Bob_Huff

Bob Huff

Robert S. Huff (born September 9 1953) is a U.S. politician, who is a Republican member of the California State Assembly, representing the 60th Assembly District, which includes portions of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties. He has served in that body since December 2004. On December 8 2006, he became the Republican Caucus Chair, making him the second-highest ranking Republican in the Assembly.

A resident of Diamond Bar, California, he served on its City Council from 1995-2004 and was Mayor in 1997 and 2001. He ran for the Assembly in 1998 and lost the primary to then-Walnut City Councilman Bob Pacheco. Huff won the 2004 election to succeed the term-limited Pacheco and was reelected in 2006. He is the Republican nominee for the 29th district in the California State Senate in 2008 to succeed the term-limited Bob Margett.

Personal Life and Early Political Career

Born in Calexico, California, Huff grew up on his family's farm in the Imperial Valley. Huff attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara, where he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology, graduating with honors.

Most of Huff's professional and business experience has been in the agricultural industry. Working through the ranks to become the youngest vice president in a grain handling corporation, he became manager-owner of the Ray S. French Company, an independent commodity wholesaler, shortly after he moved his family to Diamond Bar in 1983. Huff and his wife, Mei Mei, have three sons and a daughter.

With a focus on transportation issues, Huff was Diamond Bar's delegate to the Four Corners Transportation Policy Group and was Vice President of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments. He was President of the Foothill Transit Executive Board, and founding Chairman and Executive Board Member of the Alameda Corridor East Construction Authority.

Committee Membership

Huff is the Vice Chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee and of the Select Committee on Urban Education. He is also a member of the Education Committee, the Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, and the Select Committee on Ports.

Legislation

As a proponent of reform within California's school system, Huff has had legislation signed into law guaranteeing more funding for public charter schools and supports shifting more education money into the classroom by contracting out non-educational services. Regarding budget issues, Huff would like to use California's expanding economy to pay down the state's debt to solve its structural deficit and take a percentage of budget growth to create an income stream for infrastructure needs.

In 2008 Huff authored and introduced the following bills:

AB 2085 AB 2085 would delete existing civil rights protections against discrimination in public school instruction based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and perceived gender (including gender identity) disability, nationality, race or ethnicity, and religion.
AB 2086 AB 2086 would require notice to be sent to the parent or guardian of a pupil regarding any proposed discussion on gender identity or sexual orientation. Costs associated with the notification process would be reimbursed by the State (i.e., paid for by California taxpayers). Diversity programs potentially adversely impacted: Coming Out Week, The Day of Silence, and other programs which are critical for fighting intolerance that often leads to harassment and violence against LGBT youth.

Anti-Illegal Immigrant Package Republicans in the California State House unveiled what they’re calling a “comprehensive” package that will “deal with California’s illegal immigration problem.” The package consists of some 22 GOP bills, including several authored by Huff: AB 2418, 2420, 2421 and 2422, as well as AJR 44, a bill which would urge Congress to repeal the section of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. constitution which guarantees birthright citizenship.

Rankings, Awards and Recognition

Huff has received 100% legislative vote rankings from the California Taxpayers Association, the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Farm Bureau Federation, and the California Manufacturers and Technology Association. He was also awarded the 2005 Local Distinguished Service Award in Transportation from the American Public Transit Association and the Outstanding Community Leader of 2005 by the Boy Scouts of America Old Baldy Council.