Listen, it has been a year. You’d think the dick moves on the national stage would overshadow us but not so. Looking back on 2018, we saw a bevy of folks making classic dick moves — selfishly and flagrantly doing wrong because, well, they could — running the gamut from racism to bad manners with […]
Susan Ornelas
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UPDATED: Divided Arcata City Council Stalls Student Housing Project
The Arcata City Council, meeting this morning with Councilmember Michael Winkler absent, having recused himself from the issue, deadlocked on The Village, a controversial off-campus student housing project, leaving the development’s future uncertain. The council voted 2-2, with Councilmember Paul Pitino and Mayor Sofia Pereira dissenting, on a motion from Councilmember Susan Ornelas that would […]
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Long Road to Nowhere on McKinley Vote
“What the fuck? It’s been four fucking hours,” a frustrated audience member exclaimed incredulously at the end of Wednesday’s Arcata City Council meeting. “Why did you do this?” The remarks were directed squarely at Councilmember Susan Ornelas, who had just dropped her second President William McKinley’s statue bombshell in as many weeks. “At this point, […]
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McKinley Removal Process Continues Without a Vote
The removal of President William McKinley’s statue appears to be back on track. After nearly four hours of public comment at Wednesday’s meeting, Arcata Councilmember Susan Ornelas announced she was rescinding her suggestion to put the question of where the bronze work should stand – with one of the potential options being plaza center – […]
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Arcata Council Considers Putting McKinley to a Citywide Vote
The Arcata City Council will consider Wednesday whether to move forward with some form of an advisory vote on the future of President William McKinley’s statue after voting last month to remove the bronze tribute from the plaza. With a large crowd expected to turn out for the discussion, city officials decided they were going […]
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Another Twist in the McKinley Statue Saga
So, remember two weeks ago, when the Arcata City Council voted 4-1 to take down the statue of President William McKinley? Well, things just got a bit more complicated. Now it appears the statue’s situation might go to some sort of vote after all — one of the options staff had recommended in the first […]
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McKinley Statue is Coming Down, But Not Quite Yet
Arcata Councilmember Paul Pitino didn’t waste any time after listening to nearly three hours of public comment on whether the statue of President William McKinley and an offensive plaque should come down from the Plaza. “I’d like to get right into it and say I’d like to make a motion to remove the statue and […]
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Press Conference Sheds Little Light on Lawson Case
Two months and two weeks after the April 15 death of David Josiah Lawson, a 20-year-old Humboldt State University student who was fatally stabbed at an off-campus party, little in the way of new information has been made public. Today a group of Lawson’s family members and friends holding Justice for Josiah posters joined Arcata city officials […]
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Arcata Moves Forward With Sanctuary City Status
The Arcata City Council took the first steps toward becoming a sanctuary city this week in a reversal of position from one month ago when a divided board stopped just short of the declaration. After the 4-1 vote on May 16, Councilmember Michael Winkler stated he supported the body of the ordinance but cast his […]
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Arcata Affirms Commitment to All Residents, Stops Short of ‘Sanctuary City’
The Arcata City Council last night threw its support behind a California bill that would bar the use of state and local law enforcement resources for federal immigration enforcement, but stopped short of taking on the designation of “sanctuary city” — for now. After hearing from a steady stream of speakers overwhelmingly in favor of […]
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Wheetley Feted as Arcata Council Moves Forward With Appointment
Now former Arcata Councilmember Mark Wheetley was sent off with a standing ovation and a proclamation honoring the volunteer soccer coach’s 12 years of elected public service at his last meeting on Wednesday. Mayor Susan Ornelas read the accolades for the soon-to-be Fortuna city manager, which described Wheetley as an “easy to work with and […]
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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 […]