Patch.com: State Sen. Josh Becker (D-Peninsula) praised Newsom for his nomination on Wednesday. "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," he wrote in a statement. "Thank you, Governor Newsom for meeting this crucial moment in our state and in our nation with your nomination of Rob Bonta today."
In the News
Mercury News: “My staff reached out to the EDD, which informed us they are aware of the problem and are working to resolve it,” state Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) said in comments emailed to this news organization. “They did not provide an ETA...EDD needs to improve its public reporting of key performance metrics, I strongly urge EDD to include uptime and downtime in those metrics. I’m in conversations with the director on this topic."
Mercury News: In 2016, 42-year-old Vuong Dihn Phan had the odd misfortune of not being convicted of murder. If he had been, there’s a good chance he’d be out of prison right now. [An] appeals courts ruled that Phan was ineligible for benefit from SB 1437, a 2019 law that says prosecutors can no longer file murder charges against lesser-involved accomplices to a felony that results in a killing and voids existing convictions of such accomplices. California lawmakers are now proposing a change to state law, SB 775 [by Senator Josh Becker] which would benefit people in Phan’s situation. The bill proposes to expand SB 1437’s application to manslaughter charges, and includes attempted murders as well.
San Mateo Daily Journal: New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allowing desks to be just 3 feet apart so long as students are masked was happily received by local officials looking to reopen classrooms. “This is the single biggest issue after teacher vaccination I’ve seen in terms of getting students fully back,” said state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo.
San Francisco Chronicle: About 2.4 million Californians will have to wait weeks to receive new extended jobless benefits, according to the state Employment Development Department, which has struggled throughout the pandemic to handle a deluge of unemployment claims. The new delays apply to self-employed people and those on a federal extension plan. “We shouldn’t ask people who are out of work, who don’t have any money coming in, to wait,” said state Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park. “That’s the reason we have unemployment insurance. It just shouldn’t take this long.”
San Mateo Daily Journal: The shift from at-large to district elections will happen to all government agencies eventually. And every government agency should begin the process of doing it right now. There are arguments for and against. The arguments don’t matter because the California Voting Rights Act essentially requires the move to district elections to comply. So why not compel it legislatively? I asked newly minted state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, if he might pursue such legislation and he said he would be interested in learning more. It may not be popular legislation with cities and districts… but it will save them money in the long run. And isn’t that the role of state government to take that higher view?
The Davis Vanguard: As documented by the Brennan Center for Justice, as of mid-February, 2021, state lawmakers across the nation have carried, pre-filed, or introduced at least 253 bills with provisions that restrict voter access in 43 states. The Brennan Center notes that a quarter of voting and election bills seek to limit vote by mail (VBM) procedures. These VBM bills would limit who can vote by mail (e.g., by limiting “no excuse” mail voting, requiring that mail-in ballots be notarized, eliminating mail-in ballot drop boxes) and/or would make it harder to obtain ballots (e.g., by eliminating the permanent early voter list). California, on the other hand, is one of some 37 states that have introduced expansive bills focusing on mail voting, early voting, voter registration, and voting rights restoration. One such bill is SB 503 authored by Senator Josh Becker.
KPIX 5/CBS SF Bay Area, 3/19: Following the announcement from the CDC, Bay Area state Senator Josh Becker (D-San Mateo) called for California counties to align their guidance on school distancing with the CDC. “I urge the state and our counties — including the counties of San Mateo and Santa Clara, which I represent — to swiftly align with the new federal guidance so local districts have the flexibility needed to safely get students back in classrooms,” said Becker. “With many teachers now being vaccinated, and data demonstrating the safety of school reopenings, we can and should do everything we can to give students the opportunity to learn in the classroom as soon as possible.”