Huffman to Hold Town Hall on Veterans

January 13, 2015

U.S. Congressman Jared Huffman will be in Del Norte this week to meet with local veterans, youth, public officials and, if he’s lucky, steelhead trout. 

Huffman is hosting a town hall meeting on veterans’ health care and benefits 6:30–8 p.m. this Friday at the Veterans Memorial Hall, 810 H St. Representatives from the VA Roseburg Healthcare System, Veterans Benefits Administration and Del Norte County Veterans Service Office will be on hand to discuss issues relating to veterans health care and benefits, including the recent Choice Act legislation and Non-VA Care Program.

After speaking to Del Norte High seniors on Thursday morning, Huffman will visit with local airport officials. The meeting is expected to come on the heels of an announcement about the future of commercial air service in Crescent City. The airport’s sole carrier, SkyWest, announced it would be dropping flights to CEC as soon as legally possible, which has local officials scrambling to solicit bids from another carrier by the Wednesday deadline.

Meetings with officials from Smith River Rancheria, Redwood National and State Parks, Crescent City, Del Norte County and the Crescent City Harbor are also part of Huffman’s itinerary, as is a trip up the Smith River to fish for steelhead, according to his Eureka office.

Huffman has represented the North Coast in Congress since 2013. Last week he was named to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, which holds jurisdiction over the Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, Department of Transportation, the nation’s roads, bridges, highways, ferries, inland waterways, pipelines, improvement of rivers and harbors.

“California’s 2nd Congressional District contains a diverse swath of transportation infrastructure needs, including Highway 101, an artery throughout our great state, along with many small harbors and waterways. In the post-earmark era, a position on an authorizing committee is one of the most important ways of changing policy to help local districts. Joining the committee will better allow me to work on issues critical to our district, from ensuring small harbors and waterways receive their dredging needs, to fighting for increased funding for public transportation, smart flood management programs, and Army Corps projects,” Huffman said in a recent press release.


Source: By Emily Jo Cureton