Just hours after Humboldt County issued a mandatory shelter-in-place order, Gov. Gavin Newsom made it statewide in an effort to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus. Newsom’s move is an unprecedented step aimed at controlling an outbreak of the pandemic that will have dramatic impacts on the world’s fifth largest economy. This afternoon, following […]
Gavin Newsom
Posted inLetters + Opinion
This is Very Real
As the full reality of the COVID-19 pandemic washed over California and the United States the weekend of March 14, prompting virtually all Humboldt County schools to shutter indefinitely and Gov. Gavin Newsom to ask all bars, breweries and wineries to do the same, reactions were decidedly mixed. While most Humboldt County residents likely fell […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Six Feet of Dining Separation
A server makes her way to the end of the bar with menus in hand, announcing to the trio of women waiting there, “Sorry but we are out of rice.” “Rice and hand sanitizer,” quips one woman, and they all laugh and sigh. On Thursday, March 12, Oberon Grill is looking a little empty just […]
Posted inNews
Governor Looks to Get CA into the Rx Business
In a bold strategy to drive down prescription drug prices, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing that California become the first state in the nation to establish its own generic drug label, making those medications available at an affordable price to the state’s 40 million residents. The proposal, part of the new state budget Newsom sent […]
Posted inNews
New Laws with New Protections Ring in the New Year
With the new year come new laws and 2020 has a bevy of changes going into effect on everything from California’s minimum wage and the classification of independent contractors to protections for nursing mothers and a ban on smoking at state parks and beaches. Here’s a glance at a few of the ones that may […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Blackouts and Tokage Fees
When darkness cast its PG&E-sized cloud over Humboldt County on Oct. 9, some among us were not willing to go quietly into the night. “Even though the lights aren’t lit, that doesn’t mean you can’t be,” pronounced Ray Markland, company manager at EcoCann dispensary in Old Town as his staff worked to open the shop […]
Posted inNews
Bass, Wilson Seeking Coastal Commission Seat in Round 2
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously April 9 to send forward the names of both Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass and Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson for possible appointment to the California Coastal Commission. PREVIOUSLY: The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will consider Tuesday sending the names of at least one supervisor […]
Posted inNews
McGuire Applauds Death Penalty Moratorium That Halts Executions of Two Humboldt County Inmates
North Coast State Sen. Mike McGuire issued a statement this morning applauding Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to halt state executions in California and shutter the lethal injection chamber at San Quentin State Prison for his tenure in office. Newsom’s decision offers an immediate — if temporary — reprieve to the state’s 737 death row inmates, […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
‘Fragmented and Uncoordinated’
California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom made national news last week, announcing during his State of the State address that he would be withdrawing most of the state’s National Guard troops along the U.S.-Mexico border, even as President Trump was readying to declare a national emergency. The move was seen nationally as the latest battle cry from […]
Posted inNews
California, 15 Other States Sue Trump Over ‘Manufactured’ Crisis
Sixteen states, including California, are suing the Trump administration over the border national emergency declaration, filing a complaint Monday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The states are alleging that Trump’s move is “unlawful and unconstitutional” and based on a “manufactured ‘crisis’” despite evidence that unlawful border entries are at a […]
Posted inNews
San Francisco Gives Kindergartners Free Money for College. Could it Work Statewide?
Emelyn Jerónimo is only 12 years old, but she already has $3,000 saved toward college. Socked away by her mother in chunks of $100 or less since Jerónimo was in kindergarten, the money may not seem like much, but it’s helped fuel the San Francisco sixth-grader’s dreams of becoming a pediatrician. Jerónimo’s nest egg is […]
Posted inNews
Wood, McGuire Applaud Gov.’s Budget Plan
California Gov. Gavin Newsom released the first budget proposal of his tenure today, proposing a $209 billion spending plan that would increase funding for schools, healthcare programs and the fight against homelessness. The budget proposal — which came in at about $8 billion more than Gov. Jerry Brown’s last spending proposal — also would increase […]