Creating Change - February 2026

February 2026

February has been a busy and productive month, both in Sacramento and here in the district. I wish you a Happy Lunar New Year and a meaningful, blessed and rewarding Ramadan. As the legislative session moves forward, I’ve introduced new legislation to protect consumers and privacy, strengthen climate resilience, expand educational opportunity, and improve wildfire response. I’ve also continued meeting with students, educators, and community leaders to hear directly from our community, which this month’s newsletter highlights.

In the Capitol:
•    Securing Crucial Funding to Improve Public Transit
•    Winner of the Ratepayer Affordability Champion Award
•    New Bills Introduced!

In the District:
•    Important Safety Town Hall on E-Bikes
•    Making Permanent Free Community College 
•    Community Spotlight
•    Green Ribbon Schools Recognized in SD 13
•    Financial Assistance for Home Electrification 

Pictured here: Senator Becker with Governor Newsom, legislators, transit agencies and operators, and labor representatives for the bill signing of AB 117. 

As Chair of the Bay Area Caucus, I’ve fought for transit across the Bay Area. Caltrain, BART and other agencies are on their way up, but critically needed an investment to avoid drastic cuts. After two years of negotiation we secured a $590 million loan and the Governor came to our area to sign it this month! This loan will carry us through while we work on longer term solutions.

Public transit is the backbone of our region. Millions of residents rely on Caltrain, BART, and local transit systems every day to get to work, school, and essential services. Transit is improving. Caltrain ridership is up 50% since electrification. BART is getting record high scores for safety, cleanliness and overall satisfaction. The new fare gates were installed ahead of schedule and are working well. I’ll continue pushing to support and strengthen the improved services on which our region relies.  

Pictured here: Senator Becker with Michael Boccadoro, Agricultural Energy Consumers Association, and Mark Toney, TURN

On February 2, I was honored to receive the Ratepayer Affordability Champion Award from The Utility Reform Network (TURN), recognizing my work to stop utility rate increases and hold utilities like PG&E accountable. I’m grateful for this recognition, and I remain focused on reforming our energy system and protecting Californians.

I am pleased to announce my 2026 legislative package, which tackles a range of issues to improve quality of life for our community and state and continue California’s national leadership.

Natural Resources, Energy, and Wildfires

• SB 911 – Guarantees wildfire defensive spaces to protect homes and communities
• SB 949 – Designates the Santa Cruz Mountains as a statewide site of significance
• SB 943 – Makes it more cost-effective for factories to switch from natural gas to electricity for industrial heat
• SB 1282 – Secures grid reliability from vehicle-integrated battery storage

Privacy and Consumer Rights

• SB 923 - The Expanding Privacy Rights Act expands privacy rights by allowing Californians to delete personal data held by businesses, including third-party data
• SB 1142 - The Digital Dignity Act protects Californians from AI-generated impersonation and strengthens accountability for online platforms

Justice Reform

• SB 1057 – Provides employment credit for work completed by formerly incarcerated individuals during their sentence.
• SB 1009 - Strengthens the legal framework that governs detention and custodial dispositions for youth.

Education

• SB 968 – Establishes permanent free community college for San Mateo County
• SB 1048 - Creates a California Seal of Climate Literacy to promote future climate leaders

Human Services

• SB 1110 - Creates a solid foundation to build a more stable and robust childcare subsidy system that offers comprehensive whole family support. 

Last month, my office hosted an E-Bike Safety Town Hall to discuss concerns and experiences with e-bike safety. The message from both experts and families was that Class 1 pedal-assist e-bikes are generally safe and provide a positive, climate-friendly transportation option. However, throttle-powered Class 2 e-bikes and high-powered e-motos present serious and growing safety risks, especially for young riders. Unfortunately, studies have shown that most of the e-bikes being ridden to local schools are actually e-motos.

Tragically, less than two weeks after the Town Hall, our community lost a 16-year-old in an e-moto collision. This heartbreaking loss underscores what is at stake and why urgent action, awareness, and education are so important. Keeping our kids safe requires a community-wide effort. While we work to update laws and strengthen safety standards, there are important steps families can take today. More must be done to ensure that parents have the information they need when purchasing an e-bike. Many devices marketed as “e-bikes” function more like electric motorcycles and may not be street-legal or appropriate for youth. The safest option is a Class 1 pedal-assist e-bike, which requires pedaling and does not include a throttle. Buy local, buy legal, and make sure you understand what you’re purchasing.

I strongly encourage all adolescents to complete the free California Highway Patrol Bicycle Safety Course, which provides essential guidance for safe riding. My office will continue working with families, schools, local leaders, and safety experts to advance common-sense solutions that protect our children and ensure our streets remain safe as new technologies evolve.

You can view the full Town Hall presentation here.

Pictured here: Senator Becker at College of San Mateo announcing new legislation to make permanent free community college tuition.

Community colleges are engines of opportunity. That’s why I announced at College of San Mateo a new piece of legislation I’m introducing to make free community college permanent throughout the county. Through my earlier bill, SB 893, we launched a first-of-its-kind program that eliminated tuition and fees and helped more than 33,500 students pursue higher education. Enrollment has increased 24%, more than half of participating students are first-generation, and completion rates have soared. This program is transforming lives, strengthening our workforce, and SB 968 ensures it will continue opening doors for students for years to come.

Innovate. Test. Scale. That’s what we do well in Silicon Valley. Working with Trustee John Pimentel and the San Mateo Community College Board, we innovated. Now that we’ve proven success we are locking in these gains and working to expand them. 

Pictured here: Senator Becker with Gina Sudaria, Superintendent of Ravenswood City School District, and NFL Players Nahshon Wright, Mekhi Blackmon and Rejzohn Wright.

For the first time in its history, East Palo Alto has a regulation-sized athletic field: a place where young people can play, compete, and simply be kids. Thank you to Ravenswood School District, philanthropic partners like the 49ers Foundation, and many community organizations. Current NFL players from EPA came back to support and wonder at the new field. The Seattle Seahawks even did a flag football clinic on the field. What a week!!!

As Bay Area Caucus Chair, I was able to partner with Zaileen Janmohamed, the President and CEO of the Bay Area Host Committee, to get the final $2 million to get this field completed and I’m incredibly grateful to them for committing to this project and getting it into the end zone.  

This project is about more than a football field. It’s about what happens when local government works the way people expect it to: identifying a real and pressing need in the community, bringing partners to the table, and delivering a tangible result that improves daily life. For years, students had been practicing in a field known more for potholes, mud, and geese than opportunity. Now, that same space reflects the pride, talent, and potential that East Palo Alto’s youth have always carried with them.

In a city that has eight players right now in the NFL talent and generations of resilient young leaders, this field sends a clear message that your dreams are worth investing in. Your potential matters. And your community believes in you.

This is what good government looks like. It shows up as well-lit fields, open gates after school hours, and young people running routes whether they’ve been playing their whole lives or picking up flag football for the first time. It shows up when public investment meets community leadership and produces something that will have an impact for generations to come. When we invest in spaces like this, we’re not just building infrastructure, we’re building confidence, opportunity, and trust.

Earlier this month, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced the recipients of the 2026 California Green Ribbon Schools (CA-GRS) awards. I am so proud to say that we had four honorees from Senate District 13! Ravenswood City School District was one of five in the state to win the highest distinction, the Green Achiever, for its remarkable accomplishments in electrification, sustainable resource use, green schoolyards, and environmental education. Our other recipients were Fremont Union High School District (Gold), Green Hills Elementary (Bronze), and Menlo Park City School District (Bronze). Congratulations to all of these incredible institutions!

Electrifying your home has never been easier, and it is a great way to do your part as we make the push to get California to net zero emissions. We have a variety of programs offering financial support in Senate District 13, and I will be spotlighting a new one each month here! Reducing emissions while keeping costs down for families is one of my top priorities, and I want to help make home electrification work for your budget.

Silicon Valley Clean Energy provides a host of rebates for customers in most parts of northern Santa Clara County – more on San Mateo County opportunities coming soon! You may be eligible for up to thousands of dollars in rebates for home electrification upgrades, with additional rebates for income-qualified customers. SVCE also offers a Go Electric Advisor service to assist you with any questions along your electrification journey.
 

Becker bill targets AI deepfakes, would require removal of harmful digital replicas
(Bay City News, February 24, 2026)

Becker introduces bill targeting harmful AI deepfakes
(San Mateo Daily Journal, February 22, 2026)

Regional: Senator Josh Becker Introduces Bill Targeting Harmful Ai Deepfakes
(SFGate, February 21, 2026)

Becker bill aims to curb fraud involving AI deepfakes
(Palo Alto Online, February 21, 2026)

In California, Data Protection Just Got Easier: Attorney General Bonta Reminds Californians to DELETE Their Data with Nation-Leading Privacy Tool
(Santa Barbara Independent, February 20, 2026)

New tool aims to help you cut spam and shield your ID amid ‘privacy crisis’
(NBC Bay Area, February 10, 2026)

Becker focuses on personal data protection
(The Daily Journal, February 2, 2026)

Legislators submit bill to make free community college permanent for residents living in San Mateo County
(The Daily Journal, February 7, 2026)

Gov. Newsom authorizes emergency loan for public transit
(SF Gate, February 19, 2026)

New Wildfire Liability Plan Could Change Who Pays For Damage
(Sierra News Online, February 19, 2026)

CalPrivacy Sponsors Bill That Expands Deletion Rights and Accessibility Requirements
(CalPrivacy, January 30, 2026)

'Unacceptable:' 22-acres sparks housing fears in wealthy Bay Area town
(SF Gate, February 12, 2026)

History is a living experience at Domini Hoskins Black History Museum
(The Almanac, February 12, 2026)
  

As always, please do not hesitate to contact my district office at (650) 233-2724 if I can be of assistance to you.

Sincerely,
Senator Josh Becker