Achievements

Sam Farr standing in front of Fort Ord Dunes State Reserve sign at Fort Ord Dunes State Reserve

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Delivering for the Central Coast

Sam Farr grew up on the Central Coast and has devoted his life to helping our people and preserving our natural treasures. As our representative in Congress, he’s won repeated victories for local economic development, better schools, coastal protection, agricultural research, support for our military and more. Through his skill and persistence, he’s helped create thousands of new jobs in our area at a time when they’re desperately needed.

Standing Up for Homeowners

When big-bank speculators crashed the housing market, Sam Farr went to bat for local homeowners. He’s helped pass homeowner relief legislation and protections for future borrowers, while also providing advice and guidance to homeowners facing foreclosure. In addition, Sam has fought to provide more affordable housing here in our area, where home prices are still out of reach for many people. Against tough political resistance, he saw to it that a major portion of the decommissioned Fort Ord site is devoted to good basic housing that ordinary people can afford.

Defending Our Farms and Ag Workers

Sam Farr has long been a leader in the fight to preserve prime agricultural land for farming and to protect ag-related jobs. He’s also pushed relentlessly to improve U.S. food inspection and tracking systems to protect public health and reduce the risk of produce industry shutdowns. He’s delivered the funding for local agricultural research and water reclamation, and created a program in Salinas (the first in the nation) to help farm workers buy their own homes.

Saving Our Environment – to Help Our Economy

Sam Farr fights to protect the Central Coast not just to preserve the beautiful views. He recognizes the value of this spectacular environment to our economy. The new parks he recently won for us at the old Fort Ord site will attract more tourist dollars. His successful ocean protection efforts will mean a better future for fishing. Among his many other victories, Sam has won permanent wilderness protection for the offshore rocks and islands along the entire California coast. He’s also succeeded in doubling the size of the Pinnacles National Monument to protect this natural treasure from urban sprawl.

Keeping Our Teachers On the Job

When the California budget crisis threatened hundreds of our teachers with layoffs, Sam Farr helped deliver the funds to keep them in the classroom, preparing our kids for the future. He’s authored legislation for better teacher training in core subjects and helped obtain funds to reduce class sizes in our overcrowded middle schools. He also spearheaded the conversion of Fort Ord into a new CSU campus and brought a state-of-the-art science lab to UCSC.

Countering Gang Violence

Sam Farr is deeply involved in helping to reduce the gang violence that plagues some of our communities. He’s not only helped win funding for more local police. He’s supported programs in our schools that teach students how to resolve their differences peacefully, and has delivered critical funding for the innovative Silver Star program in Salinas, which helps at-risk youth break free from gangs and get a new start in life.

Helping Our Vets and Military

Sam Farr deeply respects the sacrifice of America’s military veterans and works to ensure that they receive the care and benefits they’ve earned. Thanks to Sam, there will soon be a new state-of-the-art veterans health clinic at Fort Ord and a veterans cemetery to honor our deceased veterans and military retirees. He’s also fought effectively for our area’s military installations, helping to maintain the Defense Language Institute and the Navy Postgraduate School as premiere educational institutions and securing a Defense Department finance center at Fort Ord that employs over a hundred workers.

Winning Better Health Coverage

Sam Farr helped pass strong new protections preventing insurance companies from cutting off people’s health coverage when they need it most and prohibiting discrimination against children with existing medical conditions. He’s also helped improve Medicare coverage through better terms of reimbursement, and he’s won vital financial support for several of our local hospitals and clinics.

Honors

Received 96% on the Peace Action West 2012 Congressional Voting Record
Received 100% on the 2012 Humane Scorecard
Received 96% on the League of Conservation Voter's 2012 National Environmental Scorecard
Received 100% on the American Association of University Women (AAUW)Congressional Scorecard
Received an "A+" and Extra Credit on the Citizens for Global Solutions 2012 Congressional Report Card
Received an "A" on UFCW's Congressional Scorecard for the 1st Session of the 112th Congress
Received 97% rating on the League of Conservation Voters 2011 National Environmental Scorecard
Received 100% rating on the League of Conservation Voters 2010 National Environmental Scorecard
Received 100% on conservation Votes from The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund
Best Local Politician, Best of Monterey County Weekly Readers Poll
Received 100% on the Federally Employed Women, FEW, Scorecard for 111th Congress, First Session
Received 2009 Pioneer Award from the National Tour Association
Received 2008 Humane Champion Award from the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund by receiving a perfect score on the 2008 Humane Scorecard for his work on animal welfare issues.
Received an A+ on the 2008 Congressional Report Card issued by the nonpartisan Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Action Fund.
Received Perfect Record from National Breast Cancer Coalition for 2007 Priorities
2008 California Wine Institute Leadership Award
Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund 2007 Legislative Leadership Award
Senator David Pryor Special Achievement Award
United Fresh Congressional Leadership Award
University of California at Santa Cruz Fiat Lux Award
Orden del Congreso de Colombia
Carlos Albizu University Pinnacle of Success Award
Named Environmental Hero by the League of Conservation Voters and Scored 90% for 2007 voting record
Grade A (96%) from NAACP for 2007 Voting Record
Grade A (93%) rating from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Grade A+ (the highest possible grade) from the American Wilderness Coalition
90 percent on League of Conservation Score Card
Volunteer Center National Network Council's Public Policy Award
First Congressional Concierge Award by the American Hotel & Motel Association
Legislator of the Year by the American Planning Association
Year of the Restaurant Award from the National Restaurant Association
Awarded 100 percent voting record by such diverse groups as:

Planned Parenthood
Peace Action & Peace Action West
Campaign for United Nations Reform
American Association of University Women
Human Rights Campaign
American Public Health Association
Center for Marine Conservation
Children's Defense Fund
League of Conservation Voters
Alliance for Retired Americans
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

Actions

Obtained more than $65 million in defense conversion funds to start a new California State University on the Fort Ord site.
Initiated tax incentives that preserve farmland for farming, not urban sprawl.
Brought millions of dollars to the district for local agriculture projects, including support for organic farming and research into alternatives to methyl bromide.
Launched initiatives to save essential fish habitat and improve support for national marine sanctuaries.
Authored the original Oceans Act, a version of which passed Congress and was signed into law in 2000.
Won an executive order giving permanent Wilderness status to the offshore rocks and islands along the entire California coast.
Helped maintain the Naval Postgraduate School and Defense Language Institute as premier educational institutions
Helped secure a Defense Department finance center that employs more than a hundred federal workers; a new University of California science research center; a new housing project for the homeless; a veterans' clinic; a business-industrial airport; two new public golf courses; 8,000 acres of new federal parkland, and a one-stop job training and employment center.
Helped pass a major campaign finance reform bill.
Forced the House of Representatives to initiate its own recycling program.
Fought to designate California's Route 1 as an "All American Road" - one of only six in the nation.
Worked to add 7,960 acres to Pinnacles National Monument.
Stopped the Navy from conducting practice bombing runs over the Big Sur coast.
Secured the funding for the National Marine Fisheries Service lab in Santa Cruz.
Obtained funding for construction of Hartnell's new regional health occupations training center.