In the News
North Coast Rep. Huffman introduces bill to fight illegal fishing, forced labor
by MARISSA PAPANEK
NORTH COAST, Calif. - North Coast Congressional Rep. Jared Huffman on Tuesday introduced legislation to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. In a press release, Huffman said the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Act would also address human rights abuses in the seafood supply chain. "This legislation would link IUU fishing to forced labor in the seafood supply chain and make seafood import monitoring more effective," the release said. "It would also increase transparency and … Continue Reading
May 10, 2021
North Coast leaders call for ‘all hands on deck effort’ to combat drought
by ISABELLA VANDERHEIDEN
As California's water supply continues to dwindle and drought conditions worsen, state lawmakers are working with scientists and communities across the state to seek solutions ahead of a potentially catastrophic fire season this summer. More than a dozen North Coast leaders joined U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman's (D-San Rafael) emergency drought summit Monday to discuss declining conditions throughout the region. The discussion focused on funding needs for water supply, agriculture and fish as well … Continue Reading
May 05, 2021
Dying coral reefs at 'critical turning point,' lawmakers told
by Rob Hotakainen
Marine experts yesterday advised a House Natural Resources panel to act quickly to improve the health of the nation's coral reefs before they disappear. "Nowhere is this crisis more striking than in Florida, where reefs have lost 70% to 80% or more of their live coral cover over the last few decades," said Andrew Baker, a professor in the Department of Marine Biology and Ecology at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Testifying before the Water, … Continue Reading
May 04, 2021
Padilla introduces bill to advance California wilderness additions
by Andrew Graham
California's junior U.S. senator unveiled on Monday a sweeping public lands package in the upper chamber of Congress that if passed into law would designate more than 625,000 acres of new federal wilderness area in the state. The package, called the Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act, includes a bill from Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, to create about 260,000 acres of new wilderness in Northern California. Huffman voiced optimism over … Continue Reading
May 03, 2021
Bay Area Democrats want to pass climate change laws. Can they deliver?
by Tal Kopan
Now that Democrats have full control of Washington for the first time in a decade, Bay Area lawmakers want to make sure they don’t walk away empty-handed. For many of them, that means seeing green. After several years of historically severe wildfires, heat waves and recurring drought conditions, bills related to climate change are at the top of the agenda for many lawmakers with local ties. Some of the legislative proposals focus on energy issues, such as investing in electric … Continue Reading
April 29, 2021
‘We need water in our rivers’: Tribes call for action as salmon numbers dwindle
by ISABELLA VANDERHEIDEN
As the state prepares for another year of drought, California tribes, environmental advocacy groups and fishermen are calling upon Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Biden administration to direct state resources to provide water to protect California's dwindling salmon populations. During a virtual State of the Salmon address on Wednesday evening, Save California Salmon tribal water organizer Morning Star Gali criticized the state's decision to prioritize farmers over salmon. "During the last … Continue Reading
April 29, 2021
North Coast lawmakers laud Biden’s goals outlined in address to Congress
by RUTH SCHNEIDER
North Coast lawmakers lauded President Joe Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress. "I feel soothed and encouraged, which I think really has been one of the most positive impacts of the Biden presidency these past 100 days," U.S. Rep Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) said Wednesday morning. North Coast Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) responded similarly. "I appreciate the tone and tenor of President Biden as he addressed the nation last night - no finger-pointing, no insults - … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Utility Resilience and Reliability Act introduced in Congress; Bipartisan bill works to shore up the national energy grid
On Monday Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) and Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) along with Representatives Anna Eshoo (CA-18), Doris Matsui (CA-06), John Garamendi (CA-03), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Ro Khanna (CA-17) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) introduced the Utility Resilience and Reliability Act, a bipartisan bill to make the national energy grid more reliable and resilient to natural disasters and extreme weather events.Text of the bill can be found here.First introduced in June, the … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Lawmakers scrutinize wildlife traffickers' use of Facebook
by Michael Doyle
A bipartisan group of California House lawmakers introduced legislation this week to mandate regional grid reliability standards to better incorporate extreme weather resilience. The legislation comes amid high-profile blackouts in California and Texas, where extreme temperatures overloaded the grid with record demand, leaving millions of people without power for days at a time. "The last two years, Public Safety Power Shutoffs have hit our district and our entire region hard, forcing … Continue Reading
April 27, 2021
National Day of Reason Resolution Introduced in the US House of Representation
by Jonathan MS Pearce
This is from the AHA: Today Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) introduced a resolution to recognize May 7, 2021, as a "National Day of Reason." The resolution is co-sponsored by fellow Congressional Freethought Caucus members Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA), Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Representative Hank Johnson (D-GA), Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Representative Jerry McNerney (D-CA). The National Day of Reason … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
Joe Biden made climate change a priority of his presidency, but progressives want him to go bigger
by Ledyard King and Matthew Brown
WASHINGTON - The biggest political challenge to President Joe Biden's efforts to combat climate change and address environmental injustice won't exclusively be the Republicans in Congress who think he's going too far left. It'll likely also be the Democrats who are pushing him to go bigger and bolder. Progressive lawmakers applaud Biden's goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, his re-entry into the Paris Climate accord, steps to pause drilling on public lands, and his calls for economic … Continue Reading
April 22, 2021
MAJOR STEPS FORWARD AS LAST CHANCE GRADE PROJECT NARROWED TO 2 FINAL ROUTES
by Kym Kemp
Press release from Senator Mike McGuire: A huge important milestone was achieved today as the final alternatives for the Last Chance Grade Project were narrowed down to two final routes. And, as promised by state and federal officials who have been pushing to reduce the timeline on the environmental and engineering studies, this critical step will shave an entire year off the project schedule. And: This move will save taxpayers $10 million in studies and greatly reduce the risk of delays and … Continue Reading
April 21, 2021
Locals React To Chauvin Verdict
Local officials are reacting to the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin Trial in Minnesota. Vice Mayor Jackie Elward, the first Black woman ever elected to the Rohnert Park City Council, told the Press Democrat she felt hope with the decision and that it has "shown our children of color that they do matter." Congressman Jared Huffman spoke on KSRO's the Drive and said he hopes this is a turning point in holding police accountable. "We still got to pass some legislation to change some of these … Continue Reading
April 21, 2021
How the Green New Deal fits Democrats' climate plans
by Nick Sobczyk
Progressives reintroduced the Green New Deal yesterday to a new political environment and a climate debate changed significantly since they first outlined the resolution two years ago, but they face challenges as they press to influence the infrastructure debate on Capitol Hill. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) made a mark on climate politics in 2019 when they first introduced the Green New Deal resolution - a broad document that calls for a 10-year … Continue Reading
April 20, 2021
North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman touts Green New Deal in DC
by RUTH SCHNEIDER
North Coast U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey on Tuesday morning as part of the reintroduction of the Green New Deal. According to its proponents, Green New Deal legislation seeks to combat climate change and create millions of high-wage jobs in clean industries. The original nonbinding resolution, introduced two years ago, failed to advance in the then-GOP-controlled Senate. Huffman (D-San Rafael) lauded the Green New Deal for being inclusive of … Continue Reading
April 19, 2021
Lawmakers say West Coast seafood industry excluded from USDA CARES Act program
by Steve Bittenbender
A group of 10 West Coast lawmakers have reached out to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to see why fishermen and processors in their region have largely been left out of a program created through COVID-19 relief measures. Led by U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), the Senators and House members sent a letter to Vilsack noting that the fishing industry in California, Oregon, and Washington state account for more than USD 500 million (EUR 417.5 million) in seafood products produced … Continue Reading
April 16, 2021
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla Cosponsors Bill to Get the Federal Government Out of the Fossil Fuel Business
April 16, 2021 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, joined Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Representative Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), along with 20 lawmakers, in introducing the Keep It in the Ground Act-urgent legislation to stop new fossil fuel leases and put an end to nonproducing leases for extraction of coal, oil, gas, oil shale, and tar sands extraction on public lands and in public waters. The … Continue Reading
April 14, 2021
Climate Groups Cheer Keep It in the Ground Act of 2021
by Andrea Germanos
Climate advocacy groups applauded the reintroduction on Wednesday of legislation that would ban new leases for fossil fuel extraction on public lands and waters. Led by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), the Keep It in the Ground Act of 2021 says that such a ban would "prevent the release of 90% of the potential emissions from federal fossil fuels." "What this bill lays out is simple: no new oil, gas, coal, or tar sands leases offshore or on federal lands," Merkley … Continue Reading
April 14, 2021
Race debate grips Congress
by Mike Lillis
The barbed debate over racial justice is exploding this week on Capitol Hill, as Democrats in both chambers are charging ahead with a host of proposals to empower minorities amid the national clash over police bias, brutality and the future of law enforcement. In the House, two panels considered bills Wednesday to promote reparations for the descendants of slaves and to grant statehood to Washington, D.C., the nation's historically Black capital city. In the Senate, Democrats advanced their … Continue Reading
April 10, 2021
Huffman tours Humboldt County businesses, praises resilience
by ISABELLA VANDERHEIDEN
While spending time in Humboldt County, North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) paid a visit to a few local businesses on Friday to hear how federal relief programs have helped and what challenges remain while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Huffman visited Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate in Eureka, Phatsy Kline's Parlor and Lounge in Eureka and Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville, and highlighted what he called their exceptional resilience and adaptability during the worst parts of … Continue Reading