In the News
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
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 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 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 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 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
April 01, 2021
‘Our roads are in bad shape’: Biden infrastructure bill provides hope for Humboldt County roads
by Mario Cortez
The possible impact of the Biden administration's American Jobs Plan, a proposed jobs bill that includes provisions for rebuilding infrastructure, is being seen as a major opportunity for Humboldt County and local cities to complete projects and renew existing infrastructure. The $2 trillion bill was first announced by President Joe Biden on Wednesday and includes provisions for infrastructure repairs, transportation, housing and job creation, among others. It will be sent to Congress to be … Continue Reading
March 31, 2021
Marin officials laud Biden infrastructure plan
by MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL
Marin County planners and political leaders found much to like in the $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan that President Joe Biden outlined on Wednesday. Biden described the proposal to reengineer the nation's infrastructure over the next eight years as "a once-in-a-generation investment in America" that would, in the process, undo his predecessor's signature legislative achievement of giant tax cuts for corporations. Marin representatives and transportation officials said the plan could … Continue Reading
March 30, 2021
California Preparing for Year-Round Fire Season
by Tori Apodaca
OROVILLE, Calif. - Today Governor Gavin Newsom approved over $80 million for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Cal Fire, to not only battle wildfires when they happen but to keep them from starting in the first place. "Weather has not been our friend in this past year," said Captain John Gaddie from Cal Fire Butte County. It may continue to not be our friend moving forward. "With the lack of precipitation, the fuels dry out," said Gaddie. "We're having a little bit … Continue Reading
March 29, 2021
Jared Huffman calls on USPS to reconsider contract, electrify vehicles
by ISABELLA VANDERHEIDEN
Joined by a dozen members of Congress, North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) called upon the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors to reconsider its 10-year contract with Oshkosh Defense to produce up to 165,000 Next Generation Delivery Vehicles, only 10% of which would be electric vehicles. Earlier this month, Huffman introduced legislation to provide $6 billion in funding to replace at least 75% of the U.S. Postal Service's fleet with electric vehicles. The Postal Vehicle … Continue Reading
March 28, 2021
Jared Huffman presses US transportation secretary on Last Chance Grade funding
North Coast. U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman questioned U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg during a hearing last week, highlighting the precarious nature of Last Chance Grade on U.S. Highway 101 just south of Crescent City. Huffman invited Buttigieg to visit the North Coast to see "one of the most beautiful places in the world" while noting "I would love to show you a lot of aging and failing infrastructure, including highways, roads, and bridges." "I believe that if you're endlessly … Continue Reading
March 26, 2021
Bill protecting wildfire victims' disaster compensation advances
by Farm Progress Staff
A bipartisan bill to prevent the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from seeking reimbursement for certain wildfire relief funds it issued has been sent to the floor of the House of Representatives. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., teamed with a half-dozen other lawmakers to sponsor H.R. 539, which would prevent FEMA from taking back disaster assistance funds that it mistakenly awarded to victims who applied for assistance in good faith and used the money to help rebuild their lives. The … Continue Reading
March 25, 2021
House Democrats call on Biden to ease policies on White House staffers’ marijuana use
by Melissa Quinn
Washington - A group of House Democrats are urging President Biden to relax the White House's employment policies regarding marijuana use in the wake of a report that several White House staffers were disciplined after disclosing past cannabis use. In a letter to Mr. Biden dated Thursday, 30 Democratic lawmakers asked the president to clarify his employment suitability policies, remove past marijuana use as a possible disqualifier and apply the personnel policies "with consistency and … Continue Reading
March 20, 2021
Dems Knock White House for ‘Out of Touch’ Stance on Weed
by Matt Fuller and Asawin Suebsaeng
A day after The Daily Beast reported on the White House disqualifying would-be staffers over past marijuana use, lawmakers on Capitol Hill were already signaling disapproval and potential investigations into the policy. "I want to find out how and why this happened, and obviously I'm going to urge them to change course," Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told The Daily Beast on Friday. Huffman said most of America had "evolved beyond Jeff Sessions' reefer madness hysteria," and he noted that … Continue Reading
March 19, 2021
California Sen. Alex Padilla backs sweeping US wilderness bill as House authors wait for Senate opening
by ANDREW GRAHAM
A far-reaching package of public lands bills that would designate more than 535,000 acres of new federal wilderness in California is picking up support in the U.S. Senate, where its fate will be determined after swift passage last month by Democrats who control the House. California's two Democratic senators, Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein, will introduce a series of companion pieces in the Senate to support the legislation in the coming weeks, according to Padilla's spokeswoman. Rep. … Continue Reading