Eureka, meet your new boss: West Des Moines, Iowa, City Manager Greg Sparks has accepted the Eureka city manager position and is scheduled to start May 1, after a background check is completed. Sparks hit the two key Eureka talking points in a city press release issued today: economy and scenery. “The area has great […]
Government
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#Communityengagement #entrapment?
Two government agencies dove into the Twitterverse this past week, one looking to gather public input 140 characters at a time and the other seeking to increase traffic safety by doling out messages commonly read on handheld portable devices. First, the county of Humboldt, with a community meeting planned for Thursday to identify priorities as the Board […]
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Planning Commission Seeks Guidance from ‘Bosses’
Facing a riled-up public, some of the newest members of the Humboldt County Planning Commission found themselves on the short end of two votes Thursday night. For the second meeting in a row, Supervisors Chambers was about half-filled by angry and demanding trail advocates, along with a smattering of fisheries biologists. One contested vote was […]
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Mills’ Plan for Policing Eureka
In the face of some notable crime rates, new Eureka Police Chief Andrew Mills is overhauling the department, instituting a massive reorganization that will change both the way residents interface with the department and how its commanders are held accountable. Mills, who came to the city in November from San Diego, said his plan is […]
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Planning Commission Meeting Canceled
The Humboldt County Planning Commission’s special General Plan Update meeting scheduled for tonight has been canceled due to a lack of a quorum, according to county Planning Director Kevin Hamblin. After last week’s meetings caused quite a stir, tonight’s meeting was expected to be heavily attended. Hamblin said the commission is still scheduled to meet Thursday, which […]
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From the Publisher: Poking a Hornet’s Nest
Editor’s Note: The following is a column by Journal Publisher Judy Hodgson that will appear in this week’s print edition, which hits streets tomorrow. Don’t miss Marcy Burstiner’s “Media Maven” column in this week’s print edition. Real and potential Brown Act violations are popping up with such frequency now, it’s like a game of Whack-A-Mole. Did […]
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Eureka Releases CM Search Panelists’ Names
After refusing to do so when asked by the Times-Standard last week, the city of Eureka today released the names of private citizens who will serve on a panel interviewing city manager candidates later this week. The citizen’s panel is comprised of Kurt Kramer, Heidi Benzonelli, Dale Maples, J Warren Hockaday, Jack Crider and Lorene […]
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Trails Vote Kicks Off GPU Firestorm
It seems the Humboldt County Planning Commission has kicked a hornets’ nest. Or, maybe it was just Third District Supervisor Mark Lovelace. During its sixth meeting to take up the Conservation and Open Space element of the General Plan Update — recently dumped back into its lap by the Board of Supervisors — the commission […]
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North Coast Rivers Subject to Low-Flow Closures
Looking to grab your rod and pull a nice steelhead out of a North Coast River? Well, you might want to check with the Department of Fish and Game first. The state Office of Administrative Law recently approved emergency regulations adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission that allow the department to close some […]
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Supes to Gather Public Input on Budget
Looking to cut a projected $2 million in spending next fiscal year, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will hold a simultaneous meeting at five locations throughout the county next month to gather input from constituents. The board will hold a meeting in each supervisorial district at 6 p.m. on March, with each of the […]
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New Pot Banking Guidelines Moot in CA?
Thanks to some recent direction from the Obama administration, banks are now allowed to do business with folks who make their living in the legal marijuana trade. But, maybe not in California. In response to a growing uneasiness with the cannabis cash conundrum, spurred at least in part by the introduction of legal recreational marijuana […]
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Arcata’s Mendosa to Retire
More than three decades after he came to work for the city of Arcata as a bus driver, Randy Mendosa announced Wednesday that he plans to retire his post as city manager in July. “It’s a great job — I’ve really enjoyed it,” Mendosa said by phone, before adeptly deflecting the praise and attention that […]