Category Archives: Local Government

Articles, Humboldt, Law, Local Government

Eureka Council Quashes Camping Ordinance With One Member Saying It Targets Status Rather Than Conduct

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Thumbnail photo: A man who identified himself as Ray told the Eureka City Council on Tuesday that he’s been homeless for 25 years. He asked the City Council to approach the issue with humanity. | Screenshot

Despite their city manager’s attempt to paint it as a means of getting people the help they need, three Eureka City Councilors decided that a proposed ordinance restricting camping and sitting or lying on the sidewalk is criminalizing homelessness.

City Manager Miles Slattery also presented letters from philanthropist Betty Chinn and Eureka Rescue Mission Executive Director Bryan Hall on Tuesday endorsing the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, or LEAD program, which is specifically referred to in Bill No. 1040 C.S.

But Eureka City Councilor G. Mario Fernandez pointed out that though the LEAD program offers “case management and supportive services,” he’s not aware of any social workers who support it. The city already has regulations governing obstructing public walkways and aggressive conduct prompting Fernandez to question why Eureka needed additional camping laws.

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Community News, Crescent City, Curry, Economy, Humboldt, Local Government, Newscast, Regional News, Tribal Affairs

YOU CAN’T OWN THE NIGHT LIKE THE 4TH OF JULY – Redwood Voice Community News

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May 21st, 2025– For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: Roadwork Updates from Caltrans District 1; Del Norte’s ad hoc firework committee announce their “No Tolerance” Campaign against illegal fireworks; The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office warns of recent scam calls demanding Jury Duty fines; The Tolowa Dee-’ni Nation share information on projects and contributions at the 2025 Economic Summit; A lifejacket advisory from Curry County Aquatic Safety; The California Fish & Game Commission open Chinook salmon fishing in three Central Valley rivers; A proposed funding bill will result in cuts to Medicaid, affecting rural hospitals; An update on the ongoing investigation into West Coast Game Park Safari; A look at Oakland’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Program; Five proposed Oregon bills will protect customers from predatory business practices; California State Parks is offering free admission for veterans and military members this Memorial Day; and the Humboldt County Board Of Supervisors announce the upcoming appointment of a new Aviation Director. All this and our regular segments from the Pacifica Radio Network and National Native News.

We’re broadcasting on KFUG 101.1FM and kfugradio.org every day at 12PM, with a rebroadcast at 5PM. We’re also airing on KZZH 96.7FM at 6AM, and KCIW 100.7FM at 6PM!

Articles, Economy, Local Government, Smith River, Tribal Affairs

DN Supervisor Calls Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s Latest Fee-to-Trust Application An ‘Erosion Of Our Tax Base’

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Thumbnail photo by Persephone Rose

Del Norte County could lose $162,000 in revenue, District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard said, urging his colleagues to oppose what he called “an erosion of our tax base” — the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s latest fee-to-trust land acquisition efforts.

The properties the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation seeks to place into trust are close to three miles away from its boundaries in the Smith River townsite, Howard told his colleagues Tuesday, and are homes that “generate a substantial amount of revenue to the general fund.”

Howard called on his colleagues to reach out to any contacts they might have within the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs as well as their national representatives.

Continue reading DN Supervisor Calls Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s Latest Fee-to-Trust Application An ‘Erosion Of Our Tax Base’ →
Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Supervisors Renew Advocacy For Secure Rural Schools, And Other Del Norte County News

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting:

• Secure Rural Schools: Supervisors reaffirmed their support for a century-old program that brought nearly $1.4 million to Del Norte County in 2023. 

Acting on information from District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short, the Board authorized a support letter for the Secure Rural Schools Act to U.S. senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla and Congressman Jared Huffman.

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Articles, Curry, Infrastructure, Law, Local Government, Regional News

Curry County Removed Lead Paint At Jail, Waiting On New Bunks

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Thumbnail photo by Ken Lund via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License

Though he didn’t speak up earlier, Curry County’s director of operations said complying with a detainer request from Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be “a lot to ask” when there’s only 16 beds in the jail.

About a month after the discovery of lead paint in its bunk beds prompted the Board of Commissioners to cut the jail’s capacity from 35 to 16 beds, Ted Fitzgerald, who also acts as county counsel, said the county was still waiting on permanent replacements.

“We still have the temporaries in there until we get the permanence delivered,” he said, referring to temporary bunk beds Curry County borrowed from Josephine County shortly after he notified commissioners of the lead paint concerns at an emergency meeting April 4. “The old bunks have been cleared. Maintenance went in there and cut them out. They were metal, installed directly into the concrete, and so, in order to keep things safe, we had to cut the metal and then grind the concrete down…”

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Articles, Curry, Local Government

Curry County BOC Issues Tighter Controls Over Website, Social Media After Staff Member Made ‘Unauthorized Changes’

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Curry County’s director of operations said he withdrew administrative and editing privileges from nearly all employees after an individual made “unauthorized changes” to the county’s website.

Ted Fitzgerald, who is also county counsel, asked the Board of Commissioners on Wednesday to approve a new policy that limits administrative privileges to one person. The new policy also requires those manning Facebook pages for individual departments to register with Human Resources so the county can vet information being posted.

Fitzgerald said he included a social media component to the policy after determining that statistics posted to the Curry County Justice Facebook page were inaccurate.

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Articles, Curry, Law, Local Government

Following Mixed Public Response, Curry County Commissioner Says He Didn’t Intend A Vote On ICE Resolution

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Thumbnail photo by Ken Lund via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License

Curry County Commissioner Patrick Hollinger said he didn’t intend for his colleagues to take official action on a resolution honoring detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Taken verbatim from a similar resolution Coos County commissioners have been discussing since January, Hollinger asked his colleagues to consider Oregon’s status as a sanctuary state and the possibility that the Trump administration may cut its federal funding as a result.

“That will directly affect our county as well,” Hollinger said Wednesday. “We use those funds for our DA office. We use those funds for our sheriff’s office. And it’s those two offices that can help with the human trafficking and drug trafficking [occurring] throughout our county.”

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Articles, Community News, Humboldt, Law, Local Government

Eureka Mayor Says Homelessness Discussion ‘Needs To Happen’ Even If Proposed Ordinance Doesn’t Pass

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Eureka City Councilman G. Mario Fernandez used the phrase “robber baron” when asking his colleagues to postpone consideration of an ordinance that would increase the penalties for people living in unauthorized encampments.

Fernandez urged his fellow councilors to refer the ordinance to an ad-hoc committee on camping alternatives consisting of himself and Councilwoman Renee Contreras-DeLoach rather than consider it on May 20.

This request echoed comments several public speakers made on Tuesday about removing the proposed ordinance from the May 20 agenda. Though a handful of commenters accused the City Council of criminalizing homelessness, Fernandez said speakers were asking him and his colleagues to either let them be part of their deliberations or to bring “those with experience into the discussion.”

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Articles, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation

Crescent City Will Add A Four-Way Stop To 5th and A Streets

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Thumbnail image courtesy of Google Maps

Public Works Director Dave Yeager convinced the Crescent City Council on Monday that a four-way stop sign would urge motorists to slow down as they approach A and 5th streets.

Six reported collisions have occurred at that intersection between June 2021 and August 2024, Yeager stated in his staff report. On Monday, he cited concerns raised by Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin as well as people who have witnessed those collisions.

Yeager also referred to the Del Norte Local Road Safety Plan in his staff report, which noted “one historical collision event”: A rear-end collision with one injury in 2011.

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Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Local Government

Charter, Frontier Push Back On Underground Utility Efforts, And Other Crescent City Council News

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Crescent City

Candace Tinkler was absent. Among the items discussed at Monday’s Crescent City Council meeting.

Underground Utility District: City councilors approved the creation of Underground Utility District No. 1, taking yet another step toward ridding the gateway to Beachfront Park and downtown of most of the overhead electricity and telecommunications lines.

But representatives from Charter Communications and Frontier Communications, which provide cable and Internet service in the area, opposed the proposal, stating that the same work credits available to PacificPower aren’t available to them.

In a May 5 letter to Crescent City, Lisa Ludovici, Charter’s director of government affairs, asks the city not to pursue the undergrounding of its utilities, warning that the cost for the company to participate could be passed onto its customers.

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