Articles by Josh
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Prioritize Climate NOW!
Prioritize Climate NOW!
Government Operations: The state of California has the power to be a tremendous force for good in the worldwide fight…
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Toward a fuller circle: What can happen when citizens band together.
Toward a fuller circle: What can happen when citizens band together.
Over the last few weeks we’ve seen some progress in California on issues like climate change, equal pay, and early…
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The Truth Behind "Giving Back" in Silicon Valley
The Truth Behind "Giving Back" in Silicon Valley
As we approach the holiday season, and more specifically #GivingTuesday, you will likely find yourself reaching a…
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Josh Becker shared thisToday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed my SB 1048, creating California’s Seal of Climate Literacy. Climate change will be one of the defining challenges facing the next generation. We have an opportunity and a responsibility to make sure students are prepared not just to understand that challenge, but to lead. The Seal of Climate Literacy will recognize students for their climate knowledge and leadership while empowering them with the skills and experience they need to become the climate leaders of tomorrow. I’m proud to see SB 1048 signed into law and excited to see what the next generation of California climate leaders will accomplish. Climate change will shape their future and we need to give them the tools to shape ours. #caleg #climateaction UndauntedK12 Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action California State PTA Tony Thurmond for Superintendent of Public Instruction Ten Strands
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Josh Becker shared thisOne of the hardest questions in AI policy right now: What should we do about open-source AI? Open models have been an enormous driver of competition and innovation. They give startups, researchers, and individuals access to powerful technology they can customize and build upon without relying exclusively on the largest AI companies. But that same openness creates difficult questions. Models can be modified to remove safeguards, run locally with little visibility, and potentially be misused. At the same time, overly broad regulation could unintentionally strengthen the largest technology companies by creating compliance burdens that smaller developers and researchers cannot afford. And there’s another dimension we can’t ignore: global competition. As China invests heavily in increasingly capable and efficient open models, decisions we make in California and across the United States have implications far beyond our borders. So how do we preserve the enormous benefits of open-source AI while addressing legitimate safety risks? I explore that question in my latest Substack, why I believe policymakers need to think carefully about innovation, competition, safety, and AI diffusion together. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gWu9Au_2
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Josh Becker posted thisI’m saddened to learn of the passing of former State Senator Byron Sher, a true giant of California environmental policy. For decades, Byron helped shape California into a national environmental leader, creating the foundation of laws that protect our clean air and drinking water, preserve forests and open space, expand recycling, and advance renewable energy. His work wasn’t just measured in bills passed; its legacy can be seen in the redwoods we preserved, the water we protected, and the cleaner air Californians breathe. Byron also represented much of the community I have the privilege of representing today, and he too served as Chair of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Beyond the Legislature, he spent decades teaching and mentoring future generations at Stanford Law School, where he later became Professor Emeritus. He set the bar for environmental leadership in California, which I strive to live up to as I continue this important work. Perhaps most importantly, Byron was remembered by his colleagues as gracious, humble and generous. He was a mentor who cared more about getting good policy enacted than getting credit for it. I always enjoyed hearing Mike Potter and Kip Lipper speak about Byron with such reverence. It was a reflection of the enormous respect he earned from those who knew him and worked alongside him. California and its environment are better because of Byron Sher. I think of his legacy enduring in the clean air we breathe, the clean water we drink, and the natural places he helped preserve. My prayers are with his family, friends, the many people whose lives and work he influenced, and all Californians who benefit from the work that he did. May his memory be a blessing.
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Josh Becker shared thisWill is terrific! These are excellent opportunities!Josh Becker shared thisCome work for me! I'm hiring two Executive Directors: one to lead Finance across Newark Unified, and one to lead Operations. Some backstory first. Most California school districts combine the CFO and COO jobs into a single Chief Business Officer (CBO) role. That's the norm here, but not in most other states, where districts keep the two separate. In my view, folding two very different skill sets into one job makes it much harder to recruit talented people from outside education. So in Newark, we're splitting the CBO role in two. The Executive Director of Finance will set the District's long-term financial vision. That means building our annual and multi-year budgets, presenting to the Board, and co-leading labor negotiations. It also means doing all of that while making sure money goes out the door legally and accurately. 100% of paychecks need to be right. The Executive Director of Operations will lead a large, diverse team across maintenance and operations, transportation, technology, child nutrition, our print shop, and more. We need operational excellence everywhere. This person will also lead our $200M facilities bond, which needs a strong leader to get it moving. It's a generational chance to rebuild our schools thoughtfully and sustainably, since school buildings last 70 years. And if that's not enough, they'll take the lead on turning our underutilized properties into a recurring revenue stream. For both roles, we're looking for smart, driven, experienced leaders. School experience is great, but we're also open to people with strong private-sector backgrounds who want to make the move into public education. Executive Director of Finance: https://lnkd.in/gvhJHpBB Executive Director of Operations: https://lnkd.in/g4W9pvzH We’re hoping to move quickly to allow for overlap with our existing CBO. Resumes are due in two weeks October 30th for the priority round. If you're interested, or know someone who should be, reach out. Happy to chat!Executive Director of Finance at Newark Unified School District | EDJOINExecutive Director of Finance at Newark Unified School District | EDJOIN
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Josh Becker shared thisCheck out this story from CalMatters about just how much data brokers know about you and the detailed profiles they can build from your personal information. This is exactly why I authored the Delete Act, which created DROP (the Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform) to give Californians a simple way to take back control of their personal information. And Californians are using it. More than half a million people have now registered for DROP, sending a clear message that people want greater control over who collects, sells, and shares their data. Data brokers have already reported deleting tens of millions of records through the system, and noncompliant data brokers are being held accountable with fines. Before DROP, Californians had to contact hundreds of data brokers individually. Now, one request can tell every registered data broker to delete your information and stop selling it. Reclaiming control of your personal information matters. Visit Privacy.ca.gov/DROP to delete your data. #caleg #DROP #Privacy #DeleteAct California Privacy Protection Agency https://lnkd.in/gS5cxyhu
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Josh Becker shared thisSo exciting! 90% to the goal of $200MJosh Becker shared thisA record-breaking fundraising year 🐾💙💛 Fueled by a historic $38 million gift from MacKenzie Scott and the generosity of the Bobcat community, UC Merced raised more than $68 million in 2025-26, nearly doubling the university’s previous fundraising record. The milestone brings Boldly Forward: The Campaign for UC Merced to nearly $180 million, supporting student success, groundbreaking research and healthier communities across the San Joaquin Valley and beyond. With nearly 90% of our $200 million goal secured, we’re moving boldly forward! Read more 🔗 https://ucm.edu/6ebded
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Josh Becker reposted thisJosh Becker reposted thisStreet homelessness in the City of San José is down 32% in 18 months. More than 1,700 people moved off the streets between January 2025 and August 2026. The City knows this because it built a new way to measure and track homelessness. Working with UrbanLogiq, San José's Housing Department developed an independently verified model that pulls together more than 15 data sources the City and its partners already collect, including PIT data, HMIS records, outreach encounters, and police and fire interactions. It can be rerun as new information arrives, which means the City does not have to wait two years to learn whether a strategy is working. This progress follows real investment. The City added more than 1,000 shelter beds in 2025, along with changes to how it manages on-street conditions. DignityMoves is proud to be a part of that effort, working alongside the City to build two interim housing communities, Via del Oro and Cherry Avenue, where residents have private rooms and receive on-site supportive services from HomeFirst. Credit to Mayor Matt Mahan, Housing Director Erik Solivan, and the entire San José team for the progress toward ending street homelessness to date. More to come as the City Council receives an update on the model and San José's plan. 📸 Cr: Jason O'Rear | Cherry Avenue Interim Supportive Housing Community | San José, California
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Josh Becker reposted thisIn Virginia, grid utilization passed 99 to 0 out of the House of Delegates. It's not a Democrat thing. It's not a Republican thing. More than 8 in 10 people in California say reducing electricity bills should be a top or important priority for lawmakers. We urge Governor Newsom to do the right thing, sign SB 905 into law, and bring down electricity bills for Californians. https://lnkd.in/gbCGgtFrJosh Becker reposted thisGrid utilization isn't partisan: Virginia's utilization bill passed 99-0, and states from Colorado to Michigan to Pennsylvania are moving on this too. And better yet, voters are enthusiastic about it: 86% of Californians support requiring utilities to prove they are efficiently using the existing grid before building new infrastructure and passing costs to customers. Gov. Newsom should sign SB 905 (Becker) and bring down costs for everyone. Here's what to know about the state of play for SB 905 and DSGS, in a discussion with Arnab Pal and Phil Ting: https://lnkd.in/gztnxqNu
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Josh Becker shared thisMore on my Good News Climate Blog! 🌎 This time, it’s coming from right here in Senate District 13. JobTrain in Menlo Park is showing how climate action can create benefits across an entire community. They’re transforming their headquarters into a clean-energy community resilience hub, beginning with rooftop solar and upgrades to provide a safe place during extreme heat and wildfire smoke. But the good news doesn’t stop there. JobTrain is also preparing people for good-paying careers in the clean energy economy, integrating technologies like heat pumps into its building maintenance and HVAC training. I’ve been proud to work with JobTrain for years and support their leadership in our community. Their work shows what smart climate action can accomplish: clean energy, good jobs, stronger communities, and greater resilience. That’s some good climate news worth sharing! Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gZ6W7rWr #GoodClimateNews #ClimateAction #CleanEnergy #GreenJobs #ClimateResilience #SD13
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Josh Becker liked thisThis is an awesome new home community for Belmont. We’re so proud!Josh Becker liked thisToday marked an exciting milestone for Belmont as we celebrated the completion of a new affordable housing community on Belmont Avenue! 🎉 The project transformed a 1.5-acre site at Belmont Avenue and El Camino Real, formerly home to the Bel-Mateo Motel and vacant land, into 125 new affordable homes. The community includes 52 one-bedroom, 40 two-bedroom, and 33 three-bedroom apartments. Affordable housing is an important part of building a welcoming and inclusive Belmont. Projects like this create more opportunities for individuals and families to live, work, and thrive in our community! Thank you to the ROEM team, San Mateo County, City staff, elected officials, community partners, and community members who helped bring this project to life. We’re proud to celebrate the transformation of this site and, most importantly, the 125 households who will soon call this community home. 🏡 Learn more about this project at https://ow.ly/ofRZ50ZOuxO.
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Josh Becker liked thisJosh Becker liked thisCourtroom5 is now available in ChatGPT Enterprise, as part of OpenAI's legal launch today. Most of what launched is built for law firms. We're there for a different reason. Nearly 80% of people in U.S. civil court have no lawyer. They face eviction, debt collection, foreclosure, and family cases against opponents who do. Most of them lose on procedure — a missed deadline, the wrong court, the wrong form — before a judge ever hears what actually happened. Our free app in ChatGPT gives them three things: an assessment of their situation, the deadlines they're facing and what happens if they miss them, and the two or three things that matter most right now. Plain English, all 50 states, no account required. Debra Slone and I started Courtroom5 after each of us went through civil litigation without a lawyer. This is the help we needed and couldn't find. To use it: open ChatGPT, click Apps in the sidebar, search Courtroom5, click Enable. https://lnkd.in/eH_QK7Zv #chatgpt #accesstojustice #justicetechCourtroom5 Launches ChatGPT Enterprise Plugin to Help People Facing Court Without a LawyerCourtroom5 Launches ChatGPT Enterprise Plugin to Help People Facing Court Without a Lawyer
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With a mantra of "Together we can do More", Full Circle brings together smart, talented professionals to pool together their time and money for social change. We find ideas and social entrepreneurs that can move the needle in our three issue area (education, energy/environment, and economic opportunity) and support them with time and money.
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Hasan Nazar
Good signal for the solar market: the Interior Department is advancing approximately 20 commercial-scale solar projects, with six projects approved last week to resume active permitting. Notably, all these projects will incorporate energy storage. After months of federal solar reviews being stalled, Interior now explicitly linking solar capacity to AI-driven electricity demand and domestic competitiveness is the economic case cutting through in real time. For clean energy to be deployed at the scale required by the grid, two conditions must be met: capital must flow, and permits must progress. On the capital front, the trend is clear. Despite a challenging policy environment in 2025, investment has increased across the board, with: - $42 billion in transferable tax credits, a 27% year-over-year increase - $63 billion in total tax credit monetization - A record $120 billion in project finance lending That's straight from Crux's annual market intelligence report -- out this week --- indicating that capital is not waiting for certainty but is actively building through it. Now, it is essential for permitting to keep pace with this momentum. This is a start. https://lnkd.in/ekc7ffn6
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David Moadab
Tech and nature don’t have to be at odds. Apple’s latest Restore Fund project is helping revive 14,000 acres of redwood forest in California, proving that innovation can also repair what progress once strained. Investing in nature-based climate solutions isn’t just good PR, it’s smart business. Healthy ecosystems protect communities, stabilize resources, and create long-term sustainability for everyone involved. True innovation leaves the planet better than it found it. Good IT is a 🛡️, Bad IT is a 🎯. #ClimateAction #RestoreFund #TechForGood #Sustainability #GreenTech #ExpertlyManagedIT #ITSupport https://lnkd.in/ek7vjYmK
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Jay Ruckelshaus, PhD
California just became the first US state to formally adopt corporate climate disclosure regulations. Last week, CARB voted to approve the initial regulation implementing SB 253 and SB 261 — moving these laws from years of rule-making into operational reality. Here's what companies need to know. What's locked in: -- Scope 1 & 2 reporting deadline: August 10, 2026 -- Key definitions (revenue, "doing business in California") anchored to existing CA tax law -- Flat annual fees of ~$3,100 (SB 253) and ~$1,400 (SB 261) per entity -- First-year enforcement discretion for good-faith submissions -- Parent companies can file consolidated reports for subsidiaries What's still in motion: -- SB 261 enforcement paused by Ninth Circuit injunction -- Scope 3 and assurance requirements deferred to 2027 -- A pending Chamber of Commerce lawsuit could affect the SB 253 timeline What this means: CARB's approach here is pragmatic. Companies are at very different stages of readiness, and the emphasis on good-faith compliance for year one reflects that. The goal is to get companies into the practice of measuring, then raise the bar over time. It's also worth noting what CARB signaled structurally. By anchoring climate disclosure to the same tax infrastructure companies already use for financial reporting, they're making explicit what's been building globally: sustainability reporting is being assimilated into the financial reporting paradigm. For companies feeling behind: start with what you have. The bigger risk isn't imperfect data — it's no data at all. But the real unlock is recognizing that the data companies are now required to collect isn't just a compliance artifact. It's the same data that reveals cost-saving opportunities, operational inefficiencies, and the building blocks of a credible transition plan. The companies that put measurement to work — rather than just getting through it — will turn this regulation into a competitive advantage. More on the Gravity blog: https://lnkd.in/gbZFbh98
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