Marc Berman
Member of the California Assembly
Assumed office
December 5, 2016
Preceded byRich Gordon
Constituency24th district (2016–2022)
23rd district (2022–present)
Personal details
Born (1980-10-31) October 31, 1980
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseAimee Gildea (m. 2019)
Residence(s)Menlo Park, California, U.S.
Alma materGeorgetown University (BA)
University of Southern California (JD)
OccupationPolitician

Marc Berman (born October 31, 1980) is a politician and attorney, currently serving as a member of the California State Assembly. He is a Democrat representing the 23rd Assembly District, encompassing parts of the San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley, including Campbell, Mountain View, and Saratoga. Before being elected to the Assembly, he was a member of the Palo Alto City Council.

Early life and education

Berman was born in Dallas, Texas and raised in Palo Alto, California.[1] After graduating from Palo Alto High School, where he served as student body president.[2] In 2002, Berman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Georgetown University.[3] He then earned a Juris Doctor from the USC Gould School of Law. In college, Berman worked in Congresswoman Anna Eshoo's office and as an analyst in the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.[4]

Career

After graduating from law school, Berman worked as an attorney at Latham & Watkins and Merino Yebri, LLP. He also worked provided pro bono representation to clients seeking protection under the Violence Against Women Act and individuals seeking asylum from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Before his election to the California State Assembly, Berman served as a member of the Palo Alto City Council.

Berman has taken a pro-housing stance, favoring policies to encourage the production of housing to address the California housing shortage. Berman's stance contrasted with the stance of other politicians from Palo Alto, who favor policies that slow down housing production.[5]

In 2019, Berman introduced legislation to ban the knowing and malicious distribution of manipulated videos and pictures ("deepfakes") that falsely depicts the acts or words of a political candidate within 60 days of an election, unless the material is accompanied by a disclaimer that discloses that it contains manipulated content; the bill passed the California Legislature and was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.[6][7]

During the redistricting cycle following the 2020 census, Berman and fellow Democratic Assemblyman Evan Low were drawn into the same district; Low moved to a neighboring district, averting a primary election between two incumbents.[8]

In 2022, Berman introduced AB 2584, which made changes to the state's recall law.[9] The bill raised the number of signatures required on a notice of intention to recall. The bill also requires recall petitions to be made available for public inspection during the 10-day time period in which the election office is determining whether the petition can be approved for circulation and allows recall elections to be consolidated with regular elections scheduled within 180 days of the petition qualifying for the ballot. The bill was signed by the governor in September 2022.

In May, 2023, the Yucaipa city clerk filed a lawsuit to remove "false" statements made in a citizen-initiated recall petition seeking the removal of the mayor and two city council members. The clerk cited state law, including AB 2584, for allowing the clerk to remove false or misleading statements.[10] The city offered a settlement to the recall proponents to dismiss the lawsuit, but the proposal was rejected in September. [11]

Personal life

He is Jewish.[1]

Electoral history

2016 California State Assembly

California's 24th State Assembly district election, 2016
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marc Berman 30,649 28.2
Democratic Vicki Veenker 24,201 22.2
Republican Peter Ohtaki 21,525 19.8
Democratic Barry Chang 11,890 10.9
Democratic Mike Kasperzak 11,343 10.4
Libertarian John M. Inks 4,546 4.2
No party preference Jay Blas Jacob Cabrera 2,603 2.4
Democratic Sea Reddy 2,102 1.9
Total votes 108,859 100.0
General election
Democratic Marc Berman 92,419 54.4
Democratic Vicki Veenker 77,362 45.6
Total votes 164,809 100.0
Democratic hold

2018 California State Assembly

California's 24th State Assembly district election, 2018
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marc Berman (incumbent) 78,140 75.4
Republican Alex Glew 21,818 21.0
Libertarian Bob Goodwyn 3,694 3.6
Total votes 103,652 100.0
General election
Democratic Marc Berman (incumbent) 135,305 76.6
Republican Alex Glew 41,313 23.4
Total votes 176,618 100.0
Democratic hold

2020 California State Assembly

2020 California's 24th State Assembly district election
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marc Berman (incumbent) 99,642 74.2
Republican Peter Ohtaki 28,408 21.2
Libertarian Kennita Watson 6,212 4.6
Total votes 134,262 100.0
General election
Democratic Marc Berman (incumbent) 158,240 73.4
Republican Alex Glew 57,212 26.6
Total votes 215,452 100.0
Democratic hold

2022 California State Assembly

2022 California's 23rd State Assembly district election[12]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Marc Berman (incumbent) 83,533 76.3
Republican Tim Dec 26,002 23.7
Total votes 109,535 100.0
General election
Democratic Marc Berman (incumbent) 124,602 73.4
Republican Tim Dec 45,149 26.6
Total votes 169,751 100.0
Democratic hold

References

  1. 1 2 Arom, Eitan (January 6, 2017). "Jewish state legislators ready to make an impact". Jewish Journal.
  2. ↑ "Eight candidates compete for District 24 Assembly seat". Almanac News. Retrieved November 2, 2020. Mr. Berman began dipping his toes into political waters as a teenager, becoming student body president at Palo Alto High School
  3. ↑ "Democrat-on-Democrat battles highlight state legislative campaigns". The Mercury News. October 25, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  4. ↑ Sheyner, Gennady (2016). "Assembly race splits Democratic establishment". Palo Alto Weekly. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  5. ↑ Dineen, J. K. (June 4, 2023). "YIMBYs love to hate her. Inside one Bay Area mayor's anti-housing campaign". San Francisco Chronicle.
  6. ↑ Andrew Oxford, [California lawmaker proposes ban on 'deep fake' videos], Associated Press (July 2, 2019).
  7. ↑ Kathleen Ronayne, California bans 'deep fakes' video, audio close to elections, Associated Press (October 4, 2019).
  8. ↑ Don Thompson, California Legislature upended by new political maps, Associated Press (March 20, 2022).
  9. ↑ "Bill Text - AB-2584 Recall elections". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Yucaipa city clerk challenges 'misleading' recall petition". Redlands Daily Facts. May 26, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Lawsuit over Yucaipa recall continues though both sides have tried to back out". Redlands Daily Facts. September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  12. ↑ "General Election - Statement of the Vote, November 8, 2022 :: California Secretary of State". www.sos.ca.gov.
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