The Eureka City Council will take a first look at the 2017-2018 budget on Tuesday and examine possible customized approaches to the recent legalization of recreational marijuana rather than having the state’s default regulations apply inside city limits. But before tacking those weighty items, the council will discuss ward redistricting during a 4:30 p.m. special […]
Greg Sparks
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Key Players and Their Emails (A Companion to This Week’s Cover Story)
This week’s cover story, “Swept,” takes a deep dive into the Eureka city government’s collective thought process as it planned to clear the PalCo Marsh of homeless encampments over the course of more than a year, culminating in the May 2, 2016 sweep that resulted in the relocation of more than 100 homeless people. To […]
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Eureka Visitor’s Center to Close During Bid Process
After more than 40 years, the Eureka Visitor’s Center on Broadway is slated to close at the end of next month while the city completes a competitive bid process for the service during peak tourist season. Eureka councilmembers voted 4-1 last week — with Councilmember Marian Brady dissenting — not to extend funding after the […]
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UPDATE: Eureka Postpones Vote on Temporary Shut Down of Visitor’s Center
UPDATE: A city council vote on whether to temporarily shut down the Eureka Visitor’s Center has been postponed until May 2 to allow Mayor Frank Jager and City Manager Greg Sparks to attend the meeting. Previous: The Eureka City Council on Tuesday will consider temporarily shutting down the visitor’s center after the Greater Eureka Chamber […]
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UPDATE: Temporary Homeless Sleeping Area Abruptly Halted (with Video)
As on many other mornings, the deadline for campers to leave the temporary sleeping area came and went with people packing their belongings onto shopping carts in the mud as the Eureka Police Department stood by and waited. The official deadline was 9:30 a.m., but at 11:30 the last of the 30-plus people staying in […]
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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’s Temporary Homeless Sleeping Areas Here to Stay
It has been six months since the city dissolved the long-standing homeless camp in the Palco Marsh. The fall’s first storm has visited, bringing with it ripping winds and record rain. At least 30 people spent the storm newly housed, thanks to the efforts of Betty Chinn, the city of Eureka and the Humboldt County […]
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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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Housing 30 People in 60 Days: The Clock Starts Today
Today the city of Eureka and county of Humboldt officially launched their Housing First campaign. The get-together from noon to 1 p.m. at city hall featured light refreshments and a discussion on how to house 30 people in 60 days, an “achievable goal” recommended as the initial step for implementation of a larger Housing First […]
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UPDATE: Eureka to Discuss Police Video Case Tonight, has Already Spent Thousands on Appeal
UPDATE: The Eureka City Council made no report out of closed session Tuesday night, indicating it has not yet made a final decision on whether to petition the California Supreme Court to review an appellate court ruling ordering the release of a police video of officers arresting a juvenile in 2012. The city has until […]
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Eureka Council to Mull Rotating Free Camping Zone
The Eureka City Council will consider amending its recent shelter crisis declaration again Tuesday, this time to allow for a rotating free camping area for homeless people with nowhere else to go. Currently, the city is allowing homeless people to camp in the city-owned parking lot on the corner of Koster and Washington streets during […]
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UPDATED: Why is Eureka Being Squirrely About Handing over Public Records?
Editor’s Note: An update has been added at the end of this post. Well, this is awkward. You see, generally we at the Journal don’t talk much about our requests for documents made under the California Public Records Act. We just submit them and then write about the information we get back. That’s kind of […]