California Assembly adopts apology to Native Americans, monarch protection week and measures on SNAP, Little Saigon and nuisance abatement

The California State Assembly on Wednesday adopted a slate of resolutions and bills addressing historic injustices to Native Americans, monarch conservation, food assistance and local enforcement tools.

Assembly Joint Resolution 18, introduced by Assemblymember Ramos, formally acknowledges and apologizes for the legislature's historic actions and failures toward California's first peoples and was adopted by roll call vote, 68-0. The Assembly also approved Assembly Concurrent Resolution 103, designating July 14'18, 2025 as California Western Monarch Protection Week, and Assembly Concurrent Resolution 71 to name a portion of U.S. 101 in Santa Clara County the "Little Saigon Freeway." The house passed Senate Joint Resolution 3 urging Congress to prevent cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and approved Senate Bill 757 to allow local governments additional options to collect nuisance-abatement costs.

The measures combined symbolic, conservation and policy responses. Supporters said AJR 18 is a first step toward truth and healing; backers of the monarch resolution cited steep population declines and the need for habitat protection; SNAP proponents warned that proposed federal cuts would deepen food insecurity; and SB 757 was presented as a tool for cities and counties to recover abatement costs when property owners fail to address public-health hazards.

Assembly Joint Resolution 18

Assemblymember James Ramos introduced AJR 18 as an official apology and acknowledgment of past legislative actions that harmed Native American communities. "We can never fix the wrongdoings of the past. But what we can do is take the first step of ensuring this body takes the fundamental step of acknowledging the harm committed," Ramos said during floor remarks. Supporters from multiple caucuses described the resolution as overdue; Assemblymember Soria and others urged the federal government also confront the historical record. The resolution passed by a roll-call vote of 68-0 after 66 coauthors were added.

Western Monarch protection

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 103, presented by Assemblymember Addis, recognizes July 14'18, 2025 as California Western Monarch Protection Week and encourages conservation attention to overwintering groves. Speakers pointed to long-term declines in western monarch counts, citing a drop from "over 1,200,000" at peak migration seasons historically to 233,000 reported last year, and a site-specific decline at Elwood Grove in Goleta from as many as 80,000 in the 1960s and 1970s to 34 last year. The resolution notes U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service actions and state efforts to protect overwintering sites; it was adopted by voice vote after sponsors added coauthors.

SNAP and SJR 3

Senate Joint Resolution 3, presented by Assemblymember Calderf3n on behalf of the authoring senator, urges Congress to roll back proposed cuts to SNAP that would reduce federal CalFresh funding to California families. Assemblymember Lee, chairing the Assembly Human Services Committee, called the federal package "draconian" and said cuts would harm millions and local economies; other members echoed those concerns. Opponents on the floor, including Assemblymember DeMayo, argued the federal bill contains reforms aimed at reducing fraud and adding work requirements and defended those changes. The Assembly adopted the joint resolution by roll call, 69-0; the resolution also recorded 70 coauthors.

Little Saigon Freeway designation

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 71 would designate a stretch of State Route 101 in Santa Clara County as the Little Saigon Freeway in recognition of San Jose's large Vietnamese American community and the cultural and commercial role of the Little Saigon neighborhood. Sponsors and coauthors emphasized community identity and the resiliency of refugees and their descendants. The resolution passed by voice vote following the addition of coauthors.

Nuisance abatement enforcement (SB 757)

Senate Bill 757, presented by Assemblymember Dixon, authorizes city or county legislative bodies to establish procedures, through special assessment or nuisance-abatement liens, to collect abatement and administrative costs for specified property nuisances through January 1, 2035. Dixon described the authority as a tool to shift collection responsibility to property owners who do not comply with abatement notices. The measure passed the Assembly by roll call, 68-0.

Other measures and the consent calendar

The Assembly also concurred in Senate amendments and passed several bills on the daily file with recorded tallies: AB 1216 (TK-12 education omnibus) concurred 68-0; AB 377 (high-speed rail-related) concurred 63-0 after concurrence; and AB 951 (health care coverage technical amendments) concurred 68-0, among others. The second-day consent calendar passed 71-0. Several resolutions had large lists of coauthors added on the floor before adoption.

Votes at a glance

- AJR 18 (Assembly Joint Resolution 18): adopted (roll call 68-0); 66 coauthors added; notes: formal apology and condemnation of prior legislative actions affecting Native Americans. - ACR 103 (California Western Monarch Protection Week): adopted (voice vote); 65 coauthors added; cites decline in monarch counts and references U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposals. - SJR 3 (SNAP/CalFresh): adopted (roll call 69-0); 70 coauthors added; urges Congress to prevent cuts to SNAP. - ACR 71 (Little Saigon Freeway): adopted (voice vote); 67 coauthors added; designates portion of SR-101 in Santa Clara County. - SB 757 (nuisance abatement liens/assessments): adopted (roll call 68-0); authorizes local procedures through 01/01/2035. - AB 1216 (education omnibus, concurrence): adopted (roll call 68-0). - AB 377 (transportation/high-speed rail concurrence): adopted (roll call 63-0).

What happened on the floor

Most measures passed with bipartisan support and recorded unanimous tallies where roll-call votes were held. AJR 18 prompted extended floor remarks from members in support; SJR 3 generated a partisan exchange over whether the federal bill represented necessary fraud and work-rule reforms or an effort that would cut benefits from vulnerable families. The clerk recorded coauthors added on multiple resolutions before voice votes or roll calls.

Looking ahead

Several bills were held on the third-reading file or passed and retained for subsequent steps; committee hearings scheduled for July were announced from the floor. The Assembly adjourned until its next scheduled floor session.