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Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars to fill vacant medical and mental health positions at prisons and state hospitals, California has little to show for it, according to a new report from the state auditor.

Job vacancy rates have increased since 2019 at the three facilities examined in the audit, as has the state’s reliance on pricey temporary workers. Atascadero State Hospital, Porterville Developmental Center and Salinas Valley State Prison had health-related vacancy rates topping 30% during fiscal year 2023-24. At Salinas Valley State Prison more than 50% of health positions were unfilled.

Workers contend that the high vacancy rate leads to more on-the-job assaults, mandatory overtime and staff turnover.

“A high vacancy rate is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” said Dr. Stuart Bussey, president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, which represents about 1,300 state psychiatrists.

The vacancy rates persisted despite targeted bonuses and wage increases that prison health workers received in contracts and under court order during the Newsom administration. Those included $42,000 bonuses for prison psychiatrists in a 2023 contract and more recently $20,000 bonuses the state had to dole out to mental health workers through a long-running prisoner rights lawsuit.

At face value, some state health workers are comparatively well-compensated. All of the 55 prison employees who earned more than $500,000 in income last year were doctors, dentists, psychiatrists or medical executives, according to state controller data.

A board-certified psychiatrist at Atascadero State Hospital — some of the highest paid state employees — can earn more than $397,000 in base pay. They also retire with pensions through the California Public Employees’ Retirement System. In comparison, the mean wage for a psychiatrist in California is $328,560, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But in certain places, local hospitals are offering even more. In Monterey County, $90,000 hiring bonuses are common at private hospitals struggling to fill their own vacancies, staff told state auditors.

Despite the pay, vacancy rates were highest among psychiatrists at Atascadero State Hospital and second highest at Porterville Developmental Center and Salinas Valley State Prison, auditors found.

All three of the audited facilities house individuals who are either incarcerated or institutionalized because they were deemed by the courts to be dangerous or unfit to stand trial. Federal and state law as well as court rulings require the state to provide adequate medical and mental health care. As a result, most of the facilities are required to have vacancy rates less than 10%.

Over the past 30 years, California has consistently failed to meet that standard.

None of the state departments overseeing the facilities have taken necessary steps to ensure adequate staffing, auditors wrote.

The audit found:

• The facilities had a “significant number of vacant positions” that were not filled by temporary workers or staff overtime.
• Neither the Department of State Hospitals nor the Department of Developmental Services, which houses some people with developmental disabilities in Porterville, had procedures to adequately evaluate or budget for staffing needs annually.
• The state hospitals and developmental services departments as well as the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation have no process to determine whether facilities are meeting staffing minimums during each shift.

In a letter to lawmakers, California State Auditor Grant Parks wrote that the state should conduct a statewide recruitment campaign to hire health care workers “because of the decades-long difficulties the facilities have had in filling vacant health care positions and a current and projected health care professional shortage.”

In response to the audit, the developmental services and state hospitals departments partially agreed with the findings in detailed comments.

The Department of State Hospitals, however, wrote that the vacancy rates covered during the audit period were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and that salary savings were overstated. “Our hospitals regularly meet or exceed mandated staffing minimums and have self-reported rare occurrences where they have not due to extraordinary circumstances,” department spokesperson Ralph Montano said, in an email to CalMatters. The department has agreed to implement many of the recommendations made in the report, Montano added.

In a statement, the corrections department said it was “committed to providing adequate health care for the incarcerated population, while ensuring fiscal responsibility.”

Workers claim state wastes money to fill vacancies

Coby Pizzotti, a lobbyist for the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians, which represents about 6,000 mental health clinicians, said the audit confirmed what many of the state worker unions had suspected: The state has continually refused to meaningfully improve wages, benefits and working conditions for employees, while spending money on temporary workers. This, the unions contend, makes the vacancy problem worse.

“Effectively, it’s a shadow state employee workforce. They’re just not called civil servants,” Pizzotti said.

The departments saved $592 million in payroll over six years by carrying the vacancies, the auditors wrote. But, auditors criticized the state departments for their inability to specifically track how they later spent that money. The departments counter that, generally, the money can be used to offset other costs or it can be given back to the state.

But they have also poured money into temporary positions to meet court-mandated minimums. During the six-year audit period, the state spent $239 million on contract workers to fill staff vacancies. The departments were authorized to spend more than $1 billion on temporary workers during that time period, though they used only a fraction of the money, according to the audit.

Contract workers, while making up less than 10% of the health care workforce, are paid so much that they cost more per hour than state workers even after accounting for benefits, auditors also found.

State workers’ unions say that’s more evidence toward their argument that these arrangements don’t save the state money.

“Contracting out is not a great way to do business. It’s expensive,” said Doug Chiappetta, executive director of the psychiatrists union.

Instead, state health worker unions want the state to increase salaries and benefits, to make permanent positions more attractive to candidates rather than spending it on highly paid contract workers.

The psychiatric technicians union, psychiatrists union and the state nurses union said that contract workers get paid two to three times more per hour than state employees, according to job advertisements from contracting agencies they have collected. Those companies are also able to offer generous benefits and scheduling flexibility that state jobs don’t have.

“It’s been a slap to our faces to see how the state doesn’t care for our nurses,” said Vanessa Seastrong, chair of Bargaining Unit 17 for SEIU Local 1000, which represents about 5,100 registered nurses. “You’re standing next to a nurse that is doing less work than you and getting paid more than you. How does that bring up morale?”

Bigger problems for recruitment

Even relying on temporary contract workers, the state has in many cases still failed to maintain staffing minimums for health care positions.

Vacancy rates increased significantly between 2019 and 2024. Salinas Valley State Prison saw vacancies jump 62% during the audit period, and more than half of mental health and medical positions were unfilled during fiscal year 2023-24.

Atascadero State Hospital’s vacancy rate rose 39% over the audit period for a total vacancy rate of about 30%. During the last three years of the audit period, Atascadero also lost 90% of its staff to attrition.

Porterville Developmental Center’s vacancy rate increased by just 6% over the audit period, but more than a third of its positions remained unfilled in the final year of the audit.

In interviews with auditors, administrators at the facilities said that the COVID-19 pandemic caused higher staff turnover as well as an increased reliance on contract workers to fill gaps.

All three facilities, which are located along the Central Coast or in the Central Valley, face additional barriers to recruitment.

These areas suffer from health care professional shortages. The area along the coast where Atascadero State Hospital and Salinas Valley State Prison are located faces a medium shortage of behavioral health workers, while Porterville Developmental Center is in an area with a severe shortage, according to the Department of Health Care Access and Information.

“Places like the Central Valley have substantially fewer mental health professionals per population than compared to the rest of the state,” said Janet Coffman, a professor at UCSF’s Institute for Health Policy Studies who studies workforce issues. “Particularly for Porterville, that’s a big part of the issue.”

At the same time, demand for mental health services has increased in the general population, Coffman said.

Combined, that makes it more difficult for the state to compete with the private sector, which is also struggling to hire health care workers.

Other barriers are difficult to address with money alone. The patient population can make the work dangerous. Staff are frequently verbally or physically assaulted. Unsafe conditions make it harder to recruit new workers and sometimes cause long-time workers to retire early.

“There were 2,700 assaults on staff last year. It’s not a matter of if, it’s when,” Pizzoti said.

The audit recommended that the state conduct a market analysis of all health care positions to determine whether payment was competitive, streamline the hiring process, and conduct a statewide recruitment campaign.

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Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.

Michael Avelar, of McKinleyville, passed away on November 29, 2025 at the age of 42 after living for many years with Machado Joseph’s Disease.

He was born on March 15, 1983, in Arcata to Henry and Maria Avelar. His arrival marked the beginning of a life defined by curiosity, creativity, and deep connection. Michael grew up surrounded by a warm, close-knit family who often gathered with relatives and friends—always with plenty of food, laughter, and love.

As a boy, he loved playing Magic cards, exploring computers, and reading fantasy books late into the night—long past when he was supposed to be asleep. In his early teens, he enjoyed playing golf. Michael joined a model rocket club, building rockets with friends and his close cousin, Jason Lowe, and delighted in launching them thousands of feet into the sky. His fascination with the cosmos led to countless nights of telescope viewing and astrophotography. Michael always wanted to understand how everything worked and why, a lifelong curiosity that shaped much of who he became.

At McKinleyville High School, Michael excelled academically. He was intellectual, scientific, and absorbed knowledge like a sponge. He thrived on challenging projects—often working extra hours simply because he loved learning.

His passion for computers led him to pursue a career in programming. After attending Humboldt State University, working in the photo department at Longs Drugs, and living in Arcata, Michael moved to Seattle, Washington. There, he spent most of his adult career as a valued computer programmer at Moodlerooms, working alongside his close childhood friend, Mark Nielsen, before returning to his hometown of McKinleyville in 2012.

Michael enjoyed camping, fishing with his dad, mushroom hunting & traveling—visiting Japan and Europe with Mark, spending a summer in the Azores with family, cruising to the Bahamas and Alaska, and taking many road trips, including two RV journeys across the United States & Canada to see national parks and monuments.

In later years, Michael turned inward toward spirituality. He found joy in spending time with family, taking scenic drives, and experimenting in the kitchen — making jams, cider, preserves, and baked treats, all “in the name of science.” Michael’s love of nature remained constant throughout his life. He also continued to enjoy his evenings playing video games.

Michael was preceded in death by his mother, Maria, and his brother, Nelson. He is survived by his father, Henry; his sister, Melissa; his aunt Elizabeth, her husband Geoff Wright; his cousins Grace, Gavin and Garrett.

The family extends profound gratitude to all of Michael’s health care providers, and especially to Jeremy, who lived with Michael as his primary caregiver and friend.

In honor of Michael, donations may be made to the National Ataxia Foundation to help find a cure and ease for others. A celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

https://www.ataxia.org

Glenn Edward Martella was born on January 10, 1942, in Ferndale. A lifelong resident of Ferndale, Glenn was woven into the heart and history of the town he loved.

Sporting a cowboy hat with red poppies and a toothpick tucked in the brim, he was instantly recognizable — a character and a legend in equal measure.

In his early 20s, Glenn became a dairy farmer, establishing a productive herd of Jersey cows. During his years in dairy, he shipped his milk to the Humboldt Creamery at Fernbridge, where he also served on the creamery’s Board of Directors. Later, his milk was shipped to Rumiano Cheese Company in Crescent City. During hay season, Glenn could often be seen on his tractor baling hay along the state highway—a project he began decades ago with his good friend Larry Pries, and a familiar sight that locals grew to expect and appreciate. He retired from milking cows after more than forty years in dairy but continued bailing hay each summer until his late 70s.

Glenn believed in service, friendship, and showing up. He joined the Ferndale Rotary many years ago and was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. A running joke between family and fellow Rotarians was that each Tuesday, when one of his kids would call during a meeting, he’d answer the phone only to say, “You know I’m at Rotary,” reminding them of the $25 fine he was ready to risk for them. Every holiday season, he looked forward to the Rotary Christmas dinner and always made his way to Santa’s lap, no matter his age.

In 1968, Glenn joined the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department. He served with Company 4, holding the offices of Lieutenant and Captain, before retiring in 2004 after 36 years of active service. He later joined Company 5 (Retired), remaining active through 2023. He especially enjoyed cooking breakfast for the crew that decorated the town Christmas tree and participating in the firefighter games on Main Street.

Glenn was also a proud and longstanding member of Native Sons of the Golden West, Parlor #93, joining in 1979 and remaining active for 46 years.

Beyond his local involvement, Glenn enjoyed being part of organizations that celebrated hunting culture and camaraderie. He was a member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wild Turkey Federation, and Mule Deer Foundation, and he especially enjoyed attending the dinners, social gatherings, and big raffles associated with them.

A jokester at heart, Glenn filled his days with simple pleasures: hunting, fishing, stock car races at Redwood Acres Raceway, card games, and shaking dice. He spent years as part of his best friend Larry Pries’ pit crew, and from time to time, Glenn would even race Larry’s car himself during the mechanics race — always with enthusiasm and just a hint of mischief.

His daily routines were anchored in community and in the familiar places that shaped his life. From early mornings at the ranch to afternoons over coffee at Ferndale Pizza Co., Glenn’s days followed a rhythm that connected him deeply to his work, his friends, and his town.

Glenn took pride in the quality of his Jersey dairy herd and in the largest elk he ever shot, which his child, Shilo, affectionately named Eddie. He also cherished time spent fishing with his children and teaching Shilo how to hunt. His stories became family lore, including the time he insisted the family cut their first-ever trip to Hawaii short after just three days so he could return home to finish bailing hay. 

A familiar presence around town, Glenn spent decades driving the streets of Ferndale, visiting friends, checking in, and making sure he never missed out on any fun. He was, in many ways, the embodiment of small-town life—hardworking, loyal, mischievous, and unforgettable.

Glenn was preceded in death by his parents, Elsie (Bruga) and Walter Martella; his brothers, Wallace and Gerald; and his former spouse, Diane Moran.

He is survived by his brother, Robert Martella (Ann Martella), and by his spouse, Kristie Martella (Kausen).

He is also survived by his six children:

Heidi Pietrok (Martella),
JP Martella (Marcy),
Jeff Martella (Holly Lucas-Martella),
Candice Martella,
Jessica Martella (Heath Hilton),
and Shilo Martella.

His grandchildren include:

Lanaie Baker (Martella),
Travis Martella,
Ashley Gleason (Martella),
Koby Martella,
Andrena Diven (Martella),
Taylor Pietrok,
Avery Fockaert,
and Jayce Fockaert.

Service details will be announced at a later date; the service is anticipated to take place in late February or early March.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Glenn Martella’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

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Local naturalist Rob Fowler caught a pretty spectacular sight on Humboldt Bay this afternoon. He was able to grab some video of it, and he was kind enough to share that video with us.

Here, let him tell the story:

Hey Lost Coast Outpost, here’s a video of what seems to be a family group of five Orcas that were far into the Eureka Channel of Humboldt Bay this afternoon.

We first encountered them about a 1/4 mile south of the Wharfinger building/Marina Way and last saw them before they dove and disappeared as they headed northwest of Woodley Island and seemed to continue heading north.

They were then refound about a 1/2 hour later from Samoa and were headed south. That observer was Cedric Von Briel. And the Cal Poly boat also saw them as they were heading in from a deep water pelagic birding trip that headed as far as 70 miles offshore.

Here’s another shorter video (below) when they got pretty close to the boat. Seemed like a big male (big tall dorsal fin) and at least four females and a smaller younger animal with them.

This was after coming in from a pelagic birding trip that I organized as a chase trip for the very rare Short-tailed Albatross, three of which were seen last Sunday offshore of Humboldt Bay over the Eel River Canyon.

CORRECTION: This happened at about 4 p.m. this afternoon, Fowler tells us, not in the morning as we originally wrote. Apologies.

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The long-awaited Humboldt Regional Climate Action Plan — a multi-jurisdictional strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — is finally up for approval before the Board of Supervisors. (We say “finally” because the document, which sets emissions reduction targets for 2030, has been in the works since 2018. Seven years of work for a document with a shelf life of four years.)

On this week’s show, guests Colin Fiske of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP) and Matt Simmons, Climate Attorney at EPIC, join the show to discuss the merits and demerits of the Climate Action Plan.

Interested in more? Help urge the Board of Supervisors to adopt an improved Plan.

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It was following graduation from Arcata High School, that I found my part-time job terminated. I had been working on the dairy ranch of The Northern Redwood Lumber Company near Blue Lake. There was no question about it, the economic condition of the country was tough in 1931.

The dairy was operated by Ed Buck. I asked him if there wasn’t anywhere he might find work. I knew that he was the overseer of all the ranches owned by the company. Like all young fellows just out of school, I didn’t want to loaf around the house and sponge off the family. I hoped he would respond favorably because he seemed to like me.

I was pleased when he said, “You can go out over Kneeland to the Iaqua Ranch. You can’t expect any wages but you will get board and room and perhaps some warm clothing.”

This sounded great to me and I took the job. Mel Sundquist, a friend of mine was in the same condition and I told him about what I was doing. Buck gave him the same deal, so we went to Iaqua.

We reported to the foreman, a Dane named Chris Smitz. He put us to work immediately cutting wood for the coming winter. We cut down a large tree and using a cross-cut saw, axe, wedges and sledgehammer, proceeded to make it into firewood. Most of it was cut into 16” lengths for the kitchen stove. The balance was made into chunks suitable for the fireplace.

It was August 1931, and at that time of year in the mountains of Humboldt County it gets hot! We got brown and tough, which we appreciated. After letting the wood season for about two months we hauled it with team and wagon to a large woodshed for storage. As the wood was seasoning, we assisted Chris in sowing a mixture of oats and vetch that would be raised for horse feed. The company, I suppose wanting to save money, let Chris go and kept Mel and me to do the work. After all, they were still not paying us wages.

We had 740 Hereford cattle and ten horses to look after. During October and November it rained enough to sprout the grain. It looked in great shape and it had not snowed.

December arrived and the weather changed, turning very cold. Neither of us had experienced real cold weather in our lives. Mel kept telling me that either he was sick or awfully cold, because he was freezing all the time. He was a good cook. One morning he discovered the eggs didn’t break. Finally he dropped them on the floor and they still didn’t break. We realized for sure that it was indeed very cold. We didn’t know what the temperature was because we had no thermometer. Several days later we saw Charlie Johnson who told us the temperature had been minus 8 degrees.

The extreme cold gave us a lot of trouble. All the grain we had planted was killed, most of the water pipes around the ranch were split and some of the concrete watering troughs were cracked. We were getting along fairly well until after the New Year, keeping busy digging up and replacing water pipes. Our food was running low. Someone from the company was supposed to keep us supplied, but for some reason they had failed to do so and we were quite concerned.

We decided to drive down to Korbel to get our supplies and return the next day. It snowed some before we got started and there had been considerable wind.

We had no great problem until we got to Kneeland. There the wind had drifted the snow over the road to a depth of several feet. I was driving “Autumn,” a Chrysler Coupe, I had purchased in Eureka during the last autumn. We looked at that big snow drift and decided to hit it hard and thereby break through to the solid ground that we could see over the drift. Unfortunately, the snow was too deep. We came to a sudden stop, in snow so deep we had to crawl out the windows.

Fortunately, we had brought one shovel that we used to try to clear a way to get the car free. Several hours later we had managed to get enough snow cleared so that we were able to start the motor. About that time a group of young people from Eureka drove up. They had come up to ski. They all helped us get free of the mess we were in and we went on our way. When we reached Korbel we found out that Buck and another man had driven up by way of Butler Valley and of course, we missed them. That night, Humboldt County had one of the biggest snowstorms ever, and it kept on for several days.

Now, our boss was where we were supposed to be, and he was snowbound! We were busy trying to figure how we were going to get back to Iaqua and how we could get our boss back to Korbel.

There was nine feet of snow on Kneeland Prairie and five and six feet of the same all over the back country. I decided to try going horseback, traveling from Korbel up Mad River, crossing the river at the Cooper Ranch, where there was a livestock bridge suspended by cables. I got over the bridge without too much trouble and several miles up the mountain when the snow got much too deep.

Luck was with me for I met Jack Shaw, who lived on that side of the river. He gave me a good cussing for being up there in that kind of weather and then took me home with him to his ranch, where he put me and the horse up for the night.

Early the next morning I went back to Korbel, traveling the same route. Now what to do? I asked Mel for an idea. After some thinking, he said, “Let’s walk up there!” We had no snowshoes or skis and neither of us had experience traveling in deep snow.

An Indian cowboy who worked for the company said he knew how to make snowshoes using hazelwood limbs. He said they will bend and not break and we were to use small rope or leather to lace them on. We were also told they would last a few miles. We were uncertain how far. He was to go with us so we made three pair of these snowshoes and started out. We drove a company truck up to the Cooper Ranch, where we left it. Then, taking our snowshoes and our lunches, we started our hike. It was 4 a.m.

At first, we didn’t need the snowshoes. It was not until we really started to climb the mountain that we used them and took turns breaking trail. The one in the lead had a tough time because the snow was soft and frankly our homemade snowshoes didn’t work very well.

One time Mel stepped near a fallen tree and disappeared. Wesley Henry, the cowboy, and I dug him out. We broke one of his snowshoes in getting him out of the drift. From then on, Mel and I had to walk in our tracks and this somewhat slowed us down. He was big and strong, but his weight would cause him to sink deep sometimes.

Deep snow in open country erases all the landmarks. Fortunately, Wesley had traveled this trail many times so he was able to lead us in the right direction.

After reaching the top of the mountain we still had several miles to travel before dropping down toward the Iaqua Ranch. It was dark and cold, but beautiful with a full moon shining on the deep snow. An owl perched on some oak tree kept hooting. It seemed an eternity before we reached the tree where it was located. We were walking across pastures where six inches of fence posts were showing.

It was 10 p.m. when we arrived, very tired but safe. Two days later we were able to go out horseback riding on top of the crusted snow, so I started out at 3 a.m. so I could lead the horses back before the crust became soft. I rode one horse and led three tailed together. I had plenty of trouble, but made it.

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Chris died at his beloved home on Barry Ridge in Kneeland with me, his partner of 48 years, at his side, on November 29, 2025.

Chris lived with dementia for about the last seven years. Gradually he saw his connection to life slipping away, his passion for the natural world, his art, his music, his love of science and learning. His connection to this life was fading. He finally made the choice to end his life.

This decision reflected the determination, strength and clarity that was Chris. With the support of Dr. Michael Fratkin, Hospice of Humboldt, our dear neighbor, Michelle McKenzie, and myself, Chris stopped eating and drinking on November 19. He died 11 days later.

Peace and love permeated Chris’ final days. He died gracefully and beautifully.

Donations to Hospice of Humboldt would be appreciated.

I wish to add a special thanks to Christi, Samantha and Scotty of Hospice of Humboldt. Loving kindness is everything. Thank you, Margie Nulsen