In the News
‘Make America California Again’; that’s the Biden plan, LA Times reports
by Frieda Powers
President-elect Joe Biden is reportedly looking heavily to the state of California for "inspiration" in setting the progressive policies of his administration. With California Sen. Kamala Harris about to become vice president, the new administration will likely be drawing on the more liberal policies enacted in the Golden State, even if many have failed, and sparked an exodus of residents. TheLos AngelesTimes reported that California will become "the de facto policy think tank" for the … Continue Reading
January 17, 2021
Bay Area congressmen pledge to hold Trump, GOP accountable for insurrection
by Emma Goss
San Francisco - An impeachment trial is likely to come for President Trump after the Biden inauguration, and Capitol police are also investigating what role Republican members of Congress may have played in providing rioters adavnced access to the building. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) is one of 34 Congressional Democrats calling for an investigation into Republicans in Congress who possibly gave tours of the Capitol to Trump supporters a day before the rampage on January 6. "The only … Continue Reading
January 15, 2021
Trump Auctions Off Arctic Refuge Land to Oil Companies
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, January 14, 2020 (ENS) - The Trump administration has begun to auction off roughly one-third of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling. It is no coincidence that this lease sale was announced with only a few weeks left in the Trump presidency, as President Donald Trump is eager to kickstart Arctic oil drilling before leaving the White House on January 20. The refuge is home to some of the most diverse and spectacular wildlife in the Arctic, according to … Continue Reading
January 15, 2021
Trust between lawmakers reaches all-time low after Capitol riots
by Cristina Marcos
Hefty fines to enforce the use of masks and metal detectors to enter the House chamber. Censure resolutions. And a call for investigating whether some lawmakers aided insurrectionists. Trust between the two parties has reached an all-time low - and it's raising questions about how they can possibly work together on much of anything as the new session of Congress begins when some lawmakers don't even feel safe around each other. Much of the physical damage in the Capitol from last week's … Continue Reading
January 14, 2021
Bay Area Lawmakers Support Calls for Investigation Into ‘Suspicious Behavior’ Before Capitol Riot
by Alexander Gonzalez, Brian Watt
Some members of the Bay Area's congressional delegation are among the lawmakers calling for an investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that has absorbed Washington over the past week. On Wednesday, as the House voted to impeach President Trump a historic second time, more than two dozen representatives, including South Bay Rep. Jackie Speier and North Bay Rep. Jared Huffman, requested a formal inquiry into "suspicious behavior" the day before the attack. East Bay Rep. … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
‘Today we make history forever,’ Jared Huffman tells Congress
North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) called on members of Congress today to vote in favor of a second impeachment of President Donald Trump in the waning days of his administration. "Today we make history forever," Huffman told his fell representatives in the House on Wednesday. "A vote to impeach Donald Trump means years from now you can look at your grandchildren in the eyes and say, I did the right thing." The House of Representatives is currently debating whether to vote in … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
Bay Area Congressmen Support Fining Colleagues Who Don't Wear a Mask
Two Bay Area congressmen are backing a House rule change to fine colleagues who fail to wear a mask on the House floor. The House Tuesday approved a $500 fine for members who don't wear a mask and a $2,500 fine for a second violation. Democratic representatives are in an uproar after three members from their caucus tested positive for COVID-19 within 24 hours of being locked down for hours in a crowded room during last week's Capitol siege. During the attack, several GOP members refused masks … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
What they said at Trump impeachment trial: Key quotes from California lawmakers
by Rita Beamish
On Wednesday, a majority of the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump for a second time. At issue in the unprecedented trial was Trump's role in egging on a mob that mounted a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol a week earlier while Congress convened to certify the election victory of President-elect Joe Biden. One California congressman was among the 10 Republicans in the House who joined Democrats in the 232-197 vote for impeachment. Rep. David Valadao of Hanford endorsed … Continue Reading
January 13, 2021
A fight over metal detectors reveals how broken Congress really is
by Jerusalem Demsas
The US House is fighting about metal detectors. Yes, metal detectors. Following the January 6 insurrection when pro-Trump extremists stormed the Capitol, heightened security measures have been put in place - ones that restrict members of Congress. On January 12, the newly appointed acting Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett wrote a memo to all members of Congress and their staff alerting them that everyone (including members of Congress) will need to submit to security screenings when … Continue Reading
January 12, 2021
CNN "NEWSROOM" INTERVIEW WITH REP. JARED HUFFMAN (D-CA)
by Brianna Keilar
KEILAR: More than 200 House Democrats have signed on as cosponsors of the article of impeachment against President Trump. And joining me now to discuss is California Democratic Congressman Jared Huffman.Congressman, thanks for coming on.REP. JARED HUFFMAN (D-CA): Good to be with you, Brianna.KEILAR: You are, at this point, more than -- you are one of the more than 200 Democrats who have signed on to this. Congressman David Cicilline, who co-wrote the article, says he expects around a dozen … Continue Reading
January 12, 2021
Marin congressman discusses impeachment, Capitol siege at forum
by Will Houston
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, Marin County's representative in the House, told constituents at an online forum on Tuesday that he supports the immediate impeachment of President Donald Trump and removing culpable lawmakers following last week's siege at the Capitol. Hundreds of constituents who tuned in asked Huffman, a Democrat who lives in San Rafael, whether Congress should send articles of impeachment to the Senate right away or wait until after President-elect Joe Biden introduces his … Continue Reading
January 12, 2021
A second chance for Eel River salmon and steelhead?
by Victoria Brandon
For many years Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has operated the "Potter Valley Project," a hydroelectric facility on the main stem of the Eel River consisting of Scott and Cape Horn dams and a tunnel diverting water into the Russian River watershed, where it is used to generate a small amount of electricity and for irrigation by farmers in Potter Valley and farther south in Sonoma County. The construction of Scott Dam in 1922 completely blocked passage of critically imperiled anadromous fish … Continue Reading
January 11, 2021
Capitol Police chief sought DC National Guard help before riots—but was denied by supervisors: report
by Greg Norman
The U.S. Capitol Police chief who was in charge during last week's deadly riots reportedly asked his supervisors ahead of time for permission to request that the D.C. National Guard be on standby if the situation spiraled out of control - but was denied. Steven Sund, who resigned from the position as of Friday, revealed the plea this week in an interview with The Washington Post. "If we would have had the National Guard we could have held them at bay longer, until more officers from our … Continue Reading
January 11, 2021
Rep. Huffman joins call for impeachment, unseating lawmakers, Capitol Police & National Guard inquires, 25th Amendment, etc. – Democrats introduce articles of impeachment
by Adrian Fernandez Baumann
WILLITS, 1/11/21 - In response to the riot and storming of the Capitol last week, which Democrats are characterizing as an "insurrection," Rep. Jared Huffman has joined many of his colleagues in calling for a slew of actions to, in his words, "defend our democracy." Democrats in the House have already moved forward with one big step, introducing articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump for the second time. (Read our interview with Rep. Huffman) Huffman sent a letter to … Continue Reading
January 08, 2021
Bay Area lawmakers, Ro Khanna, Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren, Jared Huffman react to US Capitol protest that took place on Wednesday
by Reggie Aqui and Melanie Woodrow
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Several Bay Area lawmakers are reacting to the Capitol protest and shared their experience at the event that took place on Wednesday.Representative Barbara Lee of Oakland reached for a gas mask underneath her seat as the angry mob stormed the Capitol."It was pandemonium in some respects, although we were very disciplined and followed instructions," said Lee."I expected something and actually I wore tennis shoes to the hill," she continued. She says the response was … Continue Reading
January 08, 2021
House Democrats Take a Step Necessary for a Swift Impeachment
by David Korn and Kara Voght
On Friday afternoon, in the wake of the Donald Trump-incited terrorist attack on the US Capitol, House Democrats moved swiftly toward a possible second impeachment of the president. In an unprecedented step, they used a Zoom meeting of the entire caucus to assign members to the Rules Committee for the new Congress. By setting up the committee, Democrats are ensuring that an impeachment resolution can obtain speedy consideration by the committee-a necessary step for reaching the House floor-and … Continue Reading
January 07, 2021
North Coast lawmakers call for Trump’s removal in wake of U.S. Capitol chaos
by Isabella Vanderheiden
After a violent takeover at the U.S. Capitol, some North Coast Democratic lawmakers have called to impeach President Donald Trump or invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to remove him from office. An angry mob of Trump supporters looking to overturn the results of November's election breached the Capitol building on Wednesday, and sent the House and Senate into lockdown. North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman joined the call for impeachment via Twitter on Thursday afternoon. "Let's be … Continue Reading
January 06, 2021
Sonoma County Congressmen Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson recount dark day at US Capitol
by Phil Barber
The two congressmen representing Sonoma County - Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, and Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena - both saw warning signs as President Donald Trump repeatedly whipped up his supporters with baseless claims of election fraud following his loss to Joe Biden in November. But neither thought it would get this bad, this chaotic. "I never could have imagined anything like this," Huffman said midday Wednesday, as he sheltered in his Longworth Building office, part of the Capitol Hill … Continue Reading
January 06, 2021
Trump's sale of Arctic refuge drilling rights earns just a fraction of GOP prediction
by Rebecca Beitsch
The Trump administration auctioned off oil and gas rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for the first time ever Wednesday, selling off 1.6 million acres along the coast to primarily one major buyer: the state of Alaska. The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) won nearly every bid, a sign that oil companies were largely uninterested in developing the pristine wildlife refuge as many major banks have refused to provide financial backing and public support … Continue Reading
January 06, 2021
California lawmakers flee, hunker down as chaos overtakes Capitol
by Tal Kopan
WASHINGTON - As rioters seeking to install President Trump in a second term contrary to November's election results breached the Capitol building, California's lawmakers were spread throughout the complex. They were told to draw the curtains and stay away from the windows. They were urged to remove the lapel pins that identify them as members of Congress. They could hear unidentified explosions and the din of a mob outside. "I'm sickened. This is not our country," said Rep. Jared Huffman, … Continue Reading