Education
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Eureka City Schools to Talk Jacobs, Grand Jury Response
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Tue, Aug 27, 2024 at 3:34 PM
The California Highway Patrol appears to be back at the table, negotiating to purchase 8.3 acres of the former Jacobs Middle School campus from Eureka City Schools.
A closed session item for the board to conference with Superintendent Gary Storts, the district’s negotiator, concerning price and terms of payment of a potential deal with CHP, kicks off the agenda for the board’s Thursday meeting, which also will feature open session items discussing the future and immediate past of the Jacobs site.
In the first meeting since the district’s controversial $6 million property exchange deal with a mystery developer fell through, the board will hear an update from district staff on possible options for the Jacobs site and discuss the district’s response to a Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury report sharply critical of the board’s handling of the now defunct deal.
A closed session item for the board to conference with Superintendent Gary Storts, the district’s negotiator, concerning price and terms of payment of a potential deal with CHP, kicks off the agenda for the board’s Thursday meeting, which also will feature open session items discussing the future and immediate past of the Jacobs site.
In the first meeting since the district’s controversial $6 million property exchange deal with a mystery developer fell through, the board will hear an update from district staff on possible options for the Jacobs site and discuss the district’s response to a Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury report sharply critical of the board’s handling of the now defunct deal.
Friday, August 9, 2024
Mystery Developer Blames Eureka for Defunct Property Exchange Deal; City Official Says That's 'Laughable'
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Fri, Aug 9, 2024 at 3:33 PM
A day after the Eureka City Schools Board of Trustees voted unanimously to deny the company's request to extend escrow for a third time on the Jacobs Middle School property exchange agreement reached in December, the mystery developer AMG Communities-Jacobs, LLC, issued a statement confirming it is pulling out of the deal and blaming the city of Eureka.
City officials immediately pushed back on the statement as "laughable" and inaccurate, noting that at no point since the newly formed LLC entered into the $6 million exchange agreement with the school district has anyone from the company contacted the city to discuss its plans.
Sent from the [email protected] email address AMG spokesperson Sara Lee has previously used to contact the media, the statement is attributed simply to "AMG Communities."
The statement says the company "decided to withdraw" from the agreement "and to wait until the passage of Measure F ... to reconsider purchasing the property if it is still available at that time," referencing the ballot initiative coming before voters in November that aims to block the city of Eureka's plans to convert municipal parking lots in downtown and Old Town into apartment complexes, while also rezoning the Jacobs site to accommodate single and multi-family housing. The measure is being bankrolled by Robin P. Arkley's company, Security National, which has spent more than $700,000 on the campaign to date.
City officials immediately pushed back on the statement as "laughable" and inaccurate, noting that at no point since the newly formed LLC entered into the $6 million exchange agreement with the school district has anyone from the company contacted the city to discuss its plans.
Sent from the [email protected] email address AMG spokesperson Sara Lee has previously used to contact the media, the statement is attributed simply to "AMG Communities."
The statement says the company "decided to withdraw" from the agreement "and to wait until the passage of Measure F ... to reconsider purchasing the property if it is still available at that time," referencing the ballot initiative coming before voters in November that aims to block the city of Eureka's plans to convert municipal parking lots in downtown and Old Town into apartment complexes, while also rezoning the Jacobs site to accommodate single and multi-family housing. The measure is being bankrolled by Robin P. Arkley's company, Security National, which has spent more than $700,000 on the campaign to date.
Thursday, August 8, 2024
Eureka School Board Denies Extension Request, Potentially Killing Jacobs Deal
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Thu, Aug 8, 2024 at 8:03 PM
The Eureka City Schools Board of Trustees voted unanimously in closed session tonight not to extend a $6 million property exchange agreement with a mystery developer in advance of tomorrow’s deadline for the deal to close.
The district controversially entered into the agreement Dec. 14, 2023, agreeing to trade 8.3 acres of its former Jacobs Middle School property on Allard Avenue to a company legally formed two days prior, AMG Communities-Jacobs LLC, in exchange for a small residential property on I Street and $5.35 million in cash. Under an amended agreement reached in July, both parties had until tomorrow to tie up loose ends and close the deal, which for the district meant securing a lot line adjustment from the city of Eureka and for AMG meant either making needed repairs on the I Street property or agreeing to compensate the district for the cost of making them.
“The district has done everything in its power to be able to close by tomorrow’s deadline, and we are poised and ready to do so,” Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Paul Ziegler told the board. “However, AMG has indicated it is not prepared to close and instead has asked for an additional extension. It has been a long and interesting road to get to this point and, with that said, staff does not recommend that we grant that additional extension. AMG has had plenty of time to perform and do what it needs to do to come to the table to close and, as I said just a minute ago, they’re not prepared to do so.”
The district controversially entered into the agreement Dec. 14, 2023, agreeing to trade 8.3 acres of its former Jacobs Middle School property on Allard Avenue to a company legally formed two days prior, AMG Communities-Jacobs LLC, in exchange for a small residential property on I Street and $5.35 million in cash. Under an amended agreement reached in July, both parties had until tomorrow to tie up loose ends and close the deal, which for the district meant securing a lot line adjustment from the city of Eureka and for AMG meant either making needed repairs on the I Street property or agreeing to compensate the district for the cost of making them.
“The district has done everything in its power to be able to close by tomorrow’s deadline, and we are poised and ready to do so,” Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Paul Ziegler told the board. “However, AMG has indicated it is not prepared to close and instead has asked for an additional extension. It has been a long and interesting road to get to this point and, with that said, staff does not recommend that we grant that additional extension. AMG has had plenty of time to perform and do what it needs to do to come to the table to close and, as I said just a minute ago, they’re not prepared to do so.”
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Pro Parking Lot Campaign Spending Approaches $400K; Disclosure Forms Add to Web of Connections Between Measure and Jacobs Property Swap
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Tue, Aug 6, 2024 at 1:30 PM
Robin P. Arkley II’s Eureka-based Security National-backed ballot measure campaign has spent almost $400,000 this year in its efforts to block Eureka’s plans to convert 14 municipally owned parking lots into multi-family housing developments.
According to campaign finance disclosure reports filed with the city of Eureka that detail campaign fundraising and spending through June 30, the campaign had spent $396,729 in 2024 by the filing deadline, outspending the opposition campaign nearly $69 to $1. In fact, according to the disclosure forms, the campaign has spent far more on postage alone ($23,000) than its opposition has raised ($9,004).
If passed, Measure F would effectively scrap city plans that have been in the works since 2019 to build more than 300 affordable housing units by leasing or selling those city-owned lots to developers looking to build multi-family projects. The measure would create zoning overlays on the lots, requiring that any development maintain or replace existing parking spaces, while also adding new parking for future tenants, which officials have said would make such projects infeasible financially, effectively scrapping the city’s plans. Measure F would also rezone the former Jacobs Middle School site south of WinCo to allow residential development, which proponents of the measure argue will make up for any units lost in the effort to protect parking.
According to campaign finance disclosure reports filed with the city of Eureka that detail campaign fundraising and spending through June 30, the campaign had spent $396,729 in 2024 by the filing deadline, outspending the opposition campaign nearly $69 to $1. In fact, according to the disclosure forms, the campaign has spent far more on postage alone ($23,000) than its opposition has raised ($9,004).
If passed, Measure F would effectively scrap city plans that have been in the works since 2019 to build more than 300 affordable housing units by leasing or selling those city-owned lots to developers looking to build multi-family projects. The measure would create zoning overlays on the lots, requiring that any development maintain or replace existing parking spaces, while also adding new parking for future tenants, which officials have said would make such projects infeasible financially, effectively scrapping the city’s plans. Measure F would also rezone the former Jacobs Middle School site south of WinCo to allow residential development, which proponents of the measure argue will make up for any units lost in the effort to protect parking.
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
DA Declines to Prosecute 27 Arrested in Cal Poly Humboldt Protests
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Tue, Jul 30, 2024 at 11:51 AM
The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office has decided not to criminally charge 27 of the 39 people arrested during the Pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus in late April, during which protesters occupied Siemens Hall for a week.
Responding to a Journal inquiry, District Attorney Stacey Eads wrote in an email that she rejected the 27 case referrals “based on insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt and/or interest of justice grounds.”
“Those cases which were not rejected are pending, as they are being referred to the lead investigating agency, Cal Poly Humboldt Police Department, for further investigation, information and/or documentation,” Eads wrote.
Eads declined to identify the 27 arrestees whom her office has chosen not to prosecute, but said anyone arrested in association with the April protests can call her office at (707) 445-7411 to “inquire about the status of their referral.”
Responding to a Journal inquiry, District Attorney Stacey Eads wrote in an email that she rejected the 27 case referrals “based on insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt and/or interest of justice grounds.”
“Those cases which were not rejected are pending, as they are being referred to the lead investigating agency, Cal Poly Humboldt Police Department, for further investigation, information and/or documentation,” Eads wrote.
Eads declined to identify the 27 arrestees whom her office has chosen not to prosecute, but said anyone arrested in association with the April protests can call her office at (707) 445-7411 to “inquire about the status of their referral.”
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Jackson Stepping Down at Cal Poly Humboldt
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Thu, Jul 11, 2024 at 12:28 PM
After five years on the job, Cal Poly Humboldt President Tom Jackson Jr. announced today that he will be stepping away from his current post and retreating to a faculty position next month.
The announcement comes after a tumultuous end to the 2023-2024 school year saw Jackson face calls for his resignation and a no-confidence vote from faculty stemming from his handling of a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who occupied Siemens Hall for about a week in late April. Jackson drew public criticism from students, faculty, staff, community members and civil rights groups for his decision to close campus and then send hundreds of officers to arrest protesters. The president then did not attend the last University Senate meeting of the year, reportedly due to concerns for his personal safety.
But Jackson's tenure has also seen a huge influx of state resources to the campus, as it transitions into California's third polytechnic university. While the transition has yet to result in a significant increase in enrollment, it's projected to double the school's student in the coming years at a time when enrollments are declining in higher education.
“Cal Poly Humboldt is an amazing place with special people," Jackson said in the release. "I have had the privilege to work alongside scientists and future scientists, teachers and future teachers, artists and future artists, engineers and future engineers, and leaders and future leaders. Like many of you, I wake up every day and remember what a gift I have been given: to have the opportunity to inspire and lead others. Your work makes a positive difference for our students. Please never forget that.”
After leaving the presidency, Jackson will step into a tenured professor position working with the College of Professional Studies and the College of Extended Education and Global Engagement, according to the release. The California State University Chancellor's Office will appoint an interim president to lead Cal Poly Humboldt until Jackson's replacement is hired after a national search, according to the press release.
Find the full press release from Cal Poly Humboldt copied below and pick up next week's Journal for more.
The announcement comes after a tumultuous end to the 2023-2024 school year saw Jackson face calls for his resignation and a no-confidence vote from faculty stemming from his handling of a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who occupied Siemens Hall for about a week in late April. Jackson drew public criticism from students, faculty, staff, community members and civil rights groups for his decision to close campus and then send hundreds of officers to arrest protesters. The president then did not attend the last University Senate meeting of the year, reportedly due to concerns for his personal safety.
But Jackson's tenure has also seen a huge influx of state resources to the campus, as it transitions into California's third polytechnic university. While the transition has yet to result in a significant increase in enrollment, it's projected to double the school's student in the coming years at a time when enrollments are declining in higher education.
“Cal Poly Humboldt is an amazing place with special people," Jackson said in the release. "I have had the privilege to work alongside scientists and future scientists, teachers and future teachers, artists and future artists, engineers and future engineers, and leaders and future leaders. Like many of you, I wake up every day and remember what a gift I have been given: to have the opportunity to inspire and lead others. Your work makes a positive difference for our students. Please never forget that.”
After leaving the presidency, Jackson will step into a tenured professor position working with the College of Professional Studies and the College of Extended Education and Global Engagement, according to the release. The California State University Chancellor's Office will appoint an interim president to lead Cal Poly Humboldt until Jackson's replacement is hired after a national search, according to the press release.
Find the full press release from Cal Poly Humboldt copied below and pick up next week's Journal for more.
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Eureka Schools Amends Property Exchange Agreement, Sets Escrow Deadline
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Tue, Jun 4, 2024 at 2:54 PM
Eureka City Schools has entered into an amended property exchange agreement with a mystery developer looking to acquire its old Jacobs Middle School site that stipulates the parties should close escrow on the deal on or before July 11.
Meanwhile, the California Highway Patrol seems to be back at the negotiating table for the old campus it had hoped to purchase and turn into its Northern Humboldt headquarters until the district, seemingly out of nowhere, entered into an exchange agreement with a newly formed company — AMG Communities-Jacobs, LLC — on Dec. 14.
CHP had not been included as an identified negotiating party in closed session agenda items regarding the Jacobs campus in the months immediately following the district board’s decision to exchange 8.35 acres of the Allard Avenue property for a small, residential property on I Street and a $5.35 million cash payment. But the district then resumed listing CHP as a negotiating party in April.
Superintendent Gary Storts said the district continues to work toward closing the exchange with AMG but the district remains in contact with CHP because it “has continued to express interest in the property.”
Meanwhile, the California Highway Patrol seems to be back at the negotiating table for the old campus it had hoped to purchase and turn into its Northern Humboldt headquarters until the district, seemingly out of nowhere, entered into an exchange agreement with a newly formed company — AMG Communities-Jacobs, LLC — on Dec. 14.
CHP had not been included as an identified negotiating party in closed session agenda items regarding the Jacobs campus in the months immediately following the district board’s decision to exchange 8.35 acres of the Allard Avenue property for a small, residential property on I Street and a $5.35 million cash payment. But the district then resumed listing CHP as a negotiating party in April.
Superintendent Gary Storts said the district continues to work toward closing the exchange with AMG but the district remains in contact with CHP because it “has continued to express interest in the property.”
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Crime / Education / Government
Cal Poly Readying to Turn Protest Police Reports Over to DA
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Tue, May 21, 2024 at 5:04 PM
Cal Poly Humboldt’s University Police Department is wrapping up its criminal investigation into the week-long occupation of Siemens Hall by pro-Palestine demonstrators and associated vandalism, and expects to turn the case over to prosecutors tomorrow, a university spokesperson tells the Journal.
At least 33 people were arrested in association with the demonstrations on campus that began April 22 and prompted administrators to shutter the campus, threatening students, faculty and staff who violated the “hard closure” order with citation or arrest. While those arrested were booked into jail on suspicion of trespassing, resisting arrest and unlawful assembly, all have since been released from custody and Humboldt County District Attorney Stacey Eads tells the Journal no charging decisions have yet been made, as she’s still awaiting investigative reports. Cal Poly Humboldt spokesperson Aileen Yoo says those will mostly likely be turned over to Eads’ office tomorrow.
At its May 7 meeting, the Cal Poly Humboldt University Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass a resolution calling on Eads not to prosecute the students and professor arrested during the protests.
At least 33 people were arrested in association with the demonstrations on campus that began April 22 and prompted administrators to shutter the campus, threatening students, faculty and staff who violated the “hard closure” order with citation or arrest. While those arrested were booked into jail on suspicion of trespassing, resisting arrest and unlawful assembly, all have since been released from custody and Humboldt County District Attorney Stacey Eads tells the Journal no charging decisions have yet been made, as she’s still awaiting investigative reports. Cal Poly Humboldt spokesperson Aileen Yoo says those will mostly likely be turned over to Eads’ office tomorrow.
At its May 7 meeting, the Cal Poly Humboldt University Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass a resolution calling on Eads not to prosecute the students and professor arrested during the protests.
Friday, May 17, 2024
Cal Poly Humboldt Protester Featured on New York Times Podcast
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Fri, May 17, 2024 at 2:50 PM
A Cal Poly Humboldt student was among three people interviewed on today’s edition of the New York Times podcast The Daily, which discusses the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that have gripped college campuses across the nation.
The episode, which includes some nuanced discussion of the protests, their inspiration and how they are viewed by students of various backgrounds, features three students, including 25-year-old CPH early child development student Jasmine Jolly, Mustafa Yowell, a student of Palestinian descent at University of Texas at Austin, and Elisha Baker, a Jewish student at Columbia University.
Jolly, who was raised and identifies as Jewish, talks about her family’s history of anti-war activism, her faith, her experience in local protests and how her views of the Israel-Hamas war might differ from those of her grandfather. The episode as a whole addresses the students’ opinions of the protests, as well as their conflicting views on the use of slogans like “Intifada” and “from the river to the sea.” It’s a conversation with more depth and nuance than typical coverage of the protests and worth a listen on whatever podcast platform you prefer.
An interesting post purporting to be an interview of an anonymous Cal Poly Humboldt protester also appeared yesterday on a website offshoot of a site urging people to boycott the New York Times, “divest” from writing for the publication and unsubscribe to the paper and its offerings. The interview touches on everything from the notion that Humboldt became the “militant front” of the campus movement and why students might have been “ready to fuck the school up” to how the original April 22 protest grew and what might come next.
Meanwhile, we’ll take this opportunity to point you back to a couple pieces in this week’s print edition: our cover story featuring an interview with Cal Poly Humboldt Chief of Staff Mark Johnson, and a views piece from a university professor defending the occupation.
The episode, which includes some nuanced discussion of the protests, their inspiration and how they are viewed by students of various backgrounds, features three students, including 25-year-old CPH early child development student Jasmine Jolly, Mustafa Yowell, a student of Palestinian descent at University of Texas at Austin, and Elisha Baker, a Jewish student at Columbia University.
Jolly, who was raised and identifies as Jewish, talks about her family’s history of anti-war activism, her faith, her experience in local protests and how her views of the Israel-Hamas war might differ from those of her grandfather. The episode as a whole addresses the students’ opinions of the protests, as well as their conflicting views on the use of slogans like “Intifada” and “from the river to the sea.” It’s a conversation with more depth and nuance than typical coverage of the protests and worth a listen on whatever podcast platform you prefer.
An interesting post purporting to be an interview of an anonymous Cal Poly Humboldt protester also appeared yesterday on a website offshoot of a site urging people to boycott the New York Times, “divest” from writing for the publication and unsubscribe to the paper and its offerings. The interview touches on everything from the notion that Humboldt became the “militant front” of the campus movement and why students might have been “ready to fuck the school up” to how the original April 22 protest grew and what might come next.
Meanwhile, we’ll take this opportunity to point you back to a couple pieces in this week’s print edition: our cover story featuring an interview with Cal Poly Humboldt Chief of Staff Mark Johnson, and a views piece from a university professor defending the occupation.
Sunday, May 12, 2024
CPH Graduation at the Courthouse and the Casino
Posted By Jasmin Shirazian on Sun, May 12, 2024 at 5:30 PM
Cal Poly Humboldt graduating senior Angel Barker wasn’t expecting to receive her diploma at a casino.
“My high school graduation was a drive-thru in the parking lot because it was in 2020 at the beginning of COVID-19,” Barker said. “I was really excited to have my family see me walk across the stage at the Redwood Bowl. Graduating at a casino wasn’t what I expected at all.”
In lieu of hosting graduation at the Redwood Bowl in the wake of student protests over the Israeli-Hamas war and the subsequent campus closure, CPH decided to hold local commencement ceremonies at three different locations on Saturday, May 11: the Eureka Theatre, Eureka High School and the Sapphire Palace Event Center at Blue Lake Casino, with a schedule of ceremonies for different disciplines.
