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.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) – Shunning free speech concerns brought by civil liberties groups, the California Senate on Friday approved a bill meant to protect political candidates from deceptive social media videos known as deepfakes.
Inspired by a doctored video that made House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appear drunk during a speech and went viral, Assembly Bill 730 would give candidates the ability to sue people or organizations that share deepfakes without warning labels near Election Day.
Supporters say the deceptive technology has the potential to impact elections in the Golden State and elsewhere.
“It's a powerful and dangerous new tool for those wanting to wage disinformation campaigns,” said state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Los Angeles.
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White is urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign legislation that institutes penalties for nonconsensual digital sexually explicit videos, also known as “deep fakes.”
The legislation, Assembly Bill 602, targets companies and individuals who create and distribute the videos in California without the consent of the individual being depicted.
“We urge Gov. Newsom to sign AB 602,” White said. “Our laws need to be responsive to a digital environment in which technology is weaponized and getting more advanced by the day. Without clear prohibitions and consent requirements, SAG-AFTRA members will continue to be exploited for financial gain. This is an opportunity for California to be a global leader on the rapidly escalating threat of ‘deepfake’ videos.”
SACRAMENTO — California would crack down on fake sex videos that often target celebrities under a bill approved Friday by the state Legislature that is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Assembly Bill 602 by Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) would give anyone depicted in a digitally altered sex video the right to sue the person who created it or anyone who intentionally shared it if there is reason to believe the person depicted did not consent to its release or creation.
“It’s a big relief,” Berman said moments after the bill passed its final vote. “Technology is being used in really terrible ways and taking advantage of people in ways that are having real harm. ... We need to rein it in.”
Known as “deep fakes,” the technology has been used to digitally graft the face of a person into a pornographic film without the people involved knowing or consenting to it.
SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) released the following statement today in response to amendments that were made to AB 302 in the Senate Appropriations Committee:
“I was sad to see the details of the amendments that were forced into AB 302 by the Senate Appropriations Committee, which indicate a lack of urgency in addressing the community college student homelessness crisis in California and unnecessarily further a stigma that prevents them from seeking help.
SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) released the following statement today in response to AB 302 passing out of the Senate Appropriations Committee:
“I am glad that AB 302 passed out of Senate Appropriations today and is moving on to the Senate floor. My excitement, however, is tempered by the unknown details of the committee's amendments. I look forward to reviewing the amendments when they are available and will have a longer statement at that time.”
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said during a press conference on Wednesday morning that Jewish Americans “must be included” in a controversial ethnic studies curriculum for high school.
“Jews are being attacked at this time in synagogues,” Thurmond said in the media room at the California Department of Education in Sacramento. “Acts of hate are happening against the Jewish people. They must be included.”
The press conference was called in response to negative public feedback received since the draft curriculum was released for comment in June, but particularly in the past few weeks.
In a show of unity, 11 California lawmakers representing the Jewish and Latino legislative caucuses toured Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego on Aug. 9 after increasing scrutiny about conditions at the facility.
The legislators conducted interviews and met with detainees at the center, which is overseen by private prison company CoreCivic and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Visiting the Otay Mesa detention facility was powerful and profoundly sad,” said Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto), a member of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. “We all have a responsibility to highlight what is going on at the border. But I do think Jews have a unique history and experience that allows us to empathize with today’s migrants that much more.”
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