San Francisco Chronicle: Rita Saenz, 72, a government veteran who came out of retirement to become director in late 2020, is stepping down… “I appreciate that Director Saenz was very responsive and candid regarding my queries about EDD’s progress, but the department’s problems have not been corrected,” Senator Becker said. “I’m very disappointed that more progress was not made at EDD.
In the News
GovReport: California public school districts officially have another shot at equal access to professional development for teachers and technical assistance that will help schools effectively use their technology — and schools could cost-effectively plan for and implement current and emerging educational technology. Educational technology is essential for teaching and learning in the Digital Age,” Sen. Josh Becker, D-Peninsula, told The GovReport. “And California educators must have equitable access to the professional development and technical assistance that make effective use of this technology possible.”
Los Altos Town Crier: “Code Red for Humanity: What Municipalities Can Do,” focused on strategies cities can adopt to eliminate carbon emissions by 2030, an objective far loftier than most cities have committed to. State Sen. Josh Becker, detailing California’s current approach to mitigating climate change, emphasized the role of small and medium-size cities in effecting widespread change, noting that local jurisdictions allow new policies to be tried out on a small scale before being replicated by other cities or enacted at the state level. “Understand that your policies can become the law of California and then the law of the land,” Becker said.
High Times: Cigarette smokers and vapers beware—a new California law could upend the state’s tobacco industry as we know it, and other states are following suit. Blaming cigarette butts piling up, the law focuses on cigarette and vape waste, rather than focusing on nicotine. Assemblymember Luz Rivas introduced Assembly Bill 1690, or the Stop Tobacco Access to Kids Enforcement Act, along with Assemblymembers Cottie Petrie-Norris and Mark Stone. Principal co-authors including Assemblymembers Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Boerner Horvath, Friedman, Lee, Nazarian, Quirk and Wicks also joined, as well as Senators Allen, Becker, Limón, Newman, Portantino and Wiener.
San Mateo Daily Journal: Given various exceptions, lawmakers can opt to spend the excess funding in select ways, among them infrastructure projects, education or rebates given back to taxpayers. State Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, said a surplus should be used to address “pressing needs for pandemic recovery,” along with advancing “efforts to achieve greater resilience of our state through strong climate action."
Injustice Watch: Last January, Illinois legislators changed the state’s felony murder statute as part of the landmark criminal justice reform bill. Advocates say the reform didn’t go far enough. Last year, California state lawmakers expanded the reform’s reach to people who were charged with felony murder but pleaded guilty to lesser crimes, such as manslaughter. California State Sen. Josh Becker, who introduced the bill, said in an interview with Injustice Watch his colleagues aimed to balance between punishing people for participating in serious crimes and hitting defendants with sentences that are unreasonably long given their role in the offense.
InMenlo: Among those who participated were City Council members Drew Combs and Ray Mueller, City Council member Cecilia Taylor, and state senator Josh Becker.
San Mateo Daily Journal: California’s tax credit for renters could soon increase after remaining stagnant for more than 40 years if a bill with broad bipartisan support introduced this week moves ahead. The legislation, Senate Bill 843, was introduced Wednesday by state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Contra Costa, with 43 co-authors, including local legislators state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, and Assembly Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco.