Mountain View Voice: In order to cobble together enough cash to pay for the project, which now exceeds $114 million, Alta Housing is tapping into more funding from Santa Clara County's Measure A bond and more funding through federal housing vouchers. The project also leverages $8 million in state funding, which was appropriated through SB 129 with help from State Sen. Josh Becker.
In the News
Burlingame B: California State Sen. Josh Becker, one of the six scheduled speakers, spoke on how the importance of protecting the environment motivated his 2020 run for state senate. By supporting the Carbon Fee and Dividend, Becker continues to endorse decreased fossil fuel usage. “The bottom line is, we need to have a higher price on carbon,” Becker said in his speech. “We need to work at all levels — all levels of the government and all levels of the economy.”
Almanac News: Bistro Vida in Menlo Park has been recognized as the 13th Senate District's Small Business of the Year. The bistro has been much more than a place to eat. Especially during the pandemic, it's become a place for people to gather outdoors. "We're different, very homey. You feel like this is your neighborhood place, where you would like to come hang out. When you come in, everyone knows each other. It's like (the TV show) 'Cheers' - the homey place for everybody," owner Ali El Safy says.
ABC 7/KGO-TV: Nearly two million calls per week poured in to the EDD call center at the height of the pandemic, but a state audit found fewer than one percent were getting through..."Let's have modern call center technology. I represent Silicon Valley and know that it's just not that hard to set up a call center where people get a call back or they understand how long the wait time is," said State Senator Josh Becker.
ProPublica: California’s Senate majority leader and two other legislators have urged the state’s Air Resources Board to review its forest offset program, citing reports from ProPublica and MIT Technology Review that showed it issued tens of millions of carbon credits that may not have provided real climate benefits...“We’re at risk of undermining the cap-and-trade market by allowing cheap, questionable offsets to substitute for real emissions reductions,” Becker said in an interview. “That keeps the market price artificially low and reduces the incentives for companies to make the change we need to drive down emissions."
ABC 7/KGO: When the whole state locked down, EDD buildings were shut down too. However, when the state reopened on June 15, the unemployment offices stayed shut -- and not just because of the pandemic. It turns out, unemployment offices have been closed for the past 25 years. "It's part of this ongoing litany where it's tough to correspond with the EDD," added State Senator Josh Becker.
Patch.com:Bistro Vida in Menlo Park was named the small business of the year in the Peninsula by state Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park). Becker applauded owner Ali El Safy's community spirit and effort to adapt during the pandemic, which included engaging nearby businesses in building parklets and turning Santa Cruz Avenue into a "temporary community plaza." "That group effort Downtown, encouraged by Ali's boundless good cheer, has warmed — and won — many hearts in our community," Becker said.
GovTech.com: Sen. Josh Becker, who introduced the bill earlier this year, said many schools need guidance or support to train teachers how to use new technologies effectively in the classroom. This has only become more pressing as demand for remote and hybrid learning options increased during COVID-19. Becker said, "That’s what this bill is all about – it’s really about technical support and training for teachers to use technology,"