[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5644]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING NELS JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 10, 2016

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Nels Johnson of 
Fairfax, California, for more than 40 years of outstanding reporting at 
the Marin Independent Journal (IJ), the largest daily newspaper in 
Marin County. Mr. Johnson's columns and articles have sparked 
conversations and changed policies in our community for decades, and 
his presence in the paper will be sorely missed.
  A graduate of Rutgers University in New Jersey, Mr. Johnson initially 
came to California in a Volkswagen van on a cross-country road trip in 
the early 1970s. After working briefly at a weekly paper in Tiburon, he 
joined the IJ as a reporter in May of 1972, where he continued to work 
through his retirement on April 28 of this year.
  Mr. Johnson's encyclopedic knowledge of Marin County and its 
government is unparalleled. During his tenure, he covered some of the 
largest stories in the North Bay. From the Trailside Killer to the 
Mount Vision Fire to monitoring Supervisors' expense accounts, Mr. 
Johnson was at the forefront of the news he covered--and once, 
famously, became part of the story himself. When an elderly couple in 
Inverness disappeared in 1994, his reporting led investigators to find 
the truck in nearby Lake Nicasio.
  Throughout my years as a California State Assemblyman and now as 
Member of Congress, I always found his coverage to be tough, fearless, 
and fair. He often used his voice to empower the voiceless, 
particularly in elevating threats facing local fisheries and fishers. I 
appreciate the unbridled passion for journalism Mr. Johnson brought to 
the Marin IJ, and his honest approach to both big and small stories.
  I know I am not the only one of his readers who will miss Mr. 
Johnson's dogged reporting, insight into local news and issues, and, of 
course, his column on fishing. Mr. Speaker, it is therefore fitting 
that we honor and thank Nels Johnson for his immeasurable contributions 
to civic life in Marin County and California.

                          ____________________