Another week, more news of the cascading impact of the Trump administration’s actions on Humboldt County. Here’s a rundown on the latest:
Cal Poly Under Investigation
On the same day the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights announced its investigation found Columbia University had violated federal law by showing indifference to the hostile environment faced by its Jewish students, Interim Cal Poly Humboldt President Michael Spagna sent a letter to the campus community advising that it, too, is now officially under federal investigation.
Specifically, Spagna said the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation into a complaint filed against CPH in March by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under the Law, alleging that Jewish students have been attacked verbally and physically, excluded and forced out of areas on campus, and subject to “vicious” antisemitism.
“Anti-Israel campus protesters have thrown fake blood on Jewish students and vandalized a campus building while screaming ‘blood of our martyrs,’ shouted anti-Semitic slurs at Jewish students and displayed hateful messages showing a Nazi swastika ‘equals’ a Jewish star of David; vandalized campus property with anti-Semitic slogans; harassed Jewish students inside a Sukkah by shouting anti-Semitic invectives at them through a megaphone and glorifying the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas,” the complaint alleges. “Despite its knowledge about these and other anti-Semitic incidents, the university has not taken meaningful steps to eliminate the hostile climate for Jewish students at Cal Poly Humboldt.”
Some — but not all — the allegations stem from the protest that led to a week-long occupation of Siemens Hall by demonstrators looking to bring awareness to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza resulting from the Israel-Hamas War, which led administrators to controversially shutter the campus last spring. In the aftermath of that protest, the leadership of Eureka’s Temple Beth El penned a public letter to state legislators saying while there had been “instances of antisemitism,” they did not view the protest itself to be antisemitic, noting the Jewish community is diverse with “wide-ranging views.” But the leaders did charge that in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel there had been a hate crime on campus, another student was “viciously harassed and received little help” and Jewish community leaders attempted to contact the university in early February of 2024 but their “urgent” attempts to meet with campus leadership to discuss the situation took three months to garner a one-hour meeting. During that time, they wrote, the “situation deteriorated.”
“The protests loudly demonstrated a lack of cultural sensitivity and indifference to alienation of Jewish students with opposing views,” the letter said. “The university ignored offers of help from Jewish leaders and failed to provide students, faculty and staff with resources to address antisemitism and support Jewish life on campus. This must change.”
Of course, the announcement of the federal investigation into the Brandeis Center complaint doesn’t come in a vacuum, as the Trump administration has launched a multi-prong attack on many universities throughout the country for everything from universities’ admissions and Diversity Equity and Inclusion Policies, to their handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations and even their holding multi-cultural commencement ceremonies. (CPH held queer, Native, Black, Latinx and an Asian, Desi, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern and North African ceremonies this year, noting, “These cultural graduation events warmly welcome all students.”)
In his letter, Spagna emphasizes the university has zero-tolerance for antisemitism, discrimination or any speech or actions that infringe on the rights, dignities and safety of others. He reports CPH is working closely with the California State University to respond to the investigation and ensure it is compliant with all federal requirements, though he is not able to share additional information at this time.
“We remain committed to addressing this process thoughtfully and responsibly,” he wrote. “We also recognize that this may be an especially difficult and painful time for our Jewish students, faculty and staff, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure our entire campus community can feel safe.”
House Bill Would Cut Insurance, Food Assistance Programs
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill along party lines May 22 to advance Trump’s domestic policy agenda. Most notably, if passed by the Senate, the bill would make permanent business, personal and estate tax cuts passed in Trump’s first term, adding a projected $3.8 trillion to the federal budget deficit. While there are host of provisions for all levels of earners, including increasing the standard deduction, temporarily boosting the child tax credit and eliminating tax on tips, the vast majority of the bill’s costs come in the forms of tax savings for the wealthy. These provisions include eliminating taxes on estates valued at up to $15 million per person ($30 million for a couple) and maintaining a 2.6-percent tax break for the highest earners (individuals making at least $639,000 annually, or couples with a taxable income of at least $767,000.)
To lessen the impact to those tax breaks on the ballooning federal deficit, the bill would impose new requirements for recipients of Medicaid, the federal government’s health insurance program for low-income people, including seniors and children. Medicaid currently covers about 80 million Americans, including about 23 percent of Humboldt County residents, according to a Georgetown University report. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects the new requirements would cause 10.3 million people to lose Medicaid coverage over the next decade.
In Humboldt County, Open Door Community Health Centers Chief Executive Officer Tory Starr says he anticipates the proposed changes to Medicaid would result in “several thousands of people in Humboldt and Del Norte” counties losing coverage.
“All for tax breaks for the wealthy,” he said. “The U.S. has a revenue problem versus a spending problem.”
Steven Buck, a spokesperson for Providence Health, issued a statement in response to a Journal inquiry about impacts of the bill, should it pass, on Humboldt County, saying Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of people.
“The steep cuts proposed in this bill are deeply concerning and would have far-reaching and devastating impacts on health care if passed,” Buck said in the statement, adding that Providence continues to advocate for the preservation of Medicaid.
Others on the North Coast, including the Area 1 Agency on Aging, raised alarm over the bill’s proposed $286 million cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food assistance to low-income residents, including seniors and families with children. The cut would represent a 30-percent reduction in the program’s budget.
The bill is now being taken up in the Senate, where members of Republicans’ slim majority have already criticized it for everything from ballooning the national debt to the Medicaid cuts.
College of the Redwoods Edits
Having quietly received the same “dear colleague” letter the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights sent out to dozens of universities threatening investigations for alleged discrimination of “white and Asian” students, “indoctrination” of students with the “false premise” that the U.S. is built upon “systemic and structural racism,” and DEI policies, College of the Redwoods recently contemplated — and took — some evasive action.
The College of the Redwoods Board of Trustees’ May 6 meeting agenda was released with a proposed resolution, recommended for passage by President Keith Flamer, that would have rescinded six resolutions passed over the span of four years recognizing campus Pride month, declaring support for undocumented students, committing the campus to DEI, recognizing women’s history month, decrying hate against Asian Americans and committing to creating an “inclusive environment against racism.”
CR spokesperson Molly Blakemore said the proposed resolution to rescind prior resolutions was drafted after receiving the “guidance” from the dear colleague letter and in response to Trump’s executive orders.
“This work was never about retreating from our commitments, it was about adapting thoughtfully in a complex and shifting legal and political landscape,” she wrote in an email to the Journal.
But the proposed resolution was pulled from the agenda. In a letter to the CR community, Flamer said it would be “removed from consideration” after consultation with Board President Colleen Mullery and Vice President Carol Matthews, explaining he believed “the work we’ve done” and “various legal challenges in process” are enough to shield CR.
Mullery did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
It appears some of the work Flamer referenced came at and before the board’s March 4 meeting, when the board approved revisions to the college’s mission and some policies. During a discussion on DEI earlier in the meeting, Mullery told the board she and Mathews had reviewed the policy documents “emphasizing the importance of meaningful action over buzzwords,” according to minutes from the meeting, and edited them accordingly. Failure to act, she said, could risk federal funding.
The board later held a first reading on revisions to the district’s mission and policies that redlined words like “accessible,” “diverse,” “equity gaps,” “inclusive educational community,” “diversity” and “inclusion.” A document outlining the district’s philosophy deleted the line, “Achieving, respecting and embracing diversity within the study body, faculty and staff will be of high importance,” and replacing it with: “The board of trustees is committed to fostering an environment in which respecting the human dignity of all students, faculty and staff will be of high importance.”
Asked about what federal funding CR receives, Blakemore said Pell Grants and direct student loans are administered through individual colleges and though they don’t support operations, they provide valuable aid that allow students to attend. Upward Bound, meanwhile, is a federally funded program for underserved high school students, helping them prepare for success in secondary education, which CR relies on.
“It’s a unique resource, as there is no comparable state-funded program that provides the same level of outreach and support,” Blakemore said.
Thadeus Greenson (he/him) is the Journal’s news editor. Reach him at (707) 442-1400, extension 105, or thad@northcoastjournal.com.
This article appears in Glory Over Land and Sea.
