Marlene Marie Mooneyham, 86 years old, passed away on July 25, 2022. Marlene was born at home in Josephine County on Feb. 17, 1936 to Clyde and Lexie Fields. She and her future husband of 53 years, David Mooneyham, were raised in Grants Pass. They were married on Oct. 23, 1953 and had three children while living in G.P. —Rick(Robin) Mooneyham, Teresa (Richard) Harpham and Kyna.

They moved to Rio Dell in 1959. She enjoyed her family, friends, gardening and eventually her grandchildren and great-grandkids. We moved to Fortuna in 1968, when the freeway was built around Rio Dell. Shortly after that Paula (Oden) Steed joined our family, another sister.

Marlene spent several years working at Crown Redwood in Fortuna. After David retired they moved to Ruth, then Dinsmore, where they spent time hunting, fishing on Ruth Lake in their Bass Buggy. After David passed away in 2006, she moved back to Fortuna to be closer to family.

Marlene is survived by her sister, Shirley (Bob) Allen of Rogue River, Oregon,her son Rick (his sons Jesse and Clyde, her daughter Teresa (her daughter Karmen and son Hank), her daughter Paula (her sons Andy and Jamie Oller, son Evan Steed and daughter April Steed) and numerous grandkids and great-grandkids.

She was preceded in death by husband David, daughter Kyna and great-granddaughter Keesha. She will be interned at Ocean View Cemetery with David and Kyna.

Click to enlarge.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office needs the public’s help to locate an at-risk missing woman. Patricia Leslie Ribeiro, age 71, was last seen today, Aug. 18, 2022, walking westbound along Highway 36 in the area of Mile Marker 32, near Upper Larabee Valley Road. Ribeiro suffers from medical conditions and may be disoriented. 

Ribeiro is described as a white female, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, 120 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a bright blue t-shirt and blue tennis shoes. 

Anyone with information regarding Ribeiro’s whereabouts should call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251, ex. 0. If you come in contact with Ribeiro, call 9-1-1.

Tensions once again ran high during a long Arcata City Council meeting on Wednesday night, during which Councilmembers Brett Watson and Alex Stillman had a brief quarrel over whether or not Stillman should be allowed to participate in discussions surrounding the Gateway Area Plan. 

The argument began during a presentation from community member Scott McBain of the citizen group Responsible Growth Arcata, requesting that the council consider the formation of a Gateway Advisory Committee to help facilitate more community engagement around the adoption of the controversial Gateway Area Plan – a plan to rezone approximately 138 acres of land in and around the Creamery District to facilitate the development of more housing. 

Mayor Stacy Atkins-Salazar recused herself from the discussion, as she has from all discussions related to the Gateway Area Plan, due to a Fair Political Practices Commission ruling that determined Atkins-Salazar has a conflict of interest because she owns property within 150 feet of the Gateway Area boundary. Stillman – who was recently elected to the council (again) –  also owns at least one property within 150 feet of the Gateway Area and is currently awaiting a ruling from the FPPC about whether or not she has a conflict. 

During his presentation, McBain mentioned the issue of councilmember recusal and said that there were only four councilmembers participating in the discussion right now. Shortly after that statement, Councilmember Watson interrupted the presentation. 

“I’m just gonna stop you really quick, because of your comment earlier about four of us, ”Watson said. “There’s just three of us attending this item, right?” (Councilmember Stillman was attending the meeting via Zoom and was not in the council chambers.)

“I believe Alex is still online,” City Manager Karen Diemer responded. 

“I’m just curious about that,” Watson said. “I know her property is 150 away from the boundary. So it seems like based off the FPPC guidance in the past that it would be expected that she would recuse herself. I’m just curious what the logic is right now of her attending.” 

“I don’t see any problems with talking about this,” Stillman responded. “I mean, it’s the same as, um, you’re able to attend all these meetings and you have a harassment issue with the City Council and the City of Arcata. And at this point I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing and I’m finding out whether I will have a conflict or not. And until then, I’m part of the group, as you are, Brett.”  

“OK,” Watson responded. “I mean, I just think it’s not within the FPPC guidelines, which are pretty clear.” 

“I know what you think and I’ve read about what you’ve written online,” Stillman said.  

McBain | Screenshot from meeting video

Laughing uncomfortably, McBain then continued his presentation, outlining some of the potential objectives of the Gateway Plan Advisory Committee, including researching and conducting community engagement related to the Gateway Area Plan, and meeting with experts to discuss topics like traffic, environmental impacts and form-based codes. Like existing committees or task forces, the group would then make recommendations to the City Council. 

McBain said that Responsible Growth Arcata recommended the committee consist of seven to nine community stakeholders who are familiar with the plan, are objective problem solvers and willing to volunteer their time. McBain also said the committee should ideally include one member of the planning commission to serve as a liaison. Some benefits of the committee, McBain said, would include taking some of the workload off of the Council and Planning Commission and helping “implement a more collaborative community engagement strategy.” 

During the council’s discussion following the presentation, Watson again brought up the issue of Stillman’s recusal. And things escalated even further. 

“As uncomfortable as it might be, we need to discuss Alex not recusing herself,” Watson said. 

Stillman responded that she thought the council should take public comment first. 

“It’s in black and white on the FPPC website that it is illegal for her to be a part of this meeting,” Watson continued. 

“You know, Brett, do you want me to get into your legal issues that you have?” Stillman responded in an angry tone. “I haven’t done that publicly. And I’m doing my due diligence. I don’t want to discuss it.” 

The council talked over each other for a moment, before Matthews suggested they move on to council questions and public comment. 

Many community members spoke during public comment, most of them in favor of the idea of a committee because they felt it would boost public engagement. But some folks were against the idea, feeling that it would not add anything not provided by existing committees and would drag the planning process longer. 

“I think a gateway plan advisory committee will give us the opportunity to not only restore the significantly broken trust and bridge a divide, but also draw in a broader and diverse demographic of voices,” community member Patricia Cambianica said to the council. 

“This is a body that would have to abide by the Brown Act, would have the same limitations in terms of resources and staff time as all the other existing committees,” Colin Fiske of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP) “It’s not possible for me to envision how this would add something that isn’t already there.” 

The council was also split on the idea of the committee. While Councilmember Meredith Matthews said she liked the idea of a committee or task force dedicated to the Gateway Area Plan, she was also concerned that it might be duplicative of some of the city committees that already exist. 

Councilmember Stillman seemed mostly against the formation of a committee, saying that it might take away from the Planning Commission’s job. Stillman suggested that whatever effort would be put into supporting the committee should be put toward supporting the Planning Commission. 

Watson, on the other hand, ardently supported the idea of a committee, saying that he felt it would help give the public more of an opportunity to provide input on this large scale plan and would help improve the public’s trust of the council. 

“I think the truth is the majority of our constituents are terrified that this project  is going to ruin the town that they love so much,” Watson said. “That’s why us maintaining the public trust by forming a group like this and recusing ourselves when we have conflicts is so important to maintain that trust.” 

Ultimately, the council did not make any decision on whether or not to approve the formation of the committee. The topic will come back as one of the items of discussion during the City Council and Planning Commission joint study session on the Gateway Area Plan on Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 6 p.m.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• ARCATA’S GATEWAY PLAN: City Releases Draft Plan For Developing Housing in the 138-Acre ‘Gateway Area’ of Town, and Wants Your Input
• Arcata City Council Approves Plan to Convert Valley West Hotels to Homeless Housing, Reviews ‘Gateway Area Plan’ to Create High-Density Housing in Town
• GUEST OPINION: Gateway Plan Does Housing the Right Way
• ARCATA’S GATEWAY PLAN: Planners Propose Converting K and L to One-Way Streets; Transportation and Safety Committee Will Review Plan This Evening
• Confused About Arcata’s Gateway Area Plan? There are Still Opportunities to Learn More and Provide Feedback About How You Want the City to Create More Housing
• Arcata Mayor Atkins-Salazar Can’t Participate in Gateway Plan Work, Says State’s Fair Political Practice Commission in Response to City’s Request for Guidance
• (UPDATE) Arcata’s Mayor Can’t Participate in the City-Defining Gateway Area Plan; These Two Current Candidates for City Council Probably Can’t Either, for the Same Reason
• HUMBOLDT HOLDING UP: Catching Up on the Arcata Gateway Plan With Senior Planner Delo Freitas
• Want to Learn More About Arcata’s Gateway Plan? City Holding Public Meeting on Wednesday to Answer Your Questions
• A Big Week for the Arcata Gateway Area Plan: Planning Commission, Historical Landmarks Committee to Look at the Area’s Past and Future 
• A Big Public Meetings on Nordic Aquafarms and Arcata’s Gateway Area Plan Tonight
• ARCATA’S GATEWAY PLAN: Big Meetings Coming! Planning Commission to Consider New Public Engagement Approach Ahead of Big Study Session Later This Month
• ARCATA’S GATEWAY PLAN: Planning Commissioners Consider Citizen Group’s Request to Enhance Public Outreach, Mull Questions Ahead of Big Joint Study Session
• TONIGHT at ARCATA CITY COUNCIL: Council to Review Request for ‘Gateway Plan Advisory Committee’, Receive Update on Wastewater Treatment Plant
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Attorneys and Judge Kaleb Cockrum met privately today to discuss the possibility of a pre-trial settlement for murder suspects Bronson Moon Lewis Jr. and Daniel Armendariz III.

“This is not a plea agreement,” the judge said after emerging from a more than 30-minute session with Deputy District Attorney Trent Timm and defense attorneys Russ Clanton and Jennifer Dixon. But he said all lawyers “negotiated in good faith” about “the parameters of what a plea agreement might look like.”

Lewis and Armendariz, both 20,  are charged with the July 2020 murder of Hoopa resident Julius “Jules” Tripp, who was sleeping in a camper along Highway 96 when Lewis, Armendariz and three other people drove up. 

The man driving Lewis’s truck allegedly bumped the camper and woke Tripp. The ensuing confrontation allegedly ended with Tripp first being attacked with a knife, then lying over a roadside bank with his hand or arm cut off while Lewis and the others drove to Hoopa and Lewis got an assault rifle.

Lewis and Armendariz allegedly went down the bank and Tripp was finished off with a gunshot. Lewis was arrested first, with Armendariz jailed weeks later after information about his role was revealed during Lewis’s preliminary hearing.

Tripp, 42, was reported missing on July 26, 2020. His remains weren’t found until almost a month later, after people involved in the incident reported it to authorities.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Sheriff’s Office Seeking Homicide Suspect After Identifying Remains Found Last Week Off Highway 96 As Belonging to Missing Person
• Hoopa Homicide Suspect Surrenders Peacefully, Sheriff’s Office Says
• Hoopa Teen Charged With Murder, Potentially Faces Two Life Terms
• Bail Set at $2.4 Million For Hoopa Teen Accused of Murdering Man After Car Accident on Highway 96
• Teenage Witnesses Provide Conflicting Accounts in Hoopa Homicide Hearing
• Preliminary Hearing for Hoopa Murder Suspect Brought to Halt After New Witnesses Emerge
• Teenager Will Stand Trial for Roadside Murder on Highway 96, Judge Rules
• Second Teenager Arrested in Connection With Alleged Hoopa Murder
• Hoopa Teenager Arraigned for Roadside Murder Along Highway 96; Suspect Could Face Life in Prison Without Parole
• Defense Attorney Asks Judge to Throw Out Charges Against One of Two Teenagers Accused in Roadside Murder Near Hoopa
• Judge Tosses Torture Charges Against Suspect in Hoopa Roadside Killing Case; Murder, Conspiracy Charges Remain
• TODAY in COURT: Updates on Three Murder and Manslaughter Cases
• Second Suspect Must Stand Trial in Hoopa Valley Roadside Murder, Judge Rules

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It’s called the Lost Coast for a reason.

The steep and crumbly oceanfront cliffs of the King Range repelled the builders of California’s Pacific Coast Highway, forcing a retreat to firmer ground inland — thereby ensuring that the region would remain isolated and remote. A new study confirms that this decision was a good call, since the Lost Coast contains the most rapidly eroding stretch of coastline in the state.

The study and a corresponding map, created by researchers at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, were completed using high-resolution LiDAR datasets to measure erosion along 538 miles of California’s coastal cliffs between 2009 and 2016.

The highest erosion rates were observed along the North Coast, with “erosional hotspots” pinpointed in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. Nowhere in the state showed a higher erosion rate than Centerville Beach, five miles west of Ferndale.

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“It’s probably the largest high-resolution cliff erosion study ever conducted, and provides the first detailed erosion rates for several parts of the state,” said coastal geomorphologist Adam Young of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. The study was published in the journal Geomorphology, and the results were turned into a searchable website.

Longtime readers of the Outpost may recall some of our prior coverage of the crumbling cliffs above Centerville Beach, including the successful 2017 effort to rescue a historic cross from the precipice and the time in 2019 when major cliffside collapses renewed concerns about the integrity of the county road above.

PREVIOUSLY:

• (VIDEO, PHOTOS) Recent Erosion Leaves the Centerville Beach Cross Teetering on the Edge of a Cliff
• (VIDEO, PHOTOS) Hallelujah! Centerville Cross Rescued from Cliff’s Edge
• (VIDEO) Slides Continue to Wallop Centerville Beach, Threatening the Roadway Above

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The L.A. Times reported on the study’s findings earlier today, noting:

The consequences of cliff erosion have already proven to be severe on major roads, railways and other critical infrastructure, and coastal officials have increasingly turned to scientists for help. A recent cliff collapse that killed three women has also intensified the pressure to better understand this hazard looming over much of the California coast.

Like hurricane forecasting, projecting when and how much a cliff will erode — especially in the face of sea level rise — is in high demand. But coastal cliffs are infamously difficult to study, and the data that scientists need to feed into these forecasting models have been few and far between.

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What makes our local coastline so unstable? Adam Young, a coastal geomorphologist who oversaw the study, told the L.A. Times that the reasons aren’t fully known, but the North Coast tends to have heavier rains and bigger waves while Southern California’s coastline is more urbanized and armored with seawalls and other structures to prevent erosion.

You can access the whole study via this link. And you can relive some of the erosion of Centerville Beach’s cliffs in the 2019 video embedded below.

Humboldt Bay Fire is experiencing a “significant and unprecedented” staffing shortage. With 10 vacant staff positions, Chief Sean Robertson says the department has implemented a temporary rotating closure – also called a brownout – of one station per day.

“[The staffing shortage] has required us to shift to a four station model, away from our regular five station deployment…because we’re just unable to fill enough of our promoted positions on a consistent basis to be able to maintain our fire station deployment,” Robertson told the Eureka City Council during a staffing update on Tuesday evening. “We had five personnel leave for other agencies last year – excuse me, last week. Most notably, three captains and one battalion chief went to [the Arcata Fire District].”

[CLARIFICATION: Shortly after the publication of this story, Robertson contacted the Outpost to clarify that the four-station deployment model will be implemented “when needed.” He added that staffing would “fluctuate from three to five stations staffed daily based on available qualified personnel.”]

Robertson | Screenshot

Robertson attributed an undisclosed number of the vacancies to “significant, long-term workers comp injuries” but said he was optimistic that “those will be resolved by October 1” and Humboldt Bay Fire will resume five station deployment.

“We’ve been actively developing our personnel to step up into promoted positions through our acting positions,” he said. “We’re actively recruiting firefighters and we will be doing interviews next week. We’re also – for the first time ever – having an open test for engineers, captains and battalion chiefs. …Between those two things [we’re hoping] to develop more personnel who are already stepping up into these leadership roles.”

Councilmember Natalie Arroyo asked if the city could provide any additional support to the fire station or help with messaging efforts. Pay is part of the issue, Robertson said. 

“Part of the reason, you know, five people left and potentially another one or two more are leaving in the next two months is [because] agencies across the state are hiring and they all pay very well compared to us,” he said. “That’s not a unique situation for Humboldt Bay Fire. …Supporting staff is what we can ask for and [we’re] looking forward to continuing to make this a great [and competitive] place to work because the people who live here and work here are really committed to being here.”

City Manager Miles Slattery chimed in, noting that firefighters now have access to many of the benefits offered to other city employees, including family memberships for the Sequoia Park Zoo and the Adorni Center. “We’re working on some other programs that we’ll be discussing with the chief to try and help out as well,” he added.

The council agreed to accept the report but did not take a vote on the item.

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PREVIOUSLY: Supes to Consider Pursuing a Welcome Center at the Humboldt-Mendocino County Border

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On Tuesday the Humboldt County Board of Supervisor voted unanimously to have staff negotiate with Caltrans over the purchase of property at the Humboldt-Mendocino County line that could one day host a tourist welcome center. 

Before giving his approval, however, Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone voiced displeasure at the timing and suggested this SoHum welcome center was jumping the line, cutting in front of a proposal he’s been working on for years.

As we reported earlier this week, a group of hoteliers in southern Humboldt County has been pursuing the concept of a welcome center, a place where travelers can pull off the road, maybe grab a cup of coffee and get information on things to see and do while visiting the region.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell said her predecessor, Estelle Fennell, discussed the concept with interested parties during her term in office, and Public Works Director Tom Mattson said the county’s Economic Development Division has been in more recent talks with interested parties.

Caltrans owns some land along Hwy. 101 at the county line and the agency has expressed willingness to designate the property as “surplus” and sell it or possibly trade it for a nearby county-owned piece of land. 

“We have had some interest expressed from the private sector to fund and operate the center, and so we’ve met with Caltrans,” Mattson said. “We haven’t spent any real money yet, so this is where the wheel starts to hit the road, because with the board’s blessing we would ask Caltrans to officially begin the surplussing process for that property in order to turn it over to another government entity or [the] private sector.”

If the county succeeds in acquiring the property, it could then issue a request for proposals to find a government agency, business or nonprofit to build and operate the welcome center.

Over the course of the board’s discussion, all five supervisors expressed support for the concept, to varying degrees, but Madrone took umbrage with the sudden appearance of the proposal. 

“I called Michelle yesterday to talk with her because, you know, I’ve been a [longtime] supporter of doing visitors centers, welcome centers, and she was unaware that I’ve been working on a project for 25 years called Vista Point Park,” he said.

Madrone explained that a quarter century ago, while working with the county to develop Hammond Trail, he identified a “dysfunctional” vista point — the pull-off spot above Clam Beach that’s accessible only from Hwy. 101 south. As soon as he took office, almost four years ago, Madrone started talking with county officials about his vision: a visitors center employing county-owned property at the southern edge of the vista point.

“This is a really important component to McKinleyville’s economic development,” he said. “It’s struggling as a community with a lot of empty stores. … And so I have been bringing forth this concept of combining the county parcel with the Caltrans parcel [immediately north] to create what I like to call Vista Point Park, where everybody could get into it from the north or south [via Airport Road].”

Progress on Madrone’s vision has been stymied by red tape involving the Federal Aviation Administration, but he said he’s been steadfastly pressuring county officials to make progress. Combined with other efforts, including the McKinleyville Town Center project and continued development of the Airport Business Park, Vista Point Park “would, in fact, change the economics of Mckinleyville dramatically,” Madrone said.

Madrone speaking at Tuesday’s meeting. | Screenshot.

“So, again, I’ve been working on this for 25 years, brought it to the county four years ago, been patiently waiting for us to get this project started, and then all of a sudden, here comes this one?” he said. 

Madrone objected to prospect of spending county money on a feasibility analysis and possible property purchase rather than moving forward on his preferred spot, which the county already owns. He also noted that in the age of smartphones, most people no longer rely on welcome centers to get their bearings.

“So there is a saturation point for these things,” he said. “You can’t build them everywhere.”

Madrone suggested waiting to move forward on the SoHum welcome center until staff can explain why the McKinleyville one has been delayed and offer a big picture analysis of the situation.

Following his comments, Economic Development Director Scott Adair appeared via Zoom to address the matter. He confirmed that Madrone first approached him and Director of Aviation Cody Roggatz years ago and said staff has undertaken some “limited work” on the concept since then but hit roadblocks with federal agencies including the FAA.

“I’m happy to reach out to Cody and have an earnest discussion about how we can revitalize the Vista Point Project and work with Supervisor Madrone to see what we need to do to move it forward and make it a priority,” Adair said. He also noted that the item under discussion would simply allow staff to have conversations with Caltrans, and the actual welcome center project would require a competitive bidding process and further board approval.

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson said the SoHum project has the advantage of “motivated citizens” working to bring it to fruition, referring to the SoHum hoteliers pushing for the welcome center. 

Bushnell said she thinks there’s room for both projects to proceed.

“I didn’t know that you had one … but I don’t think this one should suffer because of that,” she said. Madrone agreed but again suggested a one-month delay to give staff time to write a report on “the larger picture of Humboldt County visitors centers,” including funding opportunities.

Bushnell pointed out that Caltrans has been waiting three months for an answer from the county.

“Well, they’re not gonna walk away in a month,” Madrone said.

Adair said it’s possible that, through talks with Caltrans, the county could wind up acquiring the SoHum property at no cost. “However, Caltrans has expressed that timing is critical for them,” he said.

Wilson chimed in again to say he’s not really a proponent of welcome centers. “It’s not my jam,” he said, but he still argued that it’s in the county’s interest to pursue the SoHum property due to its strategic location. And he said Madrone’s dream project could potentially “draft” behind the momentum of this one.

Wilson made a motion to approve the item under discussion, and First District Supervisor Rex Bohn seconded it.

Madrone acknowledged that there was nothing to be done at this particular meeting to advance his project since it wasn’t on the agenda, and he wound up joining his colleagues in the 5-0 vote to approve staff’s recommendations, clearing the way for Public Works personnel to negotiate with Caltrans.