California Senate condemns Gaza violence in bipartisan resolution
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert. I’m Amelia Wu, the Bee’s state workers intern. My time at the Bee is ending. It’s been a pleasure to write for you.
Let’s start the week together.
CONDEMNING GAZA VIOLENCE
Via Amelia Wu...
A measure reaffirming California’s commitment to universal human rights sparked significant discussion Friday on the floor from 25 senators.
Introduced by Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, SCR 105 also called for an end to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the immediate release of all hostages.
“I rise today not as a representative of a caucus, religion or identity, but simply as a human,” Wahab said.
The measure was created in collaboration with the California Legislative Jewish Caucus and went through 19 different versions, according to Sen. Henry Stern, D-Los Angeles, who said he would be boarding a flight to Israel on Saturday.
Co-author Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said he hopes for a peace movement out of “this catastrophe,” requiring people and governments that are committed to peace.
SCR 105 ultimately passed with bipartisan support but not without sharp criticism from members who felt it failed to adequately address the events of Oct. 7.
Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Huntington Beach, said he felt the resolution was not “on an equal footing.”
“I’ll remind this body that Israel was attacked on October 7,” he said. “And this resolution doesn’t have it being equal in terms of who’s at fault. Israel has been wanting peace, they’ve been giving up land for peace. They’ve had peace on the table.”
On the other hand, supporters including Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, D-Riverside, highlighted the moral imperative to act, citing United Nations warnings that over half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine.
“Our voice here in California may feel far from the devastation, but our voice matters,” Cervantes said. “Many of our own friends, neighbors, constituents, live with deep fear and grief as their loved ones suffer abroad.”
THE AFTERMATH
via David Lightman...
There was a gentler, conciliatory tone at the Capitol last week as lawmakers learned about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The reaction was a sharp contrast to the shouting match that erupted on the House floor Thursday, and the partisan anger that some members expressed.
But Reps. Kevin Kiley, R-Roseville, and Ami Bera, D-Sacramento, both offered messages of unity and hope.
Kiley spoke on the House floor, and acknowledged that “with a loss this profound, with evil this glaring, with so much pain and suffering and anger and fear — this cycle could escalate.
“But that isn’t where things have to go. This can also be an occasion for soul-searching as a country,” he said.
Kiley urged what he called “a simple thing we can all do: If you have a friend or family member who you have stopped talking to because of political differences, this might be a good time to reach out.
“To say, we’re still friends, we’re still family. Politics isn’t everything. And politics itself, when properly conducted, can foster friendship and build community even among ideological opponents.”
Bera made a similar plea on a video posted to X.
“We’ve got to find a way to live together as Americans. We’ve got to find a way to ratchet down the dangerous rhetoric, be civil, and be kind to one another,” he said.
“That’s what I’m going to try to do — and I hope you’ll join me.”
He turned to his congressional colleagues. “I hear a lot of the anger that’s out there on both sides. I can’t control all of that. What I can do is how I approach my colleagues, folks that have really different ideas that I have, real different values.”
“That’s the best way. I think the best way to honor his memory, actually try to get stuff done.”
EDUCATION SUPPORT ON HOLD
via Amelia Wu...
A bipartisan group of 30 senators is demanding the release of critical federal education funding in a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
The OMB froze $52.1 million dedicated to the High School Equivalency Program and the College Assistance Migrant Program, two initiatives that support students from agricultural workers’ families.
Together, they serve 8,000 students in California, the state that receives the largest allocation of funding.
“We should strive to retain more students enrolled in college, just as CAMP programs have achieved,” the lawmakers wrote. “These are results that can help strengthen the economy for agricultural farmworker families and rural communities.”
In a 2024 report to Congress, CAMP exceeded the national retention rates for first-time college freshmen returning for a second year despite pandemic-related challenges.
Additionally, senators are calling attention to a gutted TRIO fund, the federal programs that support low-income high school and first-generation college students.
“The individualized counselling, advising and other supportive services that TRIO programs provide to students in both high school and college are critical to the success of low-income, first-generation higher-education students,” the letter continued.
The TRIO program is given $1.191 billion through the Full-year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act. According to a release from Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, 870,000 students nationally enter and graduate college each year through the TRIO program.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“This is the most important U.S. climate policy for the foreseeable future. These bills send a signal that California is doubling down on its climate commitments for the next two decades with a practical approach that meets both climate and affordability goals.”
— Dr. Kyle Meng, professor of economics at UC Santa Barbara on the cap-and-trade deal
Best of The Bee:
- Messages show blurred lines before and after deadly Esparto fireworks blast, via Joe Rubin, Daniel Lempres and Jake Goodrick
- Gov. Gavin Newsom agrees to more drilling to stabilize California gas prices, via Nicole Nixon
- Sacramento proposes new homeless sites that would charge fees. Where are they? via Mathew Miranda