“The $2 million investment announced today by San Mateo County to provide free college to 500 students is exactly the type of bold leadership we need as we emerge from the pandemic," said Senator Becker. "To me, investments like this are about improving equity and access to critical education and job training opportunities that are not readily available for all students graduating from under-resourced schools."
Press Releases
The Senate Education Committee unanimously passed bills by Senator Josh Becker today to help make community college more affordable to the students most in need and to equitably provide the state’s public school districts with much-needed development and technical support for digital learning programs.
State Senator Josh Becker called on the state to immediately expand vaccine eligibility to all residents in vulnerable communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. “Communities like East Palo Alto are home to large numbers of essential frontline workers who have heroically stepped up and supported all of us through the entire pandemic but remain largely unvaccinated," he said.
“Congratulations to Assemblymember Robert Bonta, soon to become our state’s new Attorney General. Assemblymember Bonta’s nomination from an array of stellar candidates is well-deserved. In addition to his impressive cred as an attorney, a lawmaker and a civil rights activist, Assemblymember Bonta will become California’s first Filipino American AG. Thank you, Governor Newsom for meeting this crucial moment in our state and in our nation with your nomination of Rob Bonta today.”
State Senator Josh Becker called for the state and counties to swiftly align their guidance on distancing in schools with the recommendation issued today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protections.
I proudly voted to extend Emergency Paid Sick Leave to the very workers who have stayed on the job throughout the pandemic. Their work is enabling us all to recover. They stood by us. We are standing by them. Today hope is not just on the horizon, it is all around us. Yet we must not let our guard down. We must keep our protections in place until we are certain the pandemic is behind us...
Inspired by Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto and backed by more than a dozen legal aid and advocacy groups, legislation by Senator Josh Becker to improve access to civil justice was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Senate Bill 355 would update the eligibility criteria for low-income Californians seeking a waiver of filing fees and other costs associated with litigation. The current criteria for automatically qualifying for a waiver is tied to the federal poverty level, which does not accurately reflect the true cost of living for California residents.
Key Senate policy committees approved three bills by State Senator Josh Becker today to ensure voter access and equity and to reduce barriers that make it difficult for low-income communities to access energy efficiency and distributed energy programs.