Sandra Spalding
Sept. 18, 1957 - April 28, 2026

Sandra was an animal lover, equestrian, volunteer, good friend to many, sister, wife, adventurer and life-long liberal who cared deeply for others in society, especially those less fortunate and in need of help or support.

Sandra fought unbelievably hard against a rare and painful cancer every day for the past 10 years with strength and dignity but finally lost her battle on April 28. I don’t know of anyone else who could have fought SO hard for so long facing such pain and still had a strong will to live while always caring and fighting for others; in her NET support groups, for the No Kings movement, helping homeless people she didn’t know, volunteering and donating at local animal shelter/rescues and assisting anyone else who needed help with anything she was able to do until the very end.

Sandra loved her dogs, cats and horses. For Sandra, endurance and trail riding and loving our dogs and cats was her higher power. Sandra rode horses for 6 decades and was an active and loved member in REER & AERC. She completed thousands of miles in sanctioned endurance rides many thousands of miles riding on the trails in McKinleyville, Cuneo Creek, Orick and Clam Beach as a few of her favorite riding spots. Sandra also dabbled with dressage but her real love was endurance and trail riding.

For Sandra, her love of dogs was as deep as her love for me (her husband). In the 35 years we were together and married we had four generations of dogs, 13 total, and loved them all as spoiled family members. From Buck to Wally to Cha Cha, there is nothing she wouldn’t do for the dogs. She volunteered for several animal rescues including thousands of hours walking and bathing dogs at the Humboldt County Animal Shelter. While Sandra LOVED Labs and Goldens there was always a special dog at the shelter that especially touched her heart, typically a pit mix, and she always worked extra hard to help find that perfect forever home for that special one. Sandra helped place MANY dozens of dogs to their forever homes over the years and then always found more love for another stray that especially touched her heart.

For the past decade or more Sandra found a strong connection to some very lucky cats that she rescued. She was partial to orange cats and her favorite was Rocky, a very special friend who was in her arms when she passed. Rocky followed Sandra everywhere, they had a very special connection to each other and both were lucky to have found each other thanks to the help of Patty at the animal shelter.

Sandra was extremely adventurous had a deep passion for life. For example, we spent many winters in Tahoe and Sunriver. When the weather got extreme, Sandra always liked to go for a drive in a white-out blizzard with 100 m.p.h. winds and zero visibility “just to see if we could make it back!” We always did but had some pretty sketchy moments more than a few times. That was Sandra.

Sandra was grateful that for many years we got more than 20 days on the slopes each season. In her 30s Sandra quickly went from a beginning skier to expert by natural athletic ability and a stubbornness to succeed, regardless of the number of times she fell or extent of the bruises those hundreds of falls caused. After finally conquering all the expert runs on skis, in her 40s, Sandra decided snowboarding looked more playful so gave up her skis and started over as a beginning snowboarder. Again, after many hundreds of falls and head-to-toe bruising that first week, she taught herself to become an expert snowboarder in a relatively short period. No slope was too steep or had moguls too big for her to attempt and ALWAYS conquered. Her motto on the slopes, as with horses and life was always “It’s no fun if you don’t challenge yourself!”

Sandra was a true friend and would do anything to help others, especially friends. She had too many friends to mention and this was evident by the almost constant stream of visitors we had when she started Hospice. Many came over and helped around the house and with the horses when she couldn’t do things she wanted to do. We want to especially thank Audrey, Donna, Janet, Kevin, Valerie, Cindy, Tracy, Julie, Debbie and everyone else who helped us when we really needed help.

Sandra’s sister in Hawaii, Kathy, always had an open invitation for Sandra to visit and was always a giving and gracious host. Sister Barbara was supportive to us and came up here for a time and helped caretake Sandra when she was very sick in 2017. We are grateful for Barbara’s help with the Stanford surgery and aftercare and she was instrumental in helping us when we needed it. Her sister Susan and brother John were able to visit from far away before Sandra left us. Sandra was SO grateful to have seen them and for their help, especially towards the end when we REALLY needed it. Susan and John’s help and support meant SO much to both of us and helped give Sandra some peace of mind at the end and we are both so grateful to have them in our lives.

We want to thank everyone at Providence Oncology, Hospice of Humboldt, especially Krystal & Sara and Dr. Michael Fratkin, our palliative care doctor. While Michael wasn’t her doctor for very long, we developed a close connection to him and his wisdom, guidance and support towards the end. We are both SO grateful that he crossed our path at the perfect time when we needed his knowledge, kindness and caring most. Michael is the most caring person (not just physician) we have ever met and are grateful beyond words for him coming into our lives when we truly needed him most.

We were together for 35 years and she’ll be missed more than I know words for. While I cry everyday for my sadness, loss and loneliness I know we all must pass and am happy she is finally again pain-free. We had each other for most of a lifetime and for that we were both grateful.

In lieu of flowers please be kind to someone and/or adopt/volunteer for an animal in need. Remember, adoption is the best option.

Please join us for a celebration of life on Saturday, May 16, from 1 to 4 p.m. at 1556 Tantara Ln., McKinleyville. If inclement weather, will be moved to the Dows Prairie Grange. Please dress casually.

###

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

Matthew Shawn Finley, born May 20, 1958, passed away on February 4, 2026, at age 67. He passed away while doing what he loved. He was fishing at the jetty, where his heart gave out.

Shawn, as he was more commonly known, lived in both California and Missouri, but spent most of his life in Humboldt County, where he was born.

When he was 13 years old, he moved to Missouri and spent his twenties milking cows on a dairy farm, and moved back to Humboldt at the age of 31. He spent the rest of his life in Humboldt.

He was someone who found enjoyment in life’s simple pleasures. He was an avid fan of basketball, especially the Golden State Warriors, followed football closely, cheering for both the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers, and was a fan of the Giants baseball team.

He loved movies and often relaxed by watching his favorites.

He was an animal lover and enjoyed the outdoors. His favorite pastime was fishing, a hobby which brought him both peace and connection to nature.

He casually played both ping pong and guitar, liked grilling big dinners on his back porch for his family and friends, and often looked to the night’s sky to see if he could spot any UFOs.

Above all else, he loved his grandchildren.

Shawn will be remembered for his big heart and lively storytelling, his sense of humor and the laughs he shared with those around him, and will be missed by those who knew him.

He is survived by his children Trevor Finley, Blake Finley, Teela Finley, Meggen Powell and her husband Darren Powell, his grandchildren Kaysen Finley, Kesa Finley, Kylo Finley, Deckard Powell, and Piper Finley, as well as his former wife Leah Finley. Also his family Joy Finley, Paula Rock, Herb Finley, Vic Ambrosini, Sue Ambrosini, Sandra Trutalli, Kenneth Tucker, and many other family members.

He was preceded in death by his parents Huey and Laura Finley, his family Russell Finley, Dorothy Stevens, Frankie Whitehead, Terry Finley, Chuck Wilkes, Amber Finley, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and various other family members.

###

Next week, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board will consider tweaking regulations for Humboldt Redwood Company’s sediment discharge agreement for the Upper Elk River.

HRC is seeking a handful of changes to the agreement, which is the regulatory tool used by the Water Board to control nonpoint source pollution. Logging activities in the watershed have long caused sediment to run off land and be deposited into the Elk River.

While Water Board staff found the proposed changes minor, saying in a staff report that they “will not result in a decrease in water quality protection,” the environmental group CalTrout leans the other way.

The Elk River was designated a sediment-impaired waterbody in 1998 by the Environmental Protection Agency. Sediment has clogged river channels, causing extensive nuisance flooding in the area and a shoddy habitat for fish, who use the river as spawning and rearing habitat.

People still can’t safely drink from the river, and floodwaters inundate roads and properties in the lower Elk during winter storm events.

The river is affected by both current and past logging practices, particularly when Maxxam Corporation-controlled PALCO moved to massively increase harvesting there during the late 1980s and ‘90s, in a basin already prone to sediment production.

Two commercial timber companies currently operate in the watershed, HRC and Green Diamond, according to the Water Board’s website. (The companies each have made commitments to practices that reduce erosion.) HRC owns about 79% of the Upper Elk Watershed, according to Water Board documents.

The changes HRC are seeking, in their waste discharge requirements, are alternative compliance methods. They appear to allow for a few more timber activities, under certain conditions.

Water Board staff are supporting approval for the changes. According to a staff report, the requirement for changes like these specify that “HRC may propose and submit for approval by the Regional Water Board, alternative measures that can be demonstrated to provide beneficial uses protection and nuisance abatement that is equal or better than that provided by these specific requirements.”

But CalTrout, an environmental organization that has done extensive restoration and study of the watershed, says the changes to the requirements have the potential of increasing pollution.

“This is a highly impaired watershed already, and so you don’t want further actions that will have the potential to increase pollution downstream,” Katy Gurin, project manager for CalTrout who oversees restoration and flood reduction projects on the Elk River, told the Outpost.

She said the organization doesn’t know the exact impact the proposed changes would have on the watershed but is concerned they’d have the potential to result in an increase in erosion and downstream sediment pollution.

In particular, CalTrout is concerned about loosening a rule prohibiting group openings — clearings of trees — on steep slopes. The organization is also concerned about changes to canopy cover requirements in the Riparian Management zone, the protected strip of forest along streams.

But Water Board staff believe the changes and “quite moderate and reasonable,” according to a spokesperson.

“The proposed changes in slope for group openings from 30% to 40% and deviation in canopy retention to allow HRC to apply restorative silviculture on slopes below 40% are not anticipated to increase sediment loads,” said Blair Robertson, a spokesperson for the Water Board in an emailed response to questions.

“This permit provides the strongest water quality protections of any timber permit in the region. The revisions preserve that high level of protection while better aligning the permit with real‑world operational conditions by allowing HRC flexibility in managing its forest while still fully complying with the TMDL [total maximum daily load] targets for riparian zones,” the email said.

Gurin is of the position that sedimentation should be clearly improving before any regulations are relaxed.

“We’re not seeing strong, consistent evidence that the watershed is improving,” she said.

In a comment letter on the changes, the organization points to a 2022 review from the Water Board where “staff recommend that the water quality protections of the current WDRs not be reduced until there is evidence that impairment conditions are improving.”

The 2022 review also found “available data are insufficient to comprehensively assess the degree to which WDRs and Waivers have successfully controlled sediment delivery to the impacted reach,” and pointed to “evidence of worsening in and around the confluence of the north and South Forks.”

Separately from the items to be discussed next week, the Water Board is working on possible revisions to the monitoring and reporting program with an eye toward improving the effectiveness of the regulations, according to the spokesperson.

Gurin said many CalTrout projects on the river depend on reduced suspended sediment to make progress. And downstream residents and fish populations are at risk if sediment gets worse.

“We want to see people be able to drink from the river again and be able to have all of those beneficial uses fully recovered,” she said.

HRC did not immediately return a voicemail seeking comment before publishing time.

Also at the meeting, the Water Board will host an informational update on the broad plan to address sedimentation in the river, the “Upper Elk Sediment Total Maximum Daily Load Action Plan.”

This will include details on “health and safety, coordinated monitoring and sediment remediation improvements.”

The meeting will be held May 7 and May 8 at 9:00 a.m. at Eureka City Hall’s city council chambers. The Elk River-related discussions are each set for May 7. Find the agenda and Zoom attendance information here.

###

PREVIOUSLY: 

• Five Old-Growth Redwoods Were Cut Down in Lower Redway. How Could That Happen?
• SoHum Residents Protest the Removal of a 252-Foot Old-Growth Redwood From a Lower Redway Property

###

UPDATE: Humboldt County Planning and Building Director John Ford sent us the following statement on Friday evening:

The tree was going to be removed [on Thursday].  A crowd gathered in close proximity to the tree that included children.  The Highway Patrol wanted to close the road for the safety of the public.  But the public would not move.  The only way to move the crowd is close the road which requires an encroachment permit.  That will likely be applied for next week.

We issued a stop work order on the removal of the tree in response to allegation’s that the tree was not hazardous.  The property owner submitted reports from a Registered Professional Forester and certified arborist finding the tree is in fact hazardous.  The stop work order was lifted.

The discussion of the Q-Zone is currently planned for the June 2 Board of Supervisors meeting.

###

Original post: Efforts to remove an old-growth redwood from a Lower Redway property were halted late Thursday afternoon after county officials and local law enforcement determined the tree could not be felled safely due to its proximity to Briceland Road, a main thoroughfare for many SoHum residents.

As reported by the Redheaded Blackbelt this morning, the county is now asking the property’s owner, Robert Scarlett, to obtain an encroachment permit before work can resume. 

The 252-foot tree — estimated to be between 350 and 370 years old — is the last old-growth redwood standing on a corner lot at Oakridge Drive and Briceland Road in Lower Redway. As previously reported, several old-growth redwoods were removed from the property last year after a CalFire forester’s inspection determined that the trees posed a safety hazard to nearby structures. 

The removal of the trees sparked outrage among some residents and environmentalists, many of whom were involved in the Timber Wars of the 1990s and were under the impression that the trees were protected by a county-designated “Q Zone” that was enacted in 1996 to safeguard old-growth redwoods near the John B. DeWitt State Natural Reserve. 

A group of protestors congregated at the corner of Oakridge Drive and Briceland Road for most of the day on Thursday to protest the removal of the towering tree. Among the protestors was Redway resident Sue Maloney, who said the protest broke up late in the afternoon after the California Highway Patrol and county officials informed the property owner and logging crew that cutting the tree — even topping it — posed a safety risk to people traveling on Briceland Road. 

This morning, Planning and Building Director John Ford and Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell met with a small group of concerned residents, dubbed the Old Growth Neighborhood Association, to discuss next steps for the tree’s removal.

“From what we understand, the landowner is required to apply and will receive an encroachment permit,” Maloney told the Outpost. “Apparently, the road will be shut down for many hours, but they won’t tell us ahead of time. … Somebody in our group thought [residents should be notified ahead of time] because what if you … you’re coming from Shelter Cove and you have an emergency or you’re going to the airport … and  you don’t have an extra 40 minutes to take Old Briceland Road?”

“Whether or not they give people notice, people are going to be outraged,” she added. “It’s not an emergency, it’s the planned logging of a 10-foot diameter old-growth redwood tree that never should’ve been allowed to be cut in the first place.”

Maloney lamented the whole ordeal, casting doubt on the inspector’s determination that the trees posed a significant hazard. “If the county had done [its] job and required a permit [of the property owner], we believe those trees would not have been deemed hazards and alternative treatment measures could have been taken, such as intense limbing,” she said.

Lower Redway resident Linda Sutton, who lives just down the road from the property in question, expressed concern about the future of old-growth redwoods in her neighborhood. 

“Many residents here have worked hard at being good stewards,” Sutton said, noting that her parents first bought property in Lower Redway back in the 1940s. “A lot of people don’t know that much about redwoods … and they’re really apathetic. … They just want the money, and we wonder, would these trees have been cut if they couldn’t cut them for profit?”

Maloney and Sutton are hopeful that, once the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors reviews the Q Zone policy in the coming months, the county will adopt better protections for old-growth redwoods in Lower Redway. 

“The trees were here first, and people, for whatever reason, really did build homes close to the trees,” Sutton said. “I think it’s a special neighborhood. People get tired of hearing us say that, but I think it’s the mixture of trees and homes and how we interconnect [that will] save this little forest of redwood trees.”

The Outpost has contacted several sources at the County of Humboldt for the details of the encroachment permit and more information about when tree removal will occur, but we did not receive a response before publication. We’ll update this story when we hear back.

###

###

PREVIOUSLY

• Humboldt Supervisors Advance Proposal to Increase Civilian Oversight Over HCSO, Despite Pushback From Sheriff Honsal

###

Oopsie! 

Humboldt County appears to have violated California’s open meetings law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, somewhere around the 10-hour mark of Tuesday’s absurdly long Board of Supervisors meeting.

In order to remedy that apparent infraction, the board will be re-hearing the item that was under discussion at the time: whether or not to establish an independent, civilian-led oversight committee for the Sheriff’s Office. The do-over will be added to the agenda for the board’s May 12 meeting.

Why is this necessary? Well, the Brown Act has very strict provisions protecting the public’s right to participate in local government meetings. Since 2020, when COVID lockdowns temporarily prevented most in-person participation, many meetings have been held in “hybrid” form (in-person plus remote), and the law has evolved through statutes like AB 361 to allow remote access under certain conditions.

On Tuesday, both systems were interrupted. Late in the meeting, the Zoom feed started glitching. Third District Supervisor and Board Chair Mike Wilson tried to ask a question of Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Juan Pablo Cervantes, who’d been participating via Zoom, but he’d logged off. County Administrative Office Elishia Hayes explained why.

“We’re having a lot of audio troubles, and so Juan was driving down here,” she said. “Apparently it’s very difficult to hear in the public.” 

A moment later, Hayes said, “Oh, he’s here but the courthouse is closed.” Chuckling, she added, “So we need somebody to let him in.”

Here’s the meeting video queued up to the moment when Hayes explains the accessibility issues:

If you listen carefully, as attendees laugh about this comedy of errors you can hear First District Supervisor Rex Bohn say something about “having an illegal meeting.” 

Yesterday, the Outpost emailed the county to ask about this apparent Brown Act violation. Shortly after 6 p.m., Public Information Specialist Cati Gallardo wrote back, saying:

The county is aware of those concerns. To ensure all who wish to participate in the process have the opportunity to do so, the Board of Supervisors will be rehearing the item on Tuesday, May 12. Staff will be modifying the agenda item to reflect the discussion and recommendations from Tuesday’s meeting and public comment will be open for any community member who wishes to participate.

This is likely to be a bummer of a do-over for everyone involved — unless you happen to be a member of the public who was unable to participate. It’s a bummer because the first time around, this hearing alone lasted nearly two and a half hours, including the public comment period. And the discussion was often fraught, with Sheriff William Honsal pushing back against the proposed oversight committee while many members of the public urged the board to establish such oversight. (Read my colleague Isabella Vanderheiden’s full report of the hearing here.)

At the end of the meeting, the board voted 4-1 to have a two-member ad hoc committee start drafting an ordinance, with the goal of having it ready by September. A community group has also been advocating for a sheriff’s oversight board and reportedly has a voter initiative drafted and ready for inclusion on local ballots in November. The group is waiting to see what the board does before moving ahead with a signature-gathering effort.

We’ll have to wait to see if the supervisors vote the same way on May 12. If you’d like to weigh in, the public will now have the rare chance for a “second bite at the apple,” to employ one of the board’s favorite phrases.

Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On April 29, 2026, at approximately 7:30 p.m., an officer with the Eureka Police Department (EPD) conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of Fourth and F Streets for multiple vehicle code violations, including speeding, breaking traction, unsafe lane changes without signaling, and an inoperable tail lamp. The driver was identified as Von Butterfield, 67, of Eureka. A records check revealed Butterfield was driving on a suspended license, and he was taken into custody at the scene.

During a search conducted at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility, approximately 1.55 grams of cocaine and drug paraphernalia were located on Butterfield’s person.

Butterfield was booked on charges including driving on a suspended license, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, speeding, unsafe turning movements, and operating a vehicle without required lighting.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On 04/30/2026, deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Problem Oriented Policing Team (POP) served a search warrant in the 2500 block of Baldwin Street in Arcata, as a part of a month-long investigation into a drug house. This investigation began after receiving numerous community complaints regarding suspicious drug activity at the residence.

Upon arrival at the residence, deputies located fourteen (14) individuals. Two of these individuals were found to be victims of elder neglect and were provided resources through Adult Protective Services.

As a result of this investigation, it was determined that eleven (11) subjects, located on scene, were in violation of a litany of drug-related charges as well as crimes against elderly people. The following people were arrested:

• Jerry Bachus, age 49 of McKinleyville. Booked on H&S 11365(a), visiting a drug house.
• Cecil Elliott, age 48 of Arcata. Booked on felony warrant & H&S 11365(a), visiting a drug house
• Ancheri Johnston, age 35 of Arcata. Booked on H&S 11365(a), visiting a drug house.
• Thomas Jordan, age 48 of Arcata. Booked on PC 368(b)(1), felony elder abuse; H&S 11366, maintaining a drug house.
• Christopher Lenahan, age 51 of McKinleyville. Booked on H&S 11365(a), visiting a drug house.
• Whiski Moran, age 48 of McKinleyville. Booked on misdemeanor warrant & H&S 11365(a), visiting a drug house.
• Patrica Young, age 47 of McKinleyville. Booked on H&S 11365(a), visiting a drug house; H&S 11377, possession of methamphetamine.
• Dustin Cantrell, age 26 of Arcata. Cited on H&S 11365(a), visiting a drug house.
• Jonathan Smart, age 47 of Arcata. Cited on H&S 11365(a), visiting a drug house. 
• Jamey Wilson, age 62 of Arcata. Cited on H&S 11366, maintaining a drug house.
• Shelly Wilson, age 69 of Arcata. Cited on H&S 11365, maintaining a drug house. 

During the service of the warrants, deputies seized drug paraphernalia, scales, and user amounts of methamphetamine.

HCSO would like to extend a thank you to the Arcata Police Department for their assistance in this operation.

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.