SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — "Suspense day" at the California Legislature on Thursday saw several key bills killed while others moved ahead on the path to passage and a spot on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. The committee held Senate Bill 1000, which sought to make law enforcement radio communications publicly available, effectively killing it for the time being. Written by state Senator Josh Becker, a Democrat from San Mateo, SB 1000 sought to stop a trend of police departments encrypting radio communications, thereby blocking the media and public from monitoring police activities.
In the News
Los Angeles Times: Open police radio communication has become the public’s ear on its law enforcement agencies…State Sen. Josh Becker wrote SB 1000 to require law enforcement agencies to follow the lead of agencies like the CHP, or find other ways to protect personal information. It’s a good and timely response, and the Legislature should move it forward.
Mercury News: Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, has authored legislation that would require police to make all radio communications publicly accessible except for discussions of personal information, such as criminal history, driver license numbers and tactical or undercover operations. Senate Bill 1000 has passed the Senate and is in the Assembly. Lawmakers there must decide whether to walk their post-George-Floyd transparency talk or look the other way while police agencies seal off public access.
Daily Journal: South San Francisco has seen an increase in catalytic converter thefts, up to one per day on average, Police Chief Scott Campbell reported this week during a town hall...Campbell, joined by Mayor Mark Nagales and state Sen. Josh Becker, “Unfortunately, the state is now the number one state in the country for catalytic converter thefts,” Becker said. “These thefts are extremely costly, as some of you unfortunately now know.”
Lawmakers debate clean energy substitutes to remove fossil fuels from strained California power grid
Courthouse News Service: California soon will not have enough energy to meet future demand and prevent outages on an increasingly strained power grid, in part due to climate change. To address the looming disaster, state lawmakers met Tuesday to discuss how to decrease reliance on fossil fuels to protect the grid from the effects of destructive wildfires and supply chain issues. The state Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications subcommittee chair Senator Josh Becker, a Democrat from San Mateo who has written multiple climate action bills, said extreme heat is expected to escalate strain on the power grid and the state must balance using cleaner energy sources with ensuring grid reliability. “Climate change is anticipated to make the summer conditions more intense and frequent,” Becker said, adding more heat waves with less hydroelectric energy threaten transmission lines every year.
NBC Bay Area: California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to speed up the state’s transition to non-carbon electricity sources and accelerate its timeline for lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Those are among the proposals the Democratic governor has delivered to lawmakers as they work to hash out how to spend $19.3 billion set aside for climate in the state budget. “Meeting our goals of 100% clean electricity by 2045 is still the key component in fighting climate change and in preventing these weather conditions in the first place,” said State Sen. Josh Becker, a Democrat and chair of the Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Subcommittee on Clean Energy Future.
Daily Journal: A proposed bill requiring law enforcement agencies to not fully encrypt radio communications to ensure public access is now in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, with bill author state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, working to ensure passage.
Politico: The tension between grid reliability and clean energy will be the subject of a hearing this morning in the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Energy Future, chaired by Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park). The subcommittee will hear from energy and clean power experts, including the California Independent System Operator, as it looks for an “initial policy toolkit of renewable solutions to maintain grid reliability.”