The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors has voted to remove the “interim” from Connie Beck’s job title and make her the official director of its Department of Health and Human Services. Beck was appointed the department’s interim director back in December, taking over for the retiring Phillip Crandall after the supervisors’ hired replacement, Kristin Brinks, […]
Government
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Feds Announce New Klamath Accord to Remove Dams by 2020
A new deal has been reached to remove the four hydroelectric dams that clog the Klamath River and revive the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, the federal government announced today. According to a joint press release, the federal government, the states of Oregon and California and PacifiCorp — the energy company that owns […]
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Supes Set to Discuss Vacation Rental Ordinance
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors is about to plunge into the increasingly fraught issue of vacation rentals, a topic that has Trinidad and communities large and small across California, and the nation, tied up in knots (and, in many cases, lawsuits). The Supes will consider a petition on whether and how to regulate vacation […]
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Wheetley Bows Out of Supes Race
Arcata City Councilmember Mark Wheetley has dropped out of the race to become Humboldt County’s next Third District supervisor. Wheetley, who was arrested last month on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, made the announcement in an email statement sent out this morning, citing “a number of personal and professional obligations” that would […]
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County Simultaneously Releases Budget App, Grim Budget Forecast
The county of Humboldt launched an interactive online budget application Friday aimed at helping residents better understand their government, just as county staff released a fairly gloomy five-year budget forecast. “Open Budget,” the new interactive tool that can be found here, is designed to let folks explore different facets of county spending and revenue collection, […]
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Deadline for Marijuana Laws Lifted, Two Days After Supes Cram Through Ordinance
Two days after the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors passed a comprehensive outdoor medical marijuana cultivation ordinance — an effort of superbureaucratic speed — state lawmakers lifted the deadline that led to the county’s mad rush. Assemblyman Jim Wood announced this morning that his emergency legislation, lifting a March 1 deadline for local jurisdictions to […]
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Fair Association Ordered to Pay $45K in Attorney Fees
A local judge has ordered the Humboldt County Fair Association to pay more than $45,000 in attorney’s fees to a Davis lawyer who successfully represented Ferndale Enterprise Publisher Caroline Titus in her public records lawsuit against the association. Titus filed suit in April seeking access to the association’s financial records after multiple requests under the […]
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Yurok Tribe Declares Emergency After Rash of Suicides
The Yurok Tribe has declared a state of emergency after seven young tribal members took their own lives over an 18-month span. The tribe is working with tribal, state and federal agencies and developing a “broad, collaborative plan to identify the root causes of this epidemic,” according to a press release. All of the suicides […]
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PlanCo Shelves No Confidence Vote, Denies Westhaven Cell Tower
The Humboldt County Planning Commission backed away from a proposed no-confidence vote in planning staff Thursday night, and instead unanimously approved forming an adhoc committee aimed at improving staff-commission relations. Specifically, the committee will see two yet-to-be-named commissioners meet with interim Planning Director Robert Wall and County Counsel Jeffrey Blanck in order to clarify procedures […]
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After Bitter Debate, Eureka Declares Shelter Crisis
Public comment was brief, compared to previous meetings on the subject of homelessness. Only around 30 citizens came up to the podium to address the city council about the proposed declaration of a citywide shelter crisis. The declaration, originally proposed by Councilmember Linda Atkins, was reworked by city staff before being put before the council […]
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City Files Final Brief in Dash Cam Case
The police dash camera video depicting Eureka police officers’ Dec. 6, 2012 arrest of a juvenile suspect is a confidential personnel record and can only be disclosed through a strict process that governs such records, the city of Eureka argued in a brief submitted to the California court of appeals last week. The city is […]
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As Supes Move Closer to Marijuana Ordinance, the Planning Commission Expresses Outrage
A new outdoor medical marijuana draft ordinance has been released in advance of next week’s board of supervisors meeting, and it contains the stiffer restrictions on canopy sizes and cultivation in timber lands that supervisors have asked for since their review began at the beginning of the year. It’s a turn away from some of […]