Creating Change |
November 2025
As we close out November, I’m proud to share some of the powerful ways our district and our state are stepping up for our community and our state. Here are some highlights of this busy and productive month.
- District Office Emergency Food Drive
- COP30 Global Climate Conference
- Reconnecting with Indigenous Leaders
- Making Progress on Unsheltered Homelessness
- First Hearing of my Select Committee on Economic Development and Technological Innovation
- Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
- Don't miss out on Clean Energy Savings - December 31, 2025, Deadline!
DISTRICT OFFICE EMERGENCY FOOD DRIVE |
Senator Becker’s District Office on day two of the food drive.
Wow, what an amazing response to my office’s food drive!!! Our community rose to the occasion with people constantly dropping off food and asking us what else was needed. We collected more than 10,000 pounds of food and essential supplies to support families in need across San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties!! THANK YOU!!!
When I first heard that Federal leaders were using food insecurity as a political tool, my staff and I jumped to action. I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who donated to my district office emergency food drive. Every donation went directly to our local food banks and nonprofit partners. This incredible response reflects the best of Senate District 13: neighbors helping neighbors, standing together in compassion and resilience. However, we must acknowledge that hunger is a year-round challenge and keep supporting the organizations that feed and care for our neighbors every day.
WHY I ATTENDED THE COP30 GLOBAL CLIMATE CONFERENCE |
Senator Becker hosting a press conference at COP 30.
Senator Becker hosting bilateral meeting with UN Director of Climate Change Martin Krause, UN Environmental Programme representative Sharon Gil, and CA Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot.
I traveled to Brazil to represent the Senate at the United Nation’s COP30 conference to tell the world exactly where California stands on climate change: While the federal government ignores the climate crisis and clings to business as usual, California is doubling down. I shared this message to a packed house during my press conference. You can watch my opening remarks here.
The world is looking to California for leadership, and we are proving that affordable clean energy isn’t just the future. It’s our present. In fact, 2025 has been the most transformative one in decades due to my climate legislation becoming law. Our state is the fourth-largest economy on earth, and the overwhelming majority of Californians believe that confronting climate change and accelerating the deployment of clean energy are not only an environmental priority but a moral, economic, and public health imperative.
RECONNECTING WITH INDIGENOUS LEADERS |
Senator Becker with Indigenous Leaders, who had visited Sacramento earlier this year.
One of the most powerful parts of COP30 was meeting with Indigenous leaders from the Amazon Basin and sitting with Amazon Watch to discuss the urgent threat to the rainforest. Seeing the Amazon firsthand — this massive, breathing ecosystem that stabilizes our climate — was profound. The fires, deforestation, and illegal extraction are not distant problems; they reverberate across the globe. Protecting the Amazon isn’t optional. It’s essential to the health of our planet and to our fight against climate change. You can hear my interview with KQED here.
MAKING PROGRESS ON ADDRESSING UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS |
Senator Becker holding a press conference on SB 1395 with Senator Catherine Blakespear and Assemblymember Gregg Hart, while showcasing affordable, and dignified interim housing units.
I’ve been leading the effort in the Legislature to deploy more interim housing units across our state to bring our unsheltered neighbors under a roof and connect them to the services they need. San José’s recent deployment of its 11th new interim housing community on Cherry Avenue demonstrates that interim housing is the missing rung on the ladder to permanent housing; when we build it at scale, we save lives, dramatically reduce unsheltered homelessness, and set people on a path to permanent housing. Less than a year ago, this Cherry Avenue site was a large encampment; but today, it offers a 136-bed tiny home community. That kind of rapidly deployed, dignified shelter is exactly what my bill SB 1395 and my other legislative efforts calls for statewide. When cities invest in interim housing, unsheltered homelessness drops fast. For the first time, with the initiatives I’ve passed, we have a realistic path to achieve functional zero.
SELECT COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION |
Senator Becker chairing the first Senate Select Committee on Economic Development and Technological Innovation.
We’re all concerned about the rise of AI and what it means for our economy and our jobs if not done responsibly and ethically. That’s why I convened the first hearing of my Select Committee on Economic Development and Technological Innovation. It is the product of months of work with stakeholders, labor leaders, and policy experts. We drilled into how AI is reshaping California’s workforce and what the state must do to ensure this technology lifts workers up rather than pushes them aside. We heard from leading voices including the California Labor Federation, the Society for Human Resources Management, and the Brookings Institution. Their testimony is already helping shape a framework for responsible, worker-centered AI that protects consumers, safeguards jobs, and ensures innovation strengthens, not threatens, our economy. Stay tuned for more.
RUBY BRIDGES WALK TO SCHOOL DAY |
Senator Becker participating in Ruby Bridges Walk to School with South San Francisco Unified School District Patricia Murray and Mayor Eddie Flores
After traveling more than 22 hours to return home from COP30, there was no way I was going to miss the Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day in South San Francisco. This incredible tradition started right here with one teacher, one classroom and a powerful idea and has now grown into a national day of recognition honoring Ruby’s courage and legacy. I was proud to author the Senate Resolution that officially recognized this celebration at the state level, and every year it’s inspiring to see how it continues to grow. We began at South San Francisco City Hall and walked with students to Martin Elementary School, where it all began. My deepest thanks go out to South San Francisco Mayor Eddie Flores and the community for such a meaningful morning of remembrance, reflection, and hope. Read more about how it all started here.
DON’T MISS OUT ON CLEAN ENERGY SAVINGS! |
The federal government is ending its tax credits for heat pumps, solar panels, induction stoves, insulation, and other energy-efficient upgrades beginning December 31, which is happening years earlier than planned due to the recent Republican Budget. Time is running out to take advantage of these savings. If you’ve been thinking about making your home cleaner and more efficient, now’s the time to act. Visit rewiringamerica.org/save for details and tips on how to claim your credits before they’re gone!
IN THE NEWS |
(POLITICO, November 18, 2025)
CA Senate Energy Committee Chair Reports Back from COP 30 in Brazil (Listen)
(KQED, November 12, 2025)
Newsom says Trump climate-fighting absence is 'doubling down on stupid'
(San Mateo Daily Journal, November 12, 2025)
Trump is ‘deceiving the American people!’ – California senator as president skips COP30 (Video)
(Capital FM, November 10, 2025)
Cop: California 'doubling down' on climate
(Argus Media, November 11, 2025)
State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, attends COP30
(San Mateo Daily Journal, November 12, 2025)
Senator Josh Becker launches emergency food drive as SNAP benefits face
(InMenlo, October 28, 2025)
California leaders examine AI's impact on state workforce, potential benefits and risks
(KCRC, October 30, 2025)
How Bay Area entities are helping SNAP recipients
(NBC Bay Area, October 31, 2025)
SNAP, CalFresh Cuts Leave Silicon Valley Residents Reeling
(Peninsula Press, November 1, 2025)
As SNAP benefits lapse, here’s where you can get or donate food in Silicon Valley
(Palo Alto Online, October 30, 2025)
State senator launches food drive as SNAP benefits face disruption
(San Mateo Daily Journal, October 29, 2025)
California just drew the line between crypto and cash: Here’s why it matters
(TradingView, October 21, 2025)
California Governor Signs Law To Prevent Forced Liquidations Of Unclaimed Crypto Assets
(BitcoinIst, October 15, 2025)
California Becomes First State to Protect Unclaimed Crypto from Forced Liquidation
(Yahoo Finance, October 14, 2025)
Sincerely,
Senator Josh Becker