UPDATE: In the final Election Night report, Fortuna voters’ preferences were clear. From a field of five candidates vying for three open seats on the city council, voters pushed incumbent Mike Johnson and challengers Kyle Conley and Christina “Kris” Mobley to victory. Johnson finished with 26 percent of the vote, followed by Mobley’s 24 percent […]
Election Night
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Matthews, White Tromp in Arcata as Voters Reject Watson
UPDATE: With a field of six vying for two four-year terms on the Arcata City Council during a time of major transition for the city, incumbent Meredith Matthews and Planning Commissioner Kimberly White won easily, taking 32.33 percent and 30.11 percent of the vote, respectively. The race spells the end of embattled Councilmember Brett Watson’s […]
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Fullerton, Contreras-Deloach Hold Slim Leads in Eureka
UPDATE: Both of Eureka’s contested city council races remain far too close to call as the dust settles from Election Night. In Ward 3, repeat candidate and local accountant John Fullerton and local union representative and Humboldt County Central Democratic Committee Chair Mario Fernandez are vying to fill the seat soon to be vacated by […]
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Four Justices Vie to Keep Spots on ‘Collegial’ California Supreme Court
It’s one of the most diverse, consequential — and unrecognizable — branches of California government. Name one member of the California Supreme Court. Thought so. Yet the names of four justices on California’s highest court are appearing on the November ballot, mixed in with more glossy, high-profile candidates. In the past three decades, the court […]
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What You Need to Know About the California Governor Debate
After months of an extraordinarily quiet race, in which Gov. Gavin Newsom has barely even acknowledged his own campaign for re-election, the Democrat came out blazing Sunday in the only gubernatorial debate, relentlessly attacking his Republican challenger as a stooge of oil companies who has obstructed his every effort to solve the biggest problems facing […]
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Sample Ballot Contains Error on FUSD Bond
County counsel’s impartial analysis of the Ferndale Unified School District’s proposed school bond in the sample ballot recently sent to voters contains an error on the estimated yearly tax that homeowners in the district will pay if it passes. Known as Measure Q, the proposed $7.7 million bond measure to fix a wide array of […]
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Fact Checking Ads for California’s Sports Betting Propositions
Odds are, one of the many ads for legalizing sports betting has snagged your attention, given their ubiquity on TV, websites and billboards across California. You’d be forgiven, though, for still not having a clear sense of what either of the initiatives do. Some of the ads don’t mention sports betting at all, potentially leaving […]
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Will Women Rule in the 2022 California Election?
A gift or a curse? For Angelique Ashby, running as a “women’s advocate” in a heated state Senate race in Sacramento might be a little of both. Her competitor, Dave Jones, a fellow Democrat, went to court to block Ashby from using that as her ballot designation under her name, arguing that it wasn’t her […]
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‘Close to the Line:’ California’s Top Campaign Finance Watchdog Wants a Deeper Look at Donor Network
California’s campaign finance regulator will not investigate a complaint into Govern For California, the subject of a CalMatters investigation that explored the nonprofit’s role influencing legislative elections and “pushing the envelope” of state campaign finance law. But the chairperson of the Fair Political Practices Commission said he would seek to develop new regulations more clearly […]
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Election Countdown: Council, Mayor Races Set for November
The list of candidates vying for open city council seats across Humboldt County is now set for the November election, which will also see dozens of local school and special district board races on the ballot. Over in Arcata, six candidates are seeking to fill two open seats, including incumbents Meredith Matthews, who was appointed […]
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Back to School: California Republicans Bet Big on Local Board Races
When California Republicans gathered in Anaheim this spring, attention focused on candidate speeches and endorsement battles as the party tries to win its first statewide race since 2006. But a little-noticed, hour-long session in a small conference room at the Marriott could very well be more consequential for the state GOP this election. The meeting […]
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Initial Candidate Filing Period Drawing to a Close
The door is closing for candidates interested in entering a slew of local races in the upcoming November election, with dozens of seats on the boards of special districts and school boards across Humboldt County, as well as city councils, going before voters. The candidate filing period ends today unless an incumbent chooses not to […]