In the News
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
August 18, 2016
Huffman addresses district issues
Congressman Jared Huffman visited the Mendocino Coast last week to do a little camping with his family and meet with constituents. He stopped by the newspaper office for an hour’s question-and-answer session that covered a range of subjects. BROADBAND Congressman Huffman is currently working on passing a bill he introduced called the Rural Broadband Infrastructure Investment Act, which promotes new opportunities for broadband deployment on California’s North Coast. Contents of the bill … Continue Reading
August 13, 2016
Redwood Economic Development gets $1M federal grant
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced last week that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1 million grant to the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission of Eureka to recapitalize a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) for the County of Humboldt. Redwood Region Economic Development Corporation serves the entire county and oversees Humboldt Made, The Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission, Fly Humboldt!, the Headwaters Fund and the county’s Workforce … Continue Reading
August 11, 2016
SMART awarded $3 million for Larkspur extension safety features
Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit will receive $3 million in federal funds to continue to build a safety system designed to prevent potentially deadly accidents as it looks to extend rails to Larkspur. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, announced Thursday that the rail service would receive the money from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration as part of a competitive grant program. “This enables us to continue to implement the safety system as part of the … Continue Reading
July 26, 2016
After the dams come down: Klamath Basin stakeholders seek to resurrect water sharing agreements
For thousands of Oregon and California ranchers and farmers who rely on Klamath River Basin water, their primary concern is not whether dams will be removed, but what happens afterward. “We’re still trying to find some solution that will get us in a better place,” Klamath Falls area cattle rancher and grain farmer Luther Horsley said. “Everybody is still concerned about what happens when the dams come out and when the new fish species are reintroduced into the region. Any regulatory burdens … Continue Reading
July 02, 2016
North Coast pot growers, law enforcement wary of marijuana legalization measure
California voters will have a chance to legalize recreational marijuana in November, a prospect that is stirring anxiety among some North Coast cannabis farmers while it may also push the nation toward ending the federal prohibition of pot. If approved by a majority of voters, the measure cleared last week for the fall ballot would complete California’s marijuana odyssey, starting with a first-in-the-nation approval of medical marijuana in 1996. Six years ago, California voters rejected a … Continue Reading
June 29, 2016
Huffman updates bill that may improve Lake Mendocino storage
An update of a bill that may increase Ukiah Valley’s water supply by improving how Lake Mendocino is managed was introduced this week by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael). “Unfortunately, even during periods of extreme drought, many reservoirs are still being operated from antiquated, 60-year-old manuals,” Huffman is quoted as saying in a release from his office. “If local water agencies want to work with the (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) to bring their reservoir operations into the … Continue Reading
June 23, 2016
Taking A Stand by Sitting Down: Jared Huffman Takes the Floor
Congressman Jared Huffman is "standing strong," reported his communications director Alexa Schaffer from Washington this morning. Of course, Huffman is not actually standing, but sitting, on the House chamber floor along with about a dozen other congressional Democrats, to make a point about gun violence. The sit-in commenced yesterday morning, with around 168 House members (out of 188) and 34 senators (out of 44) on the floor and in the aisles by evening. Fortified by doughnuts from Sen. … Continue Reading
June 22, 2016
Democrats disrupt House over gun measures; Huffman joins protest
Rebellious Democrats shut down the House’s legislative work on Wednesday, staging a sit-in on the House floor and refusing to leave until they secured a vote on gun control measures before lawmakers’ weeklong break. Exasperated Republicans were forced to recess while cutting off cameras that showed the protest. But in an unprecedented step, C-SPAN used live video feeds from one lawmaker’s Periscope account and another’s Facebook page to transmit words and images from the House … Continue Reading
June 22, 2016
Huffman urges Congress to provide solutions for the Zika Virus
We haven’t talked about it much here on the North Coast but according to the World Health Organization nearly four million people could be infected with the Zika virus by the end of this year; with the epicenter being Puerto Rico. The territory is in major debt and on the verge of an economic collapse. Local 2nd District Congressman Jared Huffman says the two issues go hand-in-hand, and with up to 5% of the Puerto Rican population coming into the Continental U.S. each year, Congress needs to … Continue Reading
June 22, 2016
Rep. Jared Huffman Among Democrats Staging Gun Control Sit-In on House Floor
Rep. Jared Huffman, our congressman, is among those estimated 70 members of the House of Representatives’ Democratic Caucus staging a sit-in on the floor of their chamber today. They’re protesting the House leadership’s refusal to bring gun control legislation to a vote in the wake of the Orlando massacre. Here’s Huffman’s statement on the subject, from his Facebook page: I’m proud to join Congressman John Lewis & House Dems in a protest on the House floor as we urge an immediate … Continue Reading
June 15, 2016
Huffman: Push For Gun Control Debate Growing 'Palpably Tense' In Congress
Congressman Jared Huffman joined The Drive this week in the first of his new monthly appearance on the show for an update from DC. Huffman reacted to the weekend's tragic events in Orlando and described the tense mood in Congress from House Democrats push to discuss bills related to gun control. Congressman Huffman also provided an update on his current legislation in Congress including banning of the Confederate Battle Flag from VA Cemetaries, car seat legislation, the American Savings … Continue Reading
June 13, 2016
Marin lawmakers renew calls for gun control action after Orlando massacre
A day after the American-born son of Afghan immigrants shot and killed 49 people in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Marin’s representatives in state and federal government called for renewed efforts to pass tougher gun control laws. “It is time to get assault weapons off our streets once and for all,” said Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, speaking Monday at a San Francisco press conference along with other Assembly members backing gun control legislation pending in the state … Continue Reading
June 10, 2016
House Democrats sponsor bill for universal retirement coverage
Democrats in the House of Representatives put forth legislation Friday seeking to promote universal retirement coverage for American workers by extending a retirement vehicle to those without access to a workplace savings plan. The bill, called the American Savings Account Act, would automatically enroll all private-sector workers whose employers don't offer a qualified retirement savings plan into an American Savings Account (ASA), modeled after the Thrift Savings Plan available to federal … Continue Reading
June 10, 2016
Dredge Report
The Journal tagged along with North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman and the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Conservation and Recreation District earlier this week on a visit to the dredge Bayport, which is clearing winter storm shoaling that made Humboldt Bay's entrance super dangerous and prevented several cargo ships from docking this spring. Huffman was joined by Harbor District commissioners Mike Wilson and Larry Doss. Bar Pilot Tim Petrusha piloted the fire boat shared by the Harbor District and … Continue Reading
June 08, 2016
Congressman Huffman congratulates local CA Gold Ribbon School
Congressman Jared Huffman is on the north coast and Monday morning he paid a special visit to a Eureka elementary. Alice Birney students gathered in the school’s courtyard to greet Huffman, as he was there to congratulate them. The elementary was recently named a California Gold Ribbon School. To win the honor a school must display outstanding educational programs and practices. Huffman and the students discussed everything from the Golden State Warriors to why he became a congressman. … Continue Reading