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Press release from the Klamath Indigenous Land Trust and PacifiCorp:

Klamath Basin, CA/OR — Today, as salmon return to the headwaters of the Klamath River for the first time in over a century, the newly formed Klamath Indigenous Land Trust (KILT) and PacifiCorp announced the landmark purchase of 10,000 acres in and around the former reservoir reach of the river. This transaction represents one of the largest private land purchases by an Indigenous-led land trust in U.S. history. 

“Dam removal allowed the salmon to return home. Returning these lands to Indigenous care ensures that home will be a place where they can flourish and recover,” said Molli Myers (Karuk), President of the Klamath Indigenous Land Trust Board of Directors. “Our communities spent generations fighting for this moment and we honor our ancestors who carried this vision forward. The healing that’s underway is real, and this acquisition reflects the future we’re building together as People of the Klamath Basin.  

PacifiCorp, the previous landowner, partnered with KILT to complete the sale following a decades long Indigenous-led effort to remove four dams on the Klamath River, completed last year. The purchase includes lands upstream and adjacent to the former hydropower project that are central to the future health of the river and its fisheries. With this transfer, stewardship of these lands will be guided by Indigenous values and ecological restoration goals for the first time in over a century.

“PacifiCorp is gratified to see these lands transition to a stewardship model that honors their cultural and ecological significance,” said Ryan Flynn, president of Pacific Power, the division of PacifiCorp that serves customers in California, Oregon and Washington. “We recognize the leadership of the Klamath Basin Tribes and KILT in shaping a restoration vision that will benefit the entire region.”

KILT was formed by Indigenous leaders from four different Klamath Basin Tribes who met after the 2002 Fish Kill and spent the next two decades committed to the grass roots movement to un-dam the Klamath and bring their salmon home. “We are from different Tribes and we each have our own cultural traditions, but it was through working together and by bringing Tribal People from all over the Basin together that created this moment,” said KILT Board Vice President Wendy Ferris-George (Hupa/Karuk).

With the acquisition complete, KILT’s next steps include developing comprehensive land management plans with input from area Tribes, ensuring stewardship reflects both cultural values and ecological priorities. These plans will address habitat recovery, cultural resource protection, fire management, and public access considerations.

“This is the next chapter in the Klamath River’s renewal,” Board member Jeff Mitchell (Klamath/Modoc) added. “It’s proof that Indigenous leadership and community partnerships can achieve transformational change at a landscape scale.”

Funding for the purchase was kindly provided by The Catena Foundation, the Community Foundation of New Jersey, and an anonymous donor.

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About KILT:

The Klamath Indigenous Land Trust was formed last year by a group of colleagues and friends who worked together for over two decades on the Bring the Salmon Home campaign that led to the eventual removal of the lower four Klamath River dams. KILT’s Mission is to protect and preserve land for the benefit of Klamath Basin Tribal communities and to advance public interest purposes such as fish and wildlife habitat restoration and enhancement, public education, and public recreational access. In this way we seek to empower Klamath Basin tribal communities by providing them with greater control over their land and resources through facilitating and supporting land returns, conservation easements, and other mechanisms.

About PacifiCorp:

PacifiCorp is one of the lowest-cost electrical providers in the United States, serving more than 2 million customers. The company operates as Rocky Mountain Power in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming and as Pacific Power in California, Oregon and Washington. PacifiCorp provides safe and reliable service through a vast, integrated system of generation and transmission that connects communities with the largest regulated utility owner of wind power in the West. For more information, visit PacifiCorp.com. 

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It is time, once again, to take stock of your Humboldt County Year That Was through the lens of “The Only Metric That Matters”™ — that is, the number of clicks on the Lost Coast Outpost website. It is the secret clave to which the county danced the year away. Or maybe it is the sphygmomanometer that gives us the deepest insight into the health of the patient. You are welcome to invent your own metaphor.

Looking over the list, I’d say the main theme that emerges, here amid the natural disasters and goofball features and one-off tragedies, is this: Change.

Of course there’s big change at the federal level, which trickles down to the ground sooner or later, but there is also strictly Humboldt-level change that would likely have proceeded regardless of who took office at the beginning of the year. Institutional change at Cal Poly Humboldt. Changes in the very courses of the Eel River and the Klamath River. A promised fix to the biggest problem that has plagued our principal highway for years. A change in Eureka’s long relationship with Walmart, even.

In 2025 we experienced these changes, or we dreamed of them, or we feared them, or we protested them. The world coming is not the world we knew. We are going to have to make new maps.

Here are your top stories of 2025!

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25. (UPDATE: SHERIFF PRESS CONFERENCE) Officer-Involved Shooting Near the Bear River Recreation Center

Very strange and sad case of an apparently mentally unwell young man — later determined to be an out-of-towner named Nicholas Anderson — acting weird and threatening, eventually pulling a knife and charging at deputies.

Here’s the sheriff’s office’s state-mandated video recap of the incident. Viewer discretion advised.

24. Cal Poly Humboldt Plans to Discontinue Several Majors, a Minor, and the Economics Program for this Fall

This was a very short and sweet breaking news kind of story that ended up hitting pretty hard. Yes, Cal Poly Humboldt’s continued emergence from the chrysalis of Humboldt State was no big surprise, but what if they discontinued your old major? What if you had been an economics student?

23. A New California Law Requires Tortillas to Include an Extra Ingredient. Here’s Why

On the day after Christmas, two Calmatters stories about new laws for 2026 pop up in the feed. One is about new rules for car sales. The other is about the very sanctity of our precious bodily fluids. In MAHA Humboldt, which do you think charted?

Anyway, tortilla-makers are now required to include a vitamin essential to a successful pregnancy in their products — one that Latina women, generally, happen to be a bit more deficient in than women from other populations. So there you go. 

22. A New Invader Threatens California Water Supplies. Can the State Stop Its Spread?

These golden mussels sound like a major pain in the keister. Humboldt was primed for the story, as the local water district had sounded the alarm a month earlier. For now, Ruth Lake remains mussel-free. But that requires constant vigilance, especially from you motor boat owners.

21. Anonymous ‘Students Against Nazi Extremism’ Leave Notes Threatening to Damage Tesla Vehicles in Arcata

This story sucked. I used to belong to a Facebook group of independent news outlets across the country. It was a place for local-level reporters to talk shop. When the Outpost was trying to figure out what to do with this — whether or not we should run something about it — I sent a message to the group with my quandary. I said: We got this flyer in the mail that threatens to launch a campaign of vandalism against local Tesla owners. Police say they’re aware of it. We’re trying to figure out whether or not we should run a story about it. What do you think?

The responses from our peers fell into two categories. Both of them were idiotic.

The first category of response was: What? Why would you censor the news? This is an organized campaign of violence! Your readers want will want to know about it! I bet it will get lots of clicks!

The second category of response was: Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you publish a story. Immediately notify police and turn over all your material to them! Otherwise you are party to a crime!

That is when I bid this Facebook group adieu. 

Eventually we decided that the fact that the flyers were getting police attention (without our help) made posting a story about them worthwhile, even though it was clear that the dipshit who was making them — “one idiot with a brick, a stamp and a printer,” as commenter Phyllobates terribilis would put it — was begging for our platform to amplify his would-be reign of terror.

And then, of course, every content mill in this stupid nation called us and tried to get us to give them hi-res versions of the letter, including the postmark and whatnot, so they could play true-crime and pretend to crack the case themselves. Of course we did not, and of course this wave of organized Tesla sabotage never came to pass.

20. Sequoia Park Zoo Black Bear Ishūng Has Dropped 100 Pounds and Learned to Love Green Bell Peppers (But She Still Hates Beets)

This chonker was a whirlwind sensation when she first sashayed into her enclosure back in April, but as much as you loved her then you loved her even more when she was able to crash diet herself down to a more reasonable (though still far from svelte) body-mass index.

Humboldt is pro-fitness!

19. Walmart Has Agreed to Buy the Old Eureka Kmart Property on Broadway, Emails Reveal

The (apparently) final chapter in the long drama over what to do with the big ol’ K-Mart at the south end of Eureka, which became a ghost building when Papa & Barkley — once the Great Green Hope of the local weed industry — closed its doors.

For a while a local school was looking at it. We heard a rumor that Tractor Supply Company was interested. Finally county government stepped in, with dreams of turning the spot into a customer-forward “one-stop shop” permitting center. Drive up, get your building permit and whatever else you might need, then be on your way! Easy peasy!

But those dreams were crushed when Walmart rolled up and offered more money, and so Walmart it will be. But what kind of Walmart? Not a whole lot can be said for certain at this point, but there are some indications that we’ll be getting a “Walmart Neighborhood Market” — essentially, a grocery store.

18. Four-Month Undercover Investigation Yields Two Arrests, 258 Pounds of Weed, 2 Pounds of Cocaine, 8 Firearms and a Lot of Cash, Drug Task Force Says

This one involved search warrants served at multiple locations throughout the county following a long-running undercover operation by a member of the Drug Task Force, in which the agent insinuated himself into the alleged dealer’s circle and made several illicit purchases before the Task Force brought the hammer down.

17. Attempted Rescue Underway Near Ferndale as 72-Year-Old Woman in Vehicle is Submerged to Her Neck in Flooded Field, According to Scanner Traffic

It took a village to rescue this lady last week. A village with tractors.

16. Up to 61,000 Truck Drivers in California Could Soon Lose Their Licenses. Here’s Why

The Trump administration bans refugees, asylum seekers and DACA holders from operating large vehicles. Assault on the working poor or long-overdue corrective? People had opinions. 

15. OBITUARY: Iris Elizabeth Canter, 2015-2025

Unimaginable.

14. EPD Provides Timeline Of Yesterday’s Fatal Collision on Broadway, Confirms Deceased Driver Was Female

This was the very, very horrifying crash outside Leon’s Car Care Center that involved a young Fortuna woman who was apparently having a mental health crisis.

13. ALLEGED ASSHOLE IN CUFFS! 31-Year-Old Oklahoma Resident Arrested on Multiple Felony Counts for Making ‘Terrorist Threats’ to Local Schools

The prudish among you fainted when you saw the headline — even after all these years, you still do that! — but what do you call a person who continuously calls bomb threats into schools halfway across the country, as well as threats of violence to local businesses? Lots of things, probably, but “asshole” is a pretty good place to start.

This (alleged) asshole had been (allegedly) doing that for years, wreaking special havoc at McK High in particular, and everyone rejoiced at his long-delayed arrest.

12. (PHOTOS) At Eureka’s Massive Anti-Trump/Musk Protest

This was the first of the big “No Kings” protests in downtown Eureka, and our Andrew Goff took a zillion photos of it.

The “No Kings” protests, if you haven’t been, are fun, positive community events. If you want to come to one in that spirit, you will have a good time. Meanness and lawlessness are strongly frowned upon.

11. Major Funding Secured for the Mile-Long Highway 101 Tunnel That Will One Day Bypass Last Chance Grade

That’s a long tunnel! It’ll take years and years, but it does look like California will someday solve the problem of Last Chance Grade — that section of Highway 101 just before Crescent City that is fast disappearing down the hillside— with a state-of-the-art supertunnel!

We dare you to try holding your breath through this one! For reference, the Randolph Collier Tunnel on Highway 199 is about a third as long, at 1,900 feet. The Robin Williams Tunnel, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, is only about 1,000 feet.

10. ‘I Loved My Job So Much’: Fired Federal Employees in Humboldt County Say Their Unjust Terminations Will Impact the Public

The first round of the DOGE firings hit in February, and they hit Humboldt’s natural resources sector pretty hard. Our Ryan Burns talked to several people who had been terminated from their positions at Six Rivers National Forest, the Fish and Wildlife Service, Redwood National Parks and elsewhere, all for basically no reason. It didn’t even save the federal government money, to speak of. It did cripple numerous federal institutions, so … good job?

9. Local Man Hospitalized After Trying to Help a Severely Injured Black Bear That He Struck With His Vehicle on Highway 299

It was brave of this 59-year-old man to get out of his car, on the highway, to try to render assistance to a bear who had been struck by a vehicle. Bravery is a virtue that our culture — rightly — celebrates and honors. There are other such virtues, too, but bravery is one of them.

Postscript: The Fish and Wildlife officer who Isabella Vanderheiden originally spoke to got the story jumbled. The guy who tried to help the bear was not the guy who struck the bear. He was (is) just a good Samaritan who tried to help a wounded bear jump over a retaining wall.

8. Three People Killed in Apartment Fire in Arcata’s Westwood Neighborhood Last Night

A family died in an apartment fire. Just stunning to think that such a thing can happen in this day and age.

7. Person Killed in Highway 36 Accident Yesterday Morning Identified as Former Eureka Police Sergeant Rodrigo Sanchez

Sanchez —  a former Eureka Police Department sergeant — was on a construction crew, working on that stretch of Highway 36 just east of Swimmer’s Delight in the middle of the night, when the hillside slid again.

6. Sheriff’s Office Releases Name of Woman Killed in Broadway Crash on Monday

The follow-up to #14, above. 

If you’re re-reading about all this today, you should also re-read the beautiful obituary written by her sister. We gather from the Facebook commentary that the woman who died in this terrible series of events was very much loved in the Fortuna area, and that many people were left despondent by this incident.

5. ‘A Crushing Blow’: USDA Cancels Local Food Purchasing Programs That Serve Humboldt’s Schools, Tribes, Seniors and Food Bank While Supporting Ranchers and Farmers

A federal program that buys from local farmers to feed children and the elderly? That was bad, so we got rid of it.

4. PG&E Files Its Application to Surrender its Hydropower License, Paving the Way for the Removal of the Potter Valley Dams on the Eel River

The excitement had been building in the weeks leading up to this, as local jurisdictions signed on to an agreement that would continue to send some water south in exchange for cash payment, but this was the big announcement: PG&E was officially getting itself out of the business of damming the Eel River! Humboldt County was happy. Sonoma County’s water agency was happy. Mendocino County’s water agency was happy. Environmentalists were happy. The Round Valley Tribes were happy. PG&E was happy.

Who was not happy? Lake County and a few Farm Bureau chapters. They eventually managed to get the ear of the Trump Administration, which sensed an opportunity to step in and make some headlines for itself. Now everything is uncertain.

3. TSUNAMI CANCELLED: Advisory Lifted; Exercise Caution on the Beach

A gargantuan 8.7 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Kamchatka, Russia prompted everyone in Humboldt to put their experience playing Risk to use for a night. The waves did strike Crescent City with some force, as they always do, but the tsunami had very little impact in Humboldt. No injuries, no property damage.

2. WATERWORLD: Widespread Flooding is Closing Area Roads and Prompting Emergency Rescues for Trapped Residents

Now that we have some perspective on this: Didn’t it seem like a bit much? Like: Too much flooding for the amount of rain that fell? Doesn’t it seem like we’ve had a lot more rain with a lot less flooding? Where can I file a complaint? 

1. One Year After Klamath Dam Removal, ‘There’s Just Fish Jumping All Over the Place’: Scientists Describe Improvements to Water Quality and Wildlife

A very cool Ryan Burns story about the recovery of the Klamath ecosystem. It went absolutely insanely mega-viral, but don’t hold that against it!

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[OK, since you’ve been good here’s the stupid ChatGPT image]

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Hopefully you and your family got everything on your Christmas wish lists this year, but it appears that Santa forgot to drop off a few things for the dogs at the Humboldt County Animal Shelter (perhaps because it lacks a chimney?). 

Shelter volunteers this morning put out a call to the local community for donations of clean, thick blankets, which keep them from having to lie on the cement floors, according to volunteer coordinator Mara Segal.

“The dogs would definitely appreciate it!” says a post on social media.

Donated dog toys and treats would also be welcomed. The post continues:

This holiday season did your dog get some new toys and they no longer want their old gently used ones? Maybe they got a new toy and they do not like it? Out shopping and see discounted holiday toys? The shelter dogs would love to have any of those!

If you find yourself at one of our local pet stores, Costco, or grocery stores this week consider picking up a few treats or toys for the shelter dogs! The dogs also love hot dogs and string cheese.

Volunteers with Redwood Pals Rescue have created wish lists at both Chewy.com and Amazon. 

Here’s the Chewy list, and here’s the one for Amazon. For the latter you can enter the shelter address (980 Lycoming Ave, McKinleyville Ca 95519) and phone number (707-840-9132), and Shelter Manager Andre Hale’s name will appear.

The shelter is not currently in need of towels, fitted sheets, pillow cases, pillows, bathmats, electric blankets or down filled blankets.

More shelter info:

Phone number: 707-840-9132
Email: hsoanimalshelter@co.humboldt.ca.us
Hours: M/T/Th/F/Sa 10-4 and W 10-7
Address: 980 Lycoming Ave, McKinleyville 95519

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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Most bills in the California Legislature are barely talked about in public before lawmakers take action, often after secret negotiations with lobbyists.

But a handful of controversial proposals broke through the usual rushed process, drawing hours of testimony and intense public lobbying from some of the state’s most powerful organizations that spend millions of dollars to get their way, according to an analysis of CalMatters’ Digital Democracy database, which tracks every word spoken in the Legislature.

That’s compared to the overall 2025 average, which showed lawmakers and advocates spent just 32 minutes publicly talking about each of the 1,657 bills that were discussed in at least one hearing.

These were the 10 most debated bills of the 2025 regular legislative session, according to Digital Democracy.

(Note: Advocacy groups listed below may have changed their positions as the bills were amended.)

Divide over antisemitism bill

Bill: Assembly Bill 715

Lead author: Democratic assemblymembers Dawn Addis of San Luis Obispo and Rick Zbur of Los Angeles.

Time discussed: 15 hours

Approximate number of speakers: 486

Why it was a talker: California’s Jewish lawmakers made countering antisemitism in schools their top priority this year, but opposing the bill was a coalition of education groups, unions, civil rights advocates and Muslim community organizations who feared censorship of pro-Palestinian voices and infringement on academic freedom. The groups turned out in droves to testify.

Number of groups in support: At least 68, including the Jewish Community Action, the Los Angeles County Business Federation and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Number of groups opposed: At least 92, including the California Federation of Teachers, the California Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the California School Boards Association.

Status: Signed into law.

Local governments balk at transit-oriented housing

Bill: Senate Bill 79

Lead author: Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco

Time discussed: 6 hours, 40 minutes

Approximate number of speakers: 198

Why it was a talker: Local governments balked at a new state mandate allowing developers to build midrise apartment buildings within walking distance of many major train, light-rail, subway and high-frequency rapid bus stations — even if local zoning restrictions would otherwise ban such dense development.

Number of groups in support: At least 49, including pro home-building groups and the California Apartment Association.

Number of groups opposed: At least 76, including, at one point, the building trades unions, the California Association of Realtors and dozens of municipalities.

Status: Signed into law.

Charter schools oppose new restrictions

Bill: Assembly Bill 84

Lead authors: Democratic assemblymembers Robert Garcia of Rancho Cucamonga and Al Muratsuchi of Torrance.

Time discussed: 6 hours, 32 minutes

Approximate number of speakers: 491

Why it was a talker: This was the latest legislative effort by California’s powerful teachers unions and their allies to add restrictions and oversight to charter schools. Homeschool families and charter schools opposed the measure, introduced in response to high-profile charter school fraud scandals, saying it would strip millions of dollars in state funding from their programs. The bill added auditing requirements and new fees as well as a proposed new Office of Inspector General inside the Department of Education.

Number of groups in support: At least six, almost all influential unions.

Number of groups opposed: More than 200, many of them charter schools or home school groups.

Status: Failed in the Senate.

Uproar over teen sexual solicitation

Bill: Assembly Bill 379

Lead author: Democratic Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen of Elk Grove

Time discussed: 5 hours, 28 minutes

Approximate number of speakers: 149

Why it was a talker: This bill, originally authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Maggy Krell, a former state prosecutor, sought to increase penalties for soliciting teen sex. But the legislation sparked difficult discussions between progressive and moderate members of the Democratic caucus about how hard to crack down on those accused of soliciting sex from minors, based on whether the victims were younger or older teenagers.

Number of groups in support: At least 48, including law enforcement unions and some Native American tribes.

Number of groups opposed: At least 25, including ACLU and various advocates for progressive criminal justice reforms.

Status: Signed into law.

Lots to say about ICE agent masks

Bill: Senate Bill 627

Lead authors: Democratic Sen. Jessie Arreguín of Berkeley and three other senators

Time discussed: 5 hours

Approximate number of speakers: 100

Why it was a talker: Members of California’s Democratic legislative supermajority aren’t shy about speaking their minds on President Donald Trump and his controversial immigration policies, so it’s no surprise that there was a lot of discussion over California’s first-in-the nation measure to prohibit federal immigration officers and local police from wearing masks in California.

Number of groups in support: At least 45, including non-police unions, public defenders, the ACLU and immigrant rights groups.

Number of groups opposed: At least 16, almost all of them police unions.

Status: Signed into law

Democrats pitch gerrymander to counter Texas

Bill: Assembly Bill 604

Lead author: Democratic Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry of Davis and Sen. Lena Gonzalez of Long Beach

Time discussed: 4 hours, 58 minutes

Approximate number of speakers: 76

Why it was a talker: There were plenty of heated discussions after California Democrats put forward their own gerrymandering plan after Trump pressured Texas to change its congressional maps to make new Republican districts.

Number of groups in support: At least 54, including labor unions and progressive groups.

Number of groups opposed: At least 19, including California Common Cause, Govern for California and conservative groups.

Status: Signed into law, approved by voters

Energy bill gets lengthy debate

Bill: Senate Bill 254

Lead authors: Democratic Sen. Josh Becker of Menlo Park and two other lawmakers.

Time discussed: 4 hours, 55 minutes

Approximate number of speakers: 119

Why it was a talker: This energy bill created a new public financing system for electric transmission projects and extended a controversial program that shields utilities from some wildfire liability costs, but critics warned it could ultimately drive consumer bills higher. It was part of a package of energy and climate measures the Legislature passed this year.

Number of groups in support: At least 55, including trades unions, the California Democratic Party, the California Chamber of Commerce, environmental groups and the California Municipal Utilities Association.

Number of groups opposed: At least seven, including the California Farm Bureau Federation, Rural County Representatives of California and the California State Association of Counties.

Status: Signed into law.

Fees for veterans’ benefits draws testimony

Bill: Senate Bill 694

Lead author: Democratic Sens. Bob Archuleta of Norwalk and Sabrina Cervantes of Riverside

Time discussed: 4 hours, 39 minutes

Approximate number of speakers: 99

Why it was a talker: For years, veterans advocates have wanted a state law preventing companies from charging exorbitant fees to help veterans file federal disability benefits claims, something they can do for free through the government and certain veterans’ organizations. But the Legislature has repeatedly balked, as companies claim they provide an important service to help veterans get the benefits they need.

Number of groups in support: At least 25, including the California State Association of Counties and the American Legion.

Number of groups opposed: At least nine, including Veterans Guardian, one of the companies that files claims.

Status: The bill did not pass the Senate, although lawmakers announced they had a deal on the legislation and would vote on it in January.

Should AT&T opt out of landlines?

Bill: Assembly Bill 470

Lead author: Democratic Assemblymember Tina McKinnor of Inglewood

Time discussed: 4 hours, 13 minutes

Approximate number of speakers: 209

Why it was a talker: AT&T has spent millions in lobbying as it tried unsuccessfully to bow out of its legal requirement to provide copper landlines in much of the state. Rural communities and others pushed back, leading to some of the lengthiest discussions in the Legislature this year.

Number of groups in support: At least 145, including AT&T, some tribes and other groups aligned with the telecommunications company.

Number of groups opposed: At least 96, including rural counties, some unions and AARP.

Status: Failed in the Senate.

Banning junk food at schools causes a stir

Bill: Assembly Bill 1264

Lead author: Democratic Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel of Encino

Time discussed: 3 hours, 49 minutes

Approximate number of speakers: 103

Why it was a talker: There were lots of strong opinions over this bill to ban schools from serving harmful “ultraprocessed foods” to students.

Number of groups in support: At least 59, including nurses and school unions, the California Medical Association and some school districts.

Number of groups opposed: At least 46, including agricultural associations, the American Beverage Association and other business trade groups.

Status: Signed into law.

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Digital Democracy’s Foaad Khosmood, Forbes professor of computer engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Digital Democracy’s Thomas Gerrity contributed to this story.

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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Senate Bill 634 would have made a big splash if it survived in the form Pasadena Democrat Sasha Renée Pérez originally intended. She wanted to make it illegal for cities to cite or arrest homeless Californians for sleeping outside. But, faced with intense backlash from cities and law enforcement agencies, the legislator watered down her bill.

Now signed into law and taking effect Jan. 1, it takes aim at an issue that is much less prevalent on the streets of California. It says cities cannot punish outreach workers for helping homeless clients, even if those clients are sleeping in an illegal encampment.

More precisely, the law says cities cannot bar people or organizations from providing homeless residents with legal services, medical care or things needed for survival, such as food, water, blankets, pillows and materials to protect themselves from the elements.

“The legislation provides commonsense protections for service providers, especially non-profits and faith-based ones, who are doing the work every day to assist unhoused Californians,” Pérez said in an October statement.

San Bernardino County, on the other hand, said the law will “override local authority and restrict enforcement tools that cities and counties use to promote public safety.”

It’s not unheard of for aid workers to find themselves caught in the crosshairs of a city’s crackdown on homeless encampments. The Bay Area city of Fremont earlier this year briefly made “aiding, abetting or concealing” an illegal homeless encampment a misdemeanor. Its city council later walked back that language — after CalMatters first reported it — but it made a lasting impression on state legislators.

The legislation follows a statewide push toward the increased policing of homeless Californians. In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court gave cities more power to cite and arrest people for sleeping outside, even if they have no shelter available. Since then, arrests and citations for homelessness-related offenses have soared in cities across the state.

Dr. Richard (Dick) Stepp
May 11, 1945 - September 26, 2025

It is with heavy hearts that we share the loss of our beloved friend, Dr. Richard (Dick) Stepp, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy at Cal Poly Humboldt.  Dick collapsed on the Cal Poly campus on September 26, 2025 as he was walking to attend his Feldenkrais body movement class. He was 80 years old.  

Richard Daniel Stepp was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 11, 1945 to Eleanor Franklin and Robert Stepp.  He was the second of three sons. His father became a lawyer, and his mother took charge of raising the three boys. The family lived in the Shaker Heights suburb and spent their summers in a cabin at Lake Erie. At the young age of 8, Dick lost one of his kidneys, and during his youth spent many months in hospitals. Confronted with the prognosis of a shortened lifetime expectancy, Dick committed himself to his health and to living in the moment. He believed that the loss of his kidney stunted his growth, but led him to living life with zest.  Dick had a lifelong love and desire to help others, either as a teacher, mentor, training partner, or noted woodsman.  He has had several near-death experiences, but had always been too stubborn to give into the shadow of death.  Dick led an unbelievable life of achievement and adventure.    

Some of his athletic achievements include being a fierce competitor in wrestling, cross country, and track and field. Dick excelled in these athletic endeavors and maintained a passion for them right up to the end.  Even in his 70s, he still set an example for Humboldt college students in the weight room. One student even created a documentary of legendary Dr. Stepp titled, “Heart of a Vaulter.”

Dick was a Masters athlete, who, at age 77, competed in his last track and field competition throwing javelin.  He also did pole vault, and threw hammer, shot put, and discus. In high school, Dick cleared near 14 feet, pole vaulting, using stiff steel poles, no less. His post collegiate vaulting on fiberglass poles was barely a foot from his high school mark which was a phenomenal achievement as a masters athlete, particularly in light of his petite stature. On occasion he would also coach pole vault at local high schools.  One prime highlight for Dick was accompanying his lifelong friend, five-time US Olympic qualifier and three time olympian javelin thrower, Karin Smith, to various national meets and the Olympic trials.  

Dick was equally proud to have competed in high school wrestling, achieving high honors in his weight class.  He also competed on his Ohio college wrestling team at Baldwin Wallace College, earning all-conference honors, while earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics.  After achieving his BS, Dick set off to Penn State University where he skipped his Master of Science degree to earn his PhD in Meteorology and Atmospheric Processes, or “Climatology,” as he liked to call it.  Dick often told the story of how his youthful arrogance led him to forgo the troubles and distractions of working in a team, for his thesis. Instead, he moved to Munich, Germany for a few months to do his research independently. Caught up in stress from completing his thesis work alone, Dick sought to clear his head with a little jaunt in the German Alps where he almost plummeted to his death.  When back at Penn State, he fell in love with, and married Sandra Healy, whom he met when they were in the Rock Climbing and Mountaineering Club.  In 1973, Dick and Sandra moved to Humboldt County where Dick accepted a faculty position at Humboldt State University.  Years after his divorce with Sandra, Richard married Mary Jo Koen and helped raise her son and mentored her daughters.  Dick did not father any children of his own, but has been an adopted father, brother, uncle and grandfather to many in the Humboldt community. 

In 1983, Dick published his book, “Making Theories to Explain the Weather.”  His lifelong fascination with climate and weather patterns led to his fierce skepticism of the models used to predict climate change, which would sometimes lead to colorful conversations with some modern theories held by others. He felt the models were manipulated to produce desired outcomes, a practice he considered unscientific. He would study radar patterns and barometric readings and always predicted, with uncanny accuracy, the weather, several days in advance. Dick’s predictions often proved to be of greater accuracy than the forecasts by news weathermen. 

Dick remained a faculty member at HSU, teaching there for 40 years before his retirement in 2012. For 15 of those years, he was chair of the Physics Department. Dr. Stepp’s scholarly interests were diverse, but the thing that remained constant was his passion for teaching. He taught in unusual, nontraditional, yet relatable ways. He was known for making his topics memorable and understandable:  

As a professor, Dick used creative teaching methods and props, and often surprised his audience with his sudden leaps onto his desk to make a point, or by tossing a large ball (which he had pretended to barely be able to carry into the room) to one of the students.  He felt that he was part teacher and part actor/entertainer! His methods were unusual but brought both his sleepy students and his lectures to life!  Dick was known in the county for his baskets and canvas bags full of endless props. He would invite classes to the lawn, spread a cloth, and pile objects such as salt and pepper shakers, mustard and ketchup bottles, centerpieces, cups and saucers. He would then proceed to identify each object as a weather-related term, like a “cold front, “ or “high pressure system” hopping around (literally) demonstrating how these weather systems interacted with one another. 

Dick was committed to using the scientific approach of gathering data, analyzing it and using deduction and reasoning before drawing conclusions. Without any prejudice he kept an open mind to all probabilities and wonders. One of his most well known philanthropic ventures was in the realm of what he fondly called “crackpot science” in the form of finding the truth behind Bigfoot.  Dick enjoyed some of his most curious and exciting days while on Bigfoot expeditions in Colorado and in Washington with his two dear friends, biologists and primate researchers John Mionczynski and the late Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum.  He subsequently became involved in helping fund John Mionczynski’s Bighorn Sheep studies and twice spent weeks with John at his research site on Middle Mountain in Wyoming. Dick took special interest in Dr. Jeff Mildrum’s evolution and primatology research and teachings at Idaho State University, and funded a trip to study the Caucus Mountain Wildman in Russia, and helped facilitate the studies of Homo Floresiensis in Indonesia.  Dick was so inspired by John’s and Jeff’s dedication to preserving the stories, histories, and cultural traditions of indigenous people and early settlers in the American West, that he joined their efforts as a foundational supporter of the Native Memory Project.  Within this project, Dick was highly devoted to the archiving and recording of the stories of the Crow Nation and its people, told by Grant Bulltail, a descendant of many Crow Chiefs. Dick was introduced to Reba Jo Teran, a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe who has dedicated her life to protecting and perpetuating the native tongue of the Shoshone language for future generations.  With barely 100 Shoshone elders fluent in their native language at that time Dick recognized the urgency and the opportunity.  He took great pleasure in being a booster to Reba’s efforts of compiling words in both written and audio form for the creation of a Shoshone dictionary.  

Although Dick’s expertise was officially in physics, his real passion was politics. He looked forward to verbal jousts with anyone who would take him up on a debate regarding just about any worldly political opinion or fact. Whether it was science, global current events, sport coaching, or the proper way to approach splitting firewood, Dick always sought to gain a greater understanding, contributing philosophical ideas to every conversation, and sharing his profound insights. Dick was in fact, a social animal, who quite enjoyed interactions with people of all ages. He gleaned energy from young people, sharing his expertise, and in turn, became infused by the excitement of young learners being exhilarated by their successes through his help. 

Dick Stepp was a very generous man with a big heart. He encouraged and sponsored many individuals, organizations, clubs, and sports teams through his philanthropic endeavors. He frequently volunteered his time and physical labor to help out a worthy cause. For many years on each Saturday Dick volunteered at 4-H T.R.A.I.L., a therapeutic equestrian program for individuals with special needs that was founded and run by Dick’s friend and former colleague Dr. Doug Jager, Emeritus Professor of Forestry at HSU. Dick appreciated that in this program each participant regardless of their age, interests or abilities had responsibilities and was an important member of the team.  Although Dick mainly contributed by fixing fences, maintaining equipment and armed with his chainsaw clearing fallen trees off the riding trails, he did develop a strong interest in learning about horse behavior and understanding human and horse interaction. There are so many citizens of the North Coast who worked beside Dick or had him as a teacher and mentor during his 40 years at HSU.  Every time he would walk through town, shop at the local health food stores, or just fill up his truck at the gas station, a familiar “Hi Dick!” or “Hey Dr. Stepp!” could be heard. 

Throughout his adventurous life, Dick developed an abundance of close relationships. Those who were blessed to know him might use several words to describe him, including:  mentor, coach, sponsor, trainer, influencer, competitor, confidant, survivor, counselor, political analyst, philosopher, meteorologist , climatologist, philanthropist, wrestler, pole vaulter, super hero, benefactor, investor, wood splitter, wood stove enthusiast, Bigfoot expert, economist, historian, and maybe a favorite of his would be the “crackpot science buster.”

Dick was well known for finding creative solutions to any problem.  He emphasized the importance of people serving a purpose in life no matter how young or old, or how poor or wealthy one is.  He believed in the power of keeping a sunny attitude.  At all times Dick had such a strong positive outlook on life that he believed to be charmed with a fortune of good luck. Dick’s life reflected genuine kindness, acceptance, goodwill, honesty, integrity, hopefulness, charity, true friendship, determination and most of all, love.  He reflected love in the truest sense: patient, kind, not jealous, not boastful, not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered and not keeping any record of wrongs.  He didn’t gloat at others’ wrongdoings and delighted in the truth (especially when it involved proving crackpot science is maybe not so far-fetched). He was always hopeful, trusting, and endured whatever came his way.  He was a man who endeavored to make the world a better place whenever he could.  If you’ve ever seen the movie “Big Fish,” Dick was the same larger than life character portrayed in that movie.  He is greatly missed.

A celebration of Richard’s life will be held at a later date.

If you would like to continue the legacy of Dr. Stepp please consider supporting any of the following organizations close to his heart:

• Native Memory Project: https://nativememoryproject.
• 4-H T.R.A.I.L. in Trinidad CA (Therapeutic Riding for Access to Independence and Leaning): Please mail to:  4-H Trail, 349 Stagecoach Rd. Trinidad, CA 95570
• CASA of Humboldt: https://wl.donorperfect.net/

At Cal Poly Humboldt Foundation:

• Feldenkrais Teaching Fund  https://giving.humboldt.edu/
• Women’s Track and Field Team https://giving.humboldt.edu/
• Men’s Track and Field Team  https://giving.humboldt.edu/
• Men’s Wrestling Program   https://giving.humboldt.edu/

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The obituary above was submitted by Dick Stepp’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

James (Jim) Kennedy passed away Saturday December 20, at the age of 74. 

Jim was born on September 19, 1951 in Vancouver, Washington to Daniel and Elnora Kennedy.  When Jim was two the family moved to Humboldt County and Jim resided here for the remainder of his life. 

Jim worked in local lumber mills for over 30 years.  In his spare time he enjoyed watching sports , especially baseball and football. When he was younger he loved bowling. 

Jim was proceeded in death by his parents Daniel and Elnora Kennedy, brother Dan Jr. and sisters Linda and Patty. 

Jim always had a special bond with his nieces and nephews. Jim wasDan never too busy to play with them and they have fond memories of riding on his tall shoulders as children. 

Jim is survived by his brother Larry (Sherry) Kennedy of Fortuna and sisters Nancy (Doug) Griffith of Lubbock ,Texas and Barbara Schroeder of Normal, Illinois. Also surviving are his nieces and nephews Chad Griffith of Santa Rosa; Stacy Aldridge of Wewoka, Oklahoma; Miranda Blair of Lubbock, Texas; Glenn Kennedy of Phoenix, Arizona; Brian Kennedy of Grand Junction, Colorado; and Shaina Kennedy of Phoenix, Arizona. 

Jim’s family would like to thank the First Choice Care Home in Fortuna for their kind and compassionate care during the final two years of Jim’s life. 

In the final weeks of Jim’s life Hospice of Humboldt was so helpful in guiding Jim through this difficult time. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Humboldt. 

As Jim requested there will be no public services. Jim’s final resting place will be with his parents and older brother Dan at Sunrise Cemetery in Fortuna. Final arrangements were handled by Goble’s Mortuary in Fortuna.

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The obituary above was submitted by Jim Kennedy’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.