(From press release) Today, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-04) released the following statement in response to the final results in the race for California’s Fourth Congressional District:
“I’m proud of my service. While these results are neither what my team and I worked for nor hoped for, I’m grateful to the hundreds of local elected officials and community leaders who supported our campaign and every volunteer who put up a sign, collected petition signatures, made phone calls, knocked on doors, and talked to their neighbors. And I’m especially grateful to my wife, Jan, our family, and my incredible staff.
“My team and I have always lived by one principle: We’re here to do the people’s work serving our district, and that job is never too big nor too small. None of our success would have been possible without the partnership of our outstanding community.
“When Washington diverted water killing 80,000 spawning salmon in the Klamath River, we captured national headlines by dropping 500 pounds of dead salmon on the steps of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Our protest led to the waterflow restoration and salmon are again spawning in the Klamath.
“As our country grappled with the growing impacts of climate change, I worked with local and national leaders to write and enact the largest investment in combating climate change in U.S. history. My landmark renewable energy policies helped drive down energy costs, generated $400 billion in U.S. investments, and created 400,000 jobs.
“At the height of our gun violence epidemic, I was tasked with chairing the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, where I helped write and pass the most significant gun violence prevention reform signed into law in decades. To this day, our law is helping to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and targeting illegal gun trafficking.
“And when our community was devastated by raging wildfires, we came together. I secured $99 million for recovery and I passed legislation through one of the most divided Congresses in decades to deliver $500 million in tax relief for survivors.
“We also passed my bill preserving over 273,000 acres in Northern California as wilderness and allowing the use of mechanized equipment to prevent and fight fires in wilderness areas.
“My work to protect our natural lands didn’t end there. I led the effort to designate and expand Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and through my position on the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, I protected over 4.75 million acres of wetlands and uplands for the next generation to enjoy.
“When proposed water diversions threatened our community, I fought hard to stop diversions that would have devastated North of Delta agriculture and harmed fish and migratory birds.
“When our ag community faced threats, I passed a law for rice farmers that kept them afloat, authored the historic tax credits for rice farmers to flood their lands and protect both their crops and endangered species, secured critical funding to fight pests like the glassy-winged sharpshooter, delivered funds to study and combat the impact of wildfire smoke exposure on winegrapes, created a pilot USDA insurance program offered to California winegrape farmers, and delivered millions to save peach farmers on the brink of disaster.
“And when a pandemic spread around the world, my bill was passed providing telehealth access to patients, ensuring Americans could safely access the care they needed.
“It’s been the honor of my life to serve the community where I was born, grew up, and still live today. I look forward to continuing to serve our community through the end of my term and beyond,” said Thompson.
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