Fresno Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula introduced a new bill that would establish a labor trafficking unit within Cal/OSHA to investigate and prosecute people who force or coerce vulnerable people into jobs with little or no pay, often under unsafe working conditions. The bill is cosponsored by the Western Center on Law and Poverty and the Sunita […]
Government
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Eureka to Consider Hiring Police Auditor
The Eureka City Council will consider Tuesday a staff recommendation to hire a Los Angeles firm serve as the city’s independent police auditor as a part of the council’s plan to implement the most robust police oversight policy in Humboldt County. The agenda item that, if passed, will authorize the city manager to enter into […]
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NCJ Preview: Potter Plans, Measure S, Masks and Analog Art
PG&E changes course to continue operating the Potter Valley hydroelectric dams, which divert water from the Russian River, instead of shutting down as previously stated — we’re looking at what this means for the salmon, the stakeholders, water rights and the “two-basin solution.” We’ve also got an update on Measure S as the Board of […]
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Eureka Releases Video of Dec. 30 Police Shooting
The Eureka Police Department has released body-warn-camera footage of detective Joseph Couch shooting a suspect during a multi-agency task force operation Dec. 30. The video — which offers a limited vantage point of the shooting — is the only one available, according to EPD, as Couch was the only officer on scene with a body-worn […]
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Arcata Council Calls June Election for Council Vacancy
The Arcata City Council voted 4-0 last night to call a special June 7 election to fill the upcoming vacancy on the dais when Vice Mayor Emily Goldstein steps down at the end of the month for family reasons. The top vote-getter will serve out the rest of Goldstein’s term, which runs through November of […]
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Public Health Press Conference: Mask Mandate to Lift
During yesterday’s Public Health COVID-19 press conference Health Officer Ian Hoffman further explained why the county has chosen to lift its mask mandate next week, stating that the current Omircon COVID-19 surge has shown a “different scenario” than what the county faced during the Delta-fueled surge. On Tuesday, Hoffman told the Humboldt County Board of […]
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Is This Another Way to End California’s Death Penalty?
Instead of outright abolition, opponents of the California death penalty are pushing legislation to limit death sentences. But the blowback to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to dismantle Death Row at San Quentin demonstrates the political risk. Unable to persuade California voters to do away with capital punishment altogether, the movement to abolish the death penalty […]
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California Plans to Update School Mask Rules
California appears to be on the brink of what could be one of its most dramatic shifts in COVID policy since the pandemic began nearly two years ago: changing school masking rules. State health officials announced Monday that they are working with “education, public health and community leaders to update masking requirements at schools to […]
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Arcata City Council to Meet Wednesday on Filling Upcoming Vacancy
The Arcata City Council is scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss options for filling the seat of Vice Mayor Emily Goldstein, who announced last week that she will be stepping down to focus on her family’s medical needs. Her resignation is effective March 1. The city council has three main choices to fill Goldstein’s upcoming […]
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Supes Move Forward with Cannabis Tax Relief
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors is moving forward with providing local cannabis farmers some tax relief after a flooding of the wholesale market sent prices plummeting in recent months. The board voted 3-1, with Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell having recused herself due to a potential financial conflict of interest and Fifth District Supervisor […]
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California Will Reward Volunteering College Students with Aid — but Spend Half the Money on Overhead
A new California program to financially reward college students for volunteering has drawn national attention — but less than half of its budgeted money is going to actual student aid. The California Volunteers College Corps program, backed by $159 million in mostly state money, promises to award up to $10,000 to 6,668 low-income students who […]
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California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris Resigning, Prioritizing Family
California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris — who brought awareness of the reverberating impacts of childhood trauma to the highest levels of state government — will be pausing her professional career to spend more time with her family, she announced Wednesday. “I have always felt drawn to public service, so being able to serve during […]