Starla Kay Lozensky (Star) was born on January 22, 1974, in Crescent City and passed away unexpectedly from natural causes on November 11, 2022, at her home in Carlotta, at the young age of 48.

Starla worked for many years as an owner-operator commercial truck driver transporting logs, equipment and construction materials. She later worked for the US Postal Service as a clerk at the Carlotta, Bridgeville and Fortuna Post Offices. Starla loved her post office customers and they loved her. They routinely brought her coffee and other goodies. She always took time out of her day to greet, listen and care for her customers.

In 2007, Starla married Jeremy Lozensky. Jeremy was the love of her life, and she devoted her time to raising their three children. She was a proud mother and adored her children, never missing a game or a performance. Starla loved her family deeply and was always delighted with the successes of her children.

Starla was an amazing and fiercely loyal friend. She treated everyone like they were her best friend. She loved people for who they were, never trying to change anyone. Starla was a loud, fun-loving football fan and her infectious laughter brought a smile to all who knew her. Starla was selfless and always did what she could to help anyone in need.

Starla is survived by her husband Jeremy, and their children, Hailey (19), Kali (15) and Jesse (13), as well as countless members of her extended family. She will be dearly missed. Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial service on December 16, 2022, at 11 a.m., at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2301 Rohnerville Road, Fortuna.

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

Jerry Oscar III
August 27, 1950 - November 25, 2022

Jerry Oscar III left this world peacefully on November 25, 2022. Jerry was born on August 27, 1950 to Jerry Oscar II and Harriet “Shorty” Oscar in Eureka, California. Jerry was a kind soul that will be missed by all. Jerry was a loving husband, father, uncle, cousin and friend. Jerry was a proud Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria Tribal member and spent much of his life residing on the Rancheria in Fortuna.

One of Jerry’s favorite pastimes was going to Bear River to play his favorite games. He spent much of his time maintaining his home which he meticulously built for his family. Jerry spent countless hours building his home on the land that his mother left behind.

Jerry was 18 when he enlisted to the Marines, he went on for four years serving his country in which he translated morse code for the military. Jerry went on to work as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant (CNA) at St. Luke’s Manner, where he met his long time partner Yvette Kemp. Jerry later went on to be a night-shift cashier at the Chevron in Fortuna for the next 19 years. On August 7, 2006, Jerry married his long-time girlfriend Yvette Kemp. Together Jerry and Yvette raised two daughters; Susan and Ginger. Jerry loved to provide for his family and his long time wife Yvette Oscar.

Jerry is preceded in death by his siblings; Michael, Larry, and Linda, along with his mother and father Harriet and Jerry Oscar II.

Jerry leaves behind his loving wife Yvette, two daughters; Susan and Ginger. He also leaves behind several nieces and nephews, 25 grandkids and his five cats he loved dearly; Minnie, Patches, Mickey, Jasmine and Bandit.

Jerry’s celebration of life will be held on December 15, 2022 at noon at the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria and his burial will be held on December 16, 2022 at noon at Ocean View Cemetery.

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

Renate Scheithauer passed to her rest on November 11, 2022. She was born in East Germany on August 25, 1922 to Victor and Margaret Scholz. She had just celebrated her 100th birthday.

She came to the USA in 1953 with her young son, six months after her husband had come. She rode a bus from New York to San Francisco, speaking no English. They settled in Eureka.

Renate started her career in banking with Crocker National Bank, and in 1958 she went to work for Bank of America, downtown branch, where she remained until 1984.

Renate was a faithful and supporting member of the Eureka Seventh-day Adventist church.

She was preceded in death by her husband Walter Ernest Scheithauer in 1996, and her son Dr. Bernd Walter Scheithauer in 2011. Renate is survived by her grandson Hans Scheithauer, granddaughter Monika Scheithauer Maxey, grandchildren Aiden, Finigan, and Cooper Maxey. She is also survived by several cousins, nieces and nephews still living in Germany.

For their friendship, care, love, and kindness Renate leaves special thanks to Gretchen Anderson, Madeleine Stagnoli, and Mardy Whitchurch. A memorial service will be held at the Eureka Seventh-day Adventist Church on December 18 at 1 p.m.

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

Well, here’s a pleasant Friday surprise: The California Transportation Commission is kicking down a cool $1 billion to fund 93 new walking and biking projects in some of the state’s “disadvantaged communities.” Humboldt County communities qualify as such, but hopefully today’s news makes us incrementally more advantaged: millions of dollars are headed our way for new walking and biking projects.

According to a press release from Caltrans, approximately $9 million will go toward the City of Eureka’s Bay to Zoo Trail, which will establish two brand-new miles of Class I bike path and non-motorized facilities through the city, connecting with Zane Middle School and Washington Elementary with access to St. Joseph Hospital.

Another $2.3 million has been earmarked for Eureka’s C Street Bike Boulevard project, which calls for traffic calming elements and other bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements at busy intersections.

And that’s not all! Humboldt is also slated to receive about $12.4 million, including almost $11 million in federal money, to install a retaining wall and drainage improvements along Avenue of the Giants. And another $1.6 million will go toward sidewalk improvements in Eureka.

Get the full breakdown in the following press release from Caltrans:

SACRAMENTO — The California Transportation Commission (CTC) this week approved $1 billion for 93 new walking and biking projects for disadvantaged communities as part of the 2023 Active Transportation Program and allocated nearly $878 million for projects to repair and improve transportation infrastructure throughout the state. The allocation includes more than $209 million in funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) and more than $339 million in funding from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.

The active transportation projects approved at the meeting will benefit disadvantaged communities throughout California, two-thirds of which will implement safe routes for children to walk or bike to school. The projects make up more than half of the 2023 Active Transportation Program, with an additional $700 million to be awarded in the spring. Much of the funding comes from a one-time infusion of $1 billion for active transportation in the 2022-23 state budget as part of a nearly $15 billion transportation infrastructure package.

“California and our federal partners are continuing to make historic headway in addressing our transportation needs and advancing safety, equity, climate action and economic prosperity,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “Importantly, this includes significant investments in infrastructure that allows everyone to access active means of transportation, like walking and biking.”

Active transportation projects approved at the meeting include:

• Approximately $9M toward the City of Eureka Bay to Zoo Trail in Humboldt County.
• Approximately $2.3M toward the City of Eureka C Street Bike Boulevard in Humboldt County.
• Approximately $7.7M toward the Gualala Downtown Streetscape Enhancement Plan in Mendocino County. 

The $878 million in projects the CTC approved include:

• Approximately $12.4M including more than $10.9M in federal IIJA funding toward the construction of a retaining wall and drainage improvements along Route 254 south of Maple Hills Road near Miranda in Humboldt County.
• Approximately $1.6M toward emergency allocations in Eureka for roadway and sidewalk repairs from I Street to W Street on U.S. 101 southbound in Humboldt County.
• Approximately $21M including more than $18.6M in federal IIJA funding toward improvements at Eel River Bridge No. 10-0236 on Route 162 near Longvale in Mendocino County.
• Approximately $6M toward roadway and culvert repairs from south of Old Sherwood Road to north of Piercy along U.S. 101 in Mendocino County.
• Approximately $3.8M toward emergency allocations toward guardrail, sign, fence, embankment and drainage repairs along U.S. 101 south of Willits in Mendocino County.
• Approximately $2.7M toward median barrier and retaining wall construction and roadway improvements near Willits from Black Bart Road to Waterplant/Grider Road along U.S. 101 in Mendocino County.

SB 1 provides $5 billion in transportation funding annually that is shared equally between the state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly based on the availability of SB 1 funds, including projects that are partially funded by SB 1. For more information about transportation projects funded by SB 1, visit RebuildingCA.ca.gov.

Press release from the Drug Task Force:

On Friday December 9, 2022, Agents with the Humboldt County Drug Task Force obtained information that indicated stolen property from a burglary, being investigated by Eureka Police Department, was located at a residence located near the intersection of Wabash St. and B St. in Eureka.

A Humboldt County Superior Court search warrant was obtained for the residence, and with the assistance of the Eureka Police Department and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the search warrant was executed. Numerous subjects were located on the premises and detained. During a search of the property 16 stolen firearms were located, along with stolen ammunition, and miscellaneous stolen property.

Woods.

As a result of the search, Solomon Woods was taken into custody on the following charges:

• PC 29800(a)(1)- Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person
• PC 496(a)- Possession of stolen property
• PC 30305(a)- Possession of ammunition by a prohibited person
• PC 30605- Possession of an assault weapon
• PC 1203.2- Violation of probation

Anyone with information related to this investigation or other narcotics related crimes are encouraged to call the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 707-267-9976.

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As the end of the year draws near, the Eureka City Council is gearing up for some pretty big adjustments — namely saying goodbye to Councilmember Natalie Arroyo after an eight-year stint on the council and welcoming two new faces aboard, G Mario Fernandez and Renee Contreras de Loach. Mayor Susan Seaman will also bid the council adieu and hand the reins over to Mayor-Elect Kim Bergel.

The council mentioned this bittersweet transition several times during this week’s meeting but agreed to save the heartfelt goodbyes and the sappy stuff for the council’s last regular meeting of the year on Dec. 20. 

I’ll bet you’re wondering what else happened during Tuesday’s meeting. Let’s take a gander!

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The council signed off on a fleet of eight new police patrol vehicles during this week’s regular meeting. The vehicles will augment the Eureka Police Department’s existing fleet and replace patrol vehicles that are over 13 years old with upwards of 100,000 miles accrued.

The item, which was pulled from the agenda’s consent calendar for further discussion, asked the council to allocate an additional $515,000 to the Eureka Police Department for the purchase of eight fully outfitted Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles from CAP Fleet through Northwood Auto Plaza in Eureka for a total cost of $551,717.08. 

“We’re struggling a bit because we’re sending officers out in the field every day in cars that were put into the field in 2008, 2009, 2010 and they’re worn out and they’re breaking down all the time,” said Eureka Police Chief Todd Jarvis. “We’re at a critical point where we need to get the equipment to be able to serve the public.”

Jarvis | Screenshot

Public Works Director Brian Gerving acknowledged that the Chevy Tahoe – one of the biggest SUVs on the market – doesn’t exactly fall in line with the City’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but said hybrid and electric vehicles are hard to come by.

“We’ve been asked to look at other options but there are a few points there,” Gerving said during Tuesday’s council meeting. “Availability. Just like any other vehicle, they’re difficult to come by. Suitability [is another issue]. They just don’t have the space and the performance necessary for these response vehicles. Staff has had a practice for the past  – as long as we have records – of obtaining pursuit-rated vehicles or special service-rated vehicles for our emergency response, whether that’s fire or police.”

Even still, he said staff would continue to explore options to incorporate more electric vehicles into the city’s fleet.

Jarvis further explained that “pursuit-rated” implies a different level of construction that makes the patrol vehicle “a little more hearty” and a little safer.

“It makes it safer for the officers that are operating it and for the citizens that are around it because it does have better brakes, better suspension [and] it allows us to run all the equipment we have because it has upgraded electrical systems and things like that,” Jarvis said. “We’re not looking at these so that we can chase people all over town.”

Following staff’s brief presentation, Councilmember Leslie Castellano acknowledged the immediate need for new patrol vehicles but suggested staff act more proactively to procure hybrid and electric vehicles in the future. 

“To really implement something like that we would need to kind of think ahead probably a few years, in terms of the charging infrastructure and even getting on waitlist for vehicles,” she said. “Are those the kinds of things that council should or could be giving more direction on in terms of that kind of forward-thinking?”

Staff is already looking into it, Gerving said, but they’re still a few years out. “We just don’t see the availability of suitable [electric vehicles] for large portions of our fleet just yet.”

Councilmember Scott Bauer mentioned that a friend of his has been on a waitlist for a fully electric truck for over a year and half because of global supply chain issues.

“We’re stuck in this world post-COVID where we don’t have the things we need to transition to a clean fuel economy,” he said. “I think the city has done a lot with transitioning our municipal fleet to electric … and in this situation, when it comes to first responders, we’re kind of stuck right now. … I only know one municipality that has electric pursuit vehicles and that’s Fremont.”

Bauer made a motion to approve the funding allocation. Councilmember Natalie Arroyo offered a second before acknowledging that “it will disappoint some folks.”

“As far as planning ahead for the greening of our fleet, I think that’s incredibly important,” she said. “The Humboldt Transit Authority, for example, we had high hopes for having all electric, chargeable buses and that just did not work in this community for the range we needed them to have. Now we’re going the hydrogen route. So that’s another thing to consider exploring as we install the infrastructure to have hydrogen fueling.”

The council passed the motion in a 4-0 vote with Councilmember Kati Moulton absent.

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Keeping with the law enforcement theme, Mayor Susan Seaman invited Chief Jarvis to discuss the City’s anonymous gun buyback program. The buyback program is intended to promote “responsible, safe, and secure gun ownership” by removing “unwanted guns that could potentially get into the hands of criminals,” according to EPD.

“This is in response to some interest that you showed after the Uvalde school shootings. We’ve had several since then throughout this country and we’re trying to put this [program] together so that we can get this done while you’re still the mayor,” Jarvis said to Seaman. “We’ll have officers there to meet you and secure the firearm. Please, if you do come down, just leave the firearm locked in your vehicle, make contact with the officers and they’ll come down to the vehicle with you and they’ll safely remove the firearm.”

Jarvis emphasized that the process is completely anonymous. “We’re not asking for an ID. We will run each of the firearms once this is over and if there’s anything that’s been reported stolen that’s been turned in to us, we will try to track down the owner and return it if we can.” The firearms will be destroyed after they are accounted for.

Individuals who turn in firearms will receive a Visa gift card – $50 for rifles and shotguns and $100 for handguns and assault weapons – to further incentivize participation in the program. Even if the gun is broken or non-functioning, EPD will still accept it.

“This has been very successful in other communities,” Jarvis added. “[The intent] really is not to take guns away from people, but if people have unwanted firearms that they don’t know what to do with, this is an avenue for them to relinquish them and know that they’re not going somewhere where they will fall into the wrong hands.”

The gun buyback program will take place on Sunday, December 18 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wharfinger Building, 1 Marina Way, in Eureka.

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The council returned to several other items relating to the City’s water and wastewater infrastructure that were discussed during its last meeting on Nov. 17. 

The council approved a revision to the City’s Private Sewer Lateral Ordinance. The ordinance, adopted by the city council in 2019, shifted the responsibility of maintenance and repairs of the lower lateral – which is the sewer pipe connecting a property’s plumbing system to the public sewer main under the street – solely to the property owner.

Since the city adopted the ordinance, staff have reported ongoing issues with laterals not being replaced by property owners when they should be, largely due to the cost. To alleviate this issue, staff proposed the implementation of a set fee and a point-of-sale trigger to “significantly accelerate the rate at which aging sewer laterals are replaced.” 

The council reviewed the proposed revisions during its Nov. 15 meeting and agreed to move forward. After a brief discussion at this week’s meeting, the council voted 4-0, with Moulton absent, to implement the proposed changes.

The council also unanimously passed a resolution approving the issuance of both water and wastewater bonds as well as an amendment to the City’s municipal code in accordance with the 2022 California Building Standards Code.

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And last but certainly not least, the council agreed to give Eureka’s 20/30 Park a new name – “Da’ Yas,” which means “where the cypresses are” in Soulatluk – to go with its incoming improvements, which will include all-new playground equipment, an upgrade to the park’s baseball field and some exciting new amenities.

Humans can be resistant to change and, understandably, some folks weren’t happy to hear that 20/30 Park would be renamed. The park was named after and made possible by the 20/30 Club, an association of young men in their 20s and 30s who did good deeds around town, but the club hasn’t been active for quite some time and the City felt as though it was time to make a change.

The City has been working with the Wiyot Tribe for the last year to come up with a short list of Soulatluk names for the park’s rebranding. After polling the community, they landed on “Da’ Yas” to honor the cypress trees that populate the park.

The council unanimously approved the adoption of the park’s new name in a 4-0 vote, with Moulton absent. 

Early on in the meeting, the council also approved a request for up to  $592,119 in funding for new playground equipment for the park. The item appeared on the council’s consent calendar and was passed without further discussion.

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You can find a recording of Tuesday’s meeting at this link.

After a courageous battle with cancer, Leslie Ann Sampson passed away on November 28, 2022, at her Loleta home, surrounded by family and friends.

She was born on July 6, 1949, in Sacramento and attended area schools, graduating from Roseville High School and attending Sierra College. Leslie worked for the telephone company in Roseville before moving to the North Coast area in the mid-1980s. She opened an antique store and a clothing store in Ferndale, and later moved to a vocational instruction position with the Humboldt County Office of Education. Her passion for sales and customer service led her to work for Abraxas in Ferndale, as well as the Eureka Reporter and the Shamus T Bones restaurant.

In May 2005, Leslie married John Sampson, beginning a 17-year relationship that allowed her to blossom and spread her wings. Family and friends were vital to Leslie, and she and John enjoyed an active social life with both extended family and a widening circle of friends. They traveled both within the United States and abroad, always in the company of close friends, seeking new horizons and cherishing new experiences and locales. Leslie was always eager to meet new friends, and moved from a place of gentleness and kindness to everyone she encountered, offering encouragement and support to countless individuals in the community. A collector of this and that, she was always enlarging her extensive sock collection with a new flamboyant treasure.

Leslie is survived by her mother, Marilyn; her loving husband, John Sampson; daughter, Megan; son, Collin; and grandchildren Wyatt, Kate, Jon-Jon, and Ray. Her four-legged guardian, Remi, remained by her side until her passing. She was preceded in death by her father, Stanley Cain.

The family would like to thank Hospice for the dedication and support provided, with a special thanks to Terry and Sara.

A party honoring Leslie will be held at the family’s home on May 6, 2023, at 2 p.m.

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