In the News
PD Editorial: California is burning, and Trump is tweeting
It long ago ceased to be surprising when our president made outrageous comments via Twitter. We try to ignore these social media outbursts, but Donald Trump’s Twitter blast about California’s wildfires was so thoroughly inaccurate that it demands a response. “California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into … Continue Reading
August 28, 2018
Rep. Huffman demands investigation into data throttling during Mendocino Complex fires
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A group of Northern California U.S. legislators are demanding an investigation into whether data throttling during the Mendocino Complex fires was unfair or deceptive. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) has joined with Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) to send a letter with 11 Northern California Members of Congress to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) demanding … Continue Reading
August 22, 2018
Forest views: Huffman tours by air, ground
Rep. Jared Huffman hopped onto a small plane last Thursday to get a bird’s-eye view of the area encompassed by the wilderness and forests act he introduced in July. He also got a ground tour of a fuels reduction project planned in Southern Trinity County. Huffman, D-San Rafael, introduced the Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act on July 27. The flight on a small plane was provided by the nonprofit EcoFlight and a volunteer pilot. Huffman’s … Continue Reading
August 22, 2018
Forest views: Huffman tours by air, ground
Rep. Jared Huffman hopped onto a small plane last Thursday to get a bird’s-eye view of the area encompassed by the wilderness and forests act he introduced in July. He also got a ground tour of a fuels reduction project planned in Southern Trinity County. Huffman, D-San Rafael, introduced the Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act on July 27. The flight on a small plane was provided by the nonprofit EcoFlight and a volunteer pilot. Huffman’s bill … Continue Reading
August 15, 2018
Sonoma County, City Of Napa Getting Federal Grant Money For Wildfire Recovery
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $212 million in disaster recovery grants for housing and economic revitalization and infrastructure improvements in California. More than $99 million in grants must go to Sonoma County, the 94558 zip code in the city of Napa and other areas that were most impacted by wildfires, according to Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa, and Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. The other fire-ravaged areas include Ventura County and parts of … Continue Reading
August 13, 2018
Dem lawmakers launch 'Freethought' congressional caucus
Four Democratic congressmen on Monday launched a congressional caucus they said would center on fostering "science and reason-based solutions" and "defending the secular character of our government." California Reps. Jared Huffman (D) and Jerry McNerney (D) joined forces with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) to launch the Congressional Freethought Caucus. According to a release, the goals of the caucus include pushing “public policy formed on the basis of reason, … Continue Reading
August 08, 2018
Garamendi, Thompson and Huffman send formal request to President Trump for major disaster declaration
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. - On Tuesday, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Davis, Fairfield, Yuba City), together with neighboring Representatives Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman, sent a letter to President Trump supporting Gov. Jerry Brown’s request for a major disaster declaration for Lake, Napa and Mendocino counties in response to the Steele and Mendocino Complex fires. If approved, the major disaster declaration will provide federal resources to facilitate firefighting and recovery efforts, … Continue Reading
August 08, 2018
PD Editorial: California is burning, and Trump is tweeting
We try to ignore these social media outbursts, but Donald Trump’s Twitter blast about California’s wildfires was so thoroughly inaccurate that it demands a response. “California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean,” the president tweeted on Sunday. “Must also tree clear to stop fire spreading!” He wasn’t … Continue Reading
July 30, 2018
Huffman bill seeks to expand northwest California wilderness protections
California 2nd District Congressman Jared Huffman said while it is unusual to include active logging in a wilderness protection bill, the bill he introduced to Congress on Friday is not your everyday piece of environmental legislation. On top of protecting hundreds of thousands of acres of North Coast land and hundreds of miles of rivers in Humboldt, Del Norte, Mendocino and Trinity counties from development, Huffman’s Northwest California Wildernesses, Recreation and Working Forests Act … Continue Reading
July 27, 2018
Democrats press for tariff relief to bail out fishermen.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishermen are going to need a bailout, too. That’s the message from a group of Democrats in Congress who say seafood harvesters are headed for a financial disaster due to increasing tariffs, and the government should be prepared to provide relief. They likened the challenge to that faced by farmers, days after Republican President Donald Trump’s administration said farmers would receive an estimated $12 billion in emergency aid. The effort’s designed to help … Continue Reading
July 20, 2018
North Coast Lawmakers Question Trump's Motives with Russia, Introduce Candidate Vetting Legislation
North Coast lawmakers announced this morning a pair of efforts in direct response to President Donald Trump’s widely criticized remarks in Helsinki, Finland, Monday during a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he refrained from criticizing the Russian dictator and cast doubt on whether the country interfered in the 2016 presidential election. First, on the House floor, Congressman Jared Huffman called what he saw in Helsinki a “stunning betrayal” and openly … Continue Reading
July 17, 2018
Rep. Jared Huffman assesses peace prospects after trip to South Korea
Rep. Jared Huffman, the Democratic congressman from San Rafael, was far from home — by about 5,600 miles — when he briefly stepped into North Korea. Huffman, whose legislative forte is natural resources, was part of a five-person congressional delegation plunging into global geopolitics on a five-day visit to South Korea earlier this month. “A little bit out of the policy wheelhouse that I normally focus on,” he said Monday in a telephone interview, but an important … Continue Reading
July 09, 2018
Huffman reintroduces bill to halt postal facility closures.
For the second time since 2016, North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) has introduced a bill to address the closure of United States Postal Service facilities along the North Coast and the consolidation of mail service in the region. The Stop Postal Closures Act, a bipartisan bill coauthored by two Republican representatives from West Virginia, would require robust public notification and comment period so stakeholder’s can review any decisions made by the Postal Regulatory … Continue Reading
July 05, 2018
Marchers Say 'Enough is Enough' at Families Belong Together Rally
A diverse crowd of protesters stretching three city blocks made their way through the streets of Old Town Eureka on Saturday, peacefully decrying the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy at the border and demanding the reunification of separated families. As they wound along the route, marchers held aloft handmade signs, some reading "In our America Love is Love," "Together we fight for all" and "Where are all the babies and children?" amid the chants of "I.C.E, I.C.E go away. … Continue Reading
June 27, 2018
California Reps Demand Information From Navy on Potential for Concord Base to House Undocumented Immigrants.
More than a dozen California members of Congress are calling on the U.S. Navy to release information about an apparent request the Trump administration has made that could eventually mean thousands of undocumented immigrants would be housed at the old Concord Naval Weapons Station. The group of Bay Area, Sacramento County and Central Coast House members, all Democrats, sent a letter to the Navy on Tuesday, saying they were "deeply troubled" by reports that land owned by the Department of … Continue Reading
June 25, 2018
Rep. Huffman, 100 members to Zinke: Don’t sacrifice Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling
Ahead of a recent Washington D.C. public meeting on the Trump administration’s proposal to allow oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) led 100 members of Congress in saying “NO” to oil and gas drilling in the Refuge’s protected Coastal Plain. According to Huffman, the Trump Administration is rushing forward with plans to lease drilling in the Refuge after it was jammed through under the “GOP Tax Scam.” The letter underlines … Continue Reading
June 22, 2018
Feds send $26 million relief for California crab fishery disaster
Nearly $26 million of relief from the federal government is on its way to fishermen and women affected by the ill-fated commercial Dungeness crab season in the North Coast three years ago. “I’m confident that checks will be in the mail for fisherman and fishing businesses hopefully by the new year,” said Noah Oppenheim, executive director of the 700-member Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. Oppenheim voiced hope the $25.8 million — part of $200 … Continue Reading
June 19, 2018
Reps. Huffman, Richmond introduce legislation to open Medicare to all Americans.
Washington, D.C. >> Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Cedric Richmond (D-LA), along with four co-sponsors, have introduced a bill that would make Medicare available to all Americans by offering individuals the opportunity to enroll in Medicare, and allowing businesses of all sizes to purchase Medicare coverage for their employees. “Medicare is already one of the most successful programs in our nation’s history, and the more people who can buy in, the better it will be for … Continue Reading
June 18, 2018
Huffman: ‘Unacceptable’ practice to separate immigrant children from parents.
Rep. Jared Huffman blasted the Trump administration Friday for separating immigrant children from their parents, calling it “completely unacceptable and inconsistent with the values that make this country great.” “Our government is putting children into facilities that are more like prisons, talking about tent cities that bring memories of internment camps — some of the darker chapters of our country’s past,” Huffman, D-San Rafael, said. Huffman’s remarks, part of a celebration ceremony … Continue Reading
June 04, 2018
Marin coastal areas face threat from offshore drilling, report says.
A new report says areas of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore face potential environmental damage from the specter of offshore drilling by the Trump administration. In January, the Trump administration announced a proposal to allow drilling in most U.S. continental-shelf waters. At the time, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke specified 47 potential areas where energy companies would be allowed to purchase leases between 2019 and 2024, including … Continue Reading