Welcome to my legislative website. It is an honor to have this opportunity to serve my community. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any comments, questions or concerns that you may have with the district—or with your state government.
For the third year in a row, California is offering an Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for working low-income families and individuals. This year, the eligibility thresholds were lowered so that more people could qualify. Click on the graphic for more information.
Veterans exemplify the best values of our country, and have earned the respect and gratitude of a grateful nation. To that end, I wanted to make you aware of two programs that may be of interest to you or the honorably discharged veterans in your life. Click on the graphic for more information.
Many California college students are struggling to find a stable home.
Within the past year, one in 20 UC students, one in 10 CSU students and one in five community college students have reported some form of homelessness, said California Homeless Youth Project Director Shahera Hyatt. Hyatt blamed this in part on the lack of affordable housing in the state, including Sacramento. The capital city has also seen some of the country’s highest rent increases in recent years, Hyatt added.
“I live in Midtown Sacramento, and my rent has increased $350 a month over the last two years,” Hyatt said.
Some temporary resources for homeless students are offered at Sacramento State University. Danielle Muñoz, the university’s student affairs case manager, coordinates the Emergency Housing Program, which gives students 30 days to stay in residence halls with beds, laundry supplies and a meal plan.
• State Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, withdrew his bill to combat the epidemic use of flavored tobacco products by youth, following what he called hostile amendments that carved out exceptions for tobacco used in hookahs and for tobacco products patented before 2000.
The chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee announced the amendments to Senate Bill 38 last week before passing the bill on to the Senate Floor. Because of the amendments, the American Lung Association in California, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network withdrew their sponsorship and support, according to Hill’s office.
SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) released the following statement in response to Assembly Bill 302 passing out of the Assembly today with bipartisan support. Championed by Berman and sponsored by the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, the bill would require community colleges to grant overnight access to campus parking facilities for homeless students to sleep in their vehicles.
SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) released the following statement in response to Assembly Bill 302 passing out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee today. Championed by Berman and sponsored by the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, the bill would require community colleges to grant overnight access to campus parking facilities for homeless students to sleep in their vehicles.
The California State Assembly adopted Assembly Concurrent Resolution 70 May 6, designating May 2019 as Bone Marrow Donation Awareness Month across the state.
“Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer or other blood disorder,” said District 24 Assemblyman Marc Berman in a statement. “Patients in need of a bone marrow transplant rely on the selfless commitment of strangers for a cure. I joined the registry, and I hope many more Californians will join me in taking this essential step to save lives.”
ACR70 was inspired by Norah Gratz-Lazarus, a 5-year-old diagnosed with Fanconi anemia, a rare gene disorder. Without a bone marrow donor, Norah has more than a 90 percent risk of developing leukemia or other serious bone marrow diseases.
By day, Matthew Bodo worked 12-plus hour days as a valet for Tesla in Palo Alto and studied psychology and communications at Foothill College, long fascinated by neurology, human behavior and media. By night, he slept in a shuttle at the high-end electric car company.
Without a stable home of his own, he became adept at finding places to sleep. If a friend's couch or floor wasn't available, there was the small, carpeted meditation room on campus. There was his car, a 2000 red two-door Mustang with windows that weren't fully sealed and a malfunctioning heater. Sometimes he could park overnight undetected at Foothill. Other times he would be asked to leave, heading into the night to find somewhere out of sight to park, on a quiet street or behind a supermarket.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plans to boost funding for health care, education, elections and housing and homelessness in his revised state budget were largely welcomed by San Mateo County lawmakers Thursday as the Legislature sets its sights on finalizing the details of a projected $214 billion budget next month.
Including a projection of $3.2 billion in additional short-term revenue as compared to the budget proposal Newsom introduced in January, the governor’s plan to dedicate the unanticipated funds to reserves, debt repayment and schools was lauded by Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco.
SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) has released the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s May revision to his proposed 2019-2020 state budget:
SACRAMENTO – Today the Assembly adopted Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 70, designating May 2019 as Bone Marrow Donation Awareness Month in California. The resolution, introduced by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto), seeks to raise awareness about the need for more Californians to join the bone marrow donation registry.
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