North Coast lawmakers announced this afternoon that they have prevented — or at least postponed — a months-long closure of the Eureka Department of Motor Vehicles office that was slated to begin in August. State Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Jim Wood sent out a joint press release saying they were informed of the DMV’s […]
Jim Wood
Posted inLetters + Opinion
A Real Answer to the Single-Payer Debate
We pay taxes and local fees for water, sewage, garbage and protection, for essential services and infrastructure — an expected, rational cost for the common good. But there is one area of overlooked expense, one fraught with irrationality and inequity; namely, the literally millions of our local dollars going to buy health plans, including some […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
North Coast Left Out of Governor’s Pitch to Crack Down on Illegal Cannabis
It’s no secret Humboldt County has many, many of cannabis farms. It’s also no secret that the vast majority of them — between 80 and 90 percent by most estimates — have taken no steps to come into compliance with state or local laws. Not only does this mean that there are upwards of 10,000 […]
Posted inNews
State Audit Confirms Inadequacies in For-Profit Skilled Nursing
A report published on the California State Auditor’s website this morning appears to confirm the worst suspicions of state Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Jim Wood, who in June of 2017 requested an audit of skilled nursing providers and the state agencies that monitor them. The audit focused on for-profit company Brius, which holds a […]
Posted inNews
Last Chance Grade Project Slated to Receive $5M
The California Transportation Commission is slated this week to earmark an additional $5 million to help pave the way for an alternative to Last Chance Grade. The new funds will be combined with a previous $5 million allocated by the agency last May to pay for the environmental studies needed to move forward with a […]
Posted inNews
The Trump Card
There’s no doubt that marijuana money plays a pivotal role in Humboldt County’s economy, not only buoying the balance sheets of local businesses but also the budgets of local police agencies. Over the years, millions in seized cash and property have gone toward Humboldt County Drug Task Force operations — basically paying for almost everything […]
Posted inNews
California Doubles Down on Sanctuary Status, Arcata Mulls Next Move
An executive order taking aim at sanctuary cities that President Donald Trump signed in his first days in office has cities, states and counties throughout the nation scrambling in all directions — some distancing themselves from the term “sanctuary” and others running toward it. California is placing itself firmly in the latter category. Meanwhile, North Coast municipalities […]
Posted inNews
Jim Wood Introduces Bill to Strengthen Skilled Nursing Protections
North Coast Assemblymember Jim Wood’s announced today that he has introduced a bill to protect residents of skilled nursing facilities should a facility “have a change in license status or operation, such as closure.” The legislation comes in response to last year’s struggle to help patients in three local skilled nursing facilities owned by Brius […]
Posted inNews
From Pulp Mill Ashes, Redwood Marine Terminal II Rises
The buildings stand mostly empty and the work is far from done, but mood inside the Redwood Marine Terminal II last Friday was jubilant nonetheless. At long last, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District threw a grand opening party for the out-of-service pulp mill it bought for $1 back in August of 2013. […]
Posted inNews
Fire Up the Chainsaws: Oak Woodlands Restoration Bill Signed
On Sept. 24, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1958, paving the way for landowners with conifer encroachment on oak woodlands to remove the invasive trees without replanting. The bill comes after more than a year of advocacy from small landowners and environmentalists who argued the existing rules by the state Board of Forestry were […]
Posted inNews
Medical Marijuana Tax Bill Goes Up in Smoke
The second bill by a North Coast lawmaker seeking to tax medical marijuana has died quietly in the California Legislature, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat is reporting. North Coast Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, had authored a unique bill aiming to tax the state’s booming medical marijuana market that appeared to have widespread support, passing the […]