In the News
Locals push China Camp trail rehab projects
Trails in China Camp State Park will undergo rehab over the next seven months, a $360,000 effort initiated by the Friends of China Camp. About a third of the 15 miles of trails at the park along the east shore of San Rafael are eroding and deeply rutted in parts. Because of budget shortfalls in state park accounts, officials had deferred trail work. That meant water has channeled on trails, carrying sediment away from the park and into nearby wetlands, helping silt them over and … Continue Reading
July 14, 2014
Congressmen demand information about Petaluma slaughterhouse
Six months after federal regulators closed a Petaluma slaughterhouse and initiated a nationwide beef recall, two North Bay congressmen are calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture for answers about the still-ongoing investigations. “Six months has been ample time,” Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, said Monday of the probes into Rancho Feeding Corp. “They should have been able to give us information, and they haven’t.” Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, said USDA officials “are using … Continue Reading
July 10, 2014
CalTrans and Corps working on resolving work stoppage
CalTrans decided late Tuesday not to notify the Willits bypass construction contractors to suspend work, based on high level talks underway between CalTrans and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Most work on the bypass has been stopped since June 20 when the Corps notified CalTrans its main permit had been suspended because the project was in serious breach of permit requirements. Congressman Jared Huffman announced Wednesday night he anticipated the two sides would reach an agreement allowing … Continue Reading
June 30, 2014
Drakes Bay Oyster Company not willing to give up despite U.S. Supreme Court decision
The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to take up the case of a Marin County oyster farm facing eviction from the Point Reyes National Seashore in what a lead opponent of the commercial operation called "the end of the road for this company." Drakes Bay Oyster Co. owner Kevin Lunny struck a defiant position, however, and vowed to battle on, calling the high court's pass on his petition "a disappointment, but not really a setback." "Today, we've been delivered news that's disappointing, … Continue Reading
June 24, 2014
Little Lake Hay Harvest Hurt by Drought
The yearly hay harvest has come a little early this year, with high temperatures bringing annual grasses to maturity sooner than usual, and across the valley for the past several weeks farmers and ranchers have been busily cutting, raking, baling and loading their hay, stocking it away to feed their herds. Little Lake Valley grows grass hay, watered by nothing more than nature, or as Tyler Miner, 17, says "This stuff here grows natural, by the wind sun and rain." That of course means the … Continue Reading
June 16, 2014
Huffman warns of economic, ecological damage tied to ocean acidification
Job losses, destruction of habitat and the collapse of the shellfish industry is in the offing if steps are not taken to cope with ocean acidification brought about by pollution in the atmosphere, U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman warned Monday. Huffman, D-San Rafael, visited the University of California at Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory to discuss the issue with researchers, business owners and fishermen. "Ocean acidification will have very far-reaching effects on our food web, our economy and … Continue Reading
June 11, 2014
After CNN exclusive, House Oks more funding for massive meat recall probe
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday threw its weight and pocketbook behind the federal investigation of a California slaughterhouse where CNN exposed issues surrounding one of the biggest meat recalls in years. The latest congressional action authorizes $1 million in additional funding to "provide for a swift completion" of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's probe into the Rancho Feeding Corporation. Federal investigators have said they believe the Petaluma, California-based … Continue Reading
June 11, 2014
After CNN exclusive, House Oks more funding for massive meat recall probe
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday threw its weight and pocketbook behind the federal investigation of a California slaughterhouse where CNN exposed issues surrounding one of the biggest meat recalls in years. The latest congressional action authorizes $1 million in additional funding to "provide for a swift completion" of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's probe into the Rancho Feeding Corporation. Federal investigators have said they believe the Petaluma, California-based … Continue Reading
May 31, 2014
Rep. Jared Huffman voices concerns about size of Obamacare physician networks
Rep. Jared Huffman says he is urging state insurance regulators and the head of California's health care insurance exchange to address concerns that the physician networks available under new Affordable Care Act insurance plans lack sufficient participating doctors. "I am a big supporter of the Affordable Care Act. I think it is a really important reform," said Huffman, D-San Rafael. "But we have a lot more work to do to make it successful in the implementation." Huffman said he wants to … Continue Reading
May 29, 2014
After ‘Blackfish’, lawmakers urge action to protect orcas
Over three dozen members of Congress want the government to ensure the humane treatment of orca whales and other marine animals in captivity, following an outcry sparked by the documentary "Blackfish." The letter, released Thursday and signed by 37 Democrats and one Republican to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, cites outdated regulations protecting those sea mammals and asserts that the current rules don’t reflect “updated science." The documentary recounts the 2010 death of veteran … Continue Reading
May 17, 2014
Traffic fears at root of Muir Woods neighbors’ anger
As it turns out, having a national treasure for a neighbor can be a pain in the neck. Residents who live near the famous Muir Woods National Monument are so angry about traffic on the narrow, winding roads in their neighborhood that they want the National Park Service to impose a limit on the number of visitors to the woods - and to promise never to build more parking lots or other developments in the area to accommodate larger crowds. Top Park Service representatives insist that they … Continue Reading
May 17, 2014
Bill aims to ease NPS' ability to work with outside groups
National parks should have an easier time working with non-profits if new legislation passes. The Park Partner Enhancement Act (H.R. 4614) would create incentives for the National Park Service (NPS) to work with non-profits and educational institutions on projects such as improving land and programs, designing facilities and landscapes, operating interpretive programs, raising money and providing educational and interpretative materials. The bill became available online on the congressional … Continue Reading
May 12, 2014
Local projects threatened as federal transportation dollars begin to dry
Funds for a Larkspur ferry bicycle and pedestrian overpass and a Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier could be in jeopardy if the federal Highway Trust Fund runs out of money, which could happen by August. The lack of funding could set back or shut down projects across the country, force widespread layoffs of construction workers and delay needed repairs and improvements. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, hopped a Golden Gate Transit bus from Petaluma down Highway 101 to the San Rafael … Continue Reading
May 12, 2014
Local projects threatened as federal transportation dollars begin to dry
Funds for a Larkspur ferry bicycle and pedestrian overpass and a Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier could be in jeopardy if the federal Highway Trust Fund runs out of money, which could happen by August. The lack of funding could set back or shut down projects across the country, force widespread layoffs of construction workers and delay needed repairs and improvements. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, hopped a Golden Gate Transit bus from Petaluma down Highway 101 to the San Rafael … Continue Reading
May 03, 2014
Farmers market at Marin Civic Center takes root with Measure B
Marin officials are rallying around a farmers market "food, farming and families" ballot measure that many regard as all but certain to gain voter approval at the polls The county wants to help the farmers market set up a permanent facility across from the Marin Center featuring an open-air canopy above vendor stalls along with a two-story "market hall" housing vendor tables, a cafe, grocery and meat market, conference room and administrative offices. A majority vote favoring farmers … Continue Reading
May 01, 2014
Growing Pains: Legalizing Marijuana Might Save Our National Forests
Since winter, they have been hiking up through high-country canyons, ravines, and creek beds seeking relatively flat ground with access to even a thin trickle of water. They drop their bulky backpacks, weighed down with tools, food, poison, plastic piping, and tents, and begin clearing the ground manually and with herbicides. Then they set to work laying out waterlines, building check dams, and digging into the hard ground so as to plant thousands of cannabis seeds. Within weeks, the … Continue Reading
April 25, 2014
Novato Levee Intentionally Breached in Effort to Return Former Military Base to San Francisco Bay Tidal Marsh
With a swooping bite from the bucket of a large tractor, a portion of shoreline in Novato transformed back more than 130 years. On Friday, the California Coastal Conservancy used heavy machinery to chew through an old levee, allowing bay waters to flood the plains of the former Hamilton Army Airfield for the first time in over a century. “It’s hard to believe this is actually happening,” said Pat Eklund, a once-community activist turned Novato City Councilwoman. “We’ve been dreaming … Continue Reading
April 08, 2014
Huffman offers amendment to boost special education funding
During recent budget committee markup, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) offered an amendment to boost funding for special education by $102 billion over 10 years. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), more than 6.5 million children are eligible for special education services, guaranteeing that each child has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential. When IDEA was passed in 1975, the federal government committed to pay 40 percent of the average per pupil … Continue Reading
April 07, 2014
Profile: Huffman in for the long haul
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) might not have a gold medal, but to him he has something more valuable: a legislative legacy. After graduating from UC-Santa Barbara as a three-time All-American in men’s volleyball, Huffman spent seven months playing for the U.S. national team during a period when they were ranked No. 1 in the world. He left the team, however, to begin law school at Boston College. “The guys I played with went on to win a gold medal in Seoul … I got a law degree,” Huffman … Continue Reading
March 31, 2014
‘Rosie the Riveters’ meet president, vice president in Washington, D.C.
It couldn't have been a more exciting or jam-packed day for Phyllis Gould of Fairfax and four other Rosie the Riveters who Monday met President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden while visiting Washington, D.C. Gould, 92, worked as a welder at the Kaiser Richmond shipyards during World War II and has been writing letters since 2008 petitioning elected officials to recognize the contributions of Rosies such as herself. Biden invited the Rosies to the White House in October. The … Continue Reading