News

Saturday, June 17, 2017

STATE RECOGNITION ... Ada's Cafe was selected by state Assemblyman Marc Berman as the 24th Assembly District's Small Business of the Year. Representatives from the coffee shop went to Sacramento on Monday, June 5, where they received the award during a lunchtime ceremony attended by about 500 people. Berman recognized the business for its commitment to hire adults with developmental disabilities and its research in best practices to provide "meaningful employment" for them.

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Monday, May 22, 2017

Federal transportation authorities announced Monday that Caltrain will get the $647 million it needs to electrify the commuter line, which runs from San Francisco to Gilroy. U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao will sign a deal disbursing the money over the next five years. The federal dollars will cover about a third of the $2 billion project. The state and local government agencies will have to drum up the rest of the money.

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Friday, May 12, 2017

Lawmakers representing San Mateo County in the state’s Capitol were cautiously optimistic following the governor’s updated budget proposal that included increased spending for child care, education and transportation. However, there’s a long road ahead as they seek to balance federal uncertainties with hopes for meaningful solutions to address the housing crisis.

Thursday marked Gov. Brown’s May revise, a $124 billion general fund proposal updated from what he unveiled in January.

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Thursday, May 4, 2017

Earlier today, a resolution introduced by California Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) to declare May 6, 2017 as the first Moyamoya Disease Awareness Day passed in the Assembly and Senate. Rare diseases such as moyamoya typically struggle to get publicity and are seldom rewarded with legislative action recognizing their existence, which is what makes this resolution so significant.

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Monday, May 1, 2017

by Elena Kadvany / Palo Alto Weekly

Former Palo Alto City Councilman and state Assemblyman Marc Berman is proposing legislation that would require school districts to consider a student's risk for suicide before expelling them for substance abuse. Palo Alto Weekly file photo.

Under a proposed state bill being sponsored by a former Palo Alto city councilman, school districts would be required to consider an important question before expelling them for substance abuse: Is the student at risk for suicide?

Assembly Bill 1261, which cleared the state Assembly Education Committee last week, was introduced by Assemblyman Marc Berman this February in the wake of a student suicide cluster in Clovis, California.

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Monday, March 6, 2017

Monday was a big day for Puente de la Sur Executive Director Rita Mancera. One of the South Coast’s most visible public servants, Mancera was honored as the Woman of the Year in the 24th Assembly District.  Assemblymember Matt Berman presented her with the recognition during ceremonies at the Assembly in Sacramento. "It is an honor to pay tribute to Rita's exceptional work in the 24th Assembly District,” Berman said in a prepared statement.

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Friday, March 3, 2017

A bomb threat to the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto on Monday, part of a rash of similar threats to Jewish centers nationwide, has shaken up the community. State Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, said in a statement Tuesday he was “saddened and deeply troubled” by the bomb threat, especially as police continue to investigate the vandalism of a dozen buildings and street signs with swastika symbols in Palo Alto and at Stanford University earlier this year.

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