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. After graduating from Palo Alto High School, where he served as student body president. In 2002, Berman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Georgetown University. 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.
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.
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.
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.
In 2022, Berman introduced AB 2584, which made changes to the state's recall law. 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. The city offered a settlement to the recall proponents to dismiss the lawsuit, but the proposal was rejected in September.
Personal life
He is Jewish.