State legislator to hold open house on Thursday

Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, had a “challenging, humbling and exhilarating” first year in office that culminated with 10 pieces of legislation he penned going into effect on Jan. 1. He represents state Assembly District 24, which includes Mountain View and Los Altos.

Ahead of his open house this Thursday afternoon in Los Altos, Berman discussed the new laws that addressed various issues, including the environment, education, election procedures, food security, court efficiency and the rights of sexual-assault survivors. (See the full list of bills below.)

Berman said he considers AB 1312, the bill for survivors’ rights he co-authored with Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, D-San Diego, the most impactful of those he got passed this year.

“The idea (of the bill) was something I talked about during my campaign. I wrote an op-ed about it, and once I got elected and hired staff, I asked my legislative aide to work on it,” he said.

“Among other things, (the bill) mandates testing of rape kits, mandates a minimum length of preservation for rape kits and secures survivors certain rights when they report the crime, including emergency contraception, if it’s available,” Berman said.

Berman noted that he also considers noteworthy legislation that didn’t ultimately become law. In the spring, Berman’s office began drafting a youth suicide-prevention bill. Though the bill made it to the final stages before being vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown, Berman said given the right circumstances, he and his staff will try again.

The bill, AB 1261, was directed to school districts that expel students found with drugs or alcohol. It asked that districts take into account, before proceeding with expulsion, any potential risk of the student committing suicide. The bill also aimed to encourage students with substance-abuse problems to reach out to their district staff for help, instead of remaining quiet for fear of expulsion, according to Berman.

“It’s unfortunate that the governor and I had a philosophical difference on the role of the Legislature and the role of school boards when it came to that issue, but I don’t think anyone disagrees with the ultimate goal of the bill,” Berman said.

Berman and his staff will not attempt to resubmit the bill while Brown is still in office.

“There will be a new governor next year, so we will revisit that specific issue next year and see if it makes sense given the context of what’s happening at school districts across the county,” Berman said.

Berman hopes to pass other legislation in the coming year, including one allowing county medical offices and coroners “to make simple technical and clerical corrections to death certificates,” he said.

Berman was also recently named chair of a new select committee on the U.S. Census, through which he hopes to address broad issues affecting the state.

Berman said that he is “very concerned” that the actions of the Trump administration would discourage immigrants in California from participating in the census, which could ultimately lead to losses in federal funding — up to “billions of dollars a year” as a state, he said. A “significant undercount” in California could also lead to the loss of congressional representation, according to Berman.

Berman’s first year in office has taught him a lot, he said, including “to take nothing at face value, to be skeptical, to ask hard questions and know that there is no such thing as an easy bill (to pass).”

“I am very much learning what the best way is to vet different ideas, determine what is righteous and what merits our attention and our leadership,” Berman said. “One of the things I’ve learned is sometimes when you feel like you might have the best policy solution, everyone will hate it … but that happens. But you take solace in the belief that you were right on the policy, even if you were wrong on the politics.”

Berman will be hosting an open house on Thursday, Feb. 22, from 4-6 p.m. at his district office at 5050 El Camino Real, Suite 117, Los Altos. The event will also include a short program at 5 p.m. More information is available at a24.asmdc.org.

Ten bills authored by Berman that went into effect this year:

• Assembly Bill 184, which extends the use of the Planning for Sea-Level Rise Database.

• Assembly Bill 669, which allows the Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol to continue testing Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control technologies.

• Assembly Bill 733, which permits local governments to fund climate-change adaptation projects using Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts.

• Assembly Bill 868, which promotes vocational training opportunities for community-based nonprofit organizations.

• Assembly Bill 323, which allows County Human Services Agencies to connect families to emergency food resources using a telephone referral service.

• Assembly Bill 606, which modernizes the state voter-information guide.

• Assembly Bill 1367, which makes it a crime for a supervisor or employer to direct or permit a signature gatherer to falsely represent an initiative.

• Assembly Bill 644, which makes legal proceedings more efficient.

• Assembly Bill 976, which modernizes the state court’s electronic-filing process.

• Assembly Bill 1312, which provides victims of sexual assault with a “bill of rights” after reporting their assault.