In the News
Westerman wants an ESA overhaul. Will Senate Dems play along?
by Garrett Downs
Republicans have tried — and failed — to overhaul the Endangered Species Act for decades. This time could be different. House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) is leading legislation that would take the most significant swing at the 1973 law in its more than 50-year history with his “ESA Amendments Act of 2025.” Past attempts to amend the law have largely been stymied by Democrats, who have long viewed the ESA as an untouchable “bedrock” environmental law. But now some … Continue Reading
March 27, 2025
House Dems demand answers on USGS science cuts
by Michael Doyle
House Democrats are now amplifying their alarm about the Interior Department's firing of some U.S. Geological Survey scientists and abrupt elimination of a newly established scientific integrity advisory panel. In a pointed letter sent Wednesday to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, 32 Democratic lawmakers demanded answers and reinforced their expression of "deep concern" with a set of eight questions, including a few whose answers may be of special interest to the Trump administration … Continue Reading
March 26, 2025
Lawmakers clash over ESA overhaul, Gulf of America bills
by Garrett Downs
House Natural Resources Republicans piled on the gray wolf's Endangered Species Act listing during a Tuesday hearing to justify legislation to overhaul the law. Democrats expressed opposition for H.R. 1897, the "ESA Amendments Act of 2025," but focused their ire on a separate bill to codify President Donald Trump's Gulf of America executive order. Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) hopes this Congress breaks the impasse on amending the 50-year-old landmark environmental law. “After more than 50 … Continue Reading
March 24, 2025
Natural Resources sets review of ESA, Gulf of America bills
by Garrett Downs
A House Natural Resources subcommittee on Tuesday will discuss four Republican bills, including one to overhaul the Endangered Species Act and another renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The hearing before the Water, Fisheries and Wildlife Subcommittee is set to be a partisan throwdown as Democrats are likely to rip full committee Chair Bruce Westerman’s H.R. 1897, the "ESA Amendments Act of 2025," which contains troves of reforms Republicans have sought for decades. Democrats … Continue Reading
March 20, 2025
Potential layoffs: Local labor leaders rally in downtown Santa Rosa in support of federal employees
by Melanie Nguyen
Over 200 community members marched from the federal building to the post office in downtown Santa Rosa Thursday in support of protections for federal workers. The rally was organized by the North Bay Labor Council along with several other organizations including the National Association of Letter Carriers and the American Federation of Government Employees. Drivers traveling Sonoma Avenue honked their horns in support of marchers, who toted signs and upside down American flags, as they … Continue Reading
March 19, 2025
‘Remarkable’ or devastating? Concerns about Russian-Eel River water supply focus of Cloverdale town hall
by Amie Windsor
Although stakeholders have approved a closely watched plan to continue diverting some Eel River water into the Russian River when a key hydropower facility goes offline in several years, civic leaders from Lake County, Cloverdale and elsewhere remain concerned about how the move might impact the region’s water supply. As a result, Cloverdale city leaders will host a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building, 205 West 1st Street. The meeting, which … Continue Reading
March 18, 2025
Musk team targets nearly two dozen environmental offices for closure in California
by Hayley Smith
President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency plans to terminate lease contracts at nearly two dozen California offices relating to science, agriculture and the environment, according to its federal database. The planned closures include facilities occupied by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, Forest Service and Geological Survey. The terminations follow massive layoffs at NOAA and significant cuts to … Continue Reading
March 18, 2025
Huffman urges Marin educators to resist Trump
by Keri Brenner
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman said he is in favor of forming a team of Marin educators to move swiftly to support any school threatened by immigration agents authorized by the Trump administration. “So far it has not happened,” Huffman said Monday to about 150 educators and officials at the Marin County Office of Education in San Rafael. “But the level of misinformation is very high.” Abbey Picus, a Novato Unified School District trustee, proposed the “rapid response” team idea as a way to be … Continue Reading
March 12, 2025
NOAA braces for mass layoffs, fueling concerns about lifesaving weather services
by Selina Wang and Kelly Livingston
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is preparing to lay off more than 1,000 workers as part of the Trump administration's mandate for agencies to prepare "reductions in force," according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The cuts are fueling concerns that NOAA's ability to deliver lifesaving services, such as weather forecasting, storm warnings, climate monitoring and fishery oversight, will be hampered. The concerns are especially acute as hurricane and disaster … Continue Reading
March 12, 2025
Democrats divided on whether to shut down government or vote with GOP
by Liz Goodwin and Theodoric Meyer
President Donald Trump needs Senate Democrats’ votes to keep the government funded and open this week. But the group is still agonizing over whether to use this rare point of congressionalleverage to extract concessions from Republicans and risk taking blame for a government shutdown. Some argue that voting for a bill to fund the government through September, which the House passed 217-213 on Tuesday, would empower Trump to dismantle more of the federal government. Others … Continue Reading
March 12, 2025
DOGE Is Changing California — And Democrats Worry It’s Just the Start
by Mark Alfred
California is being hit particularly hard by Department of Government Efficiency cuts. It is home to more federal workers than any other state, many of them with the Department of Veterans Affairs, whose workforce is being slashed by thousands nationwide. Its national parks and reserves are facing staffing cuts, while its universities stand to lose millions in grants that support medical research. ... For complete article, please click … Continue Reading
March 10, 2025
NOAA prepares to lose another 1,029 employees
by Daniel Cusick
NOAA managers are facing a new countdown clock to identify an additional 1,029 employees to be culled from the agency as part of a "reduction in force" plan that would cut deeper into the agency's science, regulatory and education programs, according to people familiar with what NOAA workers have been told about the plan. In a directive announced Friday to the heads of NOAA's line and staff offices, managers have until Tuesday afternoon to provide new lists of employees whose jobs are deemed … Continue Reading
March 08, 2025
Republicans propose continuing resolution to avoid government shutdown
by Marianna Sotomayor and Theodoric Meyer
With less than a week to go before a March 14 shutdown deadline, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) are pushing a bill that would extend current funding levels until the end of the fiscal year in late September. The measure unveiled Saturday, known as a continuing resolution, or CR, would stave off a politically costly shutdown if it passes. But it would also mean that Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and the White House, would largely keep … Continue Reading
March 08, 2025
US Congressmen warn of Bay Area impacts if healthcare spending is cut
by Thomas Hughes
Two congressmen representing districts in the North Bay gave a preview Friday of how potential Medicaid cuts could impact local healthcare systems and residents. U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, spoke at a health clinic in Santa Rosa, calling on their colleagues to reject slashing Medicaid or Medicare as part of massive spending reductions proposed in the recently passed federal budget draft. They also warned of potentially compounding impacts from the … Continue Reading
March 07, 2025
How job cuts at NOAA could impact weather forecasting
by Julia Jacobo and Kelly Livingston
Firings at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will have reverberating impacts on how meteorologists across the country forecast the weather, according to experts. Last week, many NOAA employees took to social media to announce that they had been terminated after weeks of uncertainty as the Trump administration continues to make cuts at federal agencies. But the widespread firings of meteorologists who make safety determinations based on upcoming weather and climate conditions … Continue Reading
March 07, 2025
Democratic lawmakers warn budget cuts pose risks to power grids
by Zack Budryk
Congressional Democrats are sounding the alarm on the impact of sweeping federal job cuts to the resilience of U.S. power grids. As early as February, about 130 federal workers were fired from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), which operates about three quarters of the Pacific Northwest’s power grid. The following week, some 30 probationary workers were offered their jobs back, similarly to workers who were fired and recalled from jobs at the Department of Agriculture and the … Continue Reading
March 07, 2025
Huffman criticizes Musk, Trump, and budget cuts in North Coast Town Hall
by Monica Huettl
Democratic Congressman Jared Huffman, who represents California’s North Coast in the U.S. House of Representatives, held a telephone town hall on February 24, 2025, addressing concerns about the current state of U.S. government under former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. Huffman, a senior member of the House Natural Resources Committee and a vocal advocate for environmental protection, is known for his strong stance on climate change, public lands, and civil liberties. In … Continue Reading
March 06, 2025
Congress overturns Biden rule on offshore drilling
by Garrett Downs
The House on Thursday voted to overturn another rule released during the tail end of the Biden administration, sending the resolution to President Donald Trump for a signature. Congress utilized the Congressional Review Act to undo the regulation, which relates to offshore drilling. That law allows Congress to overturn newly issued rules by a simple majority. The House passed S.J. Res. 11 by a vote of 221-202, with a number of Democrats joining Republicans. The measure, offered by Sen. John … Continue Reading
March 03, 2025
Community Matters: Huffman’s plea for saving democracy
by John Burns
North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman, who has represented the Petaluma area since 2013, is deeply troubled about America’s future. Between the fusillade of unlawful executive orders bursting from the White House, the rapid and unconstitutional dismantling of multiple congressionally authorized government agencies and programs, and the sudden firing of tens of thousands of civil service workers, Huffman is unsure if American democracy will survive the Trump administration. I recently spoke … Continue Reading
March 01, 2025
NOAA firings spark fears about long-term damage
by Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk
The Trump administration has made drastic cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that threaten to impact weather forecasting and other key services provided by the agency. In the wake of the wave of dismissals this week, lawmakers and former officials raised concerns about potential damage to services ranging from extreme weather responses to efforts to prevent objects from colliding in space. ... For complete article, please click … Continue Reading