Creating Change |
Not Again
Last Wednesday we all woke up again to an all-too familiar scene. Yet another mass shooting. This time right here in our own community.
I am devastated by the horrific shooting at the VTA rail yard. We lift up the 9 victims who lost their lives and once again call for common sense gun reform. I will continue to fight with my colleagues to make sure California is a leader in the gun reform space. But we must pass national gun reform now.
This Memorial Day
On Memorial Day, we honored the service people who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives for our nation. Reflecting on their service, we are reminded of the many contributions by everyone who serves in our armed forces. They serve our country by giving us time they could have been spending at home, with their families and friends. They face danger that threatens their health and sometimes takes their lives. Memorial Day honors this great commitment to service, and those who gave everything they had to uphold it. We must never forget how much they gave in the cause of freedom. Please, take another moment today to give thanks for their service.
Vaccine Update
The state continues to administer hundreds of thousands of doses per day and more than half of all Californians have received at least one dose. Thankfully, we are well on our way to defeating this virus. Here are the latest numbers as of Friday:
- 17,125,216 (50.5%) Californians fully vaccinated
- 4,367,909 (12.9%) Californians partially vaccinated
- 37,100,162 doses administered in California
- 189,544 average doses administered per day
Locally, 80.4% of eligible San Mateo County residents and 62.4% of eligible Santa Clara County residents are vaccinated.
Every Californian 12 and up is now eligible for vaccination. It's safe, effective, and free. And the most important tool to protect ourselves and our loved ones and end the pandemic for good. If you have still not received a vaccine or scheduled an appointment, you can sign up for an appointment at myturn.ca.gov or by calling 833-422-4255. If appointments are not available, you can sign up to be notified when appointments open up.
With the progress we’ve made, the state is still on track to reopen on June 15th, but that can only happen if we continue to stay vigilant, keep wearing our masks, and get vaccinated.
EDD Update
My office has opened almost 200 new EDD cases during May. We remain available to assist anybody who needs assistance with EDD or any state agency.
District Events
I was pleased to host a panel discussion on innovation, resiliency, and the drought with some of the issue’s top thought leaders. You can watch a recording of the panel here or read about it in the San Mateo Daily Journal here.
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Legislative Update
In the Capitol, the Senate Appropriations Committees just concluded its review of all bills with a potential fiscal impact to the state. I am thankful that nearly all my bills advanced for consideration by the full Senate.
Next up is the “house of origin” deadline on June 4. This is the deadline for all bills introduced in the Senate to clear a vote of the whole body and be sent to the Assembly (the other house) for consideration. If a bill is not voted on and sent to the other house, it must wait until January for further action.
Accordingly, my team and I are hard at work reviewing hundreds of bills up for a vote before the June 4 deadline. And many of my bills remain to be considered this week. My team and I are actively working to advance my legislative priorities: fighting climate change, increasing economic mobility, and improving equal access to justice.
I’m proud to report that the Senate passed my legislation to slash greenhouse gas emissions from the production of concrete and its main ingredient, cement. Concrete is the most widely used building material in the world and a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for about 7% of global CO2 emissions. In California, production of concrete is the second largest industrial source of GHG emissions, outstripped only by oil refineries.
I’m also very pleased the Senate passed my legislation to make zero- and low-emission vehicles more accessible to lower income Californians. Our state has set a goal to have 1.5 million Zero Emission Vehicles on the road by 2025. However, in its most recent update, the California Energy Commission reported that we are significantly short. We must remove as many barriers as possible to speed if we wish to accelerate Californians’ adoption of cleaner vehicles and meet our climate goals.
This is just a snapshot of the many issues I am advocating for this year. You can read all of my bills here.
District Staff Update
I’m very excited to let you know that we’ve expanded our district office staff to better serve you.
We have added Rohan Pandit as a full-time District Representative, who will be focusing on constituent correspondence, early childhood education, and the Asian American community. I very much look forward to introducing Rohan to our community.
As always, we are here to assist you. Please contact me at Senator.Becker@senate.ca.gov or by calling my District Office at 650-212-3313 if you have any questions or concerns.