Marc Berman (born October 31, 1980) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as a member of the California State Assembly since 2016. 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, Berman was a member of the Palo Alto City Council.
Marc Berman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the California Assembly | |
| Assumed office December 5, 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Rich Gordon |
| Constituency | 24th district (2016–2022) 23rd district (2022–present) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 31, 1980 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Aimee Gildea (m. 2019) |
| Residence(s) | Menlo Park, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University (BA) University of Southern California (JD) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Early life and education
editBerman was born in Dallas, Texas and raised in Palo Alto, California.[1] He graduated 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
editAfter 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 being elected 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. His 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. AB 2584 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]
Berman is a member of the California Legislative Progressive Caucus.[12]
Personal life
editElectoral history
edit2016 California State Assembly
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit- ^ a b Arom, Eitan (January 6, 2017). "Jewish state legislators ready to make an impact". Jewish Journal.
- ^ "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
- ^ "Democrat-on-Democrat battles highlight state legislative campaigns". The Mercury News. October 25, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ Sheyner, Gennady (2016). "Assembly race splits Democratic establishment". Palo Alto Weekly. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ Dineen, J. K. (June 4, 2023). "YIMBYs love to hate her. Inside one Bay Area mayor's anti-housing campaign". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Andrew Oxford, [California lawmaker proposes ban on 'deep fake' videos], Associated Press (July 2, 2019).
- ^ Kathleen Ronayne, California bans 'deep fakes' video, audio close to elections, Associated Press (October 4, 2019).
- ^ Don Thompson, California Legislature upended by new political maps, Associated Press (March 20, 2022).
- ^ "Bill Text - AB-2584 Recall elections". leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ "Yucaipa city clerk challenges 'misleading' recall petition". Redlands Daily Facts. May 26, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ "Lawsuit over Yucaipa recall continues though both sides have tried to back out". Redlands Daily Facts. September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ "Legislative Progressive Caucus". assembly.ca.gov. California State Assembly. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "General Election - Statement of the Vote, November 8, 2022 :: California Secretary of State". www.sos.ca.gov.