State Senator Josh Becker and Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens gave a roughly 20-minute overview of major state actions and fielded questions from the Cupertino City Council at the council’s Oct. 13 special meeting.

Becker, who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, told the council the 2023–24 legislative year began with a surplus that turned into a projected deficit after federal actions, and that uncertainty in federal health-care policy could force additional state sessions. “We started out actually with a budget surplus, but then, after actions from the Trump administration ended up with a budget deficit,” Becker said. He described work this year on energy legislation, wildfire funding and insurance, and measures intended to preserve solar customers’ compensation and to keep utilities from earning returns on certain wildfire mitigation spending.

The senator highlighted SB 254, a bill he said advanced wildfire-related financial protections, public funding options for transmission infrastructure and permitting streamlining for clean-energy projects. “We said in the bill that $6,000,000,000 of utility spend…can’t be rate based,” Becker said, adding the bill also creates a larger climate-credit return to households and funds for wildfire victims.

Becker also discussed a multi-state Western Grid initiative and changes to California’s cap-and-trade program, calling the work “a huge year for energy.” He said the legislature moved to speed siting and permitting for battery storage and other clean-energy technologies, and cited a desire to address evening electricity peaks when demand is highest.

Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens, who identified himself as co‑chair of the Legislative Technology and Innovation Caucus, summarized committee assignments and said his priorities include housing affordability, foster youth supports, workforce issues and water conservation. He described bills he sponsored or co‑authored that passed this year, including measures on financial aid dependency status for students and decriminalizing truancy penalties. “I do believe…we need to focus more on affordability,” Ahrens said, noting his office maintains a district presence in Cupertino and encouraging residents to submit bill ideas.

Council members pressed both legislators on housing and energy. Vice Mayor Moore asked what the city can do to “recapture” leadership in sustainable energy and to encourage battery storage; Becker said California has grown battery deployment rapidly and pointed to streamlining in SB 254 and future bills to better integrate behind‑the‑meter batteries. Council member Mohan asked about bills that were vetoed and whether those subjects will be folded into next year’s budget or returned as new bills; Becker said reports and follow‑up legislation are likely.

Both legislators explained how residents can weigh in during the legislative cycle: by emailing or contacting district offices (which the legislators said use constituent‑tracking systems) or by attending local events such as Ahrens’s monthly “pancake” gatherings. Ahrens and Becker told council members they welcome constituent contacts and meetings in the district.

The session included brief public comment and council discussion on how state policy affects local planning and budgets. Council members asked for future updates and offered to host follow‑up briefings. The legislators left the meeting after the question period to attend other engagements.

Ending: Council members expressed interest in continued briefings from Sacramento; both legislators said they would return for more detailed conversations on budget, housing and energy policy.