In the News
UCSF expert predicts annual COVID shot
by Debora Villalon
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - A COVID shot every year? That's the prediction from a San Francisco doctor serving on President Biden's pandemic advisory board. And wearing two masks at once? "Why not?," responds Dr. Robert Rodriguez, a professor of Emergency Medicine, one of 3 UCSF experts tapped for Biden's 13-member COVID team. Friday, Rodriguez was part of an online town hall with North Bay leaders, discussing the vaccine roll-out. "I am confident that in the days ahead all of us are going to … Continue Reading
January 31, 2021
Democrats seek to make guns in the Capitol illegal — for everyone
by MIKE LILLIS
House Democrats this week are pushing legislation to bar lawmakers from carrying firearms anywhere on Capitol Hill - an old idea getting new attention in the fraught days since the deadly attack on the Capitol earlier in the month. Sponsored by Reps. Jared Huffman and Jackie Speier, both California Democrats, the proposal would repeal a decades-old rule exempting lawmakers from an otherwise blanket ban on guns across the Capitol complex. The lawmaker carve-out has been in place since 1967, … Continue Reading
January 29, 2021
Lawmakers renew call for biodiversity strategy
by Michael Doyle
Several Western Democrats yesterday reintroduced a nonbinding House resolution calling for the drafting of a National Biodiversity Strategy. Citing an "unprecedented biodiversity crisis," Reps. Joe Neguse of Colorado and Alan Lowenthal and Jared Huffman of California cast their resolution as a "road map for establishing a robust, whole-of-government approach" to protecting ecosystems. "The decline of biodiversity presents a direct threat to the security, health and well-being of our … Continue Reading
January 28, 2021
House Democrats revive bill to ban colleagues from carrying guns on Capitol grounds
by Meagan Flynn
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) has revived a years-long effort to ban members of Congress from carrying guns on the Capitol grounds, a move likely to rankle Republicans who, in some cases, have refused to cooperate with security screenings put in place in the wake of the violent siege of Jan. 6. Huffman filed the No Congressional Gun Loophole Act on Thursday, seeking to nullify regulations that exempt members of Congress from a federal law banning guns on Capitol grounds. He has … Continue Reading
January 28, 2021
Huffman, other Bay Area lawmakers seek $250 million for bay restoration efforts
by MARY CALLAHAN
A delegation of Bay Area Democrats in Congress is supporting a new bill seeking $250 million in federal funding over the next five years primarily to help restore tidal wetlands in San Francisco Bay - before it is too late. Citing the climate crisis and the imminent threat of rising seas, the coalition led by Rep. Jackie Speier of San Mateo hopes this may be the year the perennial San Francisco Bay Restoration Act finally becomes law. The need is great and the window of time is narrow, … Continue Reading
January 27, 2021
Biden pauses new offshore oil leases, shielding California coast from more drilling rigs
by GUY KOVNER
President Joe Biden's order Wednesday pausing new offshore oil leases will temporarily shield California coastal waters from the prospect of expanded oil development under a Trump administration plan unveiled two years ago. "It's a day people on the coast will never forget," said Richard Charter of Bodega Bay, an anti-drilling advocate since the 1970s. "It's a day for popping corks." Charter, a senior fellow at the Ocean Foundation, called the presidential order - included in a package of … Continue Reading
January 27, 2021
House Democrats seek to block West Coast, Arctic offshore drilling
by REBECCA BEITSCH
Democrats are again seeking to block future offshore drilling in the Arctic and along the West Coast in an effort that may face better odds with the party's control of the Senate. "Offshore drilling poses unacceptable risks, and the science and public opinion are clear: we should not put our oceans and fisheries, coastal communities, economies and planet at risk just to enrich the fossil fuel industry," said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), who introduced the bills. "It's past time that we … Continue Reading
January 25, 2021
Jared Huffman: Liabilities remain after Trump’s emoluments case tossed
by Sonia Waraich
The Supreme Court has tossed out a case accusing former President Donald Trump of illegally benefiting from his position as president, but North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman said the prosecution of the former president is far from over. The justices threw out Trump's challenge to lower court rulings that had allowed lawsuits to go forward alleging that he violated the Constitution's emoluments clause by accepting payments from foreign and domestic officials who stay at the Trump … Continue Reading
January 24, 2021
‘A bold plan’: Rep. Huffman talks about Biden administration’s climate initiatives
Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, says the Biden administration re-joining the Paris Accord was a step in the right direction to avoid digging the "Climate hole deeper." "I'm just as encouraged though by the quality of the people he is putting in place in key agencies," Huffman said. Huffman says that with the "floor of the United States Senate is no longer under lockdown" it makes sense to go back and try to pass failed bills. "It just makes all kinds of sense to pick up where we left … Continue Reading
January 24, 2021
Huffman says Trump must be convicted
by David Rupkalvis
Congressman Jared Huffman, who represents Del Norte County, said during a town hall last week that he fully supports impeaching and convicting former Pres. Donald Trump. Huffman, who voted to impeach Trump, said the Senate needs to convict him and vote to ensure Trump can never run for office again. I believe it is the most urgent thing we have before us because we have seen for the first time in the United States, a president actively incite a deadly insurrection against our … Continue Reading
January 23, 2021
US: Tensions Running High after Gun Incident near House Floor
by Cristina Marcos
Lawmaker tensions are running high this week after a Republican lawmaker nearly brought a gun onto the House floor, further stoking concerns about Capitol security and whether members of Congress need protection from one another. The renewed anxiety just two weeks after the deadly Jan. 6 attack was sparked by Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) when he set off a newly installed metal detector off the House floor with a concealed gun, despite a longtime ban on firearms in the chamber. The incident … Continue Reading
January 22, 2021
In Suddenlink-Cox Media Group feud, Huffman blames media consolidation
by Isabella Vanderheiden
After two weeks of finger-pointing amid customers' calls to resume service, the dispute between Altice/Suddenlink and Cox Media Group continued Friday with no end in sight. Suddenlink said it was not its decision to drop KIEM-NBC and KVIQ-CBS from its channel lineup and accused CMG of unfairly jacking up customers' fees. CMG accused Suddenlink of choosing to adversely affect its customers rather than reaching "a fair market deal." In the end, it's the consumer that suffers, said Bayside … Continue Reading
January 20, 2021
Meanwhile in Humboldt County: Small Trump rally at courthouse as party leaders seek unity
by Isabella Vanderheiden
A small group of 10 to 15 protesters gathered at the Humboldt County courthouse on Inauguration Day with continued support for former President Donald Trump. Protestors waved American flags and held signs praising Trump and calling for his re-election in 2024. Five members of the small group declined to comment on the protest. "I'm here to stand up for the truth," Eureka resident Rebecca Dement said as the "Star-Spangled Banner" blasted over her shoulder. "The American people will see the … Continue Reading
January 20, 2021
Rep. Jared Huffman: ‘Low blow,’ ‘classless’ for Trump to skip inauguration
by David Sherfinski
Rep. Jared Huffman, California Democrat, slammed President Trump on Wednesday for skipping the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden. "Well, I mean obviously that's a low blow and a snub and classless and all the things that shouldn't surprise us at all just given who Donald Trump is," Mr. Huffman said hours before Mr. Biden is sworn into office. "No matter how tacky and small Donald Trump is, we're just a heck of a lot bigger than that as a country," Mr. Huffman said. Before Mr. … Continue Reading
January 20, 2021
An Exemption to the U.S. Capitol Gun Ban: Members of Congress
by Jennifer Mascia
Five days before the Capitol insurrection, 83 House Republican lawmakers wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy asking them to uphold lawmakers' right to carry firearms inside the U.S. Capitol complex. They cited several attacks, including a 1954 shooting by Puerto Rican nationalists who wounded five Congressmen; a 1998 shooting that killed two Capitol Police officers; and a 2017 shooting at a Congressional baseball practice in Northern Virginia, which left … Continue Reading
January 20, 2021
Scenes from Inauguration Day
North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman shared some photos from today's inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, calling it a "very special day." "As President Biden said today, if enough Americans join us in a spirit of unity, truth, and decency, we can move the entire nation forward. I think we can do it," Huffman said in a Facebook post.In a separate message, Huffman noted he was honored to attend the historic ceremony, saying the day "marks the end of the disastrous … Continue Reading
January 20, 2021
‘Grim and beautiful,’ Biden’s inaguration a day of jarring juxtapositions
by Eli Stokols, Chris Megerian
WASHINGTON - On television, at least at certain moments, it may have looked as it always has - the hand on an old Bible, the Marine Band's brassy rendition of "Hail to the Chief," the audience of dignitaries. But when Joseph R. Biden descended the steps onto the inauguration platform bedecked with red, white and blue bunting, he passed through a brass door with a large crack in its glass panel, lingering evidence of the deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol building two weeks earlier. Across … Continue Reading
January 20, 2021
Scars of Capitol attack permeate high-security inauguration
by Rebecca Kheel
President Biden was inaugurated Wednesday under the cover of unprecedented levels of security, just two weeks after a deadly siege on the Capitol. Thousands of National Guardsmen from around the country flooded into D.C. to prevent a repeat of Jan. 6, when violent Trump supporters stormed the Capitol intent on overturning the election results. The insurrection marred America's tradition of a peaceful transfer of power between presidential administrations. But in the end, Inauguration Day … Continue Reading
January 19, 2021
‘I almost threw it away’: Stimulus payments safe amid fears of scam
by Isabella Vanderheiden
As 8 million Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) are distributed across the country, a growing number of people fear they're being scammed due to the appearance of the envelope. When Bayside resident Pete Oringer received his stimulus payment last week, he thought it was junk mail. "I almost threw it away but I hesitated and I threw it on a pile," he said. The U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service began distributing EIP cards and checks during the second week of January … Continue Reading
January 19, 2021
North Bay residents look to Biden inauguration with hope and pessimism
by Austin Murphy
For all its pomp and solemnity, the inauguration of an American president is a surprisingly elastic affair. The dates and locations of the ceremony have shifted, down through the centuries, as have the size of the crowds and the time of day. And that's a good thing, because Wednesday's inauguration of Joe Biden will go down as one the most unusual in American history. The 78-year-old president-elect from Delaware will take his oath on the west front of the U.S. Capitol building ringed with … Continue Reading