Arcatians want little more than nice-looking roads and a high quality of life, indicate results from Arcata’s latest FlashVote poll.

This is the second time city hall has surveyed residents using the FlashVote tool. This survey had 240 respondents, 60 fewer than the last poll in October. 

The new poll focused on funding. It asked residents which priorities were the most important to them: out of six choices (plus options for “other” or “none of these”), the two far in the lead were about improving the local economy and quality of life and “enhancing the appearance, safety, and overall livability of Arcata.” More than 70% of the survey’s respondents selected those options. 

Roughly tied for a distant third were “provide leadership in environmental stewardship and climate change preparedness” and “support community creative and cultural life.” 

Respondents paid a lot of attention to transportation and public utilities. Almost 70% of them said they’d prioritize city funding for streets and roads. Another 57 people said they’d only support renewing the Measure G 0.75% sales tax if the revenue was spent exclusively on streets and transportation policies. Out of a hypothetical $100 earned from Measure H, Arcata’s latest sales tax hike, the average respondent said they’d spend $25 on the homeless, the most out of any category.

Much of the open-ended feedback was about either funding homeless services or endorsing more heavy-handed solutions to the issue, and $22 of that hypothetical $100 would have been spent on this. 

Survey answerers also complained about the upcoming water rate increase. 

Some people seemed pleased just to be asked for their opinion.

“Thanks for asking for my input :),” said one. “No other comments,” said another. “Thank you for asking.”

If you live or work in Arcata and you’re interested in responding to future polls, you can sign up here.

🔥Bonus Round🔥

As Humboldt County’s premier news-mongerers, it pains us when people don’t seem to have a solid grasp on what’s going on. It hurt, trawling through some of these comments, to notice that many of these poor people are asking for things that the city’s already delivered. So! A quick list of things you may have thought were pie-in-the-sky, but are actually already yesterday’s (or last year’s) news. (All grammatical and typographical errors are [sic].) 

“Put a bathroom at redwood park! It’s probably the most used park in Arcata and there’s one port o potty?! Which by the way kids are scared of. People poop in the woods which is not good for wildlife .” 

It re-opened in November. 

“To combat government corruption, Arcata should be as transparent as possible with the budget…”

It is. Check out this neat overview of all $110.7 million in Arcata’s budget, and this informative tool that breaks everything down by category. Can’t blame you for not being able to find it, though; these are a little buried on the city’s website.

“Please put in additional outdoor Pickleball (only)Courts. The Larson Park area is used more by Pickleball players than tennis players, yet we have no permanent outdoor pickleball courts with permanent nets in Arcata.”

There have been pickleball-specific courts open at Carlson Park since September 2024.

“…Make Arcata more bike friendly: Purchase a compact/mini-sweeper specifically designed for protected bike lanes and narrow streets/trail. This would help keep bike lanes clear from debris and minimize flat tires, encouraging bike riding.”

Does this thing count? The city has been cleaning bike lanes with it since its purchase last year. 

“…A large enclosed dog park would be beneficial for the many, many dogs living here locally…”

Already been done. 

Have fun enjoying your bathrooms, street sweeper, dog park, and data visualization tools, everybody!

Press release from the City of Eureka:

The City of Eureka will host an informational workshop on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 5:30 PM for community members interested in civic service.

The workshop will be held in the Council Chambers, 531 K Street.

This workshop is designed for residents who are considering:

• Running for the office of Mayor or Council Wards 1, 3 & 5 in the November 2026 General Election
• and/or Serving on a City board or commission

The session will provide an overview of opportunities to get involved in local government and help prospective candidates and applicants better understand the commitment and responsibilities of public service.

Topics will include:

• Election timeline and key deadlines
• Overview of current City projects and priorities
• Roles and responsibilities of appointed and elected officials

Serving in local government is an opportunity to represent neighbors, shape policy decisions, and help guide the future of the community. The City encourages anyone curious about running for office or serving in an appointed capacity to attend and learn more.

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The Fortuna City Council unanimously voted Monday to approve the purchase of nearly 244 acres of undeveloped land along the Lower Eel River — most of which will be returned to the Wiyot Tribe.

At last night’s meeting, the council approved a purchase agreement for four parcels — 236 acres on the west side of the Eel River and 7.2 acres at Riverwalk Drive and Alamar Way, behind Eel River Brewery — to improve public access and preserve riparian habitat along the Eel River. The land, owned by Troy Elbert Land and Trudy Marilyn Ehmke, will be purchased using grant funds.

Fortuna City Manager Amy Nilsen said the city has been wanting to buy the 7.2-acre swath of land for “over a decade.”

“The city would retain this piece of property with the intent for this to become a park with river access,” she said, adding that the 236 acres will be returned to the Wiyot Tribe. “There is a public benefit for both acquisitions and these include but are not limited to protecting the sensitive riparian and open space environments, supporting long-term ecological conservation and expanding and enabling future public access to the Lower Eel River.”

Nilsen noted that the city has already secured $1.9 million in funding through the California River Parkways Grant Program and the California Coastal Conservancy to cover the purchase price, which will be determined through an independent appraisal. 

“I just wanted to also say — because these questions come up a lot [and] the city doesn’t have a lot of money — that this is being purchased with grant funds,” Mayor Pro-Tem Tami Trent reiterated for the audience. “It doesn’t come out of the General Fund at all.”

Fortuna resident Tina Christensen, the only member of the public to comment on the agenda item, congratulated the council on the land deal and underscored the need to “revitalize Fortuna.”

“I think it’s a great purchase,” Christensen said. “I think Fortuna needs to move forward. We’ve lost a lot of industry in this county, and something can happen down there that could be truly amazing.”

Altogether, the agenda took up less than 10 minutes, with little discussion among council members. The purchase agreements passed in a unanimous 5-0 vote.

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Check out the video below for more Fortuna City Council!

A founding owner of UniTea House in Arcata, a recently closed business, is facing accusations of sexual assault in Humboldt County and a community reckoning in wellness circles he frequented further south.

Arcata’s UniTea House, which opened about a year ago and lasted about 10 months, was started by Jonathan Pinkston and two business partners, according to documents filed with the secretary of state.

It was a wellness-minded event space and tea lounge in Arcata, initially envisioned as a new location for Sonoma County’s Soft Medicine Sanctuary. But business owners had gradually moved away from Pinkston before it shut its doors, one partner said.

Reporting from the Press Democrat Thursday chronicled alleged financial coercion, emotional abuse and sexual abuse — according to a lengthy restraining order request filed in Humboldt County from Pinkston’s former business and romantic partner, Humboldt County resident Clairese Mayo, who additionally sought child custody.

In court documents Pinkston denies the allegations as fabricated, and denies allegations in a letter to employees of Soft Medicine Sanctuary in Sebastopol, reporting from the Democrat found.

Mayo accused Pinkston of sexual abuse between February and May 2025, and an alleged sexual assault in McKinleyville after breaking up. The court documents published by the Press Democrat additionally accuse him of forced entry and medical neglect while pregnant.

When reached by phone Friday, Mayo said the details from the restraining order request becoming a public matter has been uncomfortable and embarrassing. But she argued accountability is a way of caring for someone.

“Holding those closest to us accountable is a great way that we can show our love and invite possibility for change,” she said.

She said things started adding up after hearing others impacted by Pinkston. Regional social media pages have been populated with stories of alleged abuse in recent weeks.

“When I thought I was alone I was suffocating. When I discovered the truth everything made sense,” she said in a message to the Outpost.

The pair are currently finding a settlement in court, according to Mayo.

The Democrat also reported on business issues, including a partner seeking financial information through a lawsuit in Sonoma County. In a statement on social media last week, Soft Medicine Sanctuary said it had cut ties with Pinkston, and announced Saturday it would entirely close.

UniTea, located in Northtown Arcata, formed after Pinkston became interested in forming a kind of successor to “The Thing,” a since-closed event space on the Arcata Plaza that offered ecstatic dancing nights.

UniTea opened Feb. 1, 2025, and had closed by the end of November. While the three technically formed the business together, “he was rarely there at all,” said Will Wright, a founding owner who was running the business by the end. He said all local owners are standing in solidarity with victims.

In a court declaration supporting Mayo’s restraining order request, Wright pointed to “concerning behaviors” of Pinkston including lying, lacking transparency and spinning stories to paint himself in the best light.

UniTea, which peaked at three employees, was making efforts to reopen amid tough financial prospects.

“Had we reopened, it would not have been with Jonathan involved. We were in the process of separating,” said Wright. The business closed before these efforts were finalized, but he said they were aiming to turn UniTea into a fully local business.

He wanted to emphasize any money made at the location was not supporting Pinkston, and was rather used to keep UniTea running — though revenue never covered their expenses.

Mayo said the business was “a really beautiful vision,” but also a passion project where members didn’t make an income, and it hadn’t yet gotten off the ground by the end of the year.

Wright said he has hopes to offer a similar thing in the future; but for now, “we’re just wrapping everything up.”

A sexual assault lining up with the reported McKinleyville incident is being investigated by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, a spokesperson confirmed to the Democrat, but no charges have been filed in Humboldt County, according to court records. A spokesperson did not confirm the connection to Pinkston to the Lost Coast Outpost by publication time.

An email to Pinkston’s attorney seeking comment was not returned.

Mayo’s temporary restraining order was granted by Judge April Van Dyke on Dec. 1. Meanwhile, documents submitted by Pinkston seek an agreement to see the couple’s daughter, access to whom he said was unlawfully blocked.

The Sebastopol-based business has additional locations in San Francisco and Nevada County.

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Press Democrat coverage:

• Sebastopol business owner ousted after allegations of sexual assault, financial coercion surface

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

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Two months past a statutory deadline, California’s top fire safety regulator published a report Monday on whether and how the state should legalize mid-rise apartment buildings with a lone staircase.

If this doesn’t sound like riveting news, you may have missed the brewing battle between pro-housing advocates and firefighting professionals over the cause of “single-stair reform” and whether America’s fire-averse building standards are standing in the way of more affordable, higher quality urban living.

The report, published by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, takes a fairly dim view of the “single stair” cause, but offers a few policy recommendations to state legislators should they move forward with the idea anyway.

At least one Democratic legislator appears intent on doing just that with legislation aimed at rewriting the state building code.

In California, as in much of North America, apartment buildings over three stories are required to have at least two staircases. This rule is meant to give residents multiple ways out in the event of a fire. But a coalition of Yes in my Backyard activists, architects and urbanists argue that much of the world does just fine with single-stair apartment blocks and that the state’s restrictive stairwell regs make it more difficult and costly to build modestly sized apartments on small city parcels.

Though modern safety measures, such as automatic sprinkler systems, smoke detectors and self-closing doors reduce the risks associated with smoke and flame, they “do not fully substitute for the redundancy of two independent stairway” which “is important for maintaining safety in the face of unforeseen failures,” the report read.

If state lawmakers opt to change the law anyway, the report recommended that single-stair apartment buildings max out at four stories, rather than three, and that they be subject to additional safety rules. The state should not consider going up to six stories — the current standard in New York City, Seattle, Honolulu and Culver City — without a second fire marshal study, the report concluded.

In its section on financial implications, the report also evaluated three mid-rise apartment projects and found that a second staircase made up between 7.5% and 12% of estimated total construction costs.

Though the findings mirror those contained in an earlier draft of the report CalMatters obtained in February, they came as a disappointment to some supporters of looser staircase requirements.

“As to be expected from this group,” said Bubba Fish, the Culver City councilmember who spearheaded that city’s single stair ordinance last year, in a text message. He called the four story max “ridiculous,” noting that even with that modestly relaxed requirement, California’s building code would remain out of step with much of the world.

The report is more than two months tardy, missing the January 1 deadline set by a 2023 bill authored by Milpitas Democratic Assemblymember Alex Lee.

Lee said that his office was still reviewing the report’s findings late Monday afternoon. But in a written statement, he expressed enthusiasm for future changes to the building code.

“Stairway requirements can have a profound effect on what does and does not get built in our neighborhoods, Lee said. “With the development of modern fire mitigation measures, it is critical that we re-evaluate our building codes and unlock previously undevelopable properties to build more housing.”

Last month, Lee introduced a bill with the express intent of allowing “housing buildings with 4 or more stories to have a single stair entry and exit,” but which so far includes no additional detail.

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

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Two California lawmakers are trying to open up legislative documents that are technically public records, but difficult for even the most seasoned Capitol insiders to access.

The documents are letters registered lobbyists and advocacy groups send the Legislature to support or oppose bills. CalMatters has been seeking greater access to them for more than a year.

Assembly members Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a Democrat representing the San Ramon area, and Republican Greg Wallis of Rancho Mirage each introduced legislation in February that would require the Legislature to post the letters online.

“Candidly, I had no idea that the public didn’t have access to support and opposition letters,” said Wallis, who authored Assembly Bill 2063. “It sort of blew my mind when I found out that that wasn’t readily available.”Bauer-Kahan’s office didn’t respond to an interview request to discuss her Assembly Bill 2557, which is similar to Wallis’ bill.

Position letters from lobbyists and advocacy organizations, submitted through a portal on the Legislature’s website, are public records, according to the California Legislative Open Records Act. The law sets the rules for what correspondence lawmakers and their employees are required to disclose and says they must give the letters out upon request. They usually do.

But having to separately request letters to legislative staff for each bill before lawmakers — more than 2,000 each year — is tedious and time-consuming. Each proposal can generate dozens of letters.The Legislature’s employees have to devote substantial time to giving the letters out to the army of advocates who rely on them to understand which groups support or oppose legislation and why.

“Even if staff had a desire to be very equitable about sharing that kind of information, that is not a good use of their time; absolutely not,” said Jennifer Fearing, a longtime lobbyist who advocates for nonprofits.

Former Democratic state Sen. Steve Glazer said the letters “can be very relevant to the legislative process of finding compromise” since they can contain valuable suggestions from organizations on how to improve legislation.

They are also one of the few windows into the secretive world of Capitol lobbying.

“There’s a lot of influencing that happens in the shadows,” Glazer said. “But that’s usually different than letters that are put on the record and submitted to a legislative committee.”

He questioned why legislative leaders would even need a law to post the letters online.

“If I were the leader … I’d say, ‘That’s bull — . Publish the goddamn letters.’”

CalMatters requested interviews for this story with Sen. President Pro Tem Monique Limón and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, both Democrats. They declined.

Some other state legislatures, such as Hawaii’s, post advocacy position letters on their websites.

Do legislative analyses give an unbiased picture?

CalMatters has sought for the past year to obtain the letters as they are filed through the Legislature’s online position-letter portal, which lawmakers and their employees can access but the public cannot. The Legislature denied CalMatters’ request, made under the Legislative Open Records Act.

CalMatters seeks to add the letters to its Digital Democracy database, which is free for the public to access.

Assemblymember Greg Wallis, a Republican from Rancho Mirage, has introduced legislation that seeks to make the letters lobbyists submit to the Legislature to influence legislation be posted online. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

The letters also would be used to help create a more accurate assessment of who supports and opposes each bill in the database. Without the letters, Digital Democracy can only track lobbyist and other advocate positions through their brief testimony at committee hearings or if the positions are listed in the public bill analyses that accompany legislation.

The staff of various legislative committees and the Senate and Assembly chambers write the analyses. They provide a basic summary of what a bill seeks to accomplish, some context behind the legislation and a brief description of the supporters and opponents and their positions, often based on the letters submitted through the portal.

Some question whether the committee consultants who write the analyses accurately reflect the support and opposition to a bill in an unbiased manner or provide all the relevant facts that lawmakers — and their constituents — need to make informed decisions.Former Democratic Sen. Jerry Hill said he was frustrated by the slanted positions some committee consultants put in their analyses. He thinks the legislative process would benefit from having the letters posted online for everyone to see.

“I think it definitely will improve the process if all of these letters are made public,” he said. “It will create a better-informed Legislature to make those decisions at the end of the day, and not have to rely totally and solely on the opinions of a couple of committee staff writers and consultants.”

Ward Michael Falor - known to nearly everyone as Mike or D.H. Falor - lived a life powered by curiosity, creativity, engines, music, animals and caring compassion. From the time he was a little boy, Mike was drawn to cars and motorcycles - passions that would weave through every chapter of his life. 

Mike was a consummate storyteller, and one of his favorite stories he told dated back to when he was a young lad traveling with his beloved Grandma Schussman. Sitting in a cafe on the way to the City, Mike spotted Hells Angels founder Sonny Barger and wondered out loud if there was any chance that Mr. Barger would give him an autograph. Grandma Schussman, ever wise and encouraging, handed Mike a pen and paper and said, “You’ll never know unless you try.”  Mike tried - and succeeded. It was an early lesson he carried with him always.

When his Dad was busy with his drugstores and serving his community in many capacities, and Mike was left with his Mom and his sisters. Even though Mike complained that he was surrounded by females, he loved and was deeply loved by them. He and his sister June had a special relationship. When June became deaf, Mike stepped up to be her ears when they were playing as youngsters.  When Kitty and Tammy came along, he stepped up to being their big brother and family gatherings were never sedate but rang with laughter when Mike was in the room.

Mike was a natural musician. He began with the trumpet but quickly proved he could play nearly any instrument after hearing it play just once.  At Arcata High School, he played bass in a rock band named Sound Foundation. Mike self-described as a nerd but fully embraced the rock-and-roll life - driving a red Berkeley sports car and wearing a custom-made paisley shirt complete with a white color and cuffs (no one had to know that it was his Mom that custom made this shirt). Some other high school students enjoyed picking up and moving his Berkley because it was such a light car. Mike never knew where his car would be when he came out of his classes. One time it even ended up in the bushes. Around this time, his dad gifted him his first Model A, igniting what would become a lifelong love of collecting and years later landing him a starring role in the “Scrappy Go Lucky” episode of American Pickers.

While still attending Arcata High when the family went to visit Mike’s sister’s God Parents in the Sierras, Mike, his Dad and Mac McDermid took off on an adventure to got to the McDermid’s gold mine.  When a forest fire broke out, all three were conscripted to fight this wildland fire and it was days before they were released from this duty.  Serving community this way resonated with Mike and as an adult he went on to serve as a volunteer firefighter with the Blue Lake Fire Department, as well as serving on the County Arson Task Force.  The medical calls involving children were the hardest for Mike to process post event.

After high school, Mike traveled through Europe before returning to attend Humboldt State College.  He worked in the college cafeteria and at his father’s drug store delivering medications.  Though Mike liked to say he was kicked out of the house he grew up in for refusing to cut his hair, he omitted the part about how he had lined the street in front of his family’s home with his ever-growing car collection.  Grandma Schussman once again supported Mike - offering him a cabin on her property in Blue Lake - where the collecting continued enthusiastically and for many of these years Mike was accompanied in this endeavor by his best friend, Bob Giroux. 

In the 1980s, Mike met Patricia Villalobos, at her restaurant/thrift store (a easy way to Mike heart - collectables and good food). Mike knew right away he was going to marry Pat.  After Mike and Pat returned from their honeymoon road trip (in a car that Mike had literally bolted a windshield to the car just before they left), Mike took to leaving Pat a flower and a note each morning telling her how loved she was.

Mike and Pat’s first son, Milo, was adored from the start. Both Mike and Pat would jump out of bed when Milo cried and if they could not calm him, a call would be placed to Mike’s Mom, Jean Falor, asking what she though they should do. About ten years later, Milo’s ardent wish for a brother came true with the arrival of Milo’s brother Nicholas, who Milo called his “beautiful boy.” The boys shared Mike’s love of mechanics - becoming skilled at fixing (and even building) cars and motorcycles. Mike’s talent for music was passed on to Nick, and Mike loved going to hear Nick’s band play at the Logger Bar. Mike taught his sons to be kind, honest, and sensitive. Recently, Mike and Nick were even featured together in a nationally published motorcycle magazine which captured Mike final ride - his long gray beard, which was punctuated by a grin of sheer joy, flying in the wind.

Animals were drawn to Mike, and he to them. While working for Blue Lake Public Works, he once jumped into the City’s wastewater pond to save a goat. He also had dogs to whom he was loving and loyal - even when one ended up being a semi-feral dog, his sister had saved from euthanasia at the County Shelter, believing that, like all the other scared little dogs she had rescued, all this little dog needed would be to leave the shelter behind.  She was wrong and Mike named this dog Scaredy Dog and the name fit. Practically no one besides Mike could touch this dog who Mike provided a long, happy life along with Mike’s other beloved dogs, Lola and Slinky Dog. Before this crew there were beloved Max and Brandy and Peanuts (the dog that Mike’s Dad, the then Mayor of Arcata, Ward Falor, brought home because the dog catcher did not want to put this sweet dog down). When the City no longer needed their goats, just like Peanuts all those years before, they came home to Mike’s place and loved it there. Some of Mike “goaties” were humorously featured in the Picker’s episode.  A random goat whose owner stopped at the gas station even jump out of the vehicle and ran across the street to Mike place. That’s just how powerful the attraction of Mike’s love of animals was.

And then there were the cats. After Peaches, Sneechie and Singe-a-Roonie lived their long lives, the feral cats began arriving. Mike faithfully fed, cared for and had them altered throughout the years as more cats were dumped at this property. Of course some of these feral cats let Mike pet them - especially Window Kitty. One of Mike’s last wishes was that his cats be loving cared for until they age out of this world - a wish that his family is fulfilling.

On December 14, 2025, Mike lost his battle with Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s and COPD most likely from years on the Blue Lake Fire Department and Humboldt County Arson Task Force because Mike was never a smoker. In his last hours of his existence, he was joined by many members of the Falor Clan and the Stover Clan who showered Mike with love as he crossed over to his next adventure and held space for him after after his heart beat the last beat.

These are only some of the wonderful stories Mike leaves as a legacy.  There were too many loved ones and friends that were special to Mike to mention them all here and so for fear of omitting someone special to Mike, we are not attempting to list them here. 

Please join us at the Blue Lake Fire Hall on March 14, 2026 at 1 p.m. to celebrate Mike and to hear more stories of his life.  Preceding the memorial, starting in Blue Lake, there will be Mike’s final Harley ride. If Mike’s Harley cooperates, his son will be helping Mike’s bike to make this final ride in Mike’s honor.

Mike lived fully, loved fiercely and left behind stories that will be told - and retold - for generations.  He was truly a kindhearted legend and this world is a lesser place without him.

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