California representatives announce new California Coastal Caucus

SAUSALITO, CA — In an effort to address policy issues of importance to coastal California, congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA) and congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) announced the launch of the Congressional California Coastal Caucus on August 20, 2021. The announcement took place at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California, and was followed by a panel discussion with both congressmen, Dr. Jeff Boehm, Chief Executive Officer of The Marine Mammal Center, and Dr. Cara Field, Medical Director of The Marine Mammal Center and moderated by Carol Costello. One important focus of the caucus is climate change.

"The reason why I ran for Congress is because of climate change," Lieu told on-site Climate 360 reporters, "I realized that to really tackle climate change, you need all of America to do what California has done."

Lieu will serve as a co-chair for the caucus along with congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA).

Climate change is a matter of special importance at The Marine Mammal Center, an animal hospital that does rescue and rehabilitation work as well as research, outreach and education. Warming ocean temperatures, sea-level rise and ocean acidification, all of which can be linked to climate change, pose serious threats to the lives of seals, sea lions, whales and dolphins, according the to The Marine Mammal Center.

The California Coastal Caucus will support the effort of The Marine Mammal Center by focusing on issues such as ocean acidification, pollution and unsustainable fishing which threaten marine life off the coast of California.