InMenlo: State Senator Josh Becker is holding an online town hall, Resilience and Recovery in 2021, from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on Tuesday, March 23. He’ll provide an update on the COVID response in the 13th Senate District, discuss efforts to reopen schools, what’s in California’s stimulus package and more.
In the News
The Almanac, 3/19: Advocates for reopening Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD) classrooms are looking beyond this spring, when students will be on campuses part time, to the fall when they want to see classrooms fully reopen… he CDC announced Friday, March 19, that it had reduced the distance needed between students in classrooms to 3 feet, instead of 6 feet. The potential change comes after a study published in "Clinical Infectious Diseases" suggests that 3 feet may be as safe as 6 feet if everyone wears a mask. After the announcement, State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, called on San Mateo and Santa Clara county officials to align with the new CDC guidelines, saying that he would like districts to have the flexibility needed to safely get students back in classrooms
The Almanac: Elected and nonprofit leaders throughout the Bay Area sent a letter to state health leaders March 12, urging them to change their vaccine distribution formula to better include local communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. "The formula they were using didn't reflect parts of the Bay Area that had been really hard-hit," said Senator Josh Becker.
Palo Alto Daily Post: Five local officials deserve a round of applause for calling attention to the fact that East Palo Alto residents are getting far fewer Covid vaccinations than neighboring communities. State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, East Palo Alto City Councilman Antonio Lopez, County Supervisor David Canepa, Ravenswood City School District Trustee Ana Maria Pulido, and former councilman and school trustee Larry Moody...I applaud them for stepping forward and demonstrating leadership on this serious problem.
Patch.com: State Senator Josh Becker selected the Menlo Park resident as the 2021 Woman of the Year in the 13th Senate District.
San Francisco Chronicle: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office is negotiating changes to a new state plan for inoculating the poorest Californians after local lawmakers complained that it bypassed the Bay Area, legislators involved in the discussions said. Besides Senator Dave Cortese, the Bay Area leaders included Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco; Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park; Assemblymember Ash Kalra, D-San Jose; Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez; and Morgan Hill Mayor Rich Constantine.
Patch.com: East Palo Alto will open a community COVID-19 vaccination site at the Ravenswood Family Health Center next week as part of an effort to ensure that essential workers and those hit hardest by the pandemic have access to vaccines. Earlier this week, San Mateo County officials, including State Senator Josh Becker, held a news briefing in front of Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School. Becker vowed to improve the situation for a community that houses many essential workers.
Desert Sun: [They include:] SB 67: Speeding up clean-energy goals. This bill by Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, aims to accelerate the timeline for meeting the state's clean energy goals. Currently, California has through 2045 to procure all its electricity from zero-carbon and renewable sources.