Daily Journal: Reach and Teach Books in San Mateo has been named small business of the year in the district of state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo, with the store owners honored at a recent Sacramento celebration. “We are trying to create a business that makes the world more peaceful, sustainable and inclusive,” Reach and Teach co-owner Craig Wiesner said. “To have an award this year where they recognize us feels really fantastic.” Wiesner and his husband and business partner, Derrick Kikuchi, were recognized at California’s Small Business Association’s 2022 Small Business Day celebration.
In the News
StreetsBlogSF: Senate Bill 917, the Seamless Transit Transformation Act [by Senator Becker], died last Thursday in committee. This is a serious bummer for supporters of an integrated, rational transit system for the Bay Area. It remains unclear why S.B. 917 never got off the “suspense file” in the Appropriations Committee, leading to its downfall. Decisions about which bills are released from the suspense file are made away from the public eye and the reasoning behind them is rarely disclosed publicly.
StreetsBlogSF: S.B. 922 (Wiener) is bipartisan legislation sponsored by SPUR, the Bay Area Council, LA Metro, the California Transit Association, and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Assemblymembers Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) and Devon Mathis (D-Porterville) are principal co-authors of S.B. 922, and Senator Josh Becker (D-San Mateo) and Assemblymembers Tasha Boerner Horvath (D-Encinitas) and Phillip Chen (R-Brea) are co-authors.
Daily Post: The Palo Alto Police Department has taken a step in the right direction in announcing that it will be dropping the encryption of its radios. There are many who should be singled out for their advocacy of the public’s right to know. They include State Sen. Josh Becker, who introduced Senate Bill 1000 that would ban encryption statewide. Becker isn’t afraid to go against the tide in pursuit of good government.
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.
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.”