The Lost Coast Outpost reports that the Arcata City Council voted Wednesday to move ahead with its 2020-2021 budget, which will see about $1.3 million in reductions amid the COVID-19 outbreak, including nearly $750,000 to the police department. Read the full story here.
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New Streaming Link for Humboldt County Budget Hearing
Due to construction at Access Humboldt, there’s a new link to view today’s Humboldt County Budget Hearing. Please click here to join the webinar. Password: 435881 “When the Board of Supervisors announce the agenda item that you wish to comment on, call the conference line and turn off your TV or live stream. Please call […]
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HSU Offering ‘Early Exit Program’ for Employees to Match Projected Enrollment Declines and Minimize Layoffs
Humboldt State University is offering an Early Exit Program for its employees as an effort to reduce the size of its campus workforce and balance the budget to match projected enrollment declines and minimize layoffs. According to the release, the program offers a payment of six months’ salary of up to $70,000 for employees. Employees […]
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Civil Grand Jury Finds SoHum School District Lacks Vision, Plan Amid Budget Crisis
The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury released a report yesterday detailing the hefty challenges facing Southern Humboldt Unified School District, from mountain budget shortfalls to a lack of stable leadership. The report, prompted by an apparent laundry list of complaints from families and staff in the district, details how declining enrollment, the formation of a […]
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Staff Layoffs, Suspension of Football and Beach Volley Programs at CR
Facing a $1.5 million budget shortfall, College of the Redwoods has implemented several cost-cutting measures, including laying off staff and suspending the football and beach volleyball programs, an action related to the redirecting of $475,000 from the Health, Physical Education, Kinesiology, Recreation, Dance and Athletic Department. In news release today, CR also said it has […]
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Newsom Moves to Slash School, Health Spending — But Asks Feds for a Rescue
How does a liberal, blue-state governor take on the unappealing task of slashing the budget? By shifting a lot of the pressure to the federal government. In revising California’s budget down to $203 billion Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom charted a plan to fill a huge deficit by tying many cuts to additional federal aid. If […]
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Schools Face Prospect of Layoffs, Furloughs as State Budget Gets Slashed
California’s public schools, physically closed since mid-March and strapped for cash, are coming out of a frying pan and into a financial fire. The fire comes in the form of a $6.5 billion cut to schools’ main source of funding as well as other reductions in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget that, if enacted, would mean […]
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Eureka Looks to Save Nearly $500K with Six Early Retirements
The Eureka City Council will look Tuesday at approving so-called “golden handshake” offers for six employees as the city braces for some difficult budget decisions in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the agenda, the retirement offers will save the city nearly $500,000. The employees talking early retirement include longtime Sequoia Park Zoo […]
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Schools, Health Face Deep Cuts in California’s $203 Billion Budget
Gov. Gavin Newsom revised California’s budget down to $203 billion Thursday as the coronavirus pandemic batters the state with record job losses and shortfalls. In charting out a plan to fill a huge deficit, the Democratic governor strategically tied much of the cuts to public health, public safety and public schools to additional federal stimulus […]
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What Next for California Cities? Deficits, Bailouts and Long Recoveries
Cities have been ground zero in California’s coronavirus response — with many initiating shelter-in-place orders, organizing emergency housing for homeless people and supporting health and essential workers. But even before restrictions get lifted, mayors, managers and city councils are being tested in a new way: pandemic-induced budget deficits. Already, unemployment is projected to be higher than […]
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HSU Faces $20 Million Deficit; CR’s Situation Dire, Too
A joint press release this afternoon sounds the alarm bells that both it and Humboldt State University face “immense budget” deficits at least exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Difficult decisions apparently lie ahead, including staff reductions. According to the press release, HSU was already facing deficit of more than $5 million due to already declining […]
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Seeking Students
Being offered a Humboldt First Scholarship is an experience in and of itself. Humboldt State University Vice President of Enrollment Management Jason Meriwether, President Tom Jackson Jr. and Lucky the Logger, HSU’s mascot, visit local high schools and offer seniors a $4,000 scholarship in an event carefully tailored to feel like a graduation ceremony. After […]