Racing for Supervisor
A look at the candidates vying to represent the Fourth and Fifth
Cover Stories
Natalie Arroyo – Fourth District Questionnaire
What are the two biggest challenges facing the Fourth District and what are your plans to address them? Housing supply for people of all income levels — I’ll address this through land use and zoning to encourage more housing development in areas where density is suitable, DHHS grants for permanent supportive housing and crisis care…
Kim Bergel – Fourth District Questionnaire
What are the two biggest challenges facing the Fourth District and what are your plans to address them? Lack of mental health services create 60% or more of the social problems in our region. The problems we face with mental health will take every tool we can use and then some. The Governor is working…
Mike Newman – Fourth District Questionnaire
What are the two biggest challenges facing the Fourth District and what are your plans to address them? Issues of mental health/addiction which go together. There are many things that people want the county to do, but city of Eureka has jurisdiction over whatever’s within their city limits so the Board of Supervisors doesn’t have…
Taking the Fourth
Three candidates — Natalie Arroyo, Kim Bergel and Mike Newman — are running to represent Humboldt County’s Fourth District in the June election, which marks the first incumbent-less race for the seat in 35 years. Supervisor Virginia Bass announced earlier this year that she would not be seeking reelection after serving the district that encompasses…
Larry Doss – Fifth District Questionnaire
NCJ: What are the two biggest challenges facing the Fifth District and what are your plans to address them? Public Safety & Housing are the two biggest challenges for the 5th District as well as the county. What is the county government’s largest flaw in responding to residents’ needs and how do you plan to…
Fight for the Fifth
Incumbent Supervisor Steve Madrone and real estate broker Larry Doss, a former Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District commissioner, are vying to represent the Fifth District in this year’s June election. Madrone is finishing up his first term on the board after narrowly defeating Ryan Sundberg in 2018 to represent the sprawling district that…
Steve Madrone – Fifth District Questionnaire
What are the two biggest challenges facing the Fifth District and what are your plans to address them? Affordable Housing: with completion of our Housing Element we are incentivizing construction of ADU’s (Accessory Dwelling Units), smaller homes, detached bedrooms and other policy changes to allow for more flexibility in meeting Humboldt’s housing needs. I will…
HumCo Reports Another COVID Death as Hospitalizations Rise
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that the county has confirmed another COVID-19 deaths since its last report May 18, a resident over the age of 80. Five new hospitalizations were also reported today but, according to a state database, 15 people are currently hospitalized with the virus locally, including three under intensive care. The…
Photos: Flying High at the Redwood Coast Kite Festival
For an event that members of Humboldt Kiters didn’t start planning until three months ago, the Redwood Coast Kite Festival in Eureka on Saturday, May 21 turned out to be an artistic display of kiting and kite creation. It was also a whole lot of fun for those who attended on the first day of…
Two Suspected Opioid Overdoses in HumCo Jail; 20 Grams of Suspected Heroin Found in Cell
Two Humboldt County jail inmates were saved by correctional officers after suspected opioid overdoses, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release today. On Monday night, correctional officers administered Naloxone, a nasal spray commonly used to counter decreased breathing caused by an opioid overdose, to two female inmates housed in the same cell…
Candy Stockton Named Humboldt’s New Public Health Officer
Humboldt Independent Practice Association Chief Medical officer Candy Stockton has been confirmed by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to serve as Humboldt County’s Public Health Officer. She is slated to begin the new post July 18. “Having spent years practicing medicine in rural Northern California has given me a deep understanding of the challenges…
Fortuna Nursing Home COVID Outbreak Expands to 36 Infected
Humboldt County Public Health is continuing to provide a heightened response to a COVID-19 outbreak at the Fortuna Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in which 26 residents and 10 staff members have tested positive for the virus, with one resident currently hospitalized. Public Health’s Communicable Disease team is testing residents and staff three times a week and…
Protecting the Titans: New Trail Provides Safe Access to Ancient Grove
A once hidden trail blazed off the beaten path is now a formal North Coast attraction. Today, if you walk along the Mill Creek Trail in Del Norte County’s Grove of the Titans, you’ll tread on raised metal walkways that allow water to flow and ferns to grow beneath your feet. You’ll cross a wooden…
Third Condor Set to Fly Free
The Northern California Condor Restoration Program is readying to send a third condor out into the wilds of Humboldt County on Wednesday to join two others — A2 and A3 — that took their first foray earlier this month. A change in the weather forecast is delaying the previous plan to go forward on Tuesday.…
Sex Abuse Suits Pouring in as State’s Catholic Leaders Seek Relief From Highest Court
In California, the lawsuits are mounting — middle-aged men, saying they were sexually assaulted as children by a Boy Scout leader or a priest. A woman, now in her late 30s, detailing how she was allegedly assaulted in a center for foster children. A man who said he was abused while volunteering with the Salvation…
Julie Davy: 1959-2022
Julie Mae was born in San Diego, California, on May 17, 1959, the fifth child of Helenmae Wilhite and Ralph Lane. Her first three years were spent on Cartwright Street, where her dad served up his famous homemade ice cream to a constant stream of visiting family and friends. In 1962, Julie’s family of eight…
Robert Francis Carmesin: 1947-2022
Robert Francis Carmesin, AKA Carm/Buddy went to be with the Lord on May 16, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. He fought a valiant battle against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s, a progressive neuromuscular disease. He passed away peacefully in his sleep at home in Mckinleyville, California, and gave love to each and…
Samuel Aren Portillo: 1988-2022
Sam passed away unexpectedly on May 11 and was the beloved son of Albert and Gina Portillo, brother to Thomas Portillo and Kenneth Portillo. He attended elementary school in Eureka and high school at South Fork High in Miranda, CA. Sam was a proud member of the Tolowa Tribe from Elk Valley, Crescent City, CA.…
NCJ Preview: Upcoming Elections, Arcata’s Mayoral Morass and More
This week the Journal is breaking down county supervisor races in the 4th and 5th districts, as well as for the clerk-recorder-registrar of voters. We’ve got an online update on the harassment allegations against Arcata Mayor and Councilmember Brett Watson that were upheld in an investigation report. Despite community members and fellow members of the council…
COVID Outbreak Hits Fortuna Long-term Care Facility
Humboldt County Public Health is working with staff and management at the Fortuna Rehabilitation and Wellness Center to respond to a COVID-19 outbreak at the facility. According to a news release, 12 people have tested positive for the virus, which includes both residents and staff, but no one has been hospitalized as of today. “We’re…
The Great Culling: Which California Bills did Legislators Kill?
California lawmakers won’t be creating a state Election Day holiday this year. Nor will they be providing grants to local governments to convert public golf courses into affordable housing, or forcing health insurers to cover fertility treatments. All of these proposals were victims of the seasonal culling of bills known as the suspense file. This…
Alberta Delene Johnson: 1933-2022
Alberta Delene Johnson February 8, 1933 to May 14, 2022, Alberta was born on February 8, 1933, in Spearville, Kansas to mother Lucinda Mathilda (Helfrich) Schultz and father Albert Harry Johnson. Alberta graduated from Ford High School in Ford, Kansas, on May 24,1950, and entered St. Anthony Hospital School of Nursing in Dodge City, Kansas,…
Arcata Man Dies After Being Struck on 101
A 59-year-old Arcata man died after being hit by a car in the early morning hours of May 14 while he was reportedly walking within the lanes of U.S. Highway 101 just north of the Indianola Cuttoff. According to the California Highway Patrol, Troy Rassbach was struck just after 3:30 a.m. Medical personnel responded to…
Benjamin Hershberger – Questionnaire
Who was the rightful winner of the 2020 presidential election? (200 words) The voters decided the 2020 presidential election and the majority of voters elected Joe Biden. The U.S. election process is steeped in laws and procedures that strive for high standards of reliable results. I think this has been proven in the recent Georgia…
Tiffany Hunt Nielsen – Questionnaire
Who was the rightful winner of the 2020 presidential election? (200 words) The President. Nationally, which do you believe is a larger problem: election fraud or voter suppression? (200 words) I believe voter suppression in some parts of the country are more problematic. Fraud is a concern for many, but locally the integrity of our…
Views: Klamath Basin Dam Removal Needs a Science-Driven Oversight Plan
The Klamath Basin is on the cusp of the most ambitious dam removal effort ever attempted. If all goes to plan, efforts will get underway by next year to bring down the four aging hydropower dams that divide the basin in half. Are we ready for this? The ramifications of this dam removal effort are…
Meet the Three Candidates Vying for Clerk-Recorder-Registrar of Voters
The position of county clerk-recorder-registrar of voters is one that generally flies under the radar with little fanfare or controversy. But as the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election showed, that’s not always the case and — in times of intense political pressure — its local officials who stand watch over democracy. In Humboldt County,…
Windy Conditions Slow Wide-Open Salmon Bite
If you love to salmon fish and have yet to hit the ocean, you are seriously missing out. The number of fish swimming offshore of Eureka, and the entire North Coast for that matter, is impressive. It’s been at least 10 years since we’ve seen fishing this good so you’ll want to take advantage while…
Dr. Woo
I’m writing this at the beginning of the week, the day after the eclipse of the Super Flower Blood Moon. I’m probably more immune to the effects of magical thinking and “woo” than most of my fellow Redwood Curtain citizens, but I’m still a little touched by the outré aspects of the natural world. And…
Black Crab’s Icy Terrain
BLACK CRAB. When the world’s bleakness is inescapable as it has been of late, even fewer actors have the power to lure me into an apocalyptic landscape, a gritty wartime drama or even a setting that’s a little chilly looking. Such is the supernatural draw of Noomi Rapace, who pulled me into a trifecta of…
Trashfire Girls
Welcome, parents, to tonight’s Trashfire Girls open house! Please, help yourself to juice and cookies, and once you’re settled you can open the brochure on your seat. We’re fetching some more folding chairs for those of you standing in the back. I guess that leaked U.S. Supreme Court opinion on Roe v Wade is going…
Fourth District Supervisor
Editor: Natalie Arroyo will add to the functional diversity of the Board of Supervisors. Groups work optimally when problem-solvers bring wide experiences and perspectives to decision-making. Natalie will bring balance to the board. Natalie has made informed decisions as a Eureka City Council Member, nonprofit planner, and reserve officer. In “Last Call for Coho” (July…
Spring Migration
For Humboldt birders, May is a magical month. Spring migration is in full swing, and throughout the county the skies, marshes, forests, bay and grasslands are filled with birds. Some are here for a quick stopover on their journeys, to rest and replenish; others are back home on the North Coast to build their nests…
Fifth District Supervisor
Editor: Larry Doss is the best candidate running for Fifth District Supervisor. Larry grew up in Humboldt and is well known in the community for his 45 years of local volunteerism and 14 years of elected public service. As a longtime local business owner, Larry has provided jobs and housing for many and is well respected…
The Haiku Grampa Trilogy
50 Blissful Years Together Love is so fickle, As we all change over time. We are so lucky!! First Impressions Virtually live My heart still, fills beyond me As Arnie arrives. First Touch Cradled in both arms, Hearts are beating together With smiles all around. Kirk Gothier (new grandpa)
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “The only way to the truth is through blasphemy,” declared Aries author Flannery O’Connor. I appreciate the cheeky sentiment, but I don’t believe that all truth requires blasphemy. In many cases, rebellion, irreverence, and skepticism may be enough to pry loose hidden and buried information. Outright blasphemy isn’t necessary. What does…
Superior Court Judge
Editor: While home on summer break in 2015, I had the privilege to intern for then-Deputy Public Defender Ben McLaughlin. Ben inspired me to pursue a legal career. I was impressed with Ben’s intelligence, fair-mindedness, legal acumen and ability to objectively view cases from both sides while simultaneously preparing a vigorous defense for his client.…
Juan Pablo Cervantes – Questionnaire
Who was the rightful winner of the 2020 presidential election? (200 words) Joe Biden is the rightful winner of the 2020 Presidential election. While my focus is on conducting fair and accurate elections in Humboldt, your registrar of voters must be aware of the efforts to undermine democratic processes across the country. Despite a lack…
District Attorney
Editor: Vote Stacey Eads for district attorney on June 7. Here’s why: I support Stacey as Humboldt’s next DA. I’ve been prosecuting since 2013 and an attorney since 2004. I prosecuted more than half a dozen murders. Stacey has prosecuted felonies for 20 years. Stacey works tirelessly protecting our most vulnerable citizens, including children and sexual assault survivors. She has…
Measure J
Editor: The Humboldt Lodging Alliance urges voters on June 7 to reject Measure J, which would place an extra 2-percent tax burden on hotels in unincorporated Humboldt County. The proposal would raise the transient occupancy tax to 12 percent, higher than surrounding counties and cities within Humboldt County. Like other Humboldt businesses, hoteliers think now…
