Evo Frank Fanucchi
September 22, 1920-October 18, 2025

A rough and tumble Italian boy, grew up in Eureka. He sold newspapers at brothels, played stick ball with gangsters and helped his parents run a barely legal establishment.

He joined the US Navy construction battalion during World War II, proudly serving his country as a Seabee.

Returning home, he began a long career as bartender and co-owner of Roy’s Italian restaurant.

A frugal do-it-yourselfer, Evo could lay brick, pour cement and fix just about anything mechanical. He only really got “old” after the age of 103!

 Evo is survived by his wife Catherine, who he met in 1974; his daughter Tina Grenamyer-Nickles, who lives in Fallon, Nevada; her sons Keith, Monte and Lance and their children. He also leaves behind his nephew Joe Fanucchi and his children — Lisa, Teri, Brett, Angela and Julie — and his niece Nina Crowe and her children, Zack and Alex. He was preceded in death by his parents, Angelo and Teresa; his brother Roy Fanucchi; and his sister Ida Newell.

There will be a gathering at the Elks Lodge from 1 to 3 p.m. on November 16 for an Honor Guard Ceremony.

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Emily Becker (Peterson) passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loved ones, on Saturday, September 13, 2025, after a courageous six-year battle with breast cancer.

Born on July 12, 1974, in Humboldt County, Emily spent her entire life in the place she loved most. She attended Cutten Elementary, Winship Junior High, and graduated from Eureka High School in 1992. During high school, she excelled at volleyball but chose to devote her junior and senior years entirely to showing her beloved horse, Cricket. Given to her at the age of eight, Cricket became Emily’s lifelong best friend and partner. Together they competed throughout Humboldt County, ultimately winning the California State Horsemen’s Association (CSHA) statewide championship in 1992 — a title no other Humboldt County rider has achieved.

After high school, Emily attended Humboldt State University, where she earned her degree in Natural Resources Interpretation in 1997. Following graduation, she fulfilled her dream of becoming a California State Park Ranger after completing training at the California Police Academy in Asilomar. Emily was proud to serve as a Park Ranger at Humboldt Redwoods State Park, a place that held her heart. She was known for her engaging campfire programs, guided hikes, and dedication to running Cuneo Creek Horse Camp. She also led the Mounted Assistance Unit, blending her love of horses with her commitment to public service.

Emily’s compassion extended to all animals — she rescued countless dogs, cats, and even horses throughout her life. She had a generous spirit, never missing a loved one’s birthday and often gifting roses from her own garden.

In December 2007, Emily met the love of her life, Kristofer Becker. Together, they built a beautiful family, welcoming their children, Tabitha and Isaac, who became the center of her world. Emily devoted herself to motherhood, cheering on her kids at every activity, planning family adventures, and creating lasting memories through their many travels and camping trips. She loved cooking for her family and was, by all accounts, one of the best around.

Emily will be remembered for her warmth, her strength, her devotion to family and animals, and her deep love of nature and the redwoods that surrounded her home.

Emily is survived by her husband, Kris Becker, and their two children, Tabitha and Isaac Becker; her mother Robin Haynes and stepfather Chris Haynes; her father Jay Peterson; her sisters Erin Peterson and Cyndi Fischer; her brother Jamey Fischer; her parents-in-law Gerrie and Hannes Becker; her sister-in-law Sonja Becker; her brother-in-law Erik Becker; and many beloved cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.

A celebration of Emily’s life will be held this summer. In lieu of flowers, donations in Emily’s memory may be made to a favorite animal rescue, Hospice of Humboldt, or a California State Park that holds special meaning.

Wai Yan Leamon was born in British Hong Kong. From birth her mother was unable to care for her, so she lived in a children’s home in Hong Kong. When she was 10 years old, she was adopted by Richard and Sue Leamon and came to join her new sister and brother, Heather and Forrest, in rural Potter Valley, California. She quickly adapted to country life raising and showing animals in 4-H and playing soccer and baseball. She graduated from Potter Valley Elementary School and Ukiah High School. She also attended Mendocino Community College, where she studied history and anthropology.

Although she had a playful and sweet demeanor, most of her adult life was eclipsed by mental illness. Cancer took her life in Eureka.

Wai is survived by her mother Sue Leamon and her sister Heather Glaser (Ben), her niece Rayah and nephews William (Antonia), Alan, Andrew and Luke Leamon. She was predeceased by her father Richard and brother Forrest Leamon (Ana). A private family graveside service is pending.

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Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office release:

On Nov. 6, 2025, at about 11:15 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies assigned to the McKinleyville area were on patrol near McKinleyville Ave. and Hiller Rd. when they observed a male subject emerge from a residential driveway on Hiller Rd.

The subject who was dressed in dark clothing, wearing a backpack continued walking along Hiller Rd. as deputies tried to initiate contact with him. During this time, the subject reached into his pockets and discarded items in the bushes and onto the ground.

Deputies detained the subject, who was identified as Aaron Thomas Bjorkstrand, 42 years-old, a convicted felon, of McKinleyville.

Bjorkstrand was in possession of a stun gun flashlight and an empty gun holster. The discarded property collected by deputies included:

• A loaded Glock 22.40 caliber semi-automatic handgun
• An unloaded, non-serialized handgun determined to be a “ghost gun”.
• A loaded gun magazine
• Apple iPhone

Bjorkstrand was arrested and transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility (HCCF) and booked on the following charges:

• P.C. 29800(a)(1) Felon in possession of a firearm
• P.C. 30305(a)(1) Felon in possession of ammunition
• P.C. 24610 (a) Possession of an undetectable firearm
• P.C. 22610(a) Felon in possession of a stun gun
• P.C. 148(a)(1) Obstruct/Resist peace officer

Press release from the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services:

After delays and many unknowns during the federal government shutdown, CalFresh recipients started receiving their November benefits on Thursday, Nov. 6. This move followed an order from a federal judge earlier in the day who directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to find enough money to restore full funding for SNAP benefits by Friday, Nov. 7.

While this situation continues to be fluid, Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services Director Connie Beck said Friday morning, with the changing information and unknowns, finding out benefits started being issued last night was a “wonderful surprise” and a relief for the more than 30,000 county residents who receive CalFresh.

“In this trying time, staff and our community have really stepped up,” she said. “Not only is DHHS is the midst of hosting our own county employee food drive, but numerous local restaurants, businesses and other community residents are doing the same. I am proud to be a part of this community and very proud of this department and our staff.”

According to a news release from California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued Thursday evening, “Following two lawsuits filed by California and other states and a coalition of others, California families are beginning to see their full SNAP benefits restored on their EBT cards. Earlier today, a court ordered the Trump administration to immediately issue 100% of funding for 5.5 million California SNAP recipients. Following the regular process for providing CalFresh benefits, benefits are now beginning to be available on recipients’ cards so that families can again access the food they need.”

While this is subject to change, it means that households that would normally receive their full benefits between Nov. 1 and 7, are on track to have their full benefits available by Friday, and households that would normally receive their full benefits between Nov. 8 and 10, are on track to have their full benefits available as normal, an email from the California Welfare Directors Association stated. Households determined to be newly eligible for November are also on track to receive full benefits.

In Humboldt County, approximately 22% of county residents receive CalFresh benefits which equates to between $5.8 and $6 million a month. These benefits not only supplement the food budgets of elderly community residents, families with children and other individuals, there are many businesses in the county that accept EBT cards and rely on this income as well.

Families that receive benefits through the WIC (Women, Infants & Children) program, can expect to continue receiving them through November, despite the shutdown.

For more information about your CalFresh benefits, visit BenefitsCal.com or call DHHS’s Social Services Call Center at 1-877-410-8809.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Planning & Building Department has recently received several reports of an email scam targeting our community. 

In this scam fraudulent emails claim to be from the Humboldt County Planning Commission and may identify as a current and/or former employee. The scammer tells the victim that they have reviewed and approved their permit application and an “application approval fee” is required before approval can be finalized.

The email appears to mine information from publicly accessible documents such as agendas and related application documents and uses that information to include very specific details about the applicant’s project into the message. It also includes instructions on how to wire funds to settle the account.

The County of Humboldt does not charge or require an “application approval fee.” We would like the community to know that this is a scam. While departments such as Planning & Building may contact you regarding an application or legitimate past amounts due, the county will never ask you to:

• Mail large sums of cash
• Wire funds to a private account
• Use a credit card over the phone, or
• Pay with gift cards or pre-paid money card

If you have any questions about the status of a pending permit application, please call the Planning & Building Department at (707) 445-7541.  

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone who believes they may have been targeted or have been a victim of this type of fraudulent activity to report the incident immediately by calling (707) 445-7251.

Remember these tips to help protect yourself from fraud:

1. Spot imposters 

Scammers often pretend to be someone you trust, like a government official, a family member, a charity or a company with which you do business. Don’t send money or give out personal information in response to an unexpected request – whether it comes as a text, a phone call or an email. And do not open attachments in emails from unknown sources.

2. Do online searches 

Type a company or product name into your favorite search engine with words like “review,” “complaint” or “scam.” Or search for a phrase that describes your situation, like “IRS call.” You can even search for phone numbers and email addresses to see if other people have reported them as scams.

3. Don’t believe the name in an email or your caller ID

Technology makes it easy for scammers to fake email account names and caller ID information, so the name and number you see aren’t always real. If someone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up. If someone emails you asking for you to take action, do not click links in the email or open attachments. If you think the person contacting you might be telling the truth, call back to a number you know is genuine.

4. Talk to someone 

Before you give up your money or personal information, talk to someone you trust. Con artists want you to make decisions in a hurry. They might even threaten you. Slow down, check out the story, do an online search, consult an expert — or just tell a friend.   If you have an application with the Planning and Building Department call and ask.

5. Don’t rely on personal information 

Living in the digital age, access to information is easier than ever. Scammers are often able to get their hands on very personal information, providing it to their victims to make their scam look more legitimate. Don’t trust a scammer who is able to provide your personal information. If you followed the above tips and still aren’t sure, call back at a publicly listed number for the organization from which the scammer claims to be or contact your loved one directly.

Sign up for the Federal Trade Commission’s scam alerts at this link.

Visit this link to learn how to report scams.

Visit this linkto learn more about some of the common scams reported to the HCSO.

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

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Despite facing a $12 billion deficit this year, California’s Legislature still managed to spend at least $415 million for local projects to help lawmakers win their next elections.

CalMatters found close to 100 earmarks inserted into just one of the state’s budget bills for local projects and programs that had little apparent benefit to anyone outside the lawmakers’ districts.

Some of the earmarks raise concerns about legislative priorities in a difficult budget year, such as lawmakers spending millions from the general fund on museums, trails, parks and other amenities in wealthy communities.The spending includes $5 million in general fund money for a LGBTQ+ venue in high-cost San Francisco, $2.5 million for a private day school in Southern California and $250,000 for a private farm-animal rescue on the North Coast.

Around $250 million of the local-project earmarks were funds taken from the $10 billion Proposition 4 climate bond California voters approved last year.

Some of the Prop. 4 earmarks included:

• $26 million to programs paying farmers for private land conservation.
• $20 million to help the public access a Southern California beach gated off by a wealthy community.
• $15 million for “geologic heritage sites” including the La Brea Tar Pits — whose fossils have been used to study climate change in the last epoch.

The earmarks were approved at the same time Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers left state worker positions unfilled, suspended some health care benefits, forewent raises for firefighters, filled budget holes with high-interest bond money and took billions of dollars from the state’s “rainy day” emergency fund.

Kristen Cox, executive director of the Long Beach Community Table foodbank, said the money lawmakers spent this year to enhance communities in their districts — often for projects that some would consider frills — isn’t going to the neediest Californians.

“It’s misprioritization,” she said. “My priorities are to help the people that need it the most. Their priorities seem to be ‘Let’s make this city look gentrified and pretty and beautiful.’”

A secret process that benefits lawmakers

Many of the earmarks — one-time allotments of cash for a specific purpose or project — are fairly benign and went to local infrastructure needs such as fire stations, parks, public schools and environmental projects.

They also represent just a small portion of the state’s $321 billion budget, which pays for programs and services that typically are intended to help all of California.

But inside the notoriously secretive budget negotiation process, lawmakers also have the ability to set aside sizable chunks of money to benefit their districts through an even more opaque earmark system.

It allows them to direct money to their pet projects without leaving a fingerprint — at least until they issue a press release touting a new community perk or show up for ribbon-cutting and check-passing ceremonies.

Such spending, disparagingly called “pork-barrel spending” or “pork” for short, is hardly new or unique to California, said Thad Kousser, a former legislative staffer and political science professor at UC San Diego. He has extensively studied equity in how politicians divide up budgets for local needs.

There’s a reason it’s pervasive: When politicians keep the cash flowing back home, it helps them get re-elected, he said.

“Politicians across generations — and in every country — try to use some portion of the budget on these clear signals that they’re directing the flow of government dollars to real people and real organizations right at home in their district,” he said. “Voters reward that.”

Eyeing higher office? Send pork home

The biggest recipient of the earmarks in Senate Bill 105 appears to be the North Coast Senate district of Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire. After losing his legislative leadership seat this year, he seems to be positioning himself for a congressional bid, according to The Santa Rosa Press Democrat. If he does run, he’ll be able to tout all the cash he brought to his Senate district this year.

His district was the recipient of more than two dozen earmarks totalling more than $100 million, accounting for a quarter of the earmark funds CalMatters identified. They went to fund a regional hospital, harbors, habitat projects, schools and fire stations. His district also received $250,000 for the farm-animal rescue.

State Sen. President Pro Tem Mike McGuire during a floor session at the state Capitol in Sacramento on April 24, 2025. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

His largest earmarks included $50 million in Prop. 4 funds for a redwood trail that’s to run 320 miles across his district.

McGuire’s office didn’t make him available for an interview. McGuire instead sent an emailed statement defending the earmarks.

“Our state’s budget includes smart, one-time investments across California,” McGuire said. “Many in our state have been working on these projects for years to make California safer, stronger and more resilient.”

Sen. Scott Wiener, the powerful Senate Budget Committee chairperson from San Francisco, is definitely running for higher office. Wiener announced last month he’s running for Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat.

The budget included at least $9 million in general fund earmarks benefiting the voters of San Francisco who will decide whether to send him to Washington, D.C. The money went for parks, restroom improvements and “to support the preservation and revitalization of a historic LGBTQ+ venue” in the city’s Castro neighborhood, according to the budget bill which doesn’t name the venue.

San Francisco is also slated to receive $1 million for a new oncology clinic and chemotherapy center for Chinese Hospital and $250,000 for “accessibility improvements” to Wah Mei child development center.

Wiener’s office didn’t respond to interview requests.

Lawmakers complained of earmarks

None of the earmarks have a lawmaker’s name on them, making it extremely difficult for members of the public — or even other lawmakers — to decipher whose they are and which districts benefited. The governor’s administration is responsible for some.

Legislative staff told CalMatters while reporting this story that earmark requests sent to budget committees aren’t public records.

CalMatters instead used the Digital Democracy database’s ‘Find your legislators’ tool to triangulate which pork projects are in which lawmakers’ districts from earmarks inserted into SB 105. That’s one of 40 budget-related bills Newsom signed this year.

There are almost certainly more earmarks buried in the other budget measures.

The secretive nature of earmarks — and the number and size of them this year — became a source of contention in September at the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee.

Some Democratic lawmakers complained that so many last-minute earmarks had popped up in the spending bills. They questioned whether the earmarks were being fairly distributed to communities with the most need.

“For the climate bond money, the general fund money, the Medi-Cal money, the Department of Education money, across the transit money, in almost every one, there is at least one — sometimes 40 — specific allocations,” Sacramento Sen. Christopher Cabaldon told the committee.

“The broader concern about equity and balance in those earmarks is certainly a point really well taken,” said Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat representing the El Segundo area.

Nonetheless, none of the 90 Democrats who control the Legislature voted against the budget this year, according to Digital Democracy.Newsom also signed it into law. His office didn’t respond to an interview request.

Susan Shelley of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association blasted the pork-project spending as hypocritical, especially as some liberal groups and lawmakers support raising taxes or turning to voters to pass new bonds to prop up the state’s shaky finances.

Politicians, she said, like to say, “‘We need money for everything in California.’ And what are they spending the money on now? Basically gifts to the districts that make the elected representatives look good and that are not essential or not as essential.”

Pork in Prop. 4

About $275 million in Prop. 4 funds also went to backfill the state’s general fund budget covering existing environmental, fire and energy programs and for expenses such as deferred maintenance at state parks.

Using bond funds to pay for existing expenses in the general fund means there’s less bond money available to pay for the new expenditures voters thought they were supporting. The separate bond earmarks from lawmakers reflect their priorities and may not necessarily be what voters wanted either. Some of the lawmakers’ earmarks include:

• $40 million to secure public access to a beach blocked off by the wealthy gated Hollister Ranch community in Santa Barbara County and for a separate dam-removal project. Both projects are in the district of Sen. Monique Limón, who is replacing McGuire as the Senate Democratic leader next year. She shares a district with a handful of assemblymembers who may have sought the earmarks.
• Limón’s district also received $1 million for a museum in Santa Barbara “for an interactive water exhibit.” Limón replied to an interview request with an email from her spokesperson, Christina Montoya. “While the senator was not involved in Prop. 4 allocations,” Montoya said, “she is glad to see projects funded that advance the goals of the state.”
• $1 million went to the UC Davis Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein, primarily at the request of San Jose Assemblymember Ash Kalra. UC Davis isn’t in Kalra’s district, but he’s a vegan and the chair of the Assembly Select Committee On Alternative Protein Innovation.
• The $15 million earmark “for geologic heritage sites” including the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles was from Democratic Assemblymember Isaac Bryan. His office didn’t make him available for an interview.

Taxpayers will pay at least $6 billion in interest and other expenses to finance Prop. 4 over the next four decades.

Using Prop. 4 to pay farmers

An example of how earmarks lock up Prop. 4 funds can be found in this year’s budget for the Wildlife Conservation Board. The $10 billion bond is supposed to provide $1 billion for the board to give out as grants in the coming years. The board uses a competitive process that prioritizes habitat project proposals to provide the most ecological benefits for California.

This year, the Legislature gave the board $339 million in Prop. 4 money to spend. But about a quarter of it — $88 million — is going to projects the board must now fund because of lawmakers’ earmarks.

Gregg Hart, a Santa Barbara Democratic assemblymember, got one of the biggest earmarks from the board’s funds — $16 million for a conservation easement on Rancho San Julian, a 13,000-acre private ranch in his district. Conservation easements are legal agreements that ensure private lands don’t get sold and turned into environmentally unfriendly developments.

In an interview, Hart said preserving the ranch’s habitat in perpetuity is in line with what voters intended when they voted for Prop. 4.

Assemblymember Gregg Hart speaks during a committee hearing on petroleum and gasoline supply on Sept. 18, 2024. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

“In my district, this is a signature ranch that is an environmental gem,” Hart said. “And preserving that is a very high-value project.”

The conservation board also must allocate $10 million in Prop. 4 earmarks to programs that will pay farmers and private wetland landowners in the Central Valley to flood their fields to provide habitat for waterbirds.

Central Valley farmers already have received hundreds of millions of dollars in federal crop subsidies over the decades.

The flooded-field earmarks came from Democratic Sen. Jerry McNerney, who represents the Stockton area, and Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry representing the Davis area.

In an emailed statement, McNerney called the $10 million expenditure a “win-win for farmers and for wetlands … ensuring that migratory birds have places to rest and refuel on their long journey on the Pacific Flyway.”

The total number of earmarks relying on Prop. 4 funds has Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones of San Diego saying, “I told you so.” He urged voters to reject the bond last year.

“It was going to be pork,” he said. “It was going to be earmarked projects that the legislators are going to be able to move …. into things that really didn’t have anything to do with the story that was being told to the voters when they voted.”

Jones’ district was the recipient of some pork, though he said he made no requests for Prop. 4 money. His earmarks were from the general fund. They include $1.4 million for San Diego County dam repairs and $615,000 to the San Diego Mountain Biking Association “for building and maintaining public trails for mountain biking.”

‘What did we get?’ from the general fund

Other notable earmarks from general fund dollars, separate from the climate bond, include large one-time allocations for projects to benefit the state’s Jewish community. The Legislature has an 18-member Jewish Caucus.The funds include $15 million for the Museum of Tolerance and the Holocaust Memorial in Los Angeles as well as $5.4 million for the Jewish Community Center of the East Bay.

An earmark for $2.5 million also went “for security and other infrastructure” at Milken Community School East Campus, a private Los Angeles Jewish school with annual tuition of nearly $55,000.

The school is in Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel’s and Sen. Henry Stern’s districts. Stern’s office said the earmark for the private school wasn’t his. Gabriel co-chairs the Legislative Jewish Caucus with Wiener. Gabriel also oversees the Assembly Budget Committee. He didn’t return messages. Neither did the school.Gabriel this week attended a check-passing ceremony at the Discovery Cube in Los Angeles. He and two other local lawmakers touted getting the children’s museum a $5 million earmark from Prop. 4 funds.

Other earmarks using general fund money included at least $1.7 million for trail improvements and an urban garden in Democratic Sen. Catherine Blakespear’s wealthy coastal district, as well as $3.6 million for the Oceanside Museum of Art.

Blakespear responded to an interview request with an emailed statement.

“I’m grateful that these impactful community projects were funded through the state’s general fund,” she said. “I know they will provide immense value to these communities and their residents and are deserving of funding.”

She announced this week she would be appearing at a check-passing ceremony for one of her earmarks: $1.2 million to the city of Mission Viejo for the Oso Creek Trail Improvement Project.

Former Stockton-area Democratic state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman said such earmarks are hardly surprising. She was proud to bring back to her district $10 million in her last term to reopen two dilapidated community swimming pools.

“I mean, that is fantastic for my district,” she said.

But she acknowledged it is a lot harder for lawmakers to justify those sorts of expenses when there are so many of them in a difficult budget year.

“I think you either hope that (people) won’t find out, or they see what stuff they’re getting, and they’re like, ‘Oh, all right, well, as long as we got ours,’ right?” she said. “What people are more concerned about is equity. ‘What did we get?’”