RWC Pulse: As a coalition of cycling groups, community members, city employees and company representatives gathered on the east Baylands side of the new bridge over U.S. Highway 101, officials from the city, county and state couldn't help but repeat one message in their speeches before they opened the path with a ribbon cutting: Finally. State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian also shared their own anecdotes that, in jest, poked at the 10-year timeline for the bridge.
In the News
Sacramento Bee: Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges related to the fatal shooting of two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2020. “The Rittenhouse verdict is a stark illustration of the inequities of our justice system and the horrific consequences of permitting vigilantism to masquerade as self-defense.” - Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, via Twitter.
ABC 7: [Governor] Newsom signed 10 other voting-related bills on Monday, crafting them as part of an effort to expand voting rights and access…Another proposal Newsom signed relaxes the rules around ballot signatures, giving officials more leeway to accept ballots if the signature doesn't exactly match what's on file. The legislation by Democratic Sen. Josh Becker bars election officials from taking a voter's party preference into account when evaluating their signature.
Canary Media: California has taken on a major source of climate change pollution: the carbon emitted from cement used in the construction of buildings and highways. Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed SB 596, which will require carbon emissions per ton of cement produced to be cut by 40 percent below 2019 levels by 2035.
ABC 7: This week, StreetCode Academy, an East Palo Alto-based nonprofit that provides free tech education to the community regardless of age, launched its first PNFT series. P is for philanthropy. StreetCode has been named 2021 California Nonprofit of the Year in State Senator Josh Becker's district for its work this past year ensuring students in the East Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City communities had access to laptops for remote learning.
NRDC Expert Blog: Governor Gavin Newsom signed groundbreaking legislation today to zero-out carbon pollution from cement used in the world's fifth-largest economy. Senate Bill 596 by Senator Josh Becker, which earned bipartisan support, directs the California Air Resources Board to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions associated with cement used within California as soon as possible, but no later than 2045, and to establish interim targets for reducing cement’s greenhouse gas intensity.
San Mateo Daily Journal: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation by state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, that will make California the first state to directly target greenhouse gas emissions from cement. Senate Bill 596 also is the first bill in any California sector to focus on achieving net-zero emissions.
RTO Insider: Newsom signed a spate of policy-making measures Thursday in addition to the budget trailer bill. Newsom signed SB 596, ordering the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop a strategy for decarbonizing cement production by July 2023 and to set a goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than Dec. 31, 2045.