City Manager Merritt Perry. Photos by Dezmond Remington.
“Growth” was the main theme linking together speeches from Arcata’s leaders in business, education, and government at the State of the City speeches Thursday.
Speakers, including Arcata Chamber of Commerce Director Meredith Maier, City Manager Merritt Perry, and Cal Poly Humboldt administrators Michael Fisher and Chrissy Holliday, focused on how Arcata is evolving to better serve its residents amidst changes both nationally and locally.
The Chamber of Commerce
Maier and chamber Event Manager Gloria Baker focused on the dozens of events the chamber has worked to coordinate, including the Arcata version of the Friday Night Market, an Oyster Fest attended by 12,000 people, and various business mixers.
Baker said 75% of Oyster Fest attendees went to a local business before or after (according to AI data that Baker said was “so insanely legit”), and 30% of them were tourists. $65,000 went to local vendors, bands, artists, and local businesses.
“It’s really wonderful knowing that we have so many people here that we can pay to do the things we need,” Baker said. “We don’t need to outsource. And all of the talent, all of the art, and all of the beer is here. It’s really remarkable.”
The news wasn’t all rosy. Maier said many businesses were earning less than they needed to survive at the moment. However, she hopes a slate of fire-relief events over the next couple weeks helps alleviate the pain.
The City
City Manager Merritt Perry crammed what could have been an hour’s speech worth of dense material into half of that, touching on everything from the Jan. 2 fire, to the city’s budget and priorities, to the big-picture General Plan.
Perry thanked the many individuals and organizations that prevented the Jan. 2 fire from consuming more of Arcata’s downtown, which could easily have happened with the heavy winds that day. He mentioned that the Arcata Fire District would finish its investigations later this week, and the insurance investigators would begin their assessments soon. The cleanup will commence after that and will be led by the property owners.
Perry said the city was working with Cal Poly Humboldt to figure out a way to clear the site for a “fraction” of the cost some contractors have quoted.
Arcata needs to beef its firefighting infrastructure up, Perry said, saying the current setup “doesn’t even meet residential standards.” Addressing that will be a priority.
Arcata’s budget was worth a few minutes; Perry said that despite a 2% dip in sales tax revenue, Arcata was doing alright fiscally. New tax revenues, from Measure H and Measure G, have paid for road pavings and more police officers and allowed the city to do lots of little things that improve the quality of life in the city. City staff secured $147 million in grant funding over the last four years, almost 50% of Arcata’s total revenue. Perry guessed that Arcata’s staff brought in more dollars per staff member than any other city in California. That $147 million has paid for new trails, mobile home renovations, housing grants and low-interest loans, and rental assistance.
The U.S. at large has been rocked in recent months by the federal government’s anti-immigration actions, something Perry mentioned a few times in his speech. He reaffirmed that Arcata is a sanctuary city and that both the council and the city would like to avoid its police department doing anti-immigration work.
Bringing Arcata together as a community is crucial. Perry showed some photos from the divisive city council meetings during the summer.
“How can we choose a path that doesn’t exclude people, and doesn’t blame people?” Perry asked. “…How can we find a way to unite people? Sometimes it’s easy — the Fairy Festival, the Kinetic [Sculpture] Race, the Oyster Festival, all these wonderful things that everybody supports — those are easy. How do you choose a path forward that is inclusive of everybody and seeks to unite people?”
It seems part of that is keeping Arcata somewhere worth living, something Perry dwelt on for a little while. He complimented the availability of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and walkability, and reminded listeners that Arcata’s 2045 General Plan was structured to support that goal.
“People want to be close to home,” Perry said. “They want experiences. They want outdoor experiences. They want to have those local, niche businesses that they can go to. And I was just thinking about our general plan. A lot of people think about the policies: ‘Is it tall buildings? Is it parking?’…But really, what people are looking for is experiencing quality of life. And I think Arcata does an amazing job with that, and a lot of our general plan policies support that.”
The University
Cal Poly Humboldt’s Vice President of Enrollment Management Chrissy Holliday kicked her speech off with a list of figures: the student population grew 4% in the last year, up to almost 6,300 students. The share of the student population that comes from Humboldt increased to 18%, up from 16%. Many of the poorer students are taking advantage of their programs for them; many of the new students are transfers. They’ve launched 15 new programs since becoming a polytechnic. Holliday said CPH was optimistic about continued growth.
“The good news for us is that it’s manageable,” Holliday said. “That’s good news for the community as well. We are trying to be very responsible with the growth we have, but we also have some pretty significant expectations because of all the [polytechnic] money that the state gave us.”
Press release from the Humboldt County Drug Task Force:
Over
the past several months, the Sheriff’s Office received several
complaints and reports of drug activity in the Hoopa Valley. On
Jan. 22, 2026, the Humboldt County Drug Task Force (HCDTF) assisted
by the Humboldt County Problem Oriented Policing (POP) team served a
search warrant in the Hoopa Valley after a month-long investigation
into the distribution of Fentanyl.
The search warrant was served on Robert Hodge Jr., 50 years old
of Hoopa, and his associated residence located in the Hoopa Valley.
During the service of the search warrant, Humboldt County Sheriff’s
Office K9 Yahtzee alerted to the presence of narcotics in multiple
areas of the residence.
Upon a search of the residence, Agents located 1.65 pounds of
suspected fentanyl, 400 suspected Xanax bars, 11 functional firearms,
several high-capacity magazines, a large sum of ammunition and just
under $15,000.00 in cash.
At the conclusion of the investigation, Hodge was arrested and
booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for the
following charges:
HS 11351 – Possession of an
opiate for the purpose of sales
PC 29800(a) – Felon in
possession of a firearm
PC 30305 – Felon in possession of ammunition
The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Hoopa Tribal
Chairman, Hoopa Tribal Council, and Tribal Police for their support
in the Fentanyl Crisis. We cannot do our job without the
community support.
If anyone has information related to this investigation or other
narcotics related crimes, please call the Humboldt County Drug Task
Force at 707-267-9976.
A security guard with the private firm American Guard Services strikes a pose by the Fourth Street entrance to the Humboldt County Courthouse. | Photo by Ryan Burns.
The Humboldt County Courthouse won’t go unguarded after all — at least, not for the next year and a half or so.
After informing the county last June that it could no longer afford to pay its share of the bill for public security screening at the courthouse’s two public entrances, the Humboldt County Superior Court this week managed to secure stopgap funding through the county’s Community Corrections Partnership (CCP), a probation advisory body financed primarily through through the state.
Sheriff William Honsal informed the Outpost this afternoon that this temporary solution had been found. It comes two weeks after the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted to pull the county’s share of funding for security screening, citing budget constraints.
On Tuesday, Honsal told the Outpost via email that he and County Administrative Officer Elishia Hayes met last week with Presiding Judge Kelly Neel and Court Executive Officer Meara Hattan to continue the courthouse security discussion.
Given the county’s budget woes, the Sheriff’s Office had developed a plan with the county’s ADA Compliance Office to move security screening to the second floor, where all the courtrooms are located.
“Although it is not ideal, we had to work within budget constraints to ensure security needs are met,” Honsal said. “We all agreed that keeping security screening at the [first and ground floor] entrances would be the best case scenario.”
To that end, the officials present at last week’s meeting discussed appealing to the state for additional court security funding. On Tuesday, Honsal said, “The courts are preparing a funding request, and we believe there is a good possibility the funding will be approved, allowing screening to be funded for the remainder of this fiscal year and next fiscal year.”
Today, he confirmed that the request had been granted.
“CCP voted on Wednesday to accept the Superior Court’s proposal for stopgap funding for Courthouse entry screening,” he said via email. The partnership granted $400,000 to cover security through next fiscal year (June 2027).
“This will provide time for the Superior Court and the County to work together to request more state funding for court security and court security screening,” Honsal said.
For many years now, the two main public entrances to the courthouse — one on Fourth Street and the other on Fifth — have maintained security screening for everyone coming into the building, complete with private security guards, body scanners and X-ray machines to check for weapons.
Since 2012, the cost of these services has been split between the Sheriff’s Office (17 percent) and Humboldt County Superior Court (83 percent). But last June, the court told the county that it could no longer pay its share of the bill (about $17,790 per month), and despite months of back-and-forth negotiations, no solution was found.
At the January 7 board meeting, County Administrative Officer Elishia Hayes said she and Honsal recommended ceasing all courthouse security screening services as soon as feasible. The supervisors agreed, though they directed Honsal to develop an alternative plan.
The impulse to maintain some level of security screening makes a lot of sense when you consider what people have tried to bring into the courthouse over the years. The Sheriff’s Office used to proudly announce what-all had been confiscated and/or rejected by security screeners. Way back in 2011, for example, the HCSO released an 18-month inventory that included three guns, more than 2,000 knives, hundreds and hundreds of other sharp objects, 52 bullets and much more.
In 2015, the office issued a more comprehensive tally that included two dozen guns, 28,400 knives, 1,102 metal forks, 687 can openers, 33 pairs of handcuffs and more than 1,000 handcuff keys.
Two years later, a local attorney “forgot” he was carrying a loaded handgun in his briefcase when he tried to enter through security, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Four years later, a Eureka resident was arrested after allegedly trying to get through with a loaded gun in his backpack.
The Sheriff’s Office hasn’t released a security screening tally in years. On Jan. 7, the Outpost filed a Public Records Act request, asking for a comprehensive list of the items confiscated at the courthouse last year. The Sheriff’s Office responded 13 days later, saying, “There were no illegal weapons or drugs confiscated in 2025.” Our bad, for using the word “confiscated.”
The Sheriff’s Office explained that prohibited items are not confiscated; rather, those who try to bring them in are simply asked to remove them from the building before entering.
We wrote back, saying we what we were after was a list of those things — the prohibited items people tried to bring in over the course of last year — and we reminded Sheriff Honsal that his department used to publicize such lists in press releases.
Earlier this week, Honsal said his office would work on that refined request. Thanks to the stopgap funding, though, the results will be more of a curiosity than a warning of what the public might encounter inside the courthouse in the near future.
From the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:
The
Director has declared that
the last closed area of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery in
Humboldt County [southern boundary of the Reading Rock State Marine
Protected Areas (41o 17.6’
N. latitude) to Cape Mendocino (40° 10.0’ N. latitude)] will open
at 12:01 a.m., Jan. 30 to be preceded by a 64-hour gear setting
period beginning at 8:01 a.m. on Jan. 27 under a 15%
gear reduction.
State health agencies determined that Dungeness crab no longer poses
a significant human health risk due to domoic acid
and recommended lifting the
delay in the area. With this announcement, all areas of the
commercial Dungeness crab fishery are open.
The Fair
Start Provision is
triggered when there are commercial season delays along the West
Coast for Dungeness crab. This provision prohibits vessels that
fished in another area prior to the opening of a delayed area from
fishing, landing and transiting in the newly opened area for a period
of 30 days. This will apply to the fishing area that is scheduled to
open Jan. 30 and vessels subject to Fair Start may not begin fishing
in this area until Mar. 1.
For
more information, please see the Frequently
Asked Questions for
the current 2025-26 commercial Dungeness crab season.
The
latest information on current fishing season closures related to
domoic acid will be updated on CDFW’s fishery
closure information and health advisories website
or by calling CDFW’s Domoic
Acid Fishery Closure Information Line at
(831) 649-2883.
The
latest domoic acid test results for Dungeness crab are posted on
the CDPH’s
Domoic Acid website
(subsection Analytical Data – Crabs).
For
the latest consumption warnings, please check for any Dungeness
crab health advisory information on the CDPH’s
shellfish advisories page or
by calling the CDPH’s
Biotoxin Information Line at
(510) 412-4643 or toll-free at (800) 553-4133.
CORRECTION: The headline to this post initially misidentified the fire in question, referring to a more recent and less devastating warehouse fire in Arcata. The Outpost regrets the error.
Joint press release from the Arcata Police Department and Arcata Fire District:
The Arcata Fire District, in coordination with the Arcata Police Department, has completed a joint investigation into the origin and cause of the Fire on the Square incident involving properties near 10th and H Streets.
Based on the investigation, there is no evidence that the fire was intentionally set, and no foul play has been identified. Investigators identified several possible ignition sources within the area of origin; however, none could be conclusively confirmed. As a result, the fire has been classified as “Undetermined” in accordance with nationally accepted fire investigation standards. The case will remain open, and the affected properties will be released back to the property owners.
An “Undetermined” classification means that the available information does not clearly indicate a single cause. It reflects the responsibility of investigators to avoid speculation when evidence does not support a definitive conclusion.
The Arcata Fire District conducted the fire origin and cause investigation, which included examining fire damage, reviewing scene conditions, and evaluating potential ignition sources.
The Arcata Police Department assisted the investigation by conducting witness interviews and reviewing available video footage to help establish a timeline of events.
If new credible information becomes available, it will be reviewed using established investigative practices.
The Arcata Fire District and Arcata Police Department remain committed to public safety, fire prevention, and providing accurate information to the community.
Press release from Mary Halstead, executive director of Agnes J. Johnson Charter School in Weott:
Earlier this week, I shared with staff and families of Agnes J. Johnson Charter School the painful
reality that the school is facing a financial crisis with no clear path forward. That communication
was sent ahead of last night’s Board meeting so families would hear the truth directly and with
care.
At the Board meeting held last night, no formal action was taken to close the school. However,
the Board did approve moving forward with the creation of a plan to wind down operations.
Barring any substantial, unexpected financial relief, the Board expects to consider and potentially
adopt a closure resolution at its next regular meeting on February 12, 2026. Based on the
school’s current financial position, February 28, 2026 has been identified as an anticipated
closure date, with February 27 expected to be the last day of instruction for students, should
closure be approved.
Since 2020, Agnes J. Johnson Charter School has experienced a 35% decline in enrollment due
to families moving out of the area, with the most significant losses occurring during the current
school year. Because charter schools are funded on attendance and subject to midyear
recalculation, the resulting revenue loss is severe and cannot be absorbed. Despite exhausting
every available option, there is no fiscal path that allows the school to continue through the end
of the academic year.
Agnes J. Johnson School has served this community for more than 73 years. In 2019, a small
group of parents came together to prevent its closure by converting it to a charter school. That
effort was rooted in a belief that rural families deserved choice, stability, and a school that
reflected their community. Over the past five years, even amid a pandemic, natural disasters, and
ongoing economic hardship, we honored that belief.
We built something real and meaningful here. We provided small class sizes, individualized
instruction, enriching programs, and a school culture centered on belonging, responsibility, and
care for the whole child. We did the work. We kept our promises. We served children with
integrity and love.
If a closure resolution is ultimately adopted, we will walk alongside families through that
transition. We will ensure student records are transferred promptly, assist families in identifying
next placements, and work closely with the District and neighboring schools to support our
students.
This loss is profound. It is felt deeply by students, families, staff, founders, Board members, and
the wider community. While we cannot save this school again, the legacy of what was built here,
and the children who were shaped by it, will not disappear.
Press release from the Humboldt & Del Norte Labor Council:
The Humboldt & Del Norte Central Labor Council affirms our
solidarity with working people and families of Minneapolis and across
Minnesota who are standing together to defend their communities.
Labor Unions throughout Minnesota
have united to endorse January 23 as a Day of Truth and Freedom —
No Work, No School, No Shopping. This action, led by the Minneapolis
Regional Labor Federation alongside regional councils across the
state, is a response to the violent ICE occupation of their cities
and the direct harm it has caused to union members, workplaces, and
families.
While this call to action comes from
Minnesota labor, I believe it is important for us, here in Humboldt,
to practice solidarity in our own communities — to talk with our
members, to educate, to support one another, and to stand firmly
against attacks on working people, regardless of immigration status.
An injury to one is an injury to
all. What is happening in Minneapolis affects all of us, and labor’s
strength has always come from our willingness to stand together
across geography, trade, and background.
