California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office filed a motion June 9 in Humboldt County Superior Court seeking a judge’s order enforcing a stipulation reached in a lawsuit brought against Providence St. Joseph Hospital last year requiring it to comply with state’s Emergency Service Law and provide emergency abortive procedures when they are deemed medically necessary. […]
Attorney General
Judge Denies St. Joseph Motion to Dismiss AG Abortion Lawsuit
Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Timothy Canning has rejected Providence St. Joseph Hospital’s request to dismiss a landmark lawsuit brought by the California Attorney General’s Office alleging it violated state law when it refused to provide a medically necessary abortion in February 2024, putting the mother’s life at risk. Attorneys representing the hospital filed for […]
St. Joseph Hospital Seeks Dismissal of Abortion Lawsuit, Cites Religious Freedom
Providence St. Joseph Hospital has filed a motion asking a Humboldt County Superior Court judge to dismiss the bulk of the lawsuit brought against by the California Attorney General’s Office alleging it illegally denied abortion services to a local woman, while asking that the rest of the suit be stayed pending a state investigation. The […]
Can a Conservative Break Through for California Attorney General?
The last time California voters elected a Republican to statewide office, Gavin Newsom was the youthful mayor of San Francisco, Mark Zuckerberg had just opened up Facebook to non-college students and Donald Trump was a Democratic celebrity tycoon wrapping up the sixth season of “The Apprentice.” That was 16 years ago. Now Newsom is the […]
State Threatens Auditor-Controller with $5K Fine for Delinquent Fiscal Report
Facing a threat from the State Controller’s Office sent through the California Department of Justice that it intends to exercise all of its authority under the law — including pursuing a $5,000 against her personally — if Humboldt County fails to turn over a statutorily mandated financial statement that’s more than a year overdue, embattled […]
Local Tribes Support AG’s Effort to Continue CWS Monitoring
Four local tribes have announced they are “vigorously supporting” an effort by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to extend third-party monitoring and other provisions of a 2018 court ruling that found the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Health and Human Services were not in compliance with the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act. In […]
Huffman Mentioned as Possible Nominee for State AG
Politico mentioned North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman as a possible replacement for California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra as his departure to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services leaves the seat open. With President-elect Joe Biden nominating Becerra to serve as the secretary of Health and Human Services for his cabinet, California […]
What California Knows About Kamala Harris
More than any other vice presidential contender in a generation, Kamala Harris’ biography is singularly Californian. Born and bussed to school in Berkeley, tested by San Francisco’s cut-throat municipal politics and propelled onto the national stage as the state’s top law enforcement officer and then its first female senator of color, Harris’ approach to politics […]
AG Won’t Take Lawson Case
The California Attorney General’s Office has informed Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming that it will not be taking responsibility for any possible prosecution related to the 2017 killing of David Josiah Lawson. “Absent a reusable conflict of interest, the Attorney General’s Office generally only takes over a prosecution handled by a district attorney when […]
Attorney General Reverses Obama-Era Marijuana Protections
Just days after recreational cannabis became fully legal in California, U.S. Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions announced Thursday that he is rescinding an Obama-era policy that directed the Department of Justice to take a hands-off approach to marijuana in states that have set their own laws. The policy, implemented since 2013, is known as the […]
DHHS, Sheriff, Respond to Grand Jury Reports on Child Welfare
In June, the Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury released two reports related to the outcomes of at-risk youth in our county child welfare system. The reports, “Child Welfare In Humboldt: Getting the Door Open” and “Responding in Time to Help Our ‘At Risk’ Children,’” allege that the three agencies most responsible for protecting local children, […]
AG: No Criminal Charges Against HumCo Judges
The California Attorney General’s Office has decided not to pursue criminal charges against a pair of Humboldt County Superior Court judges accused of submitting false affidavits to the state in order to receive their salaries. The office’s review of the case — conducted at the request of Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming — spanned […]
