In the News
Korean War vets receive medals recognizing their service
They might walk a little slower than they did 60-some years ago when their boots met the Korean Peninsula, but they move with the same resolve and determination. The names of more than 100 Korean War veterans were read Saturday in Eureka at a ceremony to remember the men and women who served during what some have called “The Forgotten War.” Bob Palmrose said he was pleasantly surprised when he was notified by mail that he would be receiving a medal bestowed by the South Korean … Continue Reading
April 15, 2016
Ukiah airport awarded $216,000 grant
The Ukiah Municipal Airport will receive $216,000 to help design the reconstruction of its runway as part of $1.7 million worth of Federal Aviation Administration grants allocated locally. Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) announced Friday that the FAA awarded more than $1.7 million to eight airports in Del Norte, Humboldt, Marin, Mendocino and Trinity counties. “Continued support for our small public airports helps to provide services and access to people living in our rural … Continue Reading
April 14, 2016
Democratic reps call for probe of deal over toxic-runoff cleanup
WASHINGTON — Northern California Democrats called for an investigation Thursday into a settlement agreement between the Obama administration and the Westlands Water District that would end a long-running dispute over toxic irrigation runoff that led to an environmental disaster at the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge in 1983. The agreement relieves the federal government of its obligation to provide an estimated $2.7 billion to drain selenium-polluted runoff from Westlands, a … Continue Reading
April 13, 2016
Army Corps announces $7.5M in funding for dredging
Millions of dollars from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will allow for dredging needed to correct unusually heavy winter shoaling that has nearly closed the entrance and channels of Humboldt Bay. The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District announced Wednesday that the Corps has allocated $7.5 million, which is $5 million more than the amount budgeted for annual dredging. “The cavalry is on their way,” Peter Mull, a civil engineer and project manager for the Corps, … Continue Reading
April 08, 2016
Regional dredging partnership taking shape
An unprecedented regional partnership to dredge several neglected river channels connecting to San Pablo Bay is now taking shape, offering new hope for removing the accumulating mud that increasingly chokes the Petaluma River. With Petaluma as the lead agency, the collaborative spanning Sonoma, Marin, Napa and Solano counties would bundle a number of dredging efforts together to lower overall costs while raising the project’s attractiveness for federal support, the city’s top public works … Continue Reading
April 06, 2016
Dam removal along Klamath River moves forward with agreement
KLAMATH, Calif. - A historic agreement to remove dams along the upper Klamath River was signed Wednesday in a event that was attended by various federal, state and tribal stakeholders. Representatives included Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, California Governor, Jerry Brown, Oregon Governor Kate Brown, Congressman Jared Huffman, and Karuk and Yurok tribal leaders. The agreement will bring forth the largest river restoration and dam removal project in U.S. history. Three dams in … Continue Reading
April 06, 2016
Klamath River dam removal deal signed by top federal, state officials
KLAMATH RIVER — It was déjà vu for what could be the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. The governors of California and Oregon stood side-by-side with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to sign their commitment to remove four hydroelectric dams from the 236-mile Klamath River. But unlike the previous version of the agreement signed in 2010 that failed to gain traction in Congress, the new agreement signed Wednesday contained a new set of signatures, a new game plan, and a new … Continue Reading
April 05, 2016
Marin officials fight attempt to oust ranchers from National Seashore
Marin County officials are rallying to support ranchers in the fight against a lawsuit they think would end cattle and dairy operations in the Point Reyes National Seashore. Rep. Jared Huffman joined county supervisors in backing continued ranching activity in the national parkland, an enterprise federal officials promised could continue when families who had farmed the land for generations sold their holdings for inclusion in the park decades ago. After meeting in closed session, the … Continue Reading
March 29, 2016
Huffman Urges DOJ to Clarify Stance on Pot Advertising
North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman is urging the Department of Justice to rebuff the U.S. Postal Service’s requests and publicly state that it won’t prosecute businesses who are mailing advertisements for marijuana but are acting in line with state law. Huffman joined seven of his colleagues in penning a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch urging her to “clarify” how the Department of Justice intends to respond to the USPS’ referring newspapers to her office for potential … Continue Reading
March 16, 2016
Thanks to Huffman for his support for care
A heartfelt thank you is deserved to Congressman Jared Huffman for attending the Coffee and Conversation with Congress event on March 7 at Novato’s LifeLong Medical Care Marin Adult Day Health Center, sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association. This was an opportunity for Rep. Huffman to meet with his constituents and talk about the challenges caregivers, patients and health care professionals face in dealing with this deadly disease. What was shared is staggering: • Alzheimer’s disease … Continue Reading
March 04, 2016
Bill aims to give crab industry $138 million in disaster relief
California commercial crab fishermen, many struggling to keep their businesses afloat amid an unprecedented season closure caused by a toxic algae bloom, could see more than $130 million in disaster relief under a last-ditch federal proposal to bail them out of financial doom. Bay Area Reps. Jackie Speier and Jared Huffman introduced the legislation this week, more than three months after commercial crabbing was shuttered by state officials due to dangerous levels of a neurotoxin found in … Continue Reading
March 03, 2016
Lawmakers Jared Huffman, Jackie Speier push to aid struggling crabbers
Coastal California Reps. Jared Huffman and Jackie Speier on Thursday introduced disaster relief legislation that they hope will deliver more than $130 million to the region’s sidelined crabbers and other business owners who have suffered economically from the extended and unprecedented closures of this year’s Dungeness and rock crab fisheries. The Crab Disaster Relief Bill of 2016 seeks $138.15 million, including $1 million for sampling and monitoring of domoic acid off the West Coast and … Continue Reading
March 02, 2016
Huffman backs legislation to end postal facilities’ closure
Legislation to end the closure and consolidation of mail-processing facilities — including Eureka’s — has been introduced by a bipartisan group of congressmen, including Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael. U.S. Postal Service officials have developed plans to consolidate operations, affecting dozens of mail-processing centers. Lawmakers have called on the Postal Service to postpone the changes. Postal officials call the consolidation plans their “network rationalization” program, which … Continue Reading
February 29, 2016
After nearly 30 years, Petaluma floodwall project complete
It was a familiar exercise when former Petaluma city engineer Tom Hargis was going through security at the Pentagon in 2001, the latest visit between city officials and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over an extensive, collaborative project to fortify flood protection along the Petaluma River. Recounting the story at an event celebrating of the now-completed project, Hargis recalled how the effort hit an unexpected speed bump that day. “That was Sept. 11, when the third plane crashed … Continue Reading
February 28, 2016
Marin City forum on racial justice touches on voting, policing, income and Trump
Again and again, community activists, public officials and advocates hammered home the point at a Marin City forum on racial justice Sunday: “Vote!” The Community Forum on Racial Justice, hosted by Rep. Jared Huffman with guest speaker Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland and a panel of local leaders, gave the community a chance to talk to the representatives about how to better promote racial equity in the North Bay and beyond. “We have to restore the power of the Voting Rights Act. We must do … Continue Reading
February 19, 2016
Rep. Huffman Talks Crab Crisis
U.S. Congressman Jared Huffman came to Crescent City's Harbor District Thursday to discuss dredging the Federal Channel and the status of relief for the beleaguered crab industry. Huffman didn't have good news for crab crew members. Huffman said federal relief for hourly workers doesn't offer much hope. "The first wave of relief was the SBA loan program. In the next wave of relief there may be money for the hourly workers but I have no idea how much would be cash." Disaster aid is a … Continue Reading
February 13, 2016
State Dems’ ambitious plan to keep fossil fuels in the ground
WASHINGTON — Even as the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a huge setback to President Obama’s climate agenda by delaying rules to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants, two California Democrats opened a major new front in the global warming fight in Washington. Their intention is to halt new fossil fuel development on all federally controlled public lands, which is where most of the nation’s coal, oil and natural gas is found. Rep. Jared Huffman of San Rafael introduced the House … Continue Reading
February 12, 2016
North Bay Congressman Still Looking for Answers on Rancho Recall Two Years Later
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) is outraged that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has not explained its own employees’ role in a massive nationwide recall that hurt ranchers in his district in 2014. “We’ve really gotten nothing out of USDA,” Huffman said in an interview. “This all happened on their watch. And frankly, had they done their job, none of this would have happened.” Huffman’s remarks come as the four men who pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges tied to the recall … Continue Reading
February 11, 2016
Marin Rep. Huffman urges ban on fossil fuels extraction from federal lands
Rep. Jared Huffman introduced legislation in the House of Representatives on Thursday that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by banning all new coal, oil and natural gas drilling on federally owned lands and waters from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Circle. “This is in response to a real outpouring of support for this cause that I have seen, not just from my constituents in the north coast of California, but from all over the country,” said Huffman, D-San Rafael. He spoke about … Continue Reading
February 11, 2016
Huffman: “This land is your land”
Housing supporters and a Congressional representative last Friday morning celebrated the passage of legislation that ensures the Coast Guard housing complex in Point Reyes Station is turned into affordable housing. The legislative mandate—part of the broader Coast Guard Authorization Act, which Congress passed two weeks ago and which was signed in to law on Wednesday—requires the agency to sell the property, which includes 36 townhomes, to Marin County at fair market value for use as … Continue Reading