Josh Becker the best choice in District 13 state Senate race

Menlo Park entrepreneur Josh Becker is the best choice for voters deciding who will fill termed-out state Sen. Jerry Hill’s seat.

In a race featuring seven candidates, Becker is the one with the standout intelligence, experience and independence to represent District 13, which straddles San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, stretching from Pacifica and South San Francisco to Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Los Altos. The top two vote-getters in the race will advance to the November general election.

Becker has never held public office, but spent the last 20 years as an effective public policy innovator, building relationships throughout the state that will serve him well in Sacramento. The clearest indication of Becker’s ability to be a force in the Legislature? He is endorsed by Hill and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Becker, who holds a joint MBA and law degree from Stanford, met Newsom after founding the Full Circle Fund in 2000. The nonprofit has provided more than $10 million in grants to Bay Area nonprofits, primarily targeting those pushing for policy innovations in the fields of health care, education and the environment. The experience has given him a strong feel for what works in California, such as the development of Ed100. org, which is now used by PTAs throughout the state to help parents be more effective advocates for their schools.

Becker gained valuable educational experience as a founding trustee of UC Merced, a position he sought because he believed it was unacceptable that the Central Valley had the state’s lowest college attendance rate. He also served for seven years as a member of former Gov. Jerry Brown’s California Workforce Development Board, which is charged with helping Californians improve their work skills to prepare for the changing economy.

Becker has four well qualified Democratic opponents in Burlingame City Councilman Mike Brownrigg, Redwood City Councilwoman Shelly Masur, former Assemblywoman Sally Lieber and Millbrae City Councilwoman Annie Oliva.

The two remaining candidates, Republican businessman Alexander Glew and Libertarian software engineer John Webster, do not have the political experience or resources to mount serious campaigns.

We hope Brownrigg emerges as the other candidate to make the November general election. He has a proven track record on critical housing issues, advocating for more than 2,000 new housing units in Burlingame over the last two years. His 12 years working as a Foreign Service diplomat make him an accomplished negotiator. But he lacks Becker’s connections, his depth of knowledge of California’s biggest challenges and innovative approaches to solving them.

Masur is articulate and especially well-versed on education issues. But her backing from a wide range of unions, including the California Teachers Association, begs the question of how independent she would be in the state Senate.

Lieber is strong on environmental issues, but she did not display effective leadership skills in her years in the Assembly.

Oliva’s experience as a Realtor gives her special expertise on important housing issues, but her ability to independently evaluate housing proposals is a serious concern.

Becker has the best combination of intelligence, experience and independence in the race. We recommend him to District 13 voters.