Incumbent – Grade A

Political Party:

Democrat

Ballot Designation:

 State Assemblymember

Law Enforcement Contributions: California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA PAC)

Background:

 Assemblymember Berman was first elected to the State Assembly in 2016, after working as a private attorney for many years for Latham & Watkins, the second largest law firm in the world by revenue. Berman served on the Palo Alto City Council for several years prior to running for Assembly.

Public Safety Platform:

Assemblymember Berman has largely voted in support of justice reform legislation, earning an “A” on the IJ Action Legislative Scorecard both last year and this year. As the former Chair of the Elections Committee, he also supported ACA 6 in 2020, which became Prop 17 and restored voting rights to people on parole. Assemblymember Berman also did not vote for AB 1990, a piece of legislation opposed by IJ Action, which would have authorized physical custody for shoplifting.

Furthermore, this legislative cycle, he authored AB 1130, which replaced the term “addict” with “person with substance use disorder” in state legal codes in order to “modernize our laws to reflect the appropriate use of person-first language in regards to individuals with substance use disorders.”  In support of this bill, he stated, “As this epidemic has continued to grow toward a crisis point in California, there is a consensus among experts that vilifying the afflicted is not an effective public health strategy.” Given his strong voting record and the fact that his opponent supports increased criminalization, we recommend voters re-elect Assemblymember Berman.

Website:

https://www.voteberman.com/

Political Party:

Democrat

Ballot Designation:

 Mayor of Palo Alto

Law Enforcement Contributions: None as of 8/23/24

Background:

 Kou was elected to the Palo Alto City Council in 2016, and is now serving as Mayor. She is a realtor by training.

Public Safety Platform:

On her website, Kou mentions her priorities to be “reducing homelessness, making our state safer from crime and addressing traffic gridlock, which contributes so much to environmental damage.” In an interview with Palo Alto Online she also mentioned being open to Prop. 47 reform to address “career criminals.”

Kou has endorsed Proposition 36, a measure that will appear on the November 2024 General Election ballot that would bring back felony charges for drug possession, create new enhancements for retail theft, and gut major components of Proposition 47. It is being led by district attorneys, police and prison associations, and big corporations like Walmart and Home Depot.

Website:

https://lydiakou.com/