Elected to the Assembly in November 2006, Assemblymember Jared Huffman has quickly earned respect as a legislator whose straightforward style, independent thinking, and passion for certain issues — especially the environment — are reminiscent of his hometown hero, President Harry S. Truman. Growing up in Independence, Missouri, Huffman’s earliest political memory was seeing Truman walking around the town square.

Huffman’s priorities include preserving our natural resources; fighting global warming while building the California economy by investing in clean new technologies; promoting sustainable land use and transportation policies; revitalizing public education; reforming our broken health care system; and improving the lives of working families.

As a former Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), he brings unprecedented environmental policy experience to the Assembly. One of his proudest accomplishments at NRDC was helping forge an agreement that is restoring a 153-mile stretch of the San Joaquin River in California’s Central Valley. Restoring the San Joaquin River is one of the largest river restoration projects in our nation’s history.

Prior to joining NRDC, Huffman was a highly successful public interest attorney in private practice. His court victories included several major jury verdicts in gender discrimination and race discrimination trials, and a historic case on behalf of the National Organization for Women that required all California State University campuses to comply with Title IX, creating new athletic opportunities for thousands of female scholar-athletes throughout the state.

Huffman’s first run for public office was in 1994 at the age of 30, when he won a seat on the board of the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD). He was re-elected twice and served a total of 12 years on the MMWD board, including three terms as Board President. His leadership and public service were honored with several awards, including the “Millennium Leadership Award” presented jointly by the Marin Community Foundation and the Marin Independent Journal.

Huffman graduated magna cum laude from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and cum laude from Boston College Law School. Prior to law school, he was a three-time NCAA All-American athlete and member of the World Champion United States Volleyball Team. Huffman’s competitive edge, honed from many years as an athlete, continues to serve him well: he is one of the few attorneys-turned-legislator who can claim to have never lost a trial or an election.

Assemblymember Huffman lives in San Rafael with his wife Susan, and their two children. In his free time, Huffman enjoys all types of fishing, as well as golf, tennis, and as much volleyball and basketball as his creeky, old knees allow.

Huffman represents the 6th Assembly District, which includes Marin and Sonoma counties and the cities of Novato, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, San Rafael and portions of Santa Rosa.

Assembly Member Huffman’s Committees
Chair, Assembly Environmental Safety & Toxic Materials Committee
Assembly Appropriations Committee
Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee
Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee

Last Updated on Wednesday, January 30, 2008