Jared Huffman
Encyclopedia
Jared Huffman is the assemblyman for California's 6th State Assembly district
, which includes all of Marin
and southern Sonoma
counties. Huffman is Chairman of the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee and also chairs the Assembly Environmental Caucus.
in 1982 and later received his Bachelor of Arts
in Political Science magna cum laude from University of California, Santa Barbara
, where he was a three-time All-American volleyball player. He went on to graduate cum laude from Boston College Law School
in 1990.
Huffman was a member of the World Champion USA Volleyball
Team in 1987.
, which required all California State University
campuses to comply with Title IX
, creating new athletic opportunities for thousands of female scholar-athletes throughout California.
Huffman was also a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council
.
for twelve years.
nomination for the 6th district in a hotly-contested primary
in June 2006 in which he surprised the political establishment with a victory over opponents Pamela Torliatt, a Petaluma
city councilwoman, and Cynthia Murray, a Marin County Supervisor who was initially considered the frontrunner. Huffman also defeated Assistant State Attorney General Damon Connelly, Marin County Democratic Chairman John Alden, and sociologist Alex Easton-Brown.
Huffman defeated Republican opponent Dr. Michael Hartnett by a more than 2:1 margin in the general election on November 7, 2006.
Upon his swearing-in on December 4, 2006, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez
immediately named Huffman Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials. In August 2008, the new Assembly Speaker Karen Bass
named Huffman to Chair the Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee. In his first four years as a legislator, Huffman authored and passed more 40 pieces of legislation.
In 2008, Huffman sponsored a bill (AB 2950) which he wrote with internet attorney Daniel Balsam
that aimed to close what its proponents characterized as loopholes in the CAN-SPAM
CAN-SPAM act which made it more difficult to bring lawsuits against deceptive spammers. Although the bill passed the State Assembly and Senate, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
veto
ed the bill.
Huffman faced two opponents in the November 2008 general election: Republican Paul Lavery and Libertarian Timothy Hannan. He won with 70% of the vote and the 137,873 votes he received were among the most by any California Assembly candidate in 2008. In the Democratic
primary
, Huffman was unopposed and received 57,213 votes - the most of any California Assemblymember in that election.
In the June 8, 2010 California primary
, Huffman easily defeated a fellow Democratic challenger Patrick Connally. Huffman faced Republican nominee Robert Stephens in the November 2010 general election. He won overwhelmingly with more than 70% of the vote -- the highest winning margin of any candidate on the ballot in the North Bay that year. Due to California term limit
s, Huffman will be unable to seek a fourth Assembly term in 2012. Huffman is regarded as the frontrunner to succeed Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey
who is considering retirement in 2012, and he has already formed a federal committee to seek that office.
On February 14, 2011 Jared Huffman cosponsored a bill with Paul Fong
, CA Assembly Bill 376, to make it illegal to possess, distribute, or sell shark fins, unless for research or commercial purposes.
California's 6th State Assembly district
California's 6th State Assembly District is one of 80 districts in the California State Assembly. It is currently represented by Democrat Jared Huffman of San Rafael.-District profile:...
, which includes all of Marin
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...
and southern Sonoma
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
counties. Huffman is Chairman of the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee and also chairs the Assembly Environmental Caucus.
Education and personal background
Huffman graduated from William Chrisman High SchoolWilliam Chrisman High School
William Chrisman High School is a high school located in Independence, Missouri as part of the Independence School District. The school was founded in 1888 and was originally known as Independence High School. The first building was located at the intersection of Pleasant and Truman Road, the...
in 1982 and later received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Political Science magna cum laude from University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, where he was a three-time All-American volleyball player. He went on to graduate cum laude from Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School
Boston College Law School is one of the six professional graduate schools at Boston College. Located approximately 1.5 miles from the main Boston College campus in Chestnut Hill, Boston College Law School is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts.With approximately 800 students and...
in 1990.
Huffman was a member of the World Champion USA Volleyball
USA Volleyball
USA Volleyball is a non-profit organization which serves as the national governing body of volleyball in the United States of America ....
Team in 1987.
Legal career
Huffman became a consumer attorney specializing in public interest cases. Among his court victories was an historic case on behalf of the National Organization for WomenNational Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women is the largest feminist organization in the United States. It was founded in 1966 and has a membership of 500,000 contributing members. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S...
, which required all California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
campuses to comply with Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
, creating new athletic opportunities for thousands of female scholar-athletes throughout California.
Huffman was also a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a New York City-based, non-profit, non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing...
.
Local offices
Huffman was also a publicly-elected Director of the Marin Municipal Water DistrictMarin Municipal Water District
The Marin Municipal Water District is the government agency that provides drinking water to southern and central Marin County, California. Chartered in 1912, it became California's first municipal water district...
for twelve years.
Legislative career
Huffman won the DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nomination for the 6th district in a hotly-contested primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
in June 2006 in which he surprised the political establishment with a victory over opponents Pamela Torliatt, a Petaluma
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...
city councilwoman, and Cynthia Murray, a Marin County Supervisor who was initially considered the frontrunner. Huffman also defeated Assistant State Attorney General Damon Connelly, Marin County Democratic Chairman John Alden, and sociologist Alex Easton-Brown.
Huffman defeated Republican opponent Dr. Michael Hartnett by a more than 2:1 margin in the general election on November 7, 2006.
Upon his swearing-in on December 4, 2006, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez
Fabian Núñez
Fabian Núñez has been a labor union adviser and a Democratic politician. He served three two year terms as a member of the State Assembly, leaving office late in 2008...
immediately named Huffman Chairman of the Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials. In August 2008, the new Assembly Speaker Karen Bass
Karen Bass
Karen Ruth Bass is the U.S. Representative for . She is a member of the Democratic Party. Prior to her election to Congress in 2010, she had served as a member of the California State Assembly representing the 47th district since 2004...
named Huffman to Chair the Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee. In his first four years as a legislator, Huffman authored and passed more 40 pieces of legislation.
In 2008, Huffman sponsored a bill (AB 2950) which he wrote with internet attorney Daniel Balsam
Daniel Balsam
Daniel Balsam is an American lawyer best known for his lawsuits against e-mail spammers for violations of internet spam laws. Balsam has been filing lawsuits against spammers since 2002 and has earned over $1 million in court judgments. By filing lawsuits, Balsam aims to publicize the names of the...
that aimed to close what its proponents characterized as loopholes in the CAN-SPAM
CAN-SPAM Act of 2003
The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 , signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 16, 2003, establishes the United States' first national standards for the sending of commercial e-mail and requires the Federal Trade Commission to enforce its provisions...
CAN-SPAM act which made it more difficult to bring lawsuits against deceptive spammers. Although the bill passed the State Assembly and Senate, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
ed the bill.
Huffman faced two opponents in the November 2008 general election: Republican Paul Lavery and Libertarian Timothy Hannan. He won with 70% of the vote and the 137,873 votes he received were among the most by any California Assembly candidate in 2008. In the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, Huffman was unopposed and received 57,213 votes - the most of any California Assemblymember in that election.
In the June 8, 2010 California primary
California state elections, June 2010
The California state elections, June 2010 were held on June 8, 2010 and included five propositions and two special elections, one for a State Senate seat and the other for a State Assembly seat...
, Huffman easily defeated a fellow Democratic challenger Patrick Connally. Huffman faced Republican nominee Robert Stephens in the November 2010 general election. He won overwhelmingly with more than 70% of the vote -- the highest winning margin of any candidate on the ballot in the North Bay that year. Due to California term limit
Term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to curb the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
s, Huffman will be unable to seek a fourth Assembly term in 2012. Huffman is regarded as the frontrunner to succeed Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey
Lynn Woolsey
Lynn C. Woolsey is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes all of Marin County and most of Sonoma County. She is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and its co-chair...
who is considering retirement in 2012, and he has already formed a federal committee to seek that office.
On February 14, 2011 Jared Huffman cosponsored a bill with Paul Fong
Paul Fong
Paul Fong is a Democratic California State Assembly member from California's 22nd State Assembly district. Prior to being elected to the assembly, he served as a Foothill De Anza Community College District Trustee....
, CA Assembly Bill 376, to make it illegal to possess, distribute, or sell shark fins, unless for research or commercial purposes.