Half Moon Bay Review: The city of Half Moon Bay last week announced a partnership with a local nonprofit that will run a four-month pilot to replace armed San Mateo County Sheriff’s deputies with mental health specialists for certain types of nonviolent emergencies. The city is looking for grants from the county and state that could keep the program going and expand its hours to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staff is eyeing opportunities from the California Department of Social Services, which has a new grant program established through Assembly Bill 118 and co-authored by Sen. Josh Becker, whose district includes the Coastside.
In the News
Climate Online: The 12th annual Hanukah Festival, organized by Chabad MidPen of Redwood City, was celebrated Dec. 5 in Courthouse Square. The attendees enjoyed food, entertainment and games which were available preceding the lighting of the menorah by State Senator Josh Becker. The menorah was wrapped in handmade scarves, mittens and hats to be given out to homeless people.
San Mateo Daily Journal: Sixteen-year-olds are old enough to drive, they are old enough to pay taxes, and they are even cognitively equal to most 18-year-olds in society. So why can’t they vote? This question is what Vote16 SMC aims to answer with its nonpartisan initiative to lower the voting age to 16 for local elections in San Mateo County...
KCBS: A Santa Cruz man has been sentenced to almost seven years in prison for a violent hate crime. Following a change in legislation, this conviction is the first of its kind.
Patch: There's lot of talk about getting to 100 percent clean energy, but how will we get there? Join State Senator Josh Becker and Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Jan Pepper from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 9, at a solutions-focused event hosted by Sustainable San Mateo County to learn how.
Sacramento Bee: California lawmakers, elected officials and other state figures weighed in on social media Wednesday as the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about a Mississippi law that severely restricts when pregnant people can get an abortion, a case that could see the nation’s highest court overturn the historic Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion legal in all 50 states. “Let’s be clear: Roe v. Wade is in danger. The Mississippi case before SCOTUS today is a direct threat to abortion rights. If Roe falls, 26 states could move to ban abortion. I stand w/ my colleagues to protect reproductive freedom.” - Sen. Josh Becker in a tweet.
Then There’s California: The 5-member California State Senate Delegation to the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, joins us to share their experiences on the world stage, representing CA's impressive leadership on climate policy and goals for future climate action.
NRDC: The environmental community continued to chalk up wins in the state legislature despite another unusual year...Below are ten key bills that passed the legislature and were signed by Governor Newsom in 2021...SB 596 (Becker) requires the California Air Resources Board to develop a comprehensive strategy by July 1, 2023 to reduce the carbon intensity from cement use by 40 percent from 2019 levels by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality in this sector no later than 2045.