The county of Humboldt’s lead attorney Jeffrey Blanck filed a claim for damages April 4 alleging he was placed on paid administrative leave after raising concerns about an outside law firm’s contract and that the board of supervisors violated open meeting laws by not reporting its action out of closed session. Video of the March […]
Cyndy Day-Wilson
Posted inNews
County Counsel Files Claim After Being Placed on Paid Leave
The county of Humboldt’s lead attorney Jeffrey Blanck filed a claim for damages this week alleging the board of supervisors placed him on paid administrative leave after he raised concerns about an outside law firm’s contract and then violated open meeting law by not reporting the board’s action out of closed session. Nearly three weeks […]
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‘Long Overdue’
In late 2013, Eureka City Councilmember Lance Madsen was dying, in the last stages of his battle with lung disease. But the former police detective was also pressing to close one last case — to get his fellow councilmembers the information he believed they needed to fire City Attorney Cyndy Day-Wilson. In an investigative report […]
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UPDATE: Eureka Paid Former City Attorney $165K for Resignation
UPDATE: Acting City Manager Brian Gerving responded to a Journal request with a full accounting of Day-Wilson’s resignation agreement payout, which totals more than $165,000. According to Gerving, who’s in the acting role with City Manager Greg Sparks and City Clerk Pam Powell both out of the office, Day-Wilson was paid $80,794 for six months […]
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A City Attorney’s Controversial Tenure Comes to an Abrupt End
The Eureka City Council “received and accepted” the resignation of City Attorney Cyndy Day-Wilson on Tuesday after a hastily called closed session meeting to discuss the potential firing or discipline of an employee. In making the announcement, Mayor Frank Jager thanked Day-Wilson for her service, saying the separation was effective immediately and includes a yet-to-be-finalized […]
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Controversial Eureka City Attorney Resigns, Effective Immediately
The Eureka City Council emerged from a special closed session meeting this afternoon called to discuss the potential firing or discipline of an employee to announce that the council and City Attorney Cyndy Day-Wilson have mutually agreed to part ways. Mayor Frank Jager thanked Day-Wilson for her service and City Manager Greg Sparks called the […]
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‘Tipped Over the Edge’
When city officials released a salacious, unsubstantiated, third-hand allegation of impropriety against the city’s most notorious landlord, Eureka City Manager Greg Sparks says the action was meant to impart a message. “We thought that it just added some gravitas in terms of what we are dealing with when it comes to Mr. Squires and his […]
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‘Heart’ of Palco Marsh Case Allowed to Proceed
A federal judge dismissed portions of a lawsuit claiming that Eureka’s ordinances against camping and the storage of personal items in public spaces violate the Constitutional rights of homeless individuals but is allowing an amended complaint to be filed. U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White also found the civil suit filed against the city by […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Roll the Tapes. All of Them.
It really shouldn’t be this hard. This week’s cover story examining the prosecution of Adam Laird is the culmination of years of work. But that’s not to say the story took particularly long to write or even to research. No, instead, the more than two years of work invested in this story were spent fighting […]
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Supreme Court Denies Eureka’s Request in Police Video Case
The California Supreme Court has decided not to reconsider a recent appellate ruling establishing a statewide precedent that police arrest videos cannot be considered confidential officer personnel records and shielded from public view. The court’s decision may put an end to a more than two-year battle between the city of Eureka and the North Coast Journal […]
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Eureka Takes Police Video Fight to the Supreme Court
The city of Eureka is trying to keep its recent appellate court loss from setting a statewide precedent. In July, the First District Court of Appeals rebuffed the city’s effort to block release of a video depicting the arrest of a 14-year-old suspect, ruling that the video — and others like it — could not […]
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UPDATE: Judge Allows Budget Motel Evictions to Proceed
UPDATE: In a ruling filed this afternoon, a Humboldt County Superior Court judge has given the city of Eureka the green light to condemn the Budget Motel. The motel’s owner, David Kushwaha, had asked the court to intervene and stop the city’s forced eviction of his tenants, which was initially scheduled to happen this morning, […]