The board of supervisors voted unanimously today to begin the process of consolidating the sheriff’s office and coroner’s office. The board asked the county administrative officer to draft an ordinance that would fold the employees and functions of the coroner’s office into the sheriff’s department, and create one elected sheriff/coroner position. Humboldt County has had […]
Government
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UPDATE: No Go For Eureka’s Fair Wage Act
SECOND UPDATE: The third election night report is in, with 67 percent of county precincts reporting, but the numbers on Measure R didn’t change from the second report. It’s likely that most, if not all Eureka precincts, are in. Over at the Siren’s Song Tavern, Fair Wage Folks gathered to listen to Turtle of the […]
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Supes to Discuss Jail Release Policy
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will look over this year’s grand jury recommendations tomorrow, including the report that called for the end of Humboldt County Jail’s late night release policy. Sheriff Mike Downey said in August that the jail would not comply with the report, and would continue to release people between 10 p.m. […]
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Eureka Will Cease Prayer Breakfasts, Pay For Lawsuit
Eureka will discontinue prayer breakfasts as part of a settlement stemming from a 2013 lawsuit seeking the separation of church and local government. The Times-Standard reports that, in addition to no longer sponsoring or endorsing the prayer breakfasts (which Mayor Frank Jager conducted specifically in his capacity as mayor), the city will pay $16,500 to […]
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Save Our Post Office, Mail Fans Demand
When Congressman Jared Huffman called a town hall meeting about the post office, who knew so many people would show up? But show up they did, well over 100 Humboldt County residents. From Humboldt Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich to Etsy users, the overwhelming sense among constituents was, “No.” Attendees do not want their mail routed […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Vote Yes on Prop 42
Proposition 42, on the ballot for California’s June 4 election, will amend the Constitution to assure that local governments are legally bound to observe open-government requirements. If you prefer transparency to secrecy in your city government, local school board or county government, then the choice is clear: You should vote for Proposition 42. Proposition 42 […]
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Behind the Brown Act
If a representative from Chevron lobbied the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to change a draft ordinance into something more favorable to the company’s interests, would you want to know who he or she was? Now, replace the suit from Chevron with a Southern Humboldt marijuana grower with mud on his jeans. Would that change […]
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How Green is Humboldt?
As the world readies to celebrate Earth Day on April 22, it seems a fitting time to take a good, hard look in the mirror. Yes, Humboldt County, home to towering redwood trees, flowing rivers and a magnificent coastline, was green before it was cool. It’s a place where folks outfitted their homes with solar […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
I’m Still Worried
This week’s cover story is a scholarly write-up by Journal News Editor Thadeus Greenson about the General Plan Update process — and how money may or may not influence decisions. He started with a public records act request to county supervisors for emails during a specific time period last year when they were changing the […]
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Eureka Selects Iowa Man as Next City Manager
Eureka, meet your new boss: West Des Moines, Iowa, City Manager Greg Sparks has accepted the Eureka city manager position and is scheduled to start May 1, after a background check is completed. Sparks hit the two key Eureka talking points in a city press release issued today: economy and scenery. “The area has great […]
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Free to Go
If you’re let out of jail in the middle of the night 50 miles from home, who do you call? For some, it’s Hoopa resident Brad Marshall’s elderly mom. That’s something Marshall would like to see change. Before a crowd of 100 people last week, he asked the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office to reassess its […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Teenage Wasteland
A growing number of studies indicate that marijuana is, like, really bad for the developing teenage brain, according to a recent NPR report. At a point when the brain is streamlining — honing its ability to think critically, make judgments and remember stuff — marijuana use is hindering development. This is not just problematic for grades and […]