In the News
The Energy 202: Netflix's 'Tiger King' sends big cat safety law roaring back in Congress
by Dino Grandoni
With the nation on coronavirus lockdown, America was captivated by Joe Maldonado-Passage - a.k.a. Joe Exotic - the gun-toting, polyamorous, country-singing star of the Netflix smash hit "Tiger King" who once ran an Oklahoma zoo that housed up to 200 tigers. He made his money by offering cubs to pet and illegally selling big cats. At least some of the 64 million viewers of the documentary series were also inspired to call for change from Congress: Lawmakers have been hearing from … Continue Reading
April 24, 2020
White House uses Arbor Day to renew push for 1 trillion trees initiative
by Rebecca Beitsch
The White House is using Arbor Day, which encourages people across the country to plant trees, to renew its push for joining the Trillion Trees initiative. The Trump administration has pushed to join the global initiative since January, but a House bill to finalize the effort has stalled amid the coronavirus outbreak and a lack of support from Democrats. The tree initiative "will lead to cleaner air and water, create wildlife habitat, and reaffirm our nation's commitment to conserving the … Continue Reading
April 23, 2020
NOAA accused of moving too slowly on pandemic aid
by Rob Hotakainen
While the Trump administration rushed to get emergency financial assistance to small businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic this month, fishermen and the seafood industry are still waiting for help. The slow delivery of aid has become a growing source of irritation for many, especially since Congress last month approved $300 million to help them survive during the coronavirus shutdown. In a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross today, Seafood Harvesters of America said the money … Continue Reading
April 22, 2020
A no-brainer stimulus idea: Electrify USPS mail trucks
by David Roberts
With the US trapped in a historic lockdown, everyone agrees that enormous federal spending is necessary to keep the economy going over the next year and beyond — and everyone has their own ideas about how, exactly, that federal spending should be targeted. A whole genre of essays and white papers devoted to clever stimulus plans has developed almost overnight. I’ve contributed to that genre: Go here for my ideal recovery/stimulus plan, here for what I think … Continue Reading
April 19, 2020
Federal funds help Sonoma County airport fast-track $30 million terminal expansion project
by Kevin Fixler
An influx of federal funding is expected to deliver the $30 million expansion of the terminal at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport almost a year ahead of schedule despite the sudden downturn in global air travel. The regional airfield won a $10 million Federal Aviation Administration grant toward the capital construction project last year, which positioned the increasingly popular travel hub for another $10 million within the next two years. The airport is now in the immediate running … Continue Reading
April 16, 2020
Humboldt Bay harbor being dredged, but economy dry amid COVID-19
by Shomik Mukherjee
A heavily sediment-layered portion of Humboldt Bay is being dredged by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, marking a victory for harbor officials amid huge economic losses from the coronavirus pandemic. The harbor's Eureka Channel is supposed to be 27 feet deep but shoaling, or sediment buildup, has rendered it as shallow as 10 feet in some parts. But the Army Corps of Engineers is dredging the area back to normalcy and paying a contractor $22 million to reconstruct the harbor's jetties. "It's … Continue Reading
April 15, 2020
$2.6M in CARES Act funds to help Humboldt County health centers stay afloat during COVID-19
by Sonia Waraich
Last week, the national Health Resources and Services Administration awarded $1.3 billion of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds to 1,387 health centers across the country. Of that, local health centers received about $2.6 million - $1,464,000 to Open Door Community Health Centers, $576,815 to the Karuk Tribe and $619,175 to Redwoods Rural Health Center - that North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman said will help them manage the surge of demand, the risks and the loss of … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Families left in dark as coronavirus races through Bay Area nursing homes
by Jason Fagone , Cynthia Dizikes and Trisha Thadani
Donna Barnett doesn't know what is happening at Drake Terrace, a large San Rafael assisted living facility where her 90-year-old father lives, even after two weeks of frantic attempts to find out. On March 27, she said, the facility emailed a letter to family members disclosing that a resident had tested positive for the new coronavirus. "Learned first (hope last!") coronavirus positive resident at Drake Terrace," Barnett wrote in her journal that day. "Took it like a gut punch. I'm sad, … Continue Reading
April 14, 2020
Coronavirus' relationship with public transit highlighted in latest Huffman town hall
by Andy Krauss
NORTH COAST, Calif. - The novel coronavirus' complex relationship with public transportation was highlighted in the latest virtual town hall hosted by North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman Monday evening. Huffman answered questions and addressed concerns on a number of COVID-19 related topics alongside his three guests, all of whom were from Humboldt County - Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich, North Coast Small Business Development Center Director Leila Roberts and Redwood Region Economic … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Huffman: Local COVID-19 relief is available for small businesses
by Sonia Waraich
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to millions in lost revenue for local businesses and led to the permanent closure of 11 businesses so far in Humboldt County. But assistance is available. The recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act allocated $349 billion to Small Business Administration loans, but at a virtual town hall conducted by North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman on Monday night, he and local business leaders acknowledged that accessing those loans has been a … Continue Reading
April 13, 2020
Digital divide leaves rural and poor Sonoma County students with no internet connection
by Yousef Baig
For Betha MacClain, serving as superintendent of a rural school district in Two Rock came with a unique set of challenges well before the coronavirus pandemic closed her single school. Enrollment at Two Rock Union School District is unpredictable, and can swing dramatically year to year since most families live on the U.S. Coast Guard training center, MacClain said. The rest of the parents live in the bucolic southern Sonoma County countryside, either as farm owners or the laborers who work … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman advocates for fisheries relief in bipartisan letter
by Lisa Lebrenjak
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - On Thursday, April 9 Reps. Jared Huffman, Ed Case, Joe Cunningham, and Garret Graves led 35 of their colleagues in a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce urging immediate distribution of the assistance secured by Congress in the CARES Act to fishery participants, including Tribal, subsistence, commercial, and charter fishery participants. Rep. Huffman currently serves as Chair of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife which has … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
For Marin special education, virus crisis compounds challenges
by Keri Brenner
Remote education during the pandemic is a struggle for many Marin parents, but for those with special needs children it's even more demanding. "Coping with anxiety and learning differences in kids with special needs is hard on a good day," said San Anselmo resident Deanna Brock, whose son is in public and private programs. "These kids don't typically do well with change, and so to have their routines suddenly cut off is very hard." The county has more than 4,000 Marin schoolchildren with … Continue Reading
April 09, 2020
During coronavirus crisis, Congress’s first caucus for nonreligious belief seeks a larger role in promoting science
by Julie Zauzmer
When Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) found out that a Trump administration rule that restricts research using fetal tissue from elective abortions was hampering scientists seeking treatments for the novel coronavirus, he had a coterie of like-minded members of Congress ready to help him protest. The group is called the Congressional Freethought Caucus - the first caucus for nonreligious members of Congress and those who advocate for keeping religion out of government. Huffman, the only … Continue Reading
April 07, 2020
Reps. Thompson and Huffman call for dismissal of Navy chief after rebuke of fired Capt. Brett Crozier
by Lori A. Carter
Sonoma County's two congressmen, Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson, are joining other lawmakers in calling for the removal of the Acting Secretary of the Navy, Thomas Modly, who fired Navy Capt. Brett Crozier after he implored officials for help during a COVID-19 outbreak on the carrier Theodore Roosevelt. Modly, in an address to the crew in Guam, called Crozier, a Santa Rosa native, either "too naive or too stupid to be a commanding officer of a ship like this." The rebuke came less than a … Continue Reading
April 07, 2020
Huffman urges administration to remove barriers to COVID-19 research
by Brian Beneventi
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - On April 6, North Coast U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman, Jan Schakowsky and Diana DeGette urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a letter to prioritize science and public health and surrender the research restrictions on human fetal tissue. Removing the restriction would potentially allow federally-funded scientists to advance studies to prevent, treat or cure COVID-19, the representatives said. As part of their letter, they wrote, "You have repeatedly stated … Continue Reading
April 06, 2020
Steve Madrone pushes for Humboldt County to adopt more homeless policies amid COVID-19
by Shomik Mukherjee
Calling for designated public lots and more accessible sanitizing stations, Humboldt County Supervisor Steve Madrone urged his fellow board members to adopt new policies to accommodate the area's homeless population. In a special meeting of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Monday, the 5th District supervisor said that a lack of public planning has left homeless residents to take organizing and social distancing into their own hands. "They're currently self-regulated, and they're … Continue Reading
April 06, 2020
House Democrats call on Trump administration to lift restrictions on fetal tissue for coronavirus research
by Cristina Marcos
More than a dozen House Democrats on Monday called on the Trump administration to lift restrictions on research that uses human fetal tissue to allow for studies on potential treatment for COVID-19. The lawmakers argued in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar that such studies could lead to developing coronavirus treatments more quickly. Public health officials have estimated that a vaccine will not be available for at least another 12 to 18 months. "Because of your … Continue Reading
April 05, 2020
Facing coronavirus pandemic, Bay Area members of Congress learn to work from home
by Tal Kopan
WASHINGTON - Rep. Mike Thompson is growing a beard. Rep. Zoe Lofgren is cooking something new every night. Rep. Jared Huffman is doing yoga with his wife and daughter. And they're spending a lot of time with their Bay Area constituents where many Americans are these days - online. This is Congress in the age of the coronavirus. Like many people, members of Congress are trying to figure out how to do their jobs remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. No in-person legislating is scheduled … Continue Reading
March 31, 2020
Reps. Thompson, Huffman ask state to pressure insurers over coronavirus-related claims by businesses
by Bill Swindell
U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman, along with 31 other California colleagues, on Tuesday wrote to state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and asked him to use his office's authority to ensure commercial insurance companies comply with their business interruption policies regarding claims related to losses from the coronavirus. The lawmakers' call to action comes after insurers have been denying claims by small businesses by citing that a pandemic and a virus such as COVID-19 are … Continue Reading