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.
In the News
InMenlo: Vote16 SMC is partnering with the San Mateo County Youth Commission to host a first of its kind SMC event — Be The Change, a civic forum to engage youth in discourse and action around community and political issues. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with political leaders and organizations, learn how to advocate for social change and impact, and collaborate with peers. “The keynote speaker is State Senator Josh Becker and we have several other civic and political leaders as well as interactive events with youth from across the county,” emailed Vikram Seshadri, founder of Vote16 SMC.
The Campanile: After 20 years of planning, a bike and pedestrian bridge connecting south Palo Alto to the Baylands opened to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday. California State Senator Josh Becker, representative of parts of Santa Clara County and San Mateo County, said he was thankful for the community leadership and funding organizations that helped make the bridge a reality. “Access to open space is incredibly important for all the communities, particularly for Palo Altans,” Becker said. “Opening this bridge will provide year-round access to the Baylands and its wonderful trails.” This $23 million project allows people to take a scenic and shorter path to the Baylands and cuts significant time off the commute to work.
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.
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.