Press Releases

State Senator Josh Becker called today to use the state’s historic surplus to attack economic inequality and for the Legislature to embrace a moonshot investment to break the cycle of generational poverty. “We have a historic $75 billion surplus. Now is the time to be bold: Let’s start with babies. A Baby Bond program would put money into a publicly funded trust account for every child at birth -- with more for lower income families"




“My Senate Bill 591 enables creation of housing for seniors and youth so they can live, learn and thrive together while sharing a living space that provides vulnerable individuals a safe place to live,” said Senator Becker. “The benefits of such intergenerational living environments are proven. These living spaces create a dynamic and supportive community that traditional forms of age-restricted housing cannot match.”




In an effort to drive broader adoption of zero- and low-emission vehicles, disadvantaged Californians would get a state sales tax break when replacing an older vehicle with an electric or hybrid car, under legislation by Senator Josh Becker that was approved by a key Senate Committee today. “As California shifts gears toward a zero-emission transportation model, we need a vigorous agenda rooted in equitable clean transportation policies in order to achieve our goal,” said Senator Josh Becker, the Peninsula Democrat who serves as vice chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies. “Past transportation policies have moved the state forward, but progress has sometimes come at the expense of disadvantaged communities.




The California Senate unanimously passed legislation by Senator Josh Becker today to provide opportunities for training paired with employment for veterans, the unhoused, people exiting the justice system, and other vulnerable jobseekers who are often shut out of the workforce.




Legislation by state Senator Josh Becker to sharply reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from concrete and its key ingredient, cement, cleared its first hurdle today by gaining approval from the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.




The Senate Housing Committee gave the greenlight today to two bills by Senator Josh Becker that lift barriers to housing creation in key areas of need and opportunity: optimizing available space in mixed use or multifamily buildings and serving the shared housing needs of senior citizens and transition-age foster youth.




Today we honor the memories of those who perished in the Ottoman-era genocide of ethnic Armenians and condemn the atrocities that killed 1.5 million people as well as all violence fueled by racial or ethnic hate. Thank you to President Biden for speaking out on this solemn Day of Remembrance.




“Climate advocates and environmentalists have long awaited strong steps to curtail hydraulic fracturing and oil extraction in California,” said state Senator Josh Becker, D-Peninsula, the vice chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change. “Governor Newsom’s moves today enable our state to firmly turn the corner on these practices and launch California in a new direction."