARKIN
STREET YOUTH SERVICES, WHO ARE
HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE
SECRETARY'S CONFIRMATION. THANK
YOU. THANKS. GOOD TO SEE YOU.
GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON.
CATHERINE CHARLES HERE WITH
HOUSING ACTION COALITION AND THE
BAY AREA COUNCIL IN STRONG
SUPPORT. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. HEY. HI INDIRA
MCDONALD HERE ON BEHALF OF THE
CALIFORNIA MORTGAGE BANKERS
ASSOCIATION, IN STRONG SUPPORT
OF THE CONFIRMATION OF MISS
TAMIKA MOSS, UNDER HER
LEADERSHIP THIS YEAR, THE NHÀ IN
HER ROLE WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF
FINANCIAL PROTECTION AND
INNOVATION, SHE HAS PROVIDED
CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE
INDUSTRY ON LICENSING ISSUES,
AND JUST KEEPING INTEGRITY AND
CONFIDENCE IN THE MORTGAGE
MARKET. SO WE ARE IN STRONG
SUPPORT TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. HI, EMILY PAPPAS
NIEMELA PAPPAS ASSOCIATES, ON
BEHALF OF OUR CLIENT,
SALESFORCE. THEY ARE THRILLED
FOR YOU IN SUPPORT. GOOD TO SEE
YOU. THANK YOU. HEY, MARK
STIVERS WITH THE CALIFORNIA
HOUSING PARTNERSHIP. AND ALSO
SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF HOUSING
CALIFORNIA. TODAY, WE ARE
THRILLED TO HAVE A HOUSING AND
HOMELESSNESS EXPERT IN THE
BUSINESS, CONSUMER SERVICES AND
HOUSING AGENCY SECRETARY
POSITION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
SO MUCH. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
WE'RE GOING TO DO A LAST CALL,
LAST CALL FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE
IN SUPPORT. WE'RE GOING TO DO
LAST CALL FOR THOSE IN SUPPORT.
IF YOU COULD PLEASE STEP FORWARD
TO THE PODIUM AT THIS TIME
HEARING, SEEING NO ONE RISE,
WE'RE NOW GOING TO WELCOME
ANYONE WHO MAY BE IN OPPOSITION.
IF YOU COULD PLEASE COME
FORWARD. WE'RE NOW TAKING
OPPOSITION. COMMENT IN
COMMITTEE. WE'RE GOING TO DO A
LAST CALL, PLEASE. LAST CALL FOR
OPPOSITION. ALL RIGHT. WHY DON'T
WE BRING IT BACK TO COMMITTEE TO
SEE IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, PLEASE,
MR. JONES. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR,
SECRETARY MOSS, YOU'VE DONE A
GREAT JOB TODAY, OBVIOUSLY,
YOU'VE GOT OVERWHELMING SUPPORT,
FROM THE COMMUNITY. MY VOTE
TODAY. I'M GOING TO ABSTAIN
TODAY, THIS THIS THIS, I'VE GOT
AN ARTICLE TODAY, FROM
CALMATTERS THAT I THINK DAN
WALTERS, HAS DONE. AND ON
MONDAY, THE ASSEMBLY HAD A
OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE OF CAL S¼.
AND I'M JUST GOING TO READ A
QUOTE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF, OF
THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE, PHIL
TING. HE SAID, YOU, YOU. AND
THIS IS TO THE DIRECTOR OF EACH,
NOT TO YOU, OBVIOUSLY, BUT FOR A
DEPARTMENT THAT'S UNDER YOUR
PURVIEW AT THIS POINT IN TIME,
YOU COME TO A BUDGET COMMITTEE
AND THERE'S NO NUMBERS, AS PHIL
TING, A SAN FRANCISCO DEMOCRAT,
TOLD MARSHALL, HOW MANY PEOPLE
HAVE WE HELPED? HOW MANY PEOPLE
ARE OFF THE STREET BECAUSE
THAT'S WHAT THE PUBLIC WANT TO
KNOW. WHAT'S THE MONEY BEEN
SPENT ON? WHAT'S THE $24 BILLION
BEEN SPENT ON FOR THE LAST FOUR
YEARS? AND, I'M GOING TO I'M
GOING TO ABSTAIN TODAY ON THE
VOTE, AND I'VE, I'VE VOTED NO ON
CONFIRMATIONS BEFORE WITH THE
OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO PROVE
ME WRONG. AND SO I WANT TO, YOU
KNOW, GIVE THAT DISCLOSURE
AGAIN. I'M ALSO GOING TO, MAKE A
RECOMMENDATION TO THE COMMITTEE
THAT WE DON'T BRING THE FULL,
RECOMMENDATION TO THE FLOOR
UNTIL WE HAVE THAT REPORT THAT
HAS BEEN PROMISED. AND I BELIEVE
THAT THAT YOU'LL BRING IT. BUT,
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT
THIS COMMITTEE SHOULD CONSIDER
AS WE MOVE FORWARD. SO I'LL BE
ABSTAINING TODAY. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. JONES. I
APPRECIATE THAT. PLEASE, MADAM
VICE CHAIR, GO AHEAD AND MOVE
THE CONFIRMATION AT THE
APPROPRIATE TIME. ALL RIGHT. WE
HAVE A MOTION ON THE. WE HAVE A
MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO FOLLOW
UPS BEFORE WE GO TO VOTE, MADAM
SECRETARY. SO AGAIN, MADAM
SECRETARY, YOU'LL BE FOLLOWING
UP WITH MADAM VICE CHAIR. YES,
AND THAT WILL BE ON THE ISSUE ON
LITIGATION. AND THEN ON, WHAT I,
WHAT I HAD SAID ORIGINALLY WAS
30 DAYS IN REGARDS TO GETTING
THE COMMITTEE REPORT THAT WOULD
THEN BE DISTRIBUTED TO EACH OF
THE OFFICES. YOU BELIEVE A WEEK
FROM THIS FRIDAY. YES. IS WHEN
YOU'LL HAVE THIS TO THE
COMMITTEE? YES. OKAY. THANK YOU
SO MUCH. SO WE'LL WE'LL HAVE
THAT BACK, PLEASE. MR. LAIRD
KNOW THERE WAS A WAS THERE A
SECOND REPORT BACK AS WELL?
YEAH. THE TWO, THE ONE WITH
MADAM VICE CHAIR AND THEN,
DOUBLE CHECK AND THEN WITH THE
REPORT COMING BACK ON THEM, I
APPRECIATE THAT. AND JUST TO
CONFIRM, MINE WAS ON THE CRD.
YES, MA'AM. YES. THANK YOU SIR.
YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL
RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE
FLOOR BY MADAM VICE CHAIR. MADAM
SECRETARY, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL
THE ROLL? MAGUIRE. AYE. MAGUIRE.
AYE. GROVE GROVE. AYE. EGGMAN.
EGGMAN. AYE JONES. JONES. NOT
VOTING. LAIRD. AYE LAIRD. AYE.
40 040. THE CONFIRMATION PASSES.
YOU'LL BE HEADING TO THE FLOOR.
CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU SO
MUCH. SO MUCH. LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN, WE'RE GOING TO BE
TAKING A FIVE MINUTE BREAK. FIVE
MINUTE BREAK? THIS IS GOING TO
BE A RECESS COMMITTEE WILL BE IN
RECESS FOR FIVE MINUTES. IN THE
MEANTIME, WE'RE GOING TO BE
WELCOMING OUR MEMBERS FROM THE
CIVIL RIGHTS COUNCIL. IF YOU ALL
WANT TO BE ABLE TO COME FORWARD,
WE WELCOME YOU. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE. FIVE
MINUTES, FIVE MINUTE RECESS.
THE SENATE RULES WILL RECONVENE
IN 60S. WE'RE GOING TO RECONVENE
IN 60S
.
IS HIGHWAY ONE OPEN YET? YES,
BUT. ALL RIGHT, LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN, COMMITTEE. AND THOSE
WHO ARE IN ATTENDANCE. AGAIN,
WELCOME BACK, FIRST AND
FOREMOST, WE WANT TO SAY THANK
YOU SO MUCH TO MISTER GARCIA.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU
FOR BEING HERE TODAY, MR.
GLASER. THANK YOU FOR BOTH OF
YOU. FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA. WHAT WE'RE
GOING TO DO IS THAT WE'RE GOING
TO PROVIDE EACH OF YOU UP TO TWO
MINUTES OF OPENING COMMENT. WE
WELCOME ANY ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF
FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO MAY BE
HERE IN THE HEARING ROOM AND OR
WATCHING VIRTUALLY WHAT WE'LL
THEN DO IS OPEN IT UP FOR
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE
COMMITTEE, AND THEN, THEN WE'LL
PUT IT UP FOR A VOTE. AND AGAIN,
WE'RE GRATEFUL TO BOTH OF YOU
FOR YOUR SERVICE. MR. GARCIA,
WHY DON'T WE START WITH YOU,
SIR? YES, YOU HAVE UP TO TWO
MINUTES, AND I'LL GIVE YOU A
32ND PROMPT AS YOU GET CLOSE TO
THE TIME. THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR
MCGUIRE. AND MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE, THANK YOU FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY REGARDING
MY APPOINTMENT TO THE CIVIL
RIGHTS COUNCIL. IT'S AN HONOR TO
SERVE THE PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA
IN THIS ROLE. I HAVE EXPERIENCE
IN THE PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND
NONPROFIT SECTORS, AND I BELIEVE
MY VARIED EXPERIENCE WILL REALLY
INFORM ME. AS CHAIR OF THIS
BODY, DURING THE TEN YEARS AS
DIRECTOR OF INVESTIGATIONS AT
EDISON INTERNATIONAL, I
PERSONALLY INVESTIGATED NUMEROUS
ALLEGATIONS OF DISCRIMINATION,
HARASSMENT AND RETALIATION. I AM
NOW WORKING FOR INNER CITY LAW
CENTER, WHERE EVERY DAY I FOCUS
ON TENANTS RIGHTS AND HOPEFULLY
PREVENT EVICTIONS FOR MY
CLIENTS. AND IT WAS REALLY
INFORMATIVE LISTENING TO THE
PRIOR TESTIMONY, AND I
APPRECIATE THIS BODY IS REALLY
HARD WORK TRYING TO SOLVE THAT
ISSUE. IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT
ISSUE FOR THE CALIFORNIANS AS
WELL AS EMPLOYMENT ISSUES AND
THOSE ISSUES ARE CONSTANTLY
EVOLVING. AND, THE CIVIL RIGHTS
COUNCIL WILL BE READY TO ENGAGE
IN A STATUTORY DUTIES IN AN
EFFICIENT MANNER. MY GOAL AS
CHAIR IS TO WORK IN A
COLLABORATIVE MANNER AND ENSURE
ALL VIEWPOINTS FROM VARIOUS
STAKEHOLDERS ARE CONSIDERED. I'M
ALSO COMMITTED TO CONTINUING OUR
OUTREACH AND TRAINING EFFORTS.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE. THANK YOU
SO MUCH, MR. GARCIA. AGAIN WE
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY. NOW,
MR. CLAYTOR, WELCOME. I'LL GIVE
YOU A 32ND PROMPT AS YOU GET
CLOSE TO THE TWO MINUTES. THE
FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR BEING HERE, SIR. THANK
YOU, CHAIR MCGUIRE. AND GOOD
AFTERNOON. MEMBERS OF THE
COMMITTEE, THANK YOU FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE THIS
BRIEF OPENING STATEMENT AND
RESPOND TO YOUR QUESTIONS
RELATED TO APPOINTMENT TO THE
CIVIL RIGHTS COUNCIL BY GOVERNOR
NEWSOM. I'M A LAW PROFESSOR. I
HAVE BEEN SINCE 2011, AND PRIOR
TO THAT WAS A JOURNALIST. AND
BOTH OF THOSE HAVE SHAPED SOME
OF MY PERSPECTIVES ABOUT WAYS TO
APPROACH THE COUNCIL. IT WOULD
BE A PRIVILEGE AND AN HONOR TO
SERVE THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE
THROUGH JOINING THE COUNCIL. AND
I'M GRATEFUL TO THE GOVERNOR FOR
THE OPPORTUNITY. AND IT'S BEEN A
REAL PRIVILEGE GETTING TO KNOW
FOLKS AT THE CIVIL RIGHTS
DEPARTMENT IN THE COURSE OF
SERVING FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS
IN THE LEGAL ACADEMY, I'VE HAD
THE PRIVILEGE OF TIME TO STUDY
THE DISTRIBUTION OF
OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY, BUT
NOT ONLY EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE BECOMING A
LAW PROFESSOR AGAIN, I WAS A
JOURNALIST AND, AMONG OTHER
THINGS, HAD A CHANCE TO WRITE
ABOUT DISCRIMINATION AND
INEQUALITY. SO THE COUNCIL
ADDRESSES ISSUES THAT HAVE
CONCERNED ME FOR MANY YEARS. AND
ONE REASON I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE
POSITION IS IT AFFORDS THE
CHANCE TO GO BEYOND STUDY, TO
TRY TO DO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE
, NOT TO JUST OFFER CRITIQUES OF
STATUTORY DRAFTING OR REGULATORY
DRAFTING, BUT TO TAKE A STAB AT
IT. I ADMITTED TO SOMEWHAT
INTIMIDATING PROSPECT AS WELL.
THIS IS A REMARKABLE MOMENT TO
FOCUS ON DISCRIMINATION THANKS
TO THE INCREASING AVAILABILITY
AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY TO INFORM
AND AID ALL MANNER OF
TRANSACTIONS, TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OR AI
HOLD GREAT PROMISE, BUT ALSO
PRESENT RISK IN THAT THEY HAVE
THE CAPACITY TO ENABLE
DISCRIMINATION THROUGH COMPLEX
AND OFTEN OPAQUE PROCESSES. THE
WIDESPREAD USE OF AI MEANS THAT
THIS DISCRIMINATION CAN OCCUR IN
DIFFERENT CONTEXTS, FROM RENTING
AN APARTMENT TO APPLYING TO A
LOAN, TO SEEKING EMPLOYMENT, AND
IN DIFFERENT WAYS. THIS IS A
CHALLENGE TO LONG STANDING LAWS
DRAFTED BEFORE SUCH TECHNOLOGIES
EXISTED, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO
LEARNING MORE ABOUT THEM AND
HELPING TO ADDRESS THEM AS A
MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL. AS A
LAPSED JOURNALIST, I ALSO LOOK
FORWARD TO EXPLORING AND
DEVELOPING WAYS TO PROMOTE
AWARENESS OF THE COUNCIL'S
REGULATORY ACTIVITIES, WHETHER
THAT'S THROUGH HEARINGS, REPORTS
OR OTHER METHODS THAT COMPLEMENT
AND ENHANCE THE CORE RULEMAKING
FUNCTION. I HOPE TO CONTRIBUTE
TO CREATING ACCESSIBLE, PLAIN
LANGUAGE RESOURCES THAT HELP
EXPLAIN THE REGULATIONS ISSUED
BY THE COUNCIL. 30S. THANK YOU
AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO
SPEAK TO YOU TODAY AND FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY BY JOINING THE
COUNCIL TO SERVE MY ADOPTED
STATE, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO
YOUR QUESTIONS. MR. GOYDER,
THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE IT
AND GRATEFUL FOR BOTH OF YOUR
OPENING, STATEMENTS. WHAT WE'RE
GOING TO DO IS WE'RE GOING TO
OPEN IT UP FOR THE COMMITTEE TO
BE ABLE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS OR
COMMENTS. WHY DON'T WE START,
PLEASE, SENATOR EGGMAN. THANK
YOU. MY FIRST QUESTION IS JUST
TO BOTH OF YOU. IT SEEMS LIKE
NEITHER ONE OF YOU HAVE SERVED
IN A PUBLIC AGENCY BEFORE, SO
TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR
YOUR PRIVATE, WORLD EXPERIENCE
IS GOING TO HELP GUIDE YOU
COMING INTO THE WORLD OF A
PUBLIC AGENCY. I WANT TO GO
FIRST. THAT WAS A GOOD MOVE
THERE. YEAH. IT WAS. IT WAS A
RACE TO SEE WHO COULD DEFER TO.
THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, ONE
OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE BEEN
STUDYING FOR MANY YEARS NOW IS
THE ROLE THAT THE GOVERNMENT CAN
PLAY IN LEVELING A PLAYING FIELD
AND MAKING OPPORTUNITIES MORE
READILY AVAILABLE, PARTICULARLY
TO PEOPLE WHO HISTORICALLY HAVE
NOT HAD ACCESS TO THE SAME KINDS
OF OPPORTUNITIES. SO I HOPE THAT
THE ATTENTION WE'VE HAD THAT
I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO GIVE, OVER
TIME, AS A SCHOLAR WILL INFORM
THE APPROACH TO THE KINDS OF
ISSUES THAT ARE GOING TO COME
BEFORE THE COUNCIL GOING
FORWARD, ONE OF THE LUXURIES OF
BOTH BEING A REPORTER AND BEING
A LAW PROFESSOR IS THERE'S A
HEALTHY DISTANCE, BETWEEN,
BETWEEN ME AND THE PEOPLE
REGULATING OR LITIGATING OR
WHATEVER. SO AGAIN, I'M
REPEATING MYSELF NOW, BUT ONE OF
THE PARTICULAR APPEALS OF THIS
OPPORTUNITY IS TO TRY TO PUT
SOME OF THESE IDEAS INTO
PRACTICE. AND HOW DO YOU GO FROM
JOURNALISM TO LAW, PROFESSOR.
OH, GOODNESS, THAT'S A LONG
STORY. LET ME TRY TO ANSWER IT
THIS WAY. AND PLEASE TELL ME IF
IT'S SATISFACTORY, THERE ARE A
LOT OF SIMILARITIES IN THE SENSE
THAT AS A JOURNALIST, ONE OF THE
THINGS I AM WAS TRYING TO DO IS
LEARN SOMETHING COMPLICATED
UNDER ABSURD TIME PRESSURE AND
TURN AROUND AND TRY TO EXPLAIN
IT TO A LAY AUDIENCE, IN AS FEW
WORDS AS POSSIBLE. AND AS A LAW
PROFESSOR, AGAIN, WE ARE TRYING
TO EXPLAIN COMPLEX IDEAS TO
STUDENTS WITH THE IDEA THAT THEN
THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME
THING THEMSELVES GOING FORWARD.
THE VIRTUE IS THERE'S MORE TIME.
YOU CAN USE MORE WORDS. THE
DOWNSIDE IS A LOT FEWER PEOPLE
READ THEM. I WILL SAY BEING IN
POLITICS WAS MY FIRST, I THINK,
REALLY DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF
THE PRESS AND IN JOURNALISM. AND
I THOUGHT, OH, IT'S A LOT LIKE
POLITICS TOO, RIGHT? YOU'RE
TRYING TO REALLY FIGURE OUT
LIKE, WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? WHAT
ARE ALL THE SOURCES LEADING INTO
THAT PROBLEM WITH THE SOLUTION?
AND HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN IT TO
PEOPLE IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF
TIME? THAT'S RIGHT. MR. GARCIA.
YES. THANK YOU, YOU KNOW, I COME
FROM A BACKGROUND IN THE PUBLIC
SECTOR. I'VE NEVER SERVED IN
THIS CAPACITY BEFORE. ANY TYPE
OF APPOINTMENT OR GOVERNMENTAL
APPOINTMENT, I HAVE WORKED AS A
AS A FORMER PROSECUTOR IN STATE
AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS. I DO
HAVE THAT PUBLIC SECTOR
EXPERIENCE AS WELL AS, AS AN
EXECUTIVE AT EDISON, THE UTILITY
AND NOW DID A NONPROFIT. AND I
REALLY DO THINK THOSE THOSE
EXPERIENCES ARE GOING TO REALLY
HELP INFORM ME HERE AS CHAIR, TO
ADDRESS THESE ISSUES IN A
BALANCED, THOUGHTFUL WAY WITH
INPUT FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT
STAKEHOLDERS, BECAUSE I HAVE
BEEN ON THE EMPLOYER SIDE AS
WELL AS AS WELL AS IS NOW IN THE
NONPROFIT SIDE. AND I THINK IT'S
IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT ALL THESE
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND I
THINK MY BROAD EXPERIENCE WILL
HELP INFORM ME IN THAT REGARD.
OKAY. AND, I TALKED WITH MY
COLLEAGUE FROM KERN COUNTY, JUST
ABOUT ABOUT SOME OF THE
QUESTIONS SHE WAS ASKING TO OUR
LAST PERSON, AND, YOU KNOW, IF
MAYBE SOME OF THE, MAYBE SOME OF
THE INFORMATION WERE STATEMENTS
THAT CAME FROM PEOPLE WHO WERE
FILING CLAIMS VERSUS AGENCY
ITSELF. BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY
THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT, ABOUT WHAT
YOU HEARD? AND IS THAT WHAT YOU
THOUGHT YOU SIGNED UP FOR? YOU
MEAN IN TERMS OF THE PRIOR, THE
CISCO, THE CISCO? YEAH, I HAVE
NO COMMENT ON THAT. REALLY. I, I
DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT
LITIGATION. THIS IS THE FIRST
TIME I HEARD ABOUT IT WAS TODAY.
I'M VERY INTERESTED TO FIND OUT
WHAT THAT'S ABOUT. BUT IT'S NOT
WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE CIVIL
RIGHTS COUNCIL, AND SO AT THIS
POINT, I DON'T THINK I WOULD
HAVE ANY COMMENT ON IT. OKAY.
THANK YOU. AND JUST A POINT OF
CLARIFICATION THAT WAS POINTED
TO THE PREVIOUS, NOMINEE BECAUSE
SHE WAS OVER THE CRD AND IT IS
SEPARATE FROM THE CIVIL RIGHTS
COUNCIL VERSUS THE DIVISION THAT
IS THE DEPARTMENT THAT SHE
OVERSEES. SO THANK YOU. OF
COURSE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO
MUCH, SENATOR EGGMAN. LET'S SEE
PLEASE, MADAM VICE CHAIR. THANK
YOU. I AM GOING TO FOCUS A
LITTLE BIT ON AI BECAUSE I KNOW
WE HAD A BIG CONFERENCE WITH
THAT, WITH, WITH THE CAUCUS.
THIS LAST WEEK, AND I KNOW THAT
IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS ALL OVER
ON INSTAGRAM AND THE INTERNET
AND EVERYTHING ELSE, WITH MOVIE
STARS BEING EYED ON THE RED
CARPET. THAT DIDN'T ACTUALLY
HAPPEN. AND SOME OTHER STUFF
THAT'S BEEN COMING ACROSS MY
DESK ABOUT USING PEOPLE'S FACES
AND CHILDREN THAT REALLY AREN'T
THEIR CHILDREN. AND SO I DO HAVE
CONCERNS ABOUT THAT. I KNOW THAT
IT'S GOING TO BE YOUR GUYS'S
DEPARTMENT, THAT YOU'RE WORKING
ON A REGULATORY PACKAGE, THAT
WOULD APPLY ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE DRIVEN DECISIONS BY
EMPLOYERS. AND, I THINK IT'S
GOOD IF WE CAN MANAGE IT. BUT I
DO HAVE CONCERNS ON SMALL
BUSINESSES LIKE MY COLLEAGUE,
THE SENATE PRO TEM, ABOUT SMALL
BUSINESSES TRYING TO COMPLY WITH
EVERYTHING THAT'S, YOU KNOW,
LAYERED UPON, LAYERED UPON,
LAYERED OF REGULATORY PROCESSES.
WHEN YOU'RE A SMALL BUSINESS,
SMALL MOM AND POP, JUST TRYING
TO MAKE ENDS MEET. AND WHAT ARE
SOME OF THE MAIN OBJECTIVES THAT
YOU GUYS HAVE WITH THE
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
SUBCOMMITTEE THAT YOU'RE PUTTING
TOGETHER TO PROMULGATE THESE
REGULATIONS? AND WHAT ARE THE
TAKEAWAYS FROM YOUR TIME IN THIS
SUBCOMMITTEE? SURE. I THINK THAT
ONE'S DIRECTED. TO ME, IT IS.
YES, SIR. I'M SORRY SIR. NO, NO,
NO, YOU'RE OFF THE HOOK SIR.
YES. WELL DONE. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. SENATOR, WITH RESPECT, CAN
I TAKE THE FIRST PART OF YOUR
COMMENT FIRST ABOUT WITH RESPECT
TO IMPACT ON SMALL BUSINESSES?
ABSOLUTELY, SIR. ONE OF THE ONE
OF THE RULES THAT WE SHOULD BE
PLAYING IS LISTENER TO DIFFERENT
AFFECTED STAKEHOLDERS BY WHO
STAND TO BE GOVERNED BY
REGULATIONS THAT WE ARE SUPPOSED
TO BE DRAFTING. SO IF WE ARE
DOING OUR JOB WELL AND I THINK
WE ALL WANT TO, WE WILL BE
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT WHAT THE
POTENTIAL COSTS OF THE
REGULATIONS ARE, WHAT THE
IMPLICATIONS OF PARTICULAR
REGULATORY DESIGN CHOICES ARE.
CAN I HAVE YOU PULL THE
MICROPHONE A LITTLE CLOSER? I
APOLOGIZE, I'M SORRY TO
INTERRUPT. I'M SORRY. COULD YOU
HEAR ME? YES. OKAY. AND ALSO,
ONE ADDITIONAL POINT AND ALSO
THAT THE OUR ROLE IS TO
IMPLEMENT STATUTES ALREADY IN
EXISTENCE AS OPPOSED TO MAKING
UP OUT OF WHOLE CLOTH, WHAT THE
REQUIREMENTS OUGHT TO BE. SO, SO
AGAIN, I HOPE THAT WE WILL BE
MINDFUL OF THE IMPACTS OF THE
REGULATIONS, NOT JUST ON THE
GROUPS THAT WE ARE OR THE PEOPLE
WE ARE TRYING TO PROTECT FROM
POSSIBLE DISCRIMINATION, BUT
ALSO ON THOSE WHO HAVE THE
BURDEN OF COMPLIANCE, SO I
WANTED TO SAY TO SAY THAT FIRST,
AND I'M SORRY, THE SECOND PART
OF YOUR QUESTION JUST ON THE
SUBCOMMITTEE, WHAT ARE SOME OF
THE OBJECTIVES COMING OUT OF THE
SUBCOMMITTEE THAT YOU GUYS HAVE
ALREADY DISCUSSED AND I GUESS
THE SECOND PART OF THAT ONE IS
WHAT ARE YOUR TAKEAWAYS, WHICH
BASICALLY BE THE SAME QUESTION,
I GUESS. SURE. IT'S ACTUALLY
PREMATURE, I THINK, FOR ME TO
ANSWER THAT. SO I'VE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE I'VE BEEN ON THIS
SUBCOMMITTEE SINCE OUR LAST
MEETING, AND MY UNDERSTANDING OF
WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS IS
THERE WILL BE, DRAFT REGULATIONS
OUT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
RELATIVELY SOON. AND AT THAT
POINT, I WILL HAVE MORE OF A
ROLE AS WE TAKE IN ALL OF THE
COMMENTS THAT I ANTICIPATE THAT
WE WILL RECEIVE, BUT I HAVE ONLY
BEEN ON OR ONLY BEEN TO, I
THINK, A TOTAL OF THREE COUNCIL
MEETINGS SO FAR, AND THAT'S,
THAT'S WHERE WE ARE IN THE
PROCESS. I COMPLETELY
UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
SIR, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, MADAM
VICE CHAIR. PLEASE. SENATOR
THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE, WHAT
YOU DO. AND I THOUGHT A LOT OF
IT MIGHT BE TECHNICAL OR OR
PROCESS WISE. AND HOW DO YOU
STAND BACK AND SORT OF FEEL LIKE
YOU CAN ASSESS WHERE THERE'S
DISCRIMINATION OR ISSUES AND IF,
FOR EXAMPLE. WELL, YOU KNOW, I
WORK I WORKED HARD ON MY LOCAL
COUNTIES BENCH. THERE WERE EIGHT
MEN AS JUDGES AND FOUR WOMEN,
AND WE WERE TRYING TO MOVE TO
EQUITY. AND WHEN I DRILLED DOWN
FIRST, ALMOST EVERY MAN WAS
APPOINTED IN ALMOST EVERY WOMAN
HAD TO RUN. SO EVEN THAT NUMBER
REFLECTED A GREATER INEQUITY.
AND I FOUND OUT WOMEN WERE, SORT
OF SUBTLY DISCRIMINATED AGAINST
IN A PROCESS BECAUSE FOR
APPOINTMENT, BECAUSE THEY WOULD
HAVE TAKEN TIME OFF AT TIMES,
MAYBE WORKED HALF TIME FOR TIME,
AND THEY COULDN'T COMPETE
AGAINST MEN THAT HADN'T DONE
THAT. SO SOMETIMES THE
DISCRIMINATE IS SUBTLE OR IT'S
SOMETHING. HOW DO YOU FEEL LIKE
YOU HAVE A BACKGROUND FOR
LOOKING AT THAT IN DIFFERENT
ISSUES AND HAVE IT COLOR YOUR,
YOUR DECISION MAKING AND MAYBE
SO THAT MR. PRATER CAN'T DEFER
TO YOU OR CALL ON HIM FIRST.
OKAY. YEAH. AND THEN WE'LL GET
TO MR. GARCIA. OKAY, THANK YOU
FOR THAT QUESTION WITHIN THE
CONTEXT OF, I THINK YOU'RE
ASKING ME ABOUT IN THE CONTEXT
OF AI PARTICULARLY, BUT. WELL
THAT'S A MANIFESTATION. BUT IN
GENERAL, IT'S AN ISSUE. GOT IT.
LET ME LET ME START THERE AND
SEE IF I CAN WORK, WORK
OUTWARDS, IN PREPARATION FOR
SPEAKING WITH ALL OF YOU TODAY,
I WATCHED THE HEARING THAT THE
COUNCIL HAD BACK IN 2022 ON
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AND ONE
OF THE PRESENTERS AT THAT GAVE A
TERRIFIC EXAMPLE, DESCRIBING AN
EMPLOYER THAT TURNED ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE LOOSE TO FIND OUT
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF
EMPLOYEES WHO ARE GOING TO STAY
AT MY BUSINESS FOR A LONGER
PERIOD OF, OF TIME. AND ONE OF
THE FACTORS WAS LIVING NEAR THE
EMPLOYER, JUST JUST WHERE WHERE
PEOPLE LIVED, AND THE SPEAKER
POINTED OUT THAT GIVEN
RESIDENTIAL, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF
DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, AND
RESIDENTIAL HOUSING PATTERNS,
WHAT THAT MEANT WAS IT AFFECTED
THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE
WORKFORCE. AND SO THE SOLUTION
WAS, WELL, WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE
NOT GOING TO TAKE THAT INTO
ACCOUNT IN IN DECIDING WHOM TO
HIRE, SO. THE CHALLENGE IS
IDENTIFYING WHETHER THE
CRITERION THAT YOU'RE USING TO
MAKE A DECISION ABOUT
DISTRIBUTION OF AN OPPORTUNITY
IS CLOSELY ENOUGH RELATED TO
WHAT YOU ACTUALLY WANT, THE
EMPLOYEE OR THE TENANT OR
WHATEVER TO DO, RIGHT? OR AM I
USING SOMETHING THAT IS THAT IS
CLOSELY, SUFFICIENTLY CLOSELY
RELATED TO WHAT THE PERSON, WHAT
THE PERSON IS BEING HIRED TO DO
AND THEN ENSURING THAT THE USE
OF WHATEVER THAT WHATEVER THAT
CRITERION IS, DOESN'T CORRELATE
WITH A PROTECTED CHARACTERISTIC
AND ASPECT OF THE PERSON'S
IDENTITY. THAT DISAGGREGATION
IS, IS THE IS THE CHALLENGE. I
HOPE THAT'S. YEAH. AND THEN HOW
DO YOU. WELL IT'S INTERESTING
BECAUSE YOU'RE SORT OF EXAMINING
THE DISCRIMINATION IN TERMS OF
THAT DISAGGREGATION. ARE THERE
TIMES WHEN IT'S KIND OF ODD?
IT'S ALMOST A TECHNOLOGICAL
RESPONSE TO TECHNOLOGICAL
DISCRIMINATION. IS THERE A TIME
WHEN YOUR OWN PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE OR GIVES YOU AN
ABILITY TO ANALYZE THAT IN A WAY
THAT MIGHT REFLECT A LITTLE MY
OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF
EVALUATING DISCRIMINATION OR
EVALUATING DISAGGREGATION OR NOT
HAVING TO RELY ON IT
TECHNOLOGICALLY TO GET THERE.
SURE, I GUESS I'M A RESULTS
ORIENTED PERSON, SO I'M
ANSWERING THIS IN LIKE YOU'RE
ASKING ME ABOUT KIND OF ALMOST
AN INSTINCTIVE RESPONSE TO A
DISPARITY THAT I WOULD OBSERVE
AND I WOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT THE
RESULT, ABOUT THE OUTCOME MORE
THAN I WOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT
THE PROCESS BY TRAINING, I FOCUS
ON THE PROCESS. THAT'S MUCH OF
WHAT I LEARNED. I GET IT. BUT
YOU WERE A REPORTER. YES. AND
YOUR INSTINCT AS A REPORTER WILL
TAKE YOU PLACES THAT THE PROCESS
MIGHT NOT. AND YOU SAY, EVEN
THOUGH THE PROCESS HASN'T TOLD
ME AT THE OUTSET THAT THERE'S
SOMETHING CLEARLY AT ISSUE HERE,
YOUR INSTINCT WOULD TELL YOU
THAT, AND THEN YOU PUT IT IN THE
PROCESS OR GET THERE. I MEAN, IS
THERE A WAY YOU WEIGH THAT BACK
AND FORTH? YEAH I, I GUESS I
WOULD LOOK, IF I'M TALKING ABOUT
THE EMPLOYMENT CONTEXT, I WOULD
LOOK AT THE POOL AND I WOULD
LOOK AT THE RESULT. AND I WOULD
ASK MYSELF, IS THERE A WAY THAT
I CAN UNDERSTAND AND HOW THE
ENTITY THE EMPLOYER GOT FROM
POOL TO RESULT THAT DOES NOT
INVOLVE DISCRIMINATION? OR IS
THE DISPARITY SUFFICIENTLY
GREAT, OR HAVE I HEARD SOMETHING
ABOUT THE PROCESS SUFFICIENTLY
CONCERNING, THAT I THINK THERE'S
SOMETHING WRONG? AND THEN I CAN
GO AND LOOK AT THE PROCESS AND
TRY TO IDENTIFY WHAT'S THE
SOURCE. RIGHT. WHAT'S GENERATING
THAT DISPARITY. THANK YOU.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS SORT OF TRYING
TO GET AT. BUT THEN FOR MR.
GARCIA HAS NEVER BEEN A
REPORTER, SO I CANNOT I NEVER
HAVE. YEAH. NO. SO YOU'RE GOING
TO HAVE TO COMMENT ON THIS BASED
ON, YOU KNOW, MY SENSE, MY
REACTION IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I
SPENT TEN YEARS AT EDISON
INVESTIGATING DISCRIMINATION.
AND AS A DIRECTOR OF
INVESTIGATION AND MY STAFF OF A
TEAM OF INVESTIGATORS, IT'S NOT
AN EASY THING TO PROVE IN MANY
INSTANCES. AND I'M TALKING,
AGAIN, ON A MACRO LEVEL,
STEPPING ASIDE FROM AI FOR A
MINUTE, IT'S A DIFFICULT THING
TO PROVE WHAT'S IN SOMEBODY'S
MIND WHEN THEY DECIDED TO DO
SOMETHING, THERE COULD BE SOME
INNOCENT EXPLANATIONS, OR MAYBE
NOT, BUT I THINK RELYING ON DATA
ANALYTICS AS PART OF PART OF THE
ANSWER. BUT IT'S NOT ALL THE
ANSWER BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF
TIMES THERE'S FALSE POSITIVES.
THERE'S RATIONAL REASONS WHY A
DECISION WAS MADE WHEN YOU DO
DIG DEEP INTO IT, BUT TO YOUR
POINT, DISCRIMINATION CAN BE
VERY SUBTLE AT TIMES, BE VERY
OVERT, AND IT'S A LOT OF GRAY IN
BETWEEN. BUT RELYING ON DATA
ANALYTICS ON ITS ON ITS OWN CAN
BE MAYBE USEFUL TOOL TO START
LOOKING AT SOMETHING. BUT IT'S
NOT THE ANSWER, YOU KNOW, IS I
ALWAYS SAY WHEN I INTERVIEW
PEOPLE THAT I'LL ONLY TALK ABOUT
WHAT I TALKED ABOUT IN THE
MEETING, BUT IF YOU OPEN A DOOR,
I'LL WALK THROUGH IT. AND THERE
WAS JUST A DOOR THERE A LITTLE
BIT. AND I THINK WITH BOTH OF
YOU IN THE LAST QUESTION HERE,
AND THAT IS AS SOMEBODY THAT YOU
KNOW, WHEN I WAS FIRST ELECTED
TO OFFICE, THERE WERE, I THINK,
8 TO 10 OPENLY GAY ELECTED
OFFICIALS IN THE ENTIRE UNITED
STATES. AND SO I WOULD KNOW, I
COULD JUST INSTINCTIVELY FEEL
WHEN SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING. SO
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE FACT
THAT YOU BOTH JUST TALKED ABOUT
THE ANALYTICAL PROCESS, BUT
YOU'RE DEALING WITH AN
INDIVIDUAL THAT PROBABLY HAS A
FAIRLY STRONG SENSE THAT THEY
WERE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. AND
IF YOU WERE TO TALK TO ME ABOUT
ANALYTICS, I WOULD SORT OF SIT
THERE AND THINK, HEY, I KNOW IT
WHEN I SEE IT. I SAW IT. HOW DO
YOU TRANSLATE TO A PERSON THAT'S
INVOLVED IN THIS IN A WAY THAT
THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'VE BEEN
HEARD, OR THEIR EXPERIENCE ISN'T
VALIDATED IN WHAT THEY HAVE
FELT? WELL, YOU KNOW, PART OF IT
IS YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS
PROCESS AGAIN. YOU LOOK AT THE
ANALYTICS THAT POINTS YOU IN A
CERTAIN DIRECTION, BUT YOU HAVE
TO DIG. YOU HAVE TO GET THE
FACTS, AND EACH CASE IS GOING TO
BE DIFFERENT, AND YOU HAVE TO GO
GET THE FACTS, INCLUDING TALKING
TO THE PERSON WHO'S ALLEGED TO
HAVE BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST.
MAKE SURE THAT PERSON FEELS
HEARD. MAKE SURE THAT PERSON
UNDERSTANDS THAT THEIR VOICE,
THEIR THEIR VERSION OF THE FACTS
HAS BEEN REALLY LISTENED TO AND
ANALYZED. AND YOU HAVE TO REALLY
LOOK AT THIS METHODICALLY,
BECAUSE SOMEBODY MAY FEEL
THEY'VE BEEN DISCRIMINATED
AGAINST AND FIRMLY BELIEVE IT,
BUT THE FACTS MAY NOT BEAR THAT
OUT, SO YOU'VE GOT TO BE REALLY
THOUGHTFUL ABOUT ABOUT THE
APPROACH. AND, LOOK AT ALL THE
FACTS AND THE TOTALITY, NOT JUST
IN ISOLATION. I ACTUALLY REALLY
APPRECIATE YOUR RESPONSE.
ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD ON
THAT? JUST VERY BRIEFLY, I THINK
I ALREADY ALLUDED TO THE
IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING. AND SO
LISTENING TO THE LIVED
EXPERIENCE OF WHOEVER IS
DESCRIBING THE EXPERIENCE THAT
THEY FELT WAS DISCRIMINATORY IS
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, AND
SHOWING A DEGREE OF EMPATHY FOR
THAT EXPERIENCE, EVEN AS AS I
THINK INSTINCTIVELY, BOTH OF US,
AS AS LAWYERS ARE THINKING
ABOUT, OKAY, HOW DO I TRANSLATE
THAT LIVED EXPERIENCE INTO
WHATEVER THE LAW REQUIRES,
WHATEVER STANDARDS HAVE TO BE
MET? OKAY. THANK YOU. I REALLY
APPRECIATE THESE EXCHANGES. I
THINK THAT WE ARE PROBABLY
LOOKING AND I CAN'T TOTALLY
SPEAK FOR THE OTHERS TO KNOW
THAT, THAT SOMEBODY THOUGHTFUL,
THEY'RE NOT HAVING A KNEE JERK
RESPONSE. THEY'RE GOING TO GO
AFTER THINGS. AND I THINK YOU'VE
GIVEN US A GOOD SENSE THAT
THAT'S WHERE YOU ARE. SO THANK
YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU, SENATOR LAIRD. I TURN IT
OVER TO SENATOR JONES, PLEASE.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, GENTLEMAN,
I'M NOTICING ON ON BOTH OF YOUR
EDUCATION BACKGROUNDS THAT
YOU'VE EITHER ATTENDED THE
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA OR
RECEIVED HONORS FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA OR THE
CSU SYSTEM. I'M A GRADUATE OF
THE CSU SYSTEM, TWO OF MY KIDS
ARE GRADUATES OF THE CSU SYSTEM,
ALL OF MY KIDS HAVE ATTENDED
COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN CALIFORNIA.
VÀ, I BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A
CIVIL RIGHTS CRISIS RIGHT NOW IN
OUR HIGHER EDUCATION, AND NONE
OF THIS IS IN THE BACKGROUND. IT
WAS JUST AS I WAS LOOKING
THROUGH YOUR, RESUMES. IT
INSPIRED THIS THOUGHT. I DON'T
KNOW IF YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE ALL
COMING TO US. WE GET A LOT OF
BACKGROUND MATERIAL ON YOU. I
DON'T KNOW IF YOU GET BACKGROUND
MATERIAL ON US OR NOT. MIGHT BE
A GOOD IDEA. NO, NOT QUITE, BUT
I'VE BEEN VERY CRITICAL THIS
WEEK AND LAST WEEK OF THE
UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATIONS
ACROSS CALIFORNIA AND ACROSS THE
COUNTRY THAT HAVE ALLOWED THEIR
CAMPUSES TO BE OVERRUN WITH, PUT
SIMPLY, CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS,
BUT TO THE POINT WHERE THEY'VE
LOST CONTROL OF THEIR CAMPUSES,
THEY'VE HAD TO CALL IN POLICE
SUPPORT, EITHER FROM THE LOCAL
POLICE DEPARTMENTS OR FROM THE
STATE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THEIR
OF THEIR CAMPUSES. I THINK THE
MOST, UPSETTING, EXAMPLE FOR ME
IS UCLA. I'VE NEVER EVEN BEEN ON
I'VE NEVER BEEN TO UCLA, BUT I
HAVE FRIENDS AND CLOSE FRIENDS
THAT ARE GRADUATES OF THERE AND
THE CAMPUS IN AREAS HAVE
LITERALLY BEEN DESTROYED AND
IT'S GOING TO TAKE MULTIPLE
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO RESTORE
SOME OF THESE CAMPUSES BACK. TO
WHERE THEY SHOULD BE OR WERE
BEFORE. HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO
THAT? HOW DO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING
AT THIS COVERAGE OR MAYBE YOU'VE
EXPERIENCED IT YOURSELF, MAYBE
YOU VISITED A CAMPUS IN THE LAST
COUPLE OF WEEKS OR NOT? IF YOU
IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THAT,
CERTAINLY SHARE WHATEVER YOU'D
LIKE TO. BUT I WANT TO GET SOME
INSIGHT INTO HOW YOU THINK THOSE
SITUATIONS HAVE BEEN HANDLED.
AND WHAT WOULD IF THINGS HAVE
BEEN HANDLED WELL, WHY? AND IF
YOU WOULD DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY,
WHY? WELL, LET ME JUST SAY THAT
I'M A GRADUATE OF UCLA LAW
SCHOOL AND ALSO GRADUATED FROM
CAL STATE LOS ANGELES, AND I
THINK CAL STATE SYSTEM IS A
GREAT SYSTEM, GIVES STUDENTS A
LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES, OPENS A
LOT OF DOORS, AND I'M ACTUALLY
AN ADJUNCT THERE NOW. I TEACH,
FRESHMAN CLASS INTRODUCTION TO
CRIMINAL LAW, HAVE A BIG
AFFINITY TO THE CAL STATE
SYSTEM, GAVE ME A LOT OF
OPPORTUNITIES, I THINK SOME OF
THE ISSUES THAT THAT HAVE BEEN
PREVALENT IN THE MEDIA IN THAT
REGARD, ARE, ARE, YOU KNOW,
ISSUES THAT ARE COMPLEX. AND I
KNOW THAT IN TERMS OF THE CIVIL
RIGHTS COUNCIL AND ITS IN ITS
JURISDICTION AND PURVIEW, I KNOW
THERE ARE, WE HAVE A
SUBCOMMITTEE WORKING ON, FACING
STUDENTS, THE STATE OF HATE, YOU
KNOW, WE'RE WORKING WITH, ONE OF
OUR MEMBERS, OUR SUBCOMMITTEE IS
WORKING ON THAT. AND I'D LIKE TO
HEAR WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND WHAT
THEY'RE GOING TO HOW THEY'RE
GOING TO MOVE FORWARD ON THAT
ISSUE, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT I
BELIEVE THAT SUBCOMMITTEE IS
LOOKING INTO. SURE. SO I'VE
TAUGHT AT UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA, IRVINE. I'VE TAUGHT
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA,
LOS ANGELES, AND I'M NOW
TEACHING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY. SO I'M NOT
A PRODUCT OF THE SYSTEM, BUT
I'VE CERTAINLY BENEFITED GREATLY
FROM ITS EXISTENCE, I LIKE TO
TELL MY STUDENTS THAT THEY ARE
PROUD MEMBERS OF THE GREATEST
PUBLIC UNIVERSITY SYSTEM IN THE
KNOWN UNIVERSE, SO JUST WHERE
WHERE I COME FROM, IN TALKING
ABOUT THIS ISSUE, I WANT TO
EMPHASIZE WHAT WHAT, WHAT DAVID
JUST SAID. MR. CARILLO. EXCUSE
ME. MR. CARILLO JUST SAID THAT
WE ARE THERE IS A SUBCOMMITTEE
THAT IS PLANNING A HEARING DOWN
THE ROAD, LOOKING AT CIVIL
RIGHTS ISSUES, CONFRONTING
STUDENTS. SO IT'S AN ISSUE THAT
THAT WE'RE ATTENTIVE, ATTENTIVE
TO, AND I GUESS THE LAST THING I
WANT TO SAY IS WHEN I TALK TO MY
STUDENTS, I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED
ABOUT HOW DIVIDED OUR CAMPUSES
ARE. I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT
THE LEVEL OF ANXIETY THAT OUR
STUDENTS ARE EXPERIENCING AT
THIS POINT IN TIME. BEING A
STUDENT IS ALREADY ENOUGH WORK,
ENOUGH OF A CHALLENGE, THESE
INCREDIBLY POLARIZED TIMES ARE
AN ADDITIONAL LAYER THAT ARE NOT
GOING TO CONTRIBUTE, TO THAT
EXPERIENCE. THEY ARE GOING TO
ADD A LAYER OF ANXIETY, A DEGREE
OF STRESS. LET ME BE MAYBE A
LITTLE BIT MORE DIRECT, BECAUSE
I'M NOT AN ATTORNEY, BUT BOTH OF
YOU ARE. I'VE PLAYED ONE ON
JUDICIARY A COUPLE OF TIMES ON
TV. SO, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST
AMENDMENT IS RALLIED A LOT IN
THESE INSTANCES ON THESE COLLEGE
CAMPUSES THAT THE STUDENTS HAVE
A FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO MAKE
THE PROTESTS THAT THEY'RE
MAKING, OR MAKE THE DISPLAYS
THAT THEY'RE MAKING OR
PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTIVITY THAT
THEY'RE PARTICIPATING IN, YOU
KNOW, I WOULD ARGUE AND I'M I'M
A HUGE FIRST AMENDMENT PROPONENT
AND SUPPORTER AND PROTECTOR. I
THINK, DOES THE DOES THE FIRST
AMENDMENT GIVE ONE STUDENT THE
ABILITY TO IMPEDE ANOTHER
STUDENT FROM ATTENDING CLASS?
DOES THE FIRST AMENDMENT IS IT
SO STRONG THAT A GROUP OF
STUDENTS CAN INTERRUPT A
GRADUATION, PROGRAM AND, UPSET
THE REST OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE
IN THAT GRADUATION CEREMONY? OR
IS THE FIRST AMENDMENT SO
PROTECTED AND SO STRONG THAT A
SMALL GROUP OF STUDENTS CAN SHUT
DOWN THE CAMPUS ENTIRELY AND
PREVENT STUDENTS THAT THAT THE
CLASSES HAVE TO GO ONLINE FOR
THE REMAINDER OF THE SEMESTER,
AND THAT THE GRADUATIONS ARE,
ARE CANCELED ALTOGETHER.
REMEMBERING THAT THIS CLASS OF
2024 IS THE SAME CLASS THAT IN
2020 HAD THEIR THEIR GRADUATIONS
CANCELED BECAUSE OF COVID AND I
THAT'S A SEPARATE EDITORIAL ON
MY PART. DID THE DID THE
GOVERNMENT OVERREACT THEN WHICH
I THINK MY STATE MY POSITION ON
THAT IS VERY CLEAR. AS A MEMBER
OF THIS COUNCIL, WHAT KIND OF
LEADERSHIP ROLE CAN YOU TAKE IN
THESE INSTANCES TO PROPERLY
COMMUNICATE WHAT THE FIRST
AMENDMENT DOES ALLOW AND DOES
NOT ALLOW IN THESE INSTANCES?
AND I THINK MORE DIRECTLY I'M
INTERESTED TO KNOW IS DO YOU
THINK THE ADMINISTRATIONS IN
THESE INSTANCES SHOULD HAVE
STEPPED IN SOONER AND STOPPED
THESE? I'M NOT GOING TO CALL
THEM PROTESTS BECAUSE THEY
WEREN'T PROTESTS. THEY WERE,
ACTIVE ACTS OF DISRUPTION. YOU
KNOW, I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT.
I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT. AND THEN
LET YOUR YOUR YOUR RESPONSE, I
APPRECIATE IT. AND I KNOW YOU
GUYS ARE BRAND NEW TO THIS.
YEAH, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT GOING
FORWARD. WHAT KIND OF LEADERSHIP
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ON THIS ON
THIS COUNCIL BECAUSE WE'RE GOING
TO HAVE MORE OF THIS. I THINK
YOU'VE IDENTIFIED SOME VERY
IMPORTANT ISSUES, AND LIKE I'VE
STATED EARLIER, I'M REALLY GOING
TO TRY TO PUT AN EMPHASIS THAT
WE, HAVE, SOME OUTREACH AND IN
THE SUBCOMMITTEE WORK ON THE
STATE OF HATE. I THINK IT'S
TIMELY, AND WE SHOULD GET
WORKING ON THAT AS SOON AS WE
CAN, GIVEN OUR LIMITED
RESOURCES, I HOPE WE CAN DEVOTE
SOME TIME TO THAT QUICKLY GET TO
THAT ISSUE EFFICIENTLY, BECAUSE,
LIKE YOU SAID, IT'S A COMPLEX
ISSUE. THERE'S IT'S A WIDE RANGE
OF ISSUES HERE THAT NEED TO BE
REALLY EXPLORED. AND I DON'T
THINK I CAN COMMENT SPECIFICALLY
ABOUT THE ONLY THING I'VE READ
IS IN THE NEWS. THE PRESS, AND I
DON'T HAVE ANY SPECIFIC
INFORMATION THÀNH ABOUT ANY OF
THESE PROCESS INDIVIDUALLY OTHER
THAN WHAT I'VE READ IN THE NEWS.
SO I DON'T THINK I CAN REALLY
COMMENT ON ON ANY SPECIFIC
INSTANCE AT THIS POINT. SO IF I
MIGHT ADDRESS THE QUESTION.
THANK YOU. SENATOR, I'M ALSO, I
REPEAT, VERY CONCERNED ABOUT OUR
STUDENTS. RIGHT IN A POLARIZED
MOMENT, FEELING VERY BUT FEELING
VERY INTENSELY ABOUT THE ISSUES
THAT THEY'RE ADDRESSING, YOU
KNOW, TO THAT POINT OF BEING
CONCERNED ABOUT THEM. I'M GLAD
MY, CHILDREN ARE GRADUATED. IF
THEY WERE ON CAMPUS RIGHT NOW, I
WOULD BE ON THE CAMPUS WITH
THEM. THAT'S HOW CONCERNED I AM
ABOUT IT. I'M A BELIEVER, BUT
SOUNDS LIKE WE ARE. WE ARE BOTH
BELIEVERS IN FREE SPEECH AND THE
RIGHT OF THE STUDENTS TO EXPRESS
THEIR VIEWS TO SHOW, HOW
STRONGLY THEY FEEL ABOUT THE
ISSUES THAT THEY'RE ADDRESSING,
THE POLICY ON RESPONSES TO THE
ON CAMPUS PROTESTS, OR POTENTIAL
DISRUPTION. OAN FORTUNATELY,
NOT NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY. I
DON'T ENVY THE FOLKS WHO HAVE TO
MAKE THOSE DIFFICULT CALLS.
BALANCING THE COMPETING
INTERESTS OF SUPPORTING RIGHT
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. ON THE
ONE HAND, BUT PROTECTING THE
RIGHTS OF THE OTHER STUDENTS TO
A SAFE SPACE TO LEARN. ON THE
OTHER HAND, SO I'M REALLY
RELUCTANT TO, WHAT WAS IT?
MONDAY? MONDAY MORNING?
QUARTERBACK. WHAT WHAT THE OTHER
WHAT DECISIONS HAVE HAVE BEEN
MADE? I'VE NEVER BEEN IN THAT
POSITION. I DO NOT ASPIRE TO BE
TO BE IN THAT POSITION, ONE
BENEFIT OF SERVICE ON THE
COUNCIL IS WE ARE IMPLEMENTING
STATUTES THAT THE LEGISLATURE
HAS, HAS GIVEN US, AND THAT'S
THAT'S OUR PURVIEW. AND THAT,
AGAIN, IS WHY THE INTEREST IN
HEARING FROM STUDENTS AND OTHER
STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT THE CIVIL
RIGHTS ISSUES THAT THEY ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT AT THIS POINT IN
TIME. THANK YOU. AND I'LL JUST
AND I'M DONE. BUT I'LL JUST I
THINK WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR WAS
, SPECIFICALLY ONE PERSON'S
RIGHTS OF EXPRESSION ENDS WHEN
THAT EXPRESSION BECOMES VIOLENT
AND OR CAUSES PROPERTY DAMAGE.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS THAT'S WHERE
I'M AT ON THIS SITUATION. OKAY
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. JONES.
APPRECIATE THAT. I'D LIKE TO SEE
IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL
COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS THAT WE
HAVE, FOR THE MEMBERS AT THIS
TIME, HEARING AND SEEING NONE,
WHAT WE'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO
IS OPEN IT UP FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL
OF THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO
BE ABLE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT.
WE'RE LOOKING IN SUPPORT OF MR.
GLAZER. MR. GARCIA, IF YOU WOULD
LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK IN
SUPPORT, IF YOU COULD PLEASE
STEP FORWARD TO THE PODIUM. WE
WELCOME YOU. IF YOU COULD
PROVIDE YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME
AND THE ORGANIZATION THAT YOU'RE
WITH, WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST
THAT YOU KEEP YOUR COMMENTS TO
30S. WE'RE LOOKING FOR THOSE WHO
MAY BE IN SUPPORT. COME ON DOWN.
ALL RIGHT. AND SEE NO ONE RISE.
WE'RE NOW GOING TO, LOOK TO
THOSE WHO MAY BE IN OPPOSITION,
THOSE WHO ARE OPPOSED. IF YOU
COULD PLEASE COME FORWARD TO THE
PODIUM. FIRST AND LAST NAME AND
ORGANIZATION. LET'S BRING IT
BACK TO COMMITTEE. GENTLEMEN,
AGAIN, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR
SERVICE. THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE TODAY. WE TRULY APPRECIATE
YOUR HARD WORK. AND LET'S JUST
BE HONEST, SOME REALLY
CHALLENGING TIMES AND WE'RE
GRATEFUL FOR THAT, WE'D LIKE TO
BE ABLE TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS, PLEASE, MR. JONES.
YEAH, THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO
ENCOURAGE YOU AS YOU MOVE
FORWARD IN THIS POSITION BECAUSE
IT IS A NEW POSITION FOR BOTH OF
YOU TO USE YOUR LEADERSHIP AS A
VOICE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE IF
YOU'RE TEACHING ON THE CAMPUSES,
THESE STUDENTS TODAY NEED
LEADERSHIP AND THEY NEED
DIRECTION ON WHAT THEIR
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS ALLOW
THEM. I THINK MANY STUDENTS
DON'T EVEN HAVE A CONCEPT OF
WHAT THEY'RE ALLOWED TO DO, BUT
ALSO WHAT THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED
TO DO. AND, I HOPE THAT YOU'LL
USE YOUR VOICE IN THAT MANNER.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH,
MR. JONES. QUICKLY, MR. GLAZER,
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND JUST
VERY, VERY BRIEFLY, IF YOU DON'T
MIND? YEAH, PLEASE. 30S. THANK
YOU, ONE OF THE ONE OF MY
CONCERNS IS THAT THE LAW IS NOT
NECESSARILY THE ANSWER HERE.
RIGHT? I HAVE NOT TAUGHT FIRST
AMENDMENT YET. I HAVE TOLD MY
DEAN, I THINK I NEED TO TEACH
FIRST AMENDMENT JUST SO THAT I
CAN BE A FUNCTIONAL PERSON, IN
THIS, IN THIS CLIMATE, BUT PART
OF THE CHALLENGE IS, IS REALLY
PROMOTING THE CONDITIONS UNDER
WHICH OUR STUDENTS CAN HAVE A
CIVIL DISCOURSE ABOUT SOMETHING
ABOUT WHICH THEY VEHEMENTLY
DISAGREE. AND I AND MY
COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN TALKING A
LOT ABOUT HOW DO WE PROMOTE THE
CONDITIONS FOR THAT? HOW DO WE
MODEL THAT? HOW DO WE TEACH
THAT? SO I APPRECIATE THE SPIRIT
IN WHICH THE COMMENT WAS GIVEN.
THANK YOU. I'M SORRY. NO YOU'RE
GOOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
APPRECIATE THAT. PLEASE DO WE
HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE FOR
YOU? PLEASE. CAN I DO BOTH OF
THEM TOGETHER? YES, PLEASE. THEN
I WOULD MOVE THE CONFIRMATION OF
BOTH DAVID GARCIA AND JONATHAN
GLAZER TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS
COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION, A
MOTION TO APPROVE MR. GARCIA AND
MR. GLAZER AT THIS TIME, WE'RE
MOVING BOTH TOGETHER. MADAM
SECRETARY, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL
THE ROLL? MCGUIRE. AYE. MCGUIRE.
AYE GROVE. EGGMAN. EGGMAN. AYE
JONES. JONES. NOT VOTING. LAIRD.
AYE LAIRD. AYE. UNCLE, THAT IS
A30 VOTE. THREE ZERO VOTE WILL
REMAIN ON CALL. GENTLEMEN AGAIN,
THANK YOU. TRULY APPRECIATE THE
OPPORTUNITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TESTIMONY TODAY. AND WE'RE GOING
TO KEEP THIS ON CALL AS THE VICE
CHAIR IS IN ANOTHER MEETING AND
SHE'LL COME BACK AND ADD ON
THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE
IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE'RE
GOING TO TAKE A 62ND RECESS 62ND
BREAK. WE'RE GOING TO WELCOME
PLEASE OUR NEXT NOMINEE TO BE
ABLE TO COME FORWARD. WE'LL BE
RIGHT BACK WITH YOU IN 60S
OPEN IT. BACK UP. ALL GOOD. ALL
RIGHT. WE WANT TO WELCOME
JONATHAN PORAT, TO COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. PORAT.
WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL THAT
YOU'RE HERE TODAY. YOU ARE UP
FOR CONFIRMATION AS THE CHIEF
TECHNOLOGY OFFICER IN THE
DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY.
SENATOR LAIRD IS GOING TO HAVE
SOME QUESTIONS ON HIS IPHONE FOR
YOU, THERE'S GOING TO BE ORAL.
OKAY THERE WE GO. OKAY. AND,
JONATHAN GETS THE JOKES ALL THE
TIME. HE SAID, LET'S JUST MOVE
ON. SO WE WELCOME YOU TRULY.
THANK YOU. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY
IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. AND THIS IS BEYOND
US. STATE OF CALIFORNIA DOESN'T
DO ANYTHING EASY. AND IT'S
THERE'S NOTHING SMALL. AND
THERE'S A LOT OF STRESS THAT
COMES WITH A POSITION WHERE WE
TRULY APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE TO
THE PEOPLE OF THIS GREAT STATE,
WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE YOU WITH
1 TO 2 MINUTES OF TESTIMONY.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE YOU WELCOME
ANY GUESTS, FAMILY, FRIENDS THAT
MAY BE HERE IN THE ROOM OR
ONLINE, PLEASE ADVANCE THOSE
WELCOMES. AND THEN WE'RE GOING
TO OPEN IT UP, TO BE ABLE TO
HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH
COMMITTEE. JONATHAN, THE FLOOR
IS YOURS. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU.
PRESIDENT PRO TEM AND SENATORS,
MY NAME IS JONATHAN PRATT, AND I
WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR
CONSIDERATION OF MY APPOINTMENT
AS STATE CHIEF TECHNOLOGY
OFFICER. FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO
THANK GOVERNOR NEWSOM FOR THIS
APPOINTMENT, AS WELL AS
SECRETARY TONG AND DIRECTOR
BAILEY CRIMMINS FOR THEIR
SUPPORT. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO
ACKNOWLEDGE AND INTRODUCE MY
FAMILY WHO ARE IN THE AUDIENCE
TODAY TO SUPPORT ME. I
ESPECIALLY WANT TO RECOGNIZE MY
WIFE, ARIELLE, FOR HER CONTINUED
SUPPORT. MY PARENTS, RON AND
DIANE, AND MY BROTHER ANDREW.
BEING PART OF TODAY'S HEARING IS
A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE FOR ME.
THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, I HAVE
BEEN DEDICATED TO PUBLIC SERVICE
, NOT JUST AT THE STATE LEVEL,
BUT ALSO AS PART OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT'S EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF
THE PRESIDENT AND AT THE CITY OF
SEATTLE. I AM PROUD TO HAVE
CONTINUALLY FOUND WAYS TO
LEVERAGE INNOVATION AND
TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE GOVERNMENT
MORE RESPONSIVE, ACCESSIBLE,
SECURE, AND INCLUSIVE FOR
EVERYONE. AS I AM BEING
CONSIDERED FOR THIS SIGNIFICANT
POSITION, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT I
ACKNOWLEDGE THE MANY
PARTNERSHIPS THAT CONTINUE TO
PROMOTE THE STATE AS A NATIONAL
LEADER IN TECHNOLOGY. I VALUE
THE COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENT OF
THE STATE'S TECHNOLOGY
COMMUNITY, INCLUDING THE STATE'S
AIOS AND CIOS. OUR COUNTERPARTS
FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND
OUR TECHNOLOGY SERVICES TEAMS.
MOREOVER, CALIFORNIA'S SUCCESS
IS GREATLY INFLUENCED BY THE
INVALUABLE RELATIONSHIPS WE HAVE
BUILT WITH OUR COMMUNITY,
ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS.
I LOOK FORWARD TO COLLABORATING
WITH EVERYONE TO MATURE AND
SUSTAIN OUR INNOVATION CULTURE
AT THE STATE. THIS MEANS
COMMITTING TO DIGITAL SERVICES
THAT TRANSFORM THE WAY WE DO
BUSINESS AND EMPOWER OUR
STAKEHOLDERS. OUR GOAL IS TO
FOCUS OUR TECHNOLOGY ON
RESIDENTS TO DIRECTLY BENEFIT
EVERY CALIFORNIAN. I AM
COMMITTED TO OUR STAKEHOLDERS
AND TO FINDING WAYS TO IMPROVE
THE STATE'S TECHNOLOGY AND
GOVERNMENT SERVICES BY PROMOTING
INNOVATION THROUGH THE ADOPTION
OF BEST PRACTICES, MODERNIZING
THE STATE'S TECHNOLOGY,
DESIGNING POLICIES AND PLATFORMS
THAT EMPOWER OUR PARTNERS TO
INNOVATE, AND IMPROVING THE
RESILIENCY OF THE STATE'S
TECHNOLOGY, PLATFORMS AND
SERVICES. THIS CONCLUDES MY
OPENING REMARKS AND I LOOK
FORWARD TO ANSWERING YOUR
QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH AND
THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND FOR
HANGING OUT WITH US. AND SO WE
GOT ARIEL HERE RIGHT. HEY, NICE
TO MEET YOU. AND WE GOT MOM AND
DAD RIGHT HERE. AND BROTHER NICE
TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR BEING HERE. GRATEFUL. YOU
MUST BE INCREDIBLY PROUD. SO
LET'S OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS
OR COMMENTS, PLEASE. SENATOR
EGGMAN. EVERY, AGAIN, THIS IS MY
LAST YEAR AND EVERY, EVERY
PROJECT I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH.
EVERY COMMITTEE I'VE SAT ON.
WE'VE HAD ISSUES WITH TECHNOLOGY
RIGHT? BIG TECHNOLOGY, BIG IT
PROJECTS, DELAY DELAY DELAY
PROBLEM PROBLEM PROBLEM, BREACH
BREACH BREACH. WHY DO YOU WANT
THIS JOB? WELL, FIRST, SOMEONE
HAS TO HELP SENATOR LAIRD WITH
HIS IPHONE. OR ELSE THE ENTIRE
STATE WILL COME TO A HALT. SO I
WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ABLE TO
DO OUR OUR GOVERNMENT BUSINESS.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T VOTED YET.
BUT THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
AND IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT
QUESTION. AND ONE KEY PART ABOUT
THIS ROLE IS THIS ROLE REALLY IS
FOCUSED ON TECHNOLOGY. SO TO WAY
OVERSIMPLIFY WHAT I WORK ON AT
THE STATE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF
TECHNOLOGY IS I MANAGE KIND OF
THE STRATEGY, THE OFFERINGS, THE
PLATFORMS BEHIND OUR TECHNOLOGY.
AND THEN WE HAVE A VERY
QUALIFIED DEPUTY DIRECTOR THAT
MANAGES KIND OF THE ENFORCEMENT,
THE COMPLIANCE, THE CONTROL
AGENCY ASPECTS. AND ONE THING
THAT I LEARNED WHEN I CAME IN
THIS ROLE IS THAT THOSE TEAMS
HAD BEEN LARGELY SEPARATED AND
SILOED. SO THE TECHNOLOGY TEAM
WAS COMING UP WITH REALLY
INNOVATIVE WAYS TO HELP OUR
RESIDENTS. THE CONTROL AGENCY
TEAM WAS MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE
UTILIZING STATE RESOURCES
CORRECTLY, AND WE'RE FOLLOWING
ALL OF THESE RULES, BUT WE
WEREN'T ACTUALLY TALKING
TOGETHER. SO I'M REALLY PROUD TO
HAVE STARTED TO BREAK DOWN SOME
OF THOSE SILOS. SO NOW WE HAVE
TECHNOLOGISTS AS PART OF THAT
REVIEW PROCESS FOR PROJECTS OR
BUDGET CONTROL PAPERS OR
DIFFERENT CONCEPTS THAT THE
STATE IS INTERESTED IN
CONDUCTING. SO ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT I'M MOST EXCITED, EXCITED
ABOUT IS REALLY BUILDING
TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY INTO THE WAY
THAT WE MANAGE THINGS LIKE
PROJECTS AND OUR BUDGET MOVING
FORWARD. AND I THINK BY FOCUSING
A LITTLE MORE ON WHAT ARE THE
NEEDS OF CALIFORNIANS, HOW DO
DIFFERENT PRODUCTS, PROJECTS,
PRODUCTS, TECHNOLOGIES RELATE TO
THOSE NEEDS, AND HOW CAN WE
CREATE A STANDARD AND CONSISTENT
APPROACH ACROSS THE STATE? TO
MEET THAT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO
REALLY HONE IN ON THOSE THINGS
THAT WOULD HAVE BECOME A BIG
HAIRY PROJECT, BECAUSE THE
TECHNOLOGY PIECE WAS NOT IN
CONJUNCTION WITH THE ACTUAL
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PIECE. OKAY
AND SO YOU'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT
USING TECHNOLOGY TO PLAN FOR THE
TECHNOLOGY AND INTEGRATING ALL
THOSE THINGS. ABSOLUTELY. AND
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE
DONE WITH OUR OFFICE OF PROJECT
DELIVERY IS WE'VE WORKED WITH
THEM TO BUILD AUTOMATED TOOLS,
TO BUILD DASHBOARDS, SO WE CAN
ACTUALLY ANALYZE THE IMMENSE
AMOUNT OF DATA AND BETTER USE
THEIR EXPERTISE WHEN IT COMES TO
PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN AN ACTUAL
DATA MANAGEMENT FUNCTION. SO
WE'RE ABLE TO USE INFORMATION,
WE'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT MORE
SPECIFIC TYPES OF INFORMATION AT
ONCE TO HELP THEM MAKE DECISIONS
AND ANALYZE THINGS ACROSS THE
STATE, INSTEAD OF JUST MANAGING
EVERYTHING ON A CASE BY CASE
BASIS. AND HOW WITH, WITH, WITH
OUR I WANT TO SAY NOT OVERUSE,
BUT OUR OUR VERY HIGH LEVEL OF
DEPENDANCE UPON DATA. RIGHT. WE
SHOULDN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT
DATA. HOW HOW DO WE MAKE SURE,
ESPECIALLY WITH THE USE NOW OF
AI. RIGHT. THAT'S GOING TO HELP
US BE ABLE TO USE A LOT AND GET
A LOT MORE DATA. HOW DO HOW DO
WE ENSURE WHAT ARE THE CONTROLS
AROUND SAFETY FOR THAT? FOR US
AS A WHOLE STATE? YEAH. AND ONE
THING THAT I'M REALLY PROUD OF
IS WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT
COMPREHENSIVELY. SO THERE ARE
TECHNOLOGY AG AND CYBERSECURITY
CONTROLS THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT
TO US. ONE THING THAT I THINK
YOU ALL ARE AWARE OF IS THAT OUR
STATE DATA CENTER SECURITY
REQUIREMENTS ARE AT THE CLOSE TO
OR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL THAT THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDS.
SO WHEN WE HAVE DATA WITHIN OUR
INFRASTRUCTURE, IT'S CLASSIFIED,
IT'S ENCRYPTED. WE'RE ABLE TO
TRACK IT. AND WE ENSURE THAT
YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO DO BUSINESS
WITH THE STATE OR YOU'RE NOT
ABLE TO ENGAGE IN A PROJECT
UNLESS YOU'RE ABLE TO MEET THAT
REALLY HIGH BAR. ON THE OTHER
SIDE. WE'RE ALSO WANTING TO MAKE
SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE USING THOSE
DATA CORRECTLY. SO AS THE
BARRIER DECREASES, TO BE ABLE TO
ASK QUESTIONS, ANALYZE DATA, WE
WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
ARE BEING ABLE TO ACKNOWLEDGE
POTENTIAL BIASES THAT MIGHT BE
IN THE DATA POTENTIAL
STATISTICAL ERRORS THAT MIGHT BE
IN QUESTIONS THAT FOLKS ARE
ASKING. SO WE'RE THINKING ABOUT
THAT BOTH IN TERMS OF WHAT ARE
THOSE HARDLINE SECURITY
RESTRICTIONS THAT WE NEED IN
PLACE TO PROTECT OUR RESIDENTS,
AS WELL AS HOW CAN WE TRAIN ON
ASK QUESTIONS, FACILITATE SOME
CREATIVE THINKING SO THAT WE'RE
NOT LOCKING OURSELVES AND HAVING
THE DATA TRICK US INTO A FALSE
POSITIVE OR A WRONG SOLUTION?
AND HOW WHAT'S YOUR PLANS, IF
ANY, ON WORKING WITH LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE
ARE THE STATE, BUT WE GET A LOT
OF OUR DATA FROM LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS WHO OFTENTIMES DON'T
HAVE THE LEVEL OF SOPHISTICATION
THAT WE HAVE AT THE STATE. AND
HOW DO WE MAKE THINGS. AND I'M
THINKING LIKE, ESPECIALLY DURING
DURING COVID, RIGHT, WHEN PEOPLE
HAD TO GET FAX MACHINES BECAUSE
THERE WAS JUST NO, NO WAY TO
COMMUNICATE. WHAT ARE WHAT ARE
YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT? I
REALLY APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION
BECAUSE AS I MENTIONED IN MY
OPENING REMARKS, THE STATE
REALLY IS A NATIONAL LEADER WHEN
IT COMES TO TECHNOLOGY, AND WE
HAVE STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WITH THE
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION,
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY, THE DEPARTMENT OF
COMMERCE, THE WHITE HOUSE, AS
WELL AS OUR LOCAL COUNTY,
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENTS AT THE
STATE, WE MEET WITH SECURITY AND
TECHNOLOGY GROUPS OF ALL OF THE
COUNTY AND CITY LEVEL CIOS AND
CTOS, AND WE ALSO DO A LOT OF
OUTREACH DIRECTLY WITH CITIES
WHO ARE LOOKING TO SOLVE SOME OF
THE TECHNOLOGY PROBLEMS THAT WE
HAVE. ONE THING THAT HAS BEEN
REALLY INTERESTING FOR ME TO
WATCH IS THAT WE'VE TAKEN AN
OPEN SOURCE APPROACH TO A LOT OF
THE TOOLS THAT WE DEVELOP,
MEANING THAT WE SECURELY PUT THE
CODE OUT IN THE OPEN SO THAT
OTHER GOVERNMENTS CAN UTILIZE
THE HARD WORK THAT WE'VE DONE.
SO YOU MENTIONED COVID. OUR TEAM
DEVELOPED THE DIGITAL VACCINE
RECORD DURING THAT TIME, AND WE
PUT THAT OUT AND WE'RE ABLE TO
SEE SUCCESSFULLY OTHER STATES,
CITIES, OTHER GOVERNMENTS BE
ABLE TO UTILIZE THAT TO ADD
CAPACITY TO THEIR TEAM, WHERE
THEY MAY NOT HAVE AS MANY STRONG
TECHNOLOGISTS THAT WE DO AT THE
STATE JUST BASED ON OUR SCALE
AND SCOPE. SO THAT'S SOMETHING
WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO
CONTINUE TO DO, AND ESPECIALLY
WITH SOME OF THE AREAS THAT YOU
MENTIONED, DATA, AI, TECHNOLOGY
AND SECURITY BECOMING EVEN MORE
OF A PRESSING ISSUE. WE'RE GOING
TO CONTINUE TO PRIORITIZE THAT
ENGAGEMENT, NOT JUST ABOVE US
WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUT
ALSO WITH OUR PARTNERS AT THE
MUNICIPAL AND COUNTY LEVEL.
THANK YOU. I'M GLAD YOU'RE SO
EXCITED ABOUT THIS. VERY
EXCITED. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
PLEASE SENATOR JONES, WE'LL GO
TO SENATOR LEHRER. I'M GOING TO
SHOCK MY COLLEAGUES SOME KIND.
SOMETIMES GOVERNMENT DOES STUFF
VERY WELL. AND I'LL GIVE YOU AN
EXAMPLE. SO I USED TO WORK IN
THE AUTO INDUSTRY AND SALES. AND
I KNOW DMV CAN BE A HASSLE. AND
I'VE HEARD RUMORS THAT SOME OF
THEIR COMPUTER PROGRAMS ARE 40
TO 50 YEARS OLD, AND THERE'S
ONLY THREE GUYS IN THE WHOLE
STATE THAT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT
WHEN IT BREAKS DOWN AND BLAH,
BLAH, BLAH. BUT THERE WAS A
PROJECT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO
THAT WENT ALMOST ENTIRELY
UNNOTICED, EXCEPT FOR THOSE OF
US THAT HAVE SOME AUTO SALES
EXPERIENCE. AND IT WAS THAT DMV.
THERE WAS A BILL THAT AUTHORIZED
DMV TO PRINT AND PROCESS PAPER
PLATES ON NEW VEHICLES WHEN
THEY'RE PURCHASED AT THE CAR
LOT, AND PRIOR TO THAT, YOU HAD
TO WAIT FOR YOUR AND YOU STILL
HAVE TO WAIT FOR YOUR REAL
PLATES TO SHOW UP, BUT YOU GOT
PRIOR TO THAT, YOU GOT A LITTLE
PIECE OF PAPER THAT WENT IN THE
WINDOW, BUT BUT SOMEHOW DMV
REALIZED OR SOMEBODY TOLD DMV
YOU'RE MISSING OUT ON A CERTAIN
DOLLAR AMOUNT OF TOLLS THAT
AREN'T BEING COLLECTED FOR THE
SIX WEEKS THAT NEW CARS ARE ON
THE ROAD WITHOUT THEIR PERMANENT
PLATES. SO DMV OR SOMEBODY CAME
UP WITH A GREAT PLAN OF MAKING
THESE THIS NEW PAPER PLATE
SYSTEM THAT THEY LITERALLY
DEVELOPED AND PUT INTO ACTION IN
LESS THAN SIX MONTHS, I THINK
MAYBE A YEAR, A YEAR TO SIX
MONTHS, SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR. SO
OBVIOUSLY THE GOVERNMENT CAN DO
THESE THINGS WHEN THEY WANT TO.
BUT THE EXAMPLES OF THINGS THAT
THEY'VE DROPPED THE BALL ON ARE
FISCAL BREEZE, AND THE NEXT
THING THAT'S WORRYING US, ME, ED
HAS ITS NEXT IT PROJECT AT A
PRICE OF $1.2 BILLION, AND I'M
JUST A GENERAL DISCUSSION. I
THINK MORE THAN A POINTED
QUESTION, BUT HOW CAN HOW CAN
ONE AGENCY ROLL OUT SOMETHING SO
QUICKLY IN SIX WEEKS OR SIX
MONTHS TO A YEAR? THAT WORKS AND
FUNCTIONS? AND REALLY, AS FAR AS
I KNOW, HAS HAD VERY FEW FLAWS
OR OR BUMPS IN THE ROAD OR
ANYTHING ELSE. BUT WE WHEN WE
SPEND $1.2 BILLION, WE CAN'T GET
IT RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR BOTH. A
RARE POSITIVE EXAMPLE COMING
FROM THE SIDE OF THE PANEL AS
WELL AS YOUR QUESTION, AND I
MENTIONED SOME OF THE WAYS THAT
WE'RE TRYING TO IMPROVE, THE
WAYS THAT WE'RE MANAGING THESE
LARGE PROJECTS AND REALLY
FOCUSING ON SOME OF THOSE
OUTCOMES. THERE'S ALSO WORK
WE'RE DOING TO REALLY TRY TO
INVOKE A DEVELOPMENT MINDSET. SO
DOING MORE TESTING, REALLY
FOCUSING ON THE PROBLEM SPACE SO
THAT WE'RE NOT PURCHASING A
SOLUTION BEFORE WE'RE SURE HOW
IT'S GOING TO WORK AND SOLVE THE
ISSUES THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT
COMPLETELY. ONE THING I DO WANT
TO HIGHLIGHT, THOUGH, IS ONE
THING THAT MY TEAM'S WORK ON IS
TRYING TO FIND THOSE ALTERNATIVE
FUNDING MECHANISMS TO PROMOTE
INNOVATION AND INNOVATIVE
PROJECTS WHERE THEY COME UP. SO
I'M FORTUNATE TO MANAGE OUR
TEAMS. WE CALL THEM OUR CRITICAL
SERVICES TEAMS THAT MANAGE THE
STATE'S TECHNOLOGY MODERNIZATION
AND TECHNOLOGY STABILIZATION
FUND, AND THAT ALLOWS US TO DO A
MORE STREAMLINED AND PROVIDE AN
ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCE FOR
SMALLER SCALE INNOVATIONS, NOT
NECESSARILY PART OF THAT
PROGRAM, BUT SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU
SPOKE ABOUT AT DMV, WHERE WE
HAVE A REALLY GOOD HANDLE ON THE
TECHNOLOGY. THERE'S A LOT OF
SOLUTIONS OUT THERE, BUT OUR
PROCESS, WHICH IS REALLY BUILT
FOR THESE LARGER PROGRAMMATIC
ENGAGEMENTS, MAY NOT FIT AS
WELL. SO I'M REALLY LOOKING
FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO
CONTINUE TO MANAGE THAT PROGRAM
AND FIND MORE WAYS THAT WE CAN
HIGHLIGHT AND ADVANCE INNOVATION
AT THE STATE, SO THAT WHEN WE
HAVE BIG PROJECTS LIKE ED NEXT,
WE'RE WORKING ACROSS OUR AGENCY,
ACROSS THE STATE, MAKING SURE
WE'RE GETTING ALL THE FEEDBACK
WE NEED. BUT WHEN THERE ARE
REALLY SMART IDEAS LIKE FIXING
THE WAY THAT WE PROVIDE PAPER
LICENSE PLATES, WE CAN ENACT
THAT FASTER AND DON'T
NECESSARILY NEED TO BE WEIGHED
DOWN BY THE ENORMOUS WEIGHT OF
SOME OF THESE LARGER PROJECTS.
DO YOU THINK THAT THERE'S A OR
MAYBE THERE IS, I DON'T KNOW,
THIS, ON SOME OF THESE PROJECTS,
DOES THE STATE PUT OUT RFP
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS OR
REQUESTS FOR QUALIFICATIONS TO
DEVELOPERS, TO COMPANIES THAT
CAN DO THESE THINGS RATHER THAN
DEVELOP THESE SYSTEMS OURSELVES?
WOULDN'T IT, LIKE SALESFORCE WAS
IN HERE EARLIER AND TESTIFIED, I
MEAN, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE TO ME
IS POWERFUL AS AND I'M JUST
USING THEM AS AN EXAMPLE BECAUSE
THEY CAME UP TODAY. THEY'RE TOP
OF MIND, DO WE DO THAT? DO WE,
DO WE OFFER THE PRIVATE
COMPANIES TO BID ON THESE
PROJECTS? SO I CAN'T SPEAK
TOWARDS THE SPECIFIC
PROCUREMENTS BEHIND THE ED
PROJECTS OR A PARTICULAR
DEPARTMENT. BUT IN GENERAL, THE
GOVERNOR HAS ANNOUNCED A NEW,
PROCUREMENT VEHICLE THAT REALLY
GETS AT EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT. SENATOR WHICH IS
CALLED A REQUEST FOR INNOVATIVE
IDEAS. SO RATHER THAN STARTING
WITH PRESCRIPTIVE REQUIREMENTS,
WE'RE STARTING FROM THE PROBLEM
SPACE AND BUILDING A CHALLENGE
BASED PROCUREMENT. SO WE'RE
COMING OUT THERE ASKING THE
WHOLE COMMUNITY. IT COULD BE THE
ACADEMIC COMMUNITY, IT COULD BE
COMMUNITY PARTNERS, IT COULD BE
INDUSTRY TO TELL US HOW WOULD
YOU SOLVE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS. AND
THEN THEY CAN COME BACK WITH
THOSE SOLUTIONS. AND WHAT'S EVEN
BETTER IS WE HAVE TESTING AND
EVALUATION BUILT IN. SO BEFORE
WE SPEND ALL THAT MONEY UP
FRONT, WE'RE ABLE TO REVIEW AND
SEE DID THE SOLUTION ACTUALLY DO
WHAT IT SAID IT COULD DO? COULD
WE PILOT IT TO MAKE SURE THAT
GIVEN THE EXTENSIVE SCOPE AND
SCALE OF OUR SYSTEMS, THE
COMPLEXITY OF OUR DATA, THAT WE
KNOW THE SYSTEM WILL RESULT IN
THE WAY THAT WE'RE EXPECTING. SO
I HOPE THAT THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT WE CAN LEVERAGE MOVING
FORWARD TO REALLY FOCUS MORE ON
THOSE OUTCOMES THAT YOU'RE
DISCUSSING. AND WE CAN STILL
UTILIZE SOME OF OUR PREEXISTING
PROCUREMENTS FOR AREAS WHERE WE
HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF EITHER WE
KNOW, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A
VENDOR, BE IT ANY COMPANY WHO
CAN SOLVE THAT PROBLEM, OR WE
HAVE A REALLY GOOD IDEA OF WHAT
THAT TECHNOLOGY WOULD LOOK LIKE.
WHEN WILL THAT NEW SYSTEM ROLL
OUT? IT'S ALREADY OUT THERE AND
WE'RE ALREADY USING IT. GOOD
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU,
MR. JONES. LET'S GO TO SENATOR
LARRY. YEAH. I THINK MOST
PEOPLE, SENATOR EGGMAN ASKED OUR
FIRST QUESTION FOR EACH OF US.
SO, THAT WAS GOOD. AND IT'S BEEN
A GOOD CONVERSATION. I THINK I
HAVE ONE QUESTION, AND THAT IS,
AS YOU KNOW, THE GOVERNOR IS
GOING TO RELEASE HIS BUDGET ON
FRIDAY AND IT'S GOING TO BE
HORRIBLE. AND I KNOW YOU'RE
DOING A RATE ASSESSMENT PROCESS
IN THE DEPARTMENT TO SEE IF, YOU
KNOW, THE RATES CAN CARRY THE
DEPARTMENT AND YOU'RE NOT GOING
TO HAVE TO GO TO GENERAL FUND
MONEY OR, OR AT LEAST LESSEN THE
RELIANCE ON IT. WHAT'S THE
PROGRESS ON THAT STUDY AND HOW
DO YOU SEE IT COMING OUT? YEAH,
I'M REALLY GLAD YOU ASKED THAT
BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A STATE DATA
CENTER REPORT COMING OUT SOON.
LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR
THAT WE ENGAGED IN THAT REPORT,
AND THE FOCUS WAS MORE ON
IDENTIFYING WHAT WAS THE
SITUATION. THÀNH WHAT ARE WE
REALLY CONSIDER AS RISK FACTORS?
WHAT ARE THINGS THAT WE THINK WE
CAN CONTROL THAT CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE? THIS YEAR? YOU'RE
GOING TO SEE SOME OF THOSE
STRATEGIES AND SOME OF THE
ANALYSIS FROM THAT IDENTIFY
THÀNH. AND THEN WE'RE HOPING
NEXT YEAR TO BE ABLE TO
DEMONSTRATE THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE
TO FIND THOSE SIGNIFICANT COST
SAVINGS. SO IN THE MEANTIME,
WE'VE BEEN LOOKING REALLY
CRITICALLY AT OUR BUSINESS
MODEL. AND THINKING ABOUT OUR
SERVICE CATALOG AND TRYING TO
DECIDE, ARE THESE STILL THE
SERVICES THAT BENEFIT THE STATE
THE MOST? ARE THESE SERVICES
THAT WILL BE ABLE TO DRIVE
REVENUE THROUGH THE CHARGEBACK
MODEL THAT WE HAVE? AND SO WE'RE
GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT HOW
CAN WE REALIGN THE WAY THAT WE
PROVIDE TECHNOLOGY AT THE STATE
TO BETTER MEET MARKET TRENDS, AS
WELL AS THE DEMAND FROM OUR
CLIENTS, AND USE THAT
INFORMATION TO MAKE SURE THAT
WE'RE SETTING OURSELVES UP, NOT
JUST TO STABILIZE THE SITUATION
THAT YOU MENTIONED NOW, BUT TO
HELP SUSTAIN OURSELVES FOR THE
FUTURE SO THAT WE'RE NOT, YOU
KNOW, STUCK IN A SITUATION WHERE
WE HAVE OUTDATED BUSINESS MODELS
OR OUTMODED TECHNOLOGY
STRUCTURES THAT DON'T EXACTLY
RELATE TO THE WAY THAT OUR
CLIENTS OR OTHER STATE
DEPARTMENTS ARE LOOKING TO
ENGAGE WITH US WHEN IT COMES TO
PROVIDING TECHNOLOGY
INFRASTRUCTURE, IT MAY BE JUST A
WONKY QUICK FOLLOW UP, AND THAT
IS THAT WHEN YOU DO THAT
CHARGEBACK STRUCTURE, THERE'S A
BUNCH OF DEPARTMENTS THAT AREN'T
ON THE GENERAL FUND FULLY OR OR,
YOU KNOW, CALTRANS DOES IT OFF
OF GAS TAXES AND OTHER THINGS.
IS THERE ANY WAY THAT YOUR
CHARGES SORT OF GO DIFFERENTLY
TO PLACES THAT ARE ON THE
GENERAL FUND, OR HAVE
INDEPENDENT REVENUE SOURCES OR,
OR DO YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE THIS
COMPLETELY VANILLA CHARGE SYSTEM
THAT GOES FOR THE SERVICES TO
WHOEVER'S BUYING THEM,
REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEIR FUNDING
SOURCE IS. SO I'M HAPPY TO
ANSWER ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ON
A SPECIFIC DEPARTMENT. BUT
GENERALLY WE TRY TO HAVE GENERIC
RATES SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THE
SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE TO ALL OF
THE STATE DEPARTMENTS. WE DON'T
RIGHT NOW PRICE DISCRIMINATE
WITH DEPARTMENTS BASED ON SIZE
OR VOLUME OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
YEAH, I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
SENATOR LAIRD. I'D LIKE TO BE
ABLE TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS
FROM THIS COMMITTEE. ALL RIGHT.
WHAT WE'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO
IS OPEN IT UP FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL
WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO
SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF MR. PORAT,
WE'RE LOOKING FOR THOSE WHO ARE
IN SUPPORT. IF YOU COULD PLEASE
STEP FORWARD TO THE PODIUM.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOUR FIRST AND
LAST NAME AND THE ORGANIZATION
THAT YOU'RE WITH. IF YOU COULD
PLEASE STEP FORWARD AT THIS
TIME. AND MR. CHAIR, WE ALWAYS
PRESUME THE FAMILIES IN SUPPORT.
THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. YEAH,
EXACTLY. NICE YEAH. THAT'S
RIGHT. IT SHOULD BE YANKING HIM
OUT AGAIN. THERE WE GO. I LIKE
IT. ALL RIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO
SEE IF ANYONE IS OPPOSED. IF YOU
COULD PLEASE COME FORWARD. AT
THIS TIME, I THINK THAT SENATOR
EGGMAN WILL BE COMING FORWARD
AND SAYING, WHAT THE HELL IS
WRONG, I LIKE IT, I WOULD LIKE
TO BE ABLE TO SEE IF THERE'S
ANYONE OPPOSED. ALL RIGHT, LET'S
BRING IT BACK TO COMMITTEE,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE
CONVERSATION TODAY. WE WISH YOU
THE BEST OF LUCK. WE'RE LOOKING
FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
YOUR SUCCESS IS THE STATE'S
SUCCESS, SO THANK YOU. WE'D LIKE
TO BE ABLE TO SEE IF THERE IS, I
WOULD MOVE THE CONFIRMATION. ALL
RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION BY THE
GOOD SENATOR FROM SANTA CRUZ,
SENATOR LAIRD, LET'S CALL THE
ROLL. MCGUIRE. AYE. MCGUIRE AYE.
GROVE. EGGMAN. EGGMAN. AYE
JONES. AYE. JONES. AYE. LAIRD A
LAIRD. AYE. ON CALL. ON CALL
FOUR ZERO. VOTE CONGRATULATIONS,
LITTLE PREMATURE BECAUSE WE HAD
TO CLOSE THE ROLL, BUT, THANK
YOU SO MUCH. AND AGAIN, WE LOOK
FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
WE'RE GOING TO CALL SENATOR
GROVE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. INTO
THE FAMILY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR BEING HERE TODAY. THANK YOU.
ALL RIGHT. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
OF COMMITTEE, WE'RE GOING TO
FIGURE OUT WHERE SENATOR GROVE
IS, AND WE'RE GOING TO CALL HER
DOWN AND WHAT WE'D LIKE TO BE
ABLE TO DO IS WE DO HAVE A VERY
BRIEF EXECUTIVE SESSION. SO WHY
DON'T WE DO THIS? LET'S DO A
QUICK RECESS FOR TWO MINUTES.
WE'RE GOING TO GET OUR,
PAPERWORK TOGETHER, AND WE'LL BE
RIGHT BACK WITH YOU WITH A GAME
PLAN. BE RIGHT BACK. CAN WE
ALL RIGHT. SO, LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN, COMMITTEE. WHAT WE'RE
GOING TO DO IS WE'RE GOING TO
RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK AND
TAKE FINAL VOTES ON ANY MISSING
MEMBERS ON THOSE OPEN SESSION
ITEMS. SO AT THIS TIME, WE'RE
GOING TO RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE
SESSION, WILL THEN COME BACK AND
HAVE SENATOR GROVE ADD ON TO
THOSE OPEN SESSION, VOTES. ALL
RIGHT. WE'LL BE BACK WITH YOU
HERE IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS.
WE'RE GOING TO START EXECUTIVE
SESSION
ALL RIGHT. WELCOME BACK. WE'RE
GOING TO COME OUT OF RECESS, FOR
THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE. AND
TAKE UP, SOME REMAINING VOTES
THAT ARE ON CALL, WE'RE GOING TO
START WITH ITEM ONE B IN C,
GARCIA AND GLITTER FOR THE CIVIL
RIGHTS COUNCIL. THE CURRENT ON
CALL VOTE IS THREE ZERO. MADAM
SECRETARY, CAN YOU CALL THE
MISSING MEMBERS GROVE NOT
VOTING. GROVE NOT VOTING 3 TO 0.
THAT'S A30 VOTE. THE MOTION
PASSES THOSE INDIVIDUALS WILL BE
HEADING TO THE FLOOR. WE'RE NOW
GOING TO BE LOOKING AT ITEM
1D1D. MR. POIROT, FOR THE STATE
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER WITHIN
THE DEPARTMENT OF TECHNOLOGY.
CURRENT VOTE IS FOUR ZERO. MADAM
SECRETARY, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL
THE ROLL? GROVE. GROVE. AYE 5 TO
0 FIVE ZERO VOTE. THAT MOTION
PASSES. THANK YOU SO MUCH,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. THANKS FOR
YOUR PATIENCE, GRATEFUL. AND MAY
29TH WILL BE OUR NEXT HEARING, I
WOULD BRING YOUR SLEEPING BAGS
BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG
ONE. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE
ARE GOING TO BE ADJOURNING