Sierra Sun Times: State Senator Josh Becker announced a bill on Wednesday to eliminate all telecommunication fees in California’s county jails and state prisons, a change that would rid incarcerated people and their families of the financial burden that results from connecting by phone, electronic messaging or video calling systems in state and local lockups. “Staying connected with family and friends is integral to the mental health and well-being of all people, but especially incarcerated Californians,” said Senator Becker, D-Peninsula, the author of Senate Bill 1008, the Keep Families Connected Act.
In the News
NCEO Employee Ownership Blog: In what would be the most significant step forward by a state yet, Senator Josh Becker has introduced Senate Bill 1407, the Expanding Employee Ownership Act. The bill would provide outreach, financing, and technical assistance for conversions to employee ownership.
East County Times: Senators Steve Glazer, D-Contra Costa, Maria Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles and Sidney Kamlager, D-Los Angeles have been joined by a growing legislative coalition for a bill to increase and reform the California Renters Tax Credit. Senators Durazo and Kamlager are joint authors of SB 843, joining principal co-authors Assembly member Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles, Steven Choi, R-Irvine, and 41 other co-authors from both legislative chambers, [including] Senator Josh Becker.
Palo Alto Online: With cities throughout California struggling to meet the state's affordable housing goals, state Sen. Josh Becker has authored a bill that would make more funding available for below-market-rate projects and expand the types of development that would qualify as "low-income" housing. Becker's bill, Senate Bill 1094, aims to offer a financial boost to cities that have failed to meet their obligations for affordable housing under the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process, a regional quota system that requires jurisdictions to plan for a certain number of dwellings in each income category over an eight-year planning cycle.
Daily Journal: As state laws pushing for affordable housing production continue to take shape, a new bill by state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, looks to keep funding for below-market rate housing flowing in cities that could otherwise be cut off as a result of existing penalties for not meeting housing goals. “The penalty is counterproductive and makes absolutely no sense,” said Becker. “Cities and counties should be on the hook for compliance, but affordable homes should not be used as a bargaining chip.”
Patch: A bill introduced in the California State Senate this week would reduce costs for affordable housing projects by shifting reserve funds from individual projects to a pooled reserve operated by the state. Senate Bill 948, introduced by state Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park), would shift responsibility for so-called "transition reserves" — which have not been used much for projects funded by the Department of Housing and Community Development — from individual projects to the state.
NBC Bay Area: California state Sen. Josh Becker says President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address Tuesday night hit on a number of specific issues that are bipartisan where the U.S. could make progress. Scott McGrew has the one on one.
GovTech: A bill introduced in the California Legislature is calling for better coordination among more than two dozen transit agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area in an effort to create a more seamless and affordable rider experience. The bill, also known as the Seamless Transit Transformation Act, was introduced by state Sen. Josh Becker from District 13, which stretches from south San Francisco, down the San Mateo County coast and into Mountain View.