In the News
I watched the 2016 State of the Union address from prison in Iran. This year, I attended it as a free man.
I sat in the gallery above the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday night surrounded by a broad cross-section of American society that had gathered to witness the national institution known as the State of the Union, or the Address to a Joint Session of Congress as it is known during a new president’s first year in office. From my seat among the guests, I could glimpse at least eight women wearing the Islamic hijab, including Aneelah Afzali, a lawyer and the director of the … Continue Reading
February 28, 2017
Sonoma County’s congressmen say President Trump's speech long on promises, short on details
Sonoma County’s two members of Congress said President Donald Trump made expansive promises and talked about spending trillions of taxpayer dollars in a speech Tuesday night that was short on explaining how any of it will be done. “He made a lot of lofty promises that quite honestly I don’t see how they can be achieved,” said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, in a telephone interview shortly after the president’s first speech to a joint session of Congress. Thompson and his colleague, … Continue Reading
February 24, 2017
Huffman: 'I Know My Job is to Fight'
There were no shouting matches, angry jeers, seas of protest signs or calls for his ouster in 2018. Unlike the rancorous town halls some members of Congress are facing across the nation, North Coast Representative Jared Huffman’s meeting in Arcata was a rather friendly affair, often punctuated by bursts of applause, cheers and even laughter at his pithy jabs at the new administration. “I’m very clear-eyed about what is going on in our county and I know my job is to fight,” Huffman said to … Continue Reading
February 23, 2017
Nearly 1,200 attend Huffman’s town hall
An estimated 1,200 people attended a town hall meeting put on by Rep. Jared Huffman to discuss local, state and national policies that affect the North Coast. While the meeting was originally set to take place in the Arcata High School Fine Arts Center, Huffman said the location had to be moved to the school’s gym to accommodate for the number of people who RSVP’d. People filled the bleachers and some were left standing at the entrance of the building while others were seated on the … Continue Reading
February 15, 2017
Legislators weigh in on drugs, tribal rights
by by Ariel Carmona
With a new legislative session well underway, local legislators have had their hands full addressing the rising costs of drugs, cannabis taxation and regulation and Native American tribal rights, amid other issues with regional implications. According to a press release, Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), who has been vocal over the last few months about the tight timelines associated with Proposition 64, will chair a Senate Governance and Finance Committee hearing next week intended to … Continue Reading
February 15, 2017
Rep. Huffman promises he’s pushing for changes at Lake Mendocino
After years of drought, Mendocino County is finally getting its fair share (and then some) of rainfall this winter. And since so much water is falling from the sky, many in the Ukiah Valley are wondering when, if ever, more of it might be stored in Lake Mendocino? The reservoir is owned by the Sonoma County Water Agency, and for most of the past few years that agency has been in charge of the water releases, given that the water level was so low. But now that the water level is above the … Continue Reading
February 15, 2017
Congressmen Mike Thompson, Jared Huffman call for independent probe of President Trump's ties to Russia
Sonoma County’s two Democratic congressmen, Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman, called Wednesday for an independent investigation of the Trump administration’s ties to Russia and castigated their House Republican colleagues for stonewalling amid the escalating scandal. Their sharp comments — likening the dominant news story from the nation’s capitol to Watergate — came two days after Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn’s forced resignation following reports that he had misled the … Continue Reading
February 07, 2017
Huffman calls for probe of oil giant
Humboldt County’s congressional representative Jared Huffman and 17 of his California colleagues urged California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Monday to “vigorously and publicly” investigate oil companies such as Exxon Mobil for allegedly misleading the public about the causes and dangers of climate change. Becerra’s predecessor Kamala Harris — who was elected to the Senate last year — had already initiated an investigation into Exxon Mobil in January 2016 on whether the company … Continue Reading
February 02, 2017
Huffman calls for reversal of "one in, two out" executive order
D.C. - Congressmen Jared Huffman co-authored a letter with Raul M. Grijalva, of the Committee on Natural Resources, to express what they call “grave concern” over an executive order issued by President Trump earlier this week. The executive order, among other things, requires lawmakers to identify two regulations to be repealed when proposing a new regulation. Both Huffman and Grijalva’s major issue with the executive order is the impact they could have on fisheries. In order to open or … Continue Reading
February 02, 2017
Huffman pushes for accessible rural broadband service
North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman worked with fellow Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin) and Rick Nolan (D-Minnesota) to introduce the New Deal Rural Broadband Act, an effort to close the digital divide and establish a broadband internet connection in every home, business and school. The plan is based on Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal rural electrification model and aims to expand access to broadband internet in rural communities within the North Coast — and across the county — in order to compete … Continue Reading
October 25, 2016
Congress members to tour Last Chance
Del Norte’s congressman and the U.S. representative for Southern Oregon will tour Last Chance Grade and the Smith River on Friday. Weather permitting, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) will fly over the slide prone area of U.S. 101. If it’s rainy, the congressmen may tour the area with Caltrans representatives by van, said Huffman spokesman John Driscoll. Following the tour, Huffman and DeFazio will meet with representatives of Caltrans and members of … Continue Reading
October 18, 2016
Huffman working with State Dept. on kidnapped McKinleyville man
Representative Jared Huffman is offering his thoughts and prayers for the McKinleyville man kidnapped from his home in the African country of Niger last Friday. “My thoughts are with Jeff Woodke and his loved ones during this extremely trying time... it is devastating to see my constituent who has spent his life dedicated to humanitarian service be victimized in this way,” Huffman said. The Congressman also said that he is working with the State Department to ensure Woodke’s safe … Continue Reading
October 06, 2016
Jason Rezaian’s brother, Ali, describes Jason’s ordeal in Iran
Ali Rezaian didn’t think much of it when he kept receiving phone calls from unlisted numbers at his Mill Valley home on July 22, 2014. That was until he heard a voicemail from his brother’s boss, Washington Post foreign editor Doug Jehl: “I need to talk to you. Could you please give me a call?” Rezaian soon learned that his brother, Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, and his brother’s wife, Yeganeh Salehi, had been taken from their home in Tehran by unknown assailants. “That was the … Continue Reading
October 03, 2016
McGuire, Huffman to hold hearing to update on upcoming crab season, state aquaculture
North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and 2nd District Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) will hold a special hearing in Bodega Bay this afternoon updating on the expectations of the upcoming 2016-2017 crab season. One item set to be discussed is the status of the $138.2 million in federal financial relief funds proposed by Huffman and other congress members to aid the crabbing industry after last year’s disastrous season. A massive bloom of an algae-produced neurotoxin … Continue Reading
September 27, 2016
Implement the Clean Power Plan
by Congressman Jared Huffman and Senator Edward J. Markey
The HillSeptember 27, 2016 Sometimes big problems require big solutions. One of the biggest problems this country has long faced is air pollution, which has had a devastating effect on the health of people and our planet. More than 45 years ago, recognizing the seriousness of the threat, Congress enacted a big solution: the Clean Air Act. It is one of our nation's most successful laws, helping to cut air pollution of all types even as the U.S. economy has grown. Now the administration's … Continue Reading
September 20, 2016
Marin climate activists urge supporters to engage in November election
Experts on global warming told a crowd of several hundred people in San Rafael this week that the Nov. 8 election figures to be a key turning point in the battle to prevent irreversible climate change. The Time to Lead on Climate coalition, which consists of more than a dozen Marin environmental organizations, held its third educational forum in Dominican University’s Angelico Hall Monday night. Speakers included Michael Wara, an associate professor of law at Stanford University and former … Continue Reading
September 14, 2016
Huffman pushes for California Coastal National Monument plan
North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman will join Sen. Barbara Boxer and Reps. Anna Eshoo and Lois Capps at a meeting on Friday in Cambria with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to discuss the proposed expansion of the California Coastal National Monument — an expansion which includes Lighthouse Ranch in Loleta, 13 acres of the Trinidad Head, and the Lost Coast Headlands. In a press release, Huffman said he was pleased to work closely with the Trinidad Rancheria and Wiyot Tribe on the effort … Continue Reading
August 31, 2016
New funding keeps SMART on track
Commuters have been anxiously awaiting the commuter train they voted for, and a recent financial shot in the arm is greasing the tracks. Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) just announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded $3 million in funding to the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District system. Huffman’s staff says he urged FRA Secretary Foxx to award SMART’s grant application. “The safety of my constituents is … Continue Reading
August 25, 2016
Feds, tribes react to Trinity water releases
The Bureau of Reclamation released water from the Trinity Reservoir early Thursday morning to the lower Klamath River to help prevent the spread a parasitic fish disease, within Chinook salmon. Supplemental flows from the Lewiston Dam will also extend into late September to protect the fall salmon run. Mike Belchik of the Yurok Tribe said more flows from the Trinity Reservoir are planned though Sept. 21. “Flows were increased at Lewiston Dam starting at 6 a.m. (Thursday) morning for … Continue Reading
August 23, 2016
Confederate flags will be a much rarer sight at federal cemeteries after urging from California congressman
The Department of Veterans Affairs is changing its policy on displaying the Confederate flag at the urging of Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and other House Democrats. In a letter to Huffman, the interim undersecretary for memorial affairs, Ronald Walters, wrote that the new policy will prohibit the flying of the Confederate flag from any permanent flagpole at a national cemetery. “We are aware of the concerns of those who wish to see Confederate flags removed from public venues … Continue Reading