Weekly Update from Rep Huffman

June 03, 2020

“If you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it.” – John Lewis 
 
Hello,  
 
We are at a crossroads in our country. This can be a moment that brings moral clarity and focus on confronting our country’s original sin, racism, and ending the decades of systemic police abuse that fuels our racial divides.  There is real anger, anxiety, division, and fear in this moment, and some will try to exploit it for sinister purposes.  But here in our communities, and in many places around the country, we also see shining examples of compassion, unity, and the urgent but peaceful pursuit of justice and equality. We’ve seen it from peaceful protestors, from kind and decent police officers, from mayors, faith and community leaders, and many others.  These examples are what I believe America stands for: the promise of liberty and justice for all; e Pluribus Unum (from many, one); a work in progress toward a more perfect union.  As your representative, I will keep trying to bring people together and redirect our national outrage toward peaceful change. 

 
Police Reform 
This weekend I joined Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, Barbara Lee, and Karen Bass in introducing their Resolution to Condemn Police Brutality. This resolution calls for reforms at all levels of government to end the epidemic of police brutality that disproportionately impacts communities of color. 
 
Reps. Wm. Lacy Clay and Ro Khanna introduced the PEACE Act last August to change the standard of police force in this country, and I was proud to join them. Deadly force should be a last resort, and I will continue to push for the House to pass this desperately needed bill. There will be additional long-overdue reforms considered by the House in the coming weeks, and I will keep you up to date on our work. 
 
Focusing on Public Health 
Until we are past this pandemic, public health in smart and effective ways must remain a top priority. That is why late last week, I decided to step in to mediate a conversation between local public officials in Sonoma County driven by the Sheriff’s announcement that he would stop enforcing public health orders.  
 
Thankfully this public rift seems to be resolved now, and Sonoma County is moving forward in a cohesive way. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who recognizes that we are all in this together, and that following state and local public health direction is essential to getting our community safely through this difficult time. Thankfully, this conflict was an outlier.  The overall experience in Sonoma County and every other part of my district has overwhelmingly been one of collaborative and constructive efforts by public officials and community members alike.  
 
Please don’t hesitate to contact my office for assistance if you are in need. You can find your local district office contact on my website here. And please don’t forget to join me for my weekly virtual office hours, every Wednesday at 2pm PDT at facebook.com/rephuffman.