113th Congress

Thanks to the efforts of Congressman Mike Thompson, management of a four-mile stretch of a 22-mile flood control project along I-680 will be transferred from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the Contra Costa Flood Control and Water Conservation District. Removing the bureaucratic hurdles set forth by the Corps' control will let local experts directly perform habitat restoration and flood control. Next up, a community-based planning process will begin to bring a broad local vision into the mix.

Congressman Mike Thompson on Wednesday hosted a meeting with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Undersecretary for Benefits Allison Hickey and Julianna Boor, the new director of the VA's Oakland Regional Office.

Thompson and his Northern California colleagues discussed the claims backlog at the Oakland Regional Office and the recent controversies at other VA offices around the country. Since 2012, Thompson has hosted four separate oversight meetings with Hickey on Capitol Hill and has toured the Oakland Regional Office with her, according to Austin Vevurka of Thompson's office.

Wilfred Alexander, a Vallejo resident and Vietnam War veteran, said the Agent Orange herbicide he handled at war led to prostate cancer later in life, but he had to wait months for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to process his treatment claim. Another veteran said he has to drive an hour and a half for a dentist, doctor or hospital appointment.

As lawmakers cobble together a temporary fix for the nation's crumbling infrastructure, the North Coast's two congressional representatives have reiterated their call for a long-term plan to fund federal highway projects.

Reps. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, said the highway funding bill that the House passed last week does little to address the long-term health of the Federal Highway Trust Fund, which accounts for half of California's transportation spending.