PREVIOUSLY

• Burdened With Repairing Low-Income Housing and Worried About a Future Funding Shortfall, the Arcata House Partnership Hopes that Arcata Will Try and Defray Costs
• Arcata City Council Debates Priorities: Fix Up a Homeless Shelter, or Replace Water Meters?
• Arcata Mulls Grant Options for Its Low-Income Residents

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The Arcata City Council decided last night that the city should attempt to earn state money to replace water meters instead of fixing damaged apartments and upgrading infrastructure at the low-income housing project the Grove. 

It’s a blow for the Arcata House Partnership, the homeless services organization that runs the Grove. AHP had appealed to the city, asking Arcata to apply to California’s Community Development Block Grant (CDGB) program for $2.9 million that AHP would use for various repairs and improvements, including installing ADA-compliant sidewalks, adding solar panels, and fixing 12 apartments that are too damaged to live in.

Darlene Spoor, AHP’s executive director, framed AHP’s pitch as an equitability issue; funding AHP would benefit the entire city, Spoor said. AHP could house at least another 12 homeless people with the funding by fixing the damaged units, and AHP could improve the lives of the 56 current tenants, all of whom have a disability and were once homeless. AHP knew when the Grove opened in 2022 that it would eventually need more money for upgrades, but decided it was more important to house people immediately and figure out where the funding would come from later. The city council could, she said, try to buy stability for its tenants.

“We knew we did not have every dollar we needed for capital improvements,” Spoor said at the council meeting last night. “That is not an oversight — it is a choice…We made a mission-driven decision. We chose to house people immediately so they could be safe and stable, rather than wait until every infrastructure upgrade was fully funded.”

Many of the public commenters at the meeting agreed with her proposal, as did councilmember Sarah Schaefer, who was the lone dissenting vote in favor of applying for CDGB funding for the Grove. 

“I think we need the housing,” Schaefer said. “It needs to be rehabbed. It’s a pretty strong need right now, and we’ve seen that federal and state grants are kind of going away for a while. I think to maintain what we have, and try to get grant funding to be able to do that, is going to be important.”

But it was an uphill battle for AHP. There’s no guarantee Arcata will get grants for any project. Councilmembers and city staff pointed out that Arcata was less likely to get the state funding if they applied on behalf of AHP than if the city applied to replace water meters, both because of stiff competition from other municipalities with housing issues and because Arcata’s CDGB program has never used that source of funding for a project like that before. They pointed out that the city is losing $100,000 a year because of old, faulty water meters, according to councilmember Stacy Atkins-Salazar, and they claimed that most of the people they talked to in their off-time preferred the meter project. The vote was 4-1. 

The council spent a lot of time justifying their decision. All four of the councilmembers who voted for the water meters had mixed feelings about their decision. 

“I’m sorry we can’t do both,” Atkins-Salazar said. 

“It’s a very hard decision,” replied councilmember Alex Stillman. 

Mayor Kimberley White talked for three minutes straight before the vote, explaining why she preferred the replacement project. 

“Water meter replacement project is highly competitive, measurable and impacts everyone,” she said. “So while the Grove is important, as we have all pointed out, it’s facing some uncertain scoring [from California] due to project readiness…So choosing the meter project maximizes our chance of securing funding that benefits the greatest number of our residents.”

In a brief interview with the Outpost after the vote, Spoor, effusive and teary, said she was disappointed with the decision. She said city hall should look for water infrastructure funding elsewhere. 

“I live in Arcata,” she said. “I want our water to be wonderful too, but there’s more opportunity for big money for water infrastructure, than for housing…I understand that city council has to look out for everyone, but when we have hundreds and hundreds of people who are homeless in our community — they are everyone.”

It is never easy to capture the life and spirit of a loved one in words. Nancy Jeanette Cooksey-Leppek, a beloved wife, sister and friend, passed away peacefully on February 19, 2026, in the loving arms of her husband, Dan, at the age of 79. Born in Salinas and raised in Eureka, Nancy was the daughter of Bailey and Dorothy Cooksey, who preceded her in death. She is lovingly remembered by her brothers and sister: Steve Cooksey (Sharon), Tim Cooksey (Chris), Susan Cooksey Johnson (Bob) and Bailey Jr. Cooksey (Kelly). Nancy’s extended family through Dan — Sherry Leppek Dunn (Jon), Chris Leppek (Renee), Joe Leppek (Trudy) and JoAnna Leppek Ow (Bob) — were a very dear and strong part of her life. She is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, by whom her presence will be greatly missed.

Nancy and Dan met in high school in biology class. Their first date was at a basketball game at Eureka High School. They got married on St. Patrick’s Day and have been together for 64 years and married for over 58 years. They spent the early part of their lives together in Visalia, Calif., where Dan worked. Nancy was always by Dan’s side throughout that time, taking care of the household and supporting and assisting Dan. She would exclaim that it was her calling as Dan’s partner. After Dan’s retirement, they returned to Eureka.

Throughout their entire lives, Nancy and Dan were inseparable. It was always difficult to be apart from each other. Even going to the grocery store or the doctor’s office involved the two traveling together. One of Nancy’s favorite things to do was to go to the beach by Samoa and park looking out over the ocean. She and Dan would sit in the car holding hands, watching the waves come in, gazing at the ocean, cherishing the simple happiness of being together. Nancy would exclaim that just being together was the most important part of the drive. Her favorite songs were “Happy Together” by the Turtles and “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” by Elvis Presley. She always wanted her “sweet, darling Danny” to hear them with her. Nancy loved the themes presented in the bible Book of Isaiah and she always prayed for everyone.

Nancy was a quiet, thoughtful person, always thinking of others before herself. She lived her life helping others, especially family. When you walked into a room she would always greet you with a heartfelt smile, filled with warmth, sweetness and kindness. She would always say “I love my family” and that included both her and Dan’s family. Nancy would often bring her famous and unique “care” packages to people just to let them know that they were special. Nancy simply enjoyed listening to everyone talk about their lives. She had a fantastic memory for times and dates of family and events. She wouldn’t say much but you could always see and feel her passion for you and her heartfelt concern when she asked how you were. Nancy will always be on our minds and will be deeply missed.

Private chapel services will be held for family and relatives at Ocean View Cemetery on March 2, 2026 at 2 p.m. There will be a gathering for family and relatives afterwards, location to be announced.

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

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PREVIOUSLY

• There Will Be No Horse Racing at This Year’s Humboldt County Fair

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For the second year in a row, the California Horse Racing Board has rejected a proposal to grant racing dates at two Northern California fairs — the Tehama District Fair and the Humboldt County Fair — effectively ending hopes of live horse racing returning to Ferndale this year.

At the end of a nearly three-hour meeting, which focused on financial struggles in the state’s racing industry, the board voted 4-2 to reject the NorCal dates. Several board members argued that Southern California racing needs all available revenue, especially from wagering, to remain competitive with wealthier jurisdictions such as Kentucky and New York.

CHRB Chairman Greg Ferraro had harsh words for the financial prospects of bringing the ponies and jockeys up to our end of the state.

“As much as I would like to see them do well, they have no chance for success,” he said, referring to the Humboldt and Tehama venues. “There is just no market for them up there. So, you’re going to end up destroying all of racing in California to bet on a no-chance situation in the north.”

The L.A. Times story linked above also quotes prominent owner and breeder Terry Lovinger as pooh-poohing Humboldt and Tehema: “We’re better off as breeders if you don’t do these dates,” he said. “We are a purse-driven industry and a breeder’s worth is determined by those purses. So, by granting these dates you are going to lower to everyone what they would get.”

The Humboldt County Fair Association could not immediately be reached for comment. 

Industry website Paulick Report notes that our local horse racing venue did have its defenders:

The Humboldt County Fair in Ferndale has been a mainstay of the Northern California fair circuit for more than 100 years, and its application included letters of support from U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, state Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire among other California elected officials, and celebrity chef Guy Fieri, who described himself as a “son of Humboldt County” who said the fair “holds a very special place in my heart.”

The fair association board had applied for a 12 day meet to run from Aug. 5-Sept. 1.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced a step toward leasing areas for offshore oil and gas drilling in California this week, by launching an associated environmental process.

BOEM announced Thursday the department would prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement for lease sales in northern, central and southern California.

A soon-to-be-released statement will primarily concern sales planned for 2027 in central and southern California, according to BOEM.

A Northern California lease sale is proposed for 2029, according to a BOEM document.

This is a California-specific part of a broader effort by the Trump Administration to open lease areas in federal waters across the country for sale to oil and gas companies, with an aim to restore domestic energy production.

“California households are facing an energy affordability crisis, and inaction is no longer an option,” said Acting BOEM Director Matt Giacona in a press release.

“This Notice of Intent reflects the administration’s commitment to responsibly evaluating offshore leasing as part of a broader strategy to lower costs, strengthen energy security, and support American jobs,” he said.

The notice for leases in southern and central California will be published Friday in the Federal Register, which opens a 30-day public scoping period, according to BOEM.

During this period, “BOEM invites input from tribal, state, and local governments, stakeholders, and the public. Comments will help identify key issues, reasonable alternatives, and potential mitigation measures for consideration in the programmatic environmental impact statement,” the BOEM press release said.

This process is required under the National Environmental Policy Act.

The controversial proposal to open new leases in California waters for the first time in decades, an idea formally introduced in a proposed draft plan released in late 2025, has seen widespread opposition from leaders in California.

A letter from lawmakers, including Rep. Jared Huffman, a vocal opponent of the proposal, blasted the Trump Administration’s efforts to open the California coast to drilling.

These members of congress called for a 90-day extension of the public comment period in the letter.

“California’s coastal economy supports roughly 511,000 jobs and generates over $51.3 billion in GDP from marine-economy activities — largely in tourism and recreation — meaning that new offshore drilling could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of working families,” Tuesday’s letter said.

In anticipation of the 2025 proposal, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors narrowly passed a resolution opposing offshore drilling in October. The City of Arcata followed. The Humboldt Bay Harbor District is working on an ordinance to limit offshore oil support facilities in Humboldt Bay.

The proposal to open California to offshore drilling was quickly met with backlash, with opponents pointing to past oil spills — including a significant 1969 spill in Santa Barbara, CA. The state hasn’t seen a new lease sale in federal waters since 1984.

Matt Simmons, attorney for the Arcata-based Environmental Protection Information Center, which is opposed to offshore drilling, argued any environmental considerations by the federal government on drilling will be “sorely lacking.”

“The Trump EPA has very partisanly and very openly talked about how they want to deregulate,” he said.

Despite EPIC’s skepticism the feds will undertake a robust environmental review, the organization is urging the public to comment on the environmental effects of offshore drilling in California.

“This is the part of the process where you tell the EPA what they need to consider in their draft, before they write the draft,” explained Simmons.

Public comment information can be found at: www.boem.gov/CA-OGPEIS

PREVIOUSLY

Local and State Leaders Slam Trump Administration’s Offshore Oil Drilling Plan at Packed Eureka Public Meeting

Board Narrowly Approves Resolution Against Offshore Drilling and Mining

State and Local Reps React to Trump Plan to Open More than 1 Billion Acres to New Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling

Arcata City Council Adopts Resolution Opposing Offshore Oil Drilling

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After an unprecedented three-year shutdown of California’s commercial salmon fishery, Chinook salmon runs are beginning to rebound, particularly in the Klamath Basin.

On Wednesday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) hosted its Annual Salmon Information Meeting where fisheries scientists and industry stakeholders shared the latest ocean salmon abundance forecast and offered a basin-by-basin breakdown last year’s salmon returns and a first look at what’s to come in 2026.

The annual meeting marks the beginning of a two-month public process to develop management criteria for the upcoming sport and commercial ocean salmon fishing seasons, both of which are tentatively scheduled to open on May 16. The Pacific Fishery Management Council will determine whether any in-season actions are required before the start of the season. The council will issue its final recommendations in mid-April.

California’s salmon stocks have declined dramatically in recent years due to decades of drought, habit loss and deteriorating conditions in the waterways where the fish spawn each year, including the Klamath and Sacramento rivers. The three-year closure of the commercial fishery was intended to give struggling Chinook salmon populations an opportunity to rebound. The preliminary numbers are encouraging, said CDFW environmental scientist Emma Keller.

“[The commercial fishery was closed] for three straight years, and the recreational fishery got a taste of a season last year, but people are anxious to get back on the water in a meaningful way,” Keller said. “There are potentially some bright spots for California stocks this year, and any good news is welcome news.”

“[There are] lots of exciting things happening in the Klamath Basin,” she added.

In the 18 months since the last of four dams came down on the lower Klamath River, scientists have seen remarkable improvement in fall-run Chinook salmon populations. 

“For those of you who maybe just tangentially followed this dam removal thing … it is a completely different world [for these fish],” said Dan Troxel, an environmental scientist at the CDFW. “Adult Chinook returns to the basin were approximately 180% of what was previously forecasted. The preseason adult projection for 2025 was approximately 28,600 fish, and we definitely achieved that with 51,400 [returning adults].”

“The escapement objective for last year was 19,417,” he added. “Needless to say, that was met to the tune of double, so certainly good news there.”

Troxel acknowledged that the basin still “has a ways to go in terms of rebuilding the stock to full capacity,” but was optimistic about upcoming runs. 

“The future is bright for the Klamath, but it might be a while until we get there because we still have some broods that are going to be affected by the dam-removal process that we have yet to see return and/or contribute to ocean fisheries,” he continued. “We’ve been in an ‘overfished’ designation since 2018 — not specifically to say that fishing is the issue; it’s just this stock has not been meeting conservation objectives for a while now. What was needed was approximately 67,400 adults to achieve ‘rebuilt’ status for the stock. We didn’t get there, but this 40,000 does get us out of the ‘overfished’ status and puts us into what is rebuilding status.”

During Q&A, a fisherman named Rob asked if scientists were able to identify any similarities in “high years” when Chinook salmon abundance exceeded 300,000 returning fish, as seen in the graph below. “Is there any data or research being done to see what the commonalities are in these high years to possibly have answers for future years, to make it better?” he asked.

Keller noted that 2012 was “a good ocean condition year,” which surely contributed to overall fish health and species abundance. 

“I think there’s more conclusions that could be drawn in the low years, particularly relating to drought in 2016 and 2017,” she said. “Klamath stocks [have been designated as] ‘overfished’ since 2018, and that was following the 2017 return year. We had some pretty serious drought in 2014, 2015 and 2016, so the broods experienced some low-survival conditions.” 

Lifelong salmon trawler Chris Iverson noted that conditions in the Upper Klamath Basin in Oregon are drastically different from those in Northern California. He asked if the CDFW had any concerns about the ongoing drought and what would happen if fish became trapped in tributaries.

“I believe Oregon is doing some out-migration studies to try and assess whether or not juveniles that spawn in those upper reaches will start to out-migrate,” Keller responded. “They’re looking out for it, but they don’t have that data yet [because] those fish have yet to come down. The water conditions are drastically different in that section of river, and we’ll see how fish populate the basin as the years go on.”

There’s still a long road ahead for California’s salmon, and there’s still a couple of weeks to go before the Pacific Fishery Management Council issues its preliminary guidance for the upcoming commercial and recreational fishing seasons. 

The council is scheduled to adopt regulatory guidelines for public review on March 9 — those guidelines will be posted here once they’ve been approved — and make its final decision by April 15. There are a few meetings between now and then. A complete schedule can be found at this link.

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UPDATE, 3:13 p.m.:

In Rebholtz’s letter of resignation, she says, “As I will be moving out of the area in the spring, I need to dedicate this time to focusing on my family and preparing for this transition. While this was not an easy decision, I believe it is the right one for my family at this time.”

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Press release from Eureka City Schools:

On February 12, 2026, the Trustee for Area 5 for Eureka City Schools, Jessica Rebholtz, submitted a letter of resignation, effective February 13, 2026. Ms. Rebholtz was most recently elected to a term ending in November 2026. Ms. Rebholtz’s replacement will serve the remainder of her term, and the Board is hopeful the successful candidate will run for re-election in November 2026.

NOTICE is hereby given that all qualified persons who would like to apply for the open position on the Board of Trustees for Eureka City Schools, Trustee Area 5, may contact Eureka City Schools, c/o Gary Storts, Superintendent (stortsg@eurekacityschools.org), for a candidate information sheet. All candidate information sheets (original copies) must be submitted on or before Friday, March 20, 2026, no later than 4:00 p.m., to the Superintendent’s Office of Eureka City Schools (2100 J Street, Eureka, CA 95501 – Room 108).

Qualifications for Office: The applicant shall be a registered voter residing in Trustee Area 5 for Eureka City Schools. The boundaries for Trustee Area 5 can be reviewed by visiting the Eureka City Schools’ website (https://www.eurekacityschools.org/governance/school-board-trusteeareas) or through the Humboldt County Office of Education – District Locator (https://hcoe.org/district-locator/).

NOTICE is further given that appointment to the office will be made in the event there are no nominees or no qualified nominees. (Appointments will be made pursuant to 10515 of the Elections Code or 5326, 5328, and 5328.5 of the Education Code.)

PREVIOUSLY

• Burdened With Repairing Low-Income Housing and Worried About a Future Funding Shortfall, the Arcata House Partnership Hopes that Arcata Will Try and Defray Costs
• Arcata City Council Debates Priorities: Fix Up a Homeless Shelter, or Replace Water Meters?
• Arcata Mulls Grant Options for Its Low-Income Residents

The Outpost reported Tuesday that the Arcata House Partnership is leaning on Arcata’s city council to apply for almost $3 million of state funding on its behalf. AHP wants to use the money to fix 12 unusable units at its low-income housing project the Grove, as well as to add solar panels, an ADA-compliant sidewalk, and replace the roof. AHP broke down what it would spend the money on, if it gets it, and shared it with the city council and the Outpost.

• $708,000 for solar panel replacement with battery backups
• $844,000 to repair 16 units (only 12 are currently poor-enough shape that they’re unlivable, but AHP executive director Darlene Spoor told the Outpost she believes they’ll need to rehab an additional four units by the time AHP receives the CDGB money in the distant future)
• $55,138 for planning and engineering serves, mostly to ensure building code compliance and correct, safe installation of the new infrastructure
• $501,500 for the installation of ADA-compliant sidewalks. AHP claims that all of its residents have a disability, and over half of them are 55 years old or older. AHP called the sidewalks “critical.” 
• $289,100 to replace the roof 
• $53,100 for gutter replacement 
• $50,000 for fence replacement
• $295,000 to replace every door and lock for all 60 units
• $49,560 for PTAC heating units
• $4,602 for relocation costs during sidewalk replacement

The list is part of a slideshow sent to the council, a pitch asking them to choose attempting to fund AHP’s projects instead of replacing Arcata’s failing water meters. Both projects are budgeted for the same amount. AHP points out that unhoused people end up costing the public more than if governments spent the money to house them; that most (if not all) of the tenants, who have an average monthly income of $750, couldn’t afford to pay rent anywhere else; and that living in the Grove has been a stabilizing force on their lives. Investing in it would multiply those benefits, AHP says. 

Much of the cost comes from paying the skilled laborers’ “prevailing wage,” which Spoor estimates will raise expenses by 50%.

AHP defends its decision to open the Grove before fixing the infrastructure; it was more beneficial to their tenants and the community, AHP argues, to start housing people immediately rather than waiting. 

“It was more important for us to get people housed sooner than later,” Spoor told the Outpost last week. “[Although we] knew that there were still other things that had to happen there to make it just be the best that it can be.”

The request includes quotes from anonymous Grove tenants — one of them attributed to the point of view of a woman who died in the Grove in December:

“I was a 69 year old woman. I had serious mental health and physical health challenges. I had lived on the streets for many years, after being a teacher all my life. My mental health challenges caused me to lose everything I had, my career, my home and ultimately my health. I obtained housing through the hard work of the outreach team at the Annex, and was housed at the Grove. I passed away in December of 2025 in my cute and cozy home, with my friends, in a community I came to love.”

The Arcata City Council will decide tonight between applying for funding for the water meter project or the Grove. The meeting is at 5 p.m. in the council chambers at city hall.