Last week, State Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) called for all teachers and school staff in Bay Area school districts to be vaccinated before the first day of school or be tested regularly. In an interview with Patch on Tuesday after holding a news briefing in East Palo Alto, Becker said: "If we lose another year of in-person learning, that's on us as adults. "It's really incumbent on us to make every effort to put kids first and to really inspire confidence in the schools to make them as safe as possible — really to build a wall of protection and security around them."
In the News
CalMatters: State Sen. Josh Becker, a Democrat who represents sections of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, has been one of the few calling on districts to require teachers to be fully vaccinated before returning to campuses. “We’re at a tipping point,” he said. “The delta variant in many ways puts our mindsets back to March 2020. But back then, we did not have the defense.”
Palo Alto Online: Over the last 16 months, East Palo Alto nonprofit StreetCode Academy has equipped community members with digital tools and skills they need to virtually communicate as they stay close to home during the pandemic. StreetCode was recently recognized as the Nonprofit of the Year in California's 13th Senate District, which is represented by Sen. Josh Becker.
KRON 4: State Senator Josh Becker (D-San Mateo) is calling on school districts to require that all teachers and school staff must be fully vaccinated, or submit to regular testing. “We are in the middle of a crisis that can be ended within weeks if people simply get vaccinated,” Becker told reporters at a news conference held at Ravenswood Family Health Network in East Palo Alto. His district includes San Mateo County and Santa Clara County.
FOX 2/KTVU: State Sen. John Becker, (D-Menlo Park) said his office has dedicated three to four employees to help constituents navigate the complicated governmental bureaucracy – something that a legislator is supposed to do. "What's been unusual," Becker said, "is the volume of requests and the amount of staff time that has to be directed to helping with EDD."
KTVU: Marin County's decision comes just a day after a California lawmaker called on the Legislature to look into making this happen statewide. Since state and federal government workers will soon be required to either get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing, Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) also says it should be the same for public school teachers and staff.
Sierra Sun Times: “We are in the middle of a crisis that can be ended within weeks if people simply get vaccinated,” said Senator Becker. “We are seeing COVID cases rise, and we must do everything we can to ensure lives are not lost simply because some in our community disagree with the science. Governor Newsom led the way by requiring state employees to be vaccinated or be tested at least once a week for COVID-19. Schools must follow suit. This would heighten protections for everyone.”
San Mateo Daily Journal: “Now is the moment for us to create a wall of safety around our kids. That’s why I’m calling on school districts to require that the educators and their staff are fully vaccinated, or submit to very frequent COVID testing,” said Becker, D-San Mateo, at an Aug. 3 news conference at the Ravenswood Family Health Center in East Palo Alto. “We’re at a tipping point in our fight against COVID-19. The delta variant is clearly an issue. It’s clearly very contagious.”