Dick Spotswood: Huffman’s political challenges in Washington

August 24, 2013

Congress is now taking its traditional August recess. Like most of his colleagues, the North Bay's new congressman, Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, is "back in the district" meeting and greeting. In Huffman's case, that's a major task given that his six-county district stretches from the Golden Gate to the Oregon border.

As part of his rounds, Huffman dropped by the Independent Journal's editorial board and spoke at the Marin Forum, the San Rafael movers-and-shakers' breakfast club. While an assemblyman, Huffman was critical of California's dysfunctional Legislature. The freshman congressman is now discouraged to find that the partisan divide is even worse in Washington.

House and Senate floor time is often dominated by bills initiated by one party solely to embarrass the other. Outrageous legislation is introduced with a few dollars of flood relief buried deep in the text. Vote "no" and an ad will run in the next election denouncing the member for being heartless.

Huffman confirmed reports from other Bay Area congressional Democrats that communication between even House Democrats and the White House is weak. This defeat-inducing practice continues from President Barack Obama's first term. There's no sign that the president's closed-circle style is going to change.

While a consistent liberal Democrat, Huffman is part of the new "No Labels-Problem Solvers Coalition." Eighty-two of the more reasonable senators and congress members of both parties are trying to have a conversation. This worthy effort is led by West Virginia's Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican John Huntsman, the former Utah governor.

Some months ago, I challenged the new congressman to develop a signature issue to pursue over his likely long congressional career. Huffman now reports that this long-term legislative priority will be climate change. As a former attorney for the National Resources Defense Council, his pick is no surprise.

Upon arriving in Congress Huffman was named to the House Natural Resources Committee and to its Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee. As he builds seniority, those slots put him in places to build friendships, connections and staff resources to fashion policies helping America adjust in a world struggling to understand climate change and its implications.

Last week, more than 350 Strawberry residents attended a community forum to discuss the now-adopted Plan Bay Area and new housing mandates emanating from the regional alphabet agencies and Sacramento.

Supervisor Kate Sears and county staffers faced off with a panel of four Strawberry leaders. They all detailed their positions and answered audience questions focusing on the Priority Development Area proposed for high-density housing at Strawberry's Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.

The good news is that there were zero catcalls or cries of "racist" from the forum's audience. No productive conversation can take place while that nonsense goes on. Unfortunately, few minds were changed. Much of Strawberry remains opposed and Sears continues to support the PDA designation.

Housing advocates contend that homeowners are overreacting and don't understand the plan's allegedly benign implications. Even if true, it's undeniable that the Board of Supervisors' and allied unelected regional agencies' "outreach" program was an abysmal failure.

When asked by an audience member, "Why did I have to read about the Strawberry PDA in the IJ before I heard about it from you?" Sears essentially blamed the audience for not following the county's website.

Message to Supervisor Sears and her colleagues: Other than activists on either side of any issue, none of your constituents regularly reads the county's website. None.

It's the affirmative duty of Sears and the other four supervisors to communicate with residents in their individual supervisorial districts, then get their input before, not after, policies are developed and set in concrete.


Source: By Dick Spotswood