From Calfire:

What

Professionally controlled prescribed burns planned for the consumption of invasive European Beachgrass on approximately 13 acres near Table Bluff outside of Loleta and approximately 249 acres of grass and brush near Lone Star Junction outside of Kneeland.

When

The prescribed burns will take place as conditions allow on Wednesday, October 19th in Loleta and Thursday, October 20th, 2022 in Kneeland.

Where

Ocean Ranch southwest of Table Bluff (four miles northwest of Loleta). Lone Star Junction (Kneeland Road cross of Showers Pass Road).

Why

These burns provide for the long-term study of invasive plant management and contribute to hazardous fuels reduction. The treatments will help to enhance the health of the native plant communities, aid in the control of non-native plant species, protect and enhance habitat for multiple animal species, and aid in the reduction of hazardous wildland fuels.

Who

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), CAL FIRE, and private stakeholders. During these prescribed fire operations, residents may see an increase in fire suppression resource traffic, smoke will be visible, and traffic control may be in place. Please be cautious for your safety as well as those working on prescribed burns.

It is with great sadness and immeasurable love that I announce the passing of my amazing husband on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. He lost his battle with cancer at the age of 47.

Dustin Ray Garnier was born at 11:59 p.m. on September 13, 1975, to Pamela Wynn (Hatley) Horn and Larry Garnier in Visalia. Dustin was a gregarious child, full of energy and spent his childhood doing what he loved most - skateboarding. An impatient student as a child, it was not until later in life that Dustin returned to school to obtain his GED.

Dustin had a passion for problem solving and details and put forth his best effort in everything he did. Once Dustin had a goal in mind, he did everything in his power to make it come to fruition. He worked various construction jobs but developed a love for woodworking at a job where he built trusses. Needing a change of scenery and a fresh start, Dustin moved from Tulare County up to Humboldt County in 2007. He took a job with Danco Builders and worked for the local construction company right up until his passing. It was in this same year that he met the woman who would become his wife 13 years later. Ever the hard worker, Dustin started at Danco as a laborer, and over the next 15 years ended his career as superintendent with the company, which was his pride and joy.

Dustin did not come from wealth, but over time built himself a life rich with the love of his friends and family. He had a way of instantly connecting with almost everyone he met and had a humility about him that few can emulate. Dustin was infinitely kind, giving of himself, his resources, and his friendship to anyone who needed it. Dustin was a great listener, wise beyond his 47 years, and possessed a heart of gold. In his free time, he loved to be as comfortable as possible, trading his flannel shirts, work pants and boots to don a big fluffy robe every day after work. He was famous for this after-work look. He also loved fishing, kayaking, traveling, and spending time with his family and pets. Even in his last moments, Dustin always thought of others, and never held back showing his love and adoration for his wife. Dustin was a force, and truly lived up to the meaning of his name, “Thor’s Stone” and “brave warrior.”

Dustin is preceded in death by his father Larry Garnier. He is survived by his wife, Nicole Marie Rahman-Garnier, mother Pamela Wynn Horn, grandparents Ollie and Michael McKoski, and sisters Michelle Horn, Chrissy Merriweather, and Susan Horn.

Dustin was a doting husband, supportive brother, loving son, and the most caring and kind friend anyone could ask for. He held a special place in the hearts of everyone who had the honor of knowing him. He will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

A celebration of life will be held for all friends and family at the River Lodge in Fortuna on Sunday, November 6. Friends can gather to share their fondest memories of Dustin, and enjoy each other’s company.

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

It is with a heavy heart that we announce our beloved “Grammie” Marguerite (Marge) Ann Hodge Dias passed away peacefully in her sleep on October 9, 2022 at the age of 75 to be with her Lord.

Marge was born on May 1, 1947 to Herb & Mary Hodge in Albany, Calif. At the age of one, Marge’s family moved to Arcata, where she grew up and graduated from Arcata High in 1965. Marge fondly recalled the days growing up in Arcata, where she could be found in various school activities or participating in her other passion at the time — roller skating at the roller rink.

Marge married at the age of 19, and she had her first two children. In the mid-70’s, Marge moved her family to Santa Rosa. She loved her time there, and was very active in the Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Part of her activities at that church included being a part of the guitar group, where she formed lifelong friends. During her time in Santa Rosa, she worked for Wells Fargo Bank as well as Hewlett-Packard; the latter job she loved to brag about all of the perks received by working for the tech company (including free donuts every day).

After 11 years in Santa Rosa, Marge returned to Arcata, where she would reside the rest of her life and found love again marrying Joe Dias. About a year after their marriage, she had her last daughter, Theresa.

Marge held many other jobs in her lifetime, including being a bookkeeper for many local businesses. After retiring, she came out of retirement to work at the Arcata Senior Center, where she made many wonderful friends. Marge also had a passion for volunteering. She volunteered for activities like the Winter Express held annually for early grade school students, Christmas toy drives with New Heart Church, Relay for Life, various fundraisers including working the fireworks booth, working the election polls, and when it was still active at the Senior Center, sewing with Katie’s Krafters. If she could help somewhere or someone, she would.

The most important thing to Marge was her family. She made it a point to be involved in each of her children’s lives and to be a part of many of the activities of her grandchildren. One of her more recent favorite activities was baking with her grandchildren. She had a one-of-a-kind personality and a great sense of humor that endeared her to many.

Marge loved collecting all things Betty Boop-related, watching musicals, working puzzles, doing crosswords, and sewing.

Marge is survived by her three children Tammy (Kevin) McMahon of McKinleyville, Tim Gallaty of McKinleyville, and Theresa (Bryan) Stevens of Arcata; her grandchildren Erik Garcia, Andrew Gallaty, Braden, Breannah, and Brooklynn Stevens, and Isabella Gallaty; her brother Claude Hodge, her sisters Faye (Lee) Jones, and Carolyn (Larry) Creek; and numerous nieces and nephews. Marge is preceded in death by her parents Herb & Mary Hodge, her husband Joe Dias, her granddaughter Laura Kay Gallaty, and her nephew Bryan Creek.

A viewing will be held Friday, October 21 at Paul’s Chapel from 4 to 7 p.m. A celebration of life will be held Saturday, October 22 at Heritage Pentecostal Church — 643 Hidden Creek Road in Arcata — at 4 p.m.. A reception will follow.

Our loving brother John passed away on October 8, 2022, at St. Joseph Hospital from complications of Kennedy’s disease, an inherited muscular wasting disease.

He was born in the old St. Joseph Hospital on May 31, 1944, to Gerald ‘Jud’ and Claire Jackson in Eureka. John grew up in a large family with 10 brothers and sisters. Growing up, John enjoyed family outings to the Van Duzen River and Trinity and Shasta lakes. He enjoyed archery, water skiing and fishing and loved woodworking.

John attended St. Bernard’s Elementary and Eureka High School. At an early age, he developed a love for cars. He had the first 1963 Corvette Stingray in Humboldt County. He had many other ‘Fast Cars,’ such as a Chevrolet Biscayne with a 409 engine. He went on to purchase a Porsche and Jaguar V12 roadster.

He worked in the redwood logging industry alongside his dad and brother Richard as a CAT 977 log loader operator and cat skinner and was very accomplished at both. John had a fantastic work ethic.

John is preceded in death by his parents, Jud and Claire, and brother Richard. John is survived by his siblings, Linda Williams (Joe), JoAnn Rossen (Rick), Jerry Jackson (Patty), Diane Heinl (Richard), Mary Vallee, Sharon Simpson (Dave), Daniel Jackson (Joy), Donna Gervase (Mark), Carolyn Griffith (Doug) and sister-in-law Christine and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

At John’s request, a private family gathering will be held. In lieu of flowers, please honor our brother with donations to the Kennedy’s Disease Foundation here.

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

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Rural Humboldt County residents came down from the hills on Tuesday to urge the Board of Supervisors not to mess with the county’s longstanding Alternative Owner Builder program (AOB), a pared-down home permitting system whose stated goal is to promote low-cost housing and improve permit compliance in areas not served by public water or sewer.

After debating the merits and flaws of the program and hearing from more than a dozen public speakers, all of whom voiced support for it, the board voted 3-2, with supervisors Rex Bohn and Michelle Bushnell dissenting, to continue the matter to an unknown future date, having taken no action to alter the AOB rules. 

While Travis Schneider’s name was not uttered once during today’s proceedings, the local developer’s half-built, permit-violating mansion was referenced obliquely throughout the meeting.

Indeed, Planning and Building Director John Ford acknowledged early in the proceedings that the ongoing controversy surrounding that project led to increased public scrutiny of the AOB program. The question: Given the program’s original purpose, should a rich developer really be allowed to take advantage of these relaxed rules to build a 20,000-square-foot mansion? (Another local business owner, Mackey McCullough, recently used the program to build a 10,000-square-foot home near Berry Summit.)

Ford said the situation with this “one home” has raised “a lot of questions surrounding how the AOB [program] is done, what kinds of inspections are required and really the appropriateness of the ordinance and whether or not it’s been abused.”

The AOB program allows building permits to be active for five years — much longer than the standard one year — and it includes a provision saying that if a home that was built under the program gets sold, the purchaser must either sign an agreement saying they’ll either comply with the terms of the AOB permit or bring the house into compliance with the current building code.

Ford let out a brief sigh. “It’s a little bit embarrassing to say, but in the history of the AOB ordinance, we’re not aware that this has ever been done,” he said.

Of the 628 building permits issued for projects in the county’s unincorporated areas over the past five years, 110  of them — 17.5 percent — were AOB permits. More than half of those 110 homes were under 3,000 square feet, though nine were between 3,000 square feet and 4,000 square feet and eight were larger than 4,000 square feet. 

Staff had prepared a few options to consider. Among them:

• limit the size of homes that can be permitted through the AOB program
• require more inspections
• do away with the AOB program for new construction
• put a moratorium on AOB permits, or
• eliminate the AOB program altogether.

Ford noted that the latter option was not being recommended by staff. 

Bohn said he’d heard an “outpouring of opposition” to nixing or dramatically limiting the program, and he questioned the wisdom of “reacting to one instance” of apparent abuse. Nonetheless, in the interest of compromise, he proposed increasing the number of inspections required for AOB projects and prohibiting people from using the program more than once every five years.

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson proved to be the biggest advocate for altering the program. He said he has concerns about the disparity between the program’s intent and its application, and he questioned whether it’s an appropriate way to permit homes larger than 3,000 square feet, considering their larger climate impacts.

“Size is important in this discussion, but then also, I think, grading,” he said. “I have heard from contractors that have a lot of concerns about what they’ve seen … . I’ve also heard from tribes about their concerns about the lack of review.” 

Wilson also brought up the matter of county liability, saying the local government is taking on risk by allowing homes to be built without complying to the state’s uniform building code. While the language of the AOB program says the owner-applicant takes on that legal responsibility, Wilson reminded his colleagues that the county has failed to keep tabs on these homes after changes in ownership. 

“It is something we have to concern ourselves with,” he said. “When I say ‘we’ I mean every other citizen in the county ultimately takes on that liability.”

Bohn pushed back, saying he thinks the county’s liability is negligible since there have only been a couple of complaints about the program in recent years. Referring to the Schneider project, Bohn described the situation as “a calamity of errors, misgivings, however you want to look at it that should have never happened.” By and large, the AOB program has been a success, he said.

“The sky isn’t falling because one thing fell out of the sky,” he said, adding that he’d be fine leaving the program as it stands “because I hate knee-jerk reactions.”

Wilson again brought up his concerns over grading and proposed a moratorium on all AOB permits from homes larger than 1,200 square feet, plus limiting the amount of fill that can be brought in — at least until the board could have a longer discussion about protocols. 

“I’m throwing that out there,” he said. “I think that’s reasonable.”

This time it was Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell who pushed back. “Your reality isn’t everybody’s … ,” she said to Wilson. “You act like these homes are being built and they’re shambles and shacks, and they’re not. Most of them are not.”

Wilson later objected to this characterization and asked Bushnell not to put words in his mouth. 

The board continued to toss out ideas for tinkering with the program. Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone said he has personally taken out two AOB permits over the years, “and I found it to be a really excellent process.” He said many people use the program as a means to reduce permit fees. “I still built to code,” he said before adding that he has also lived in a wickiup. 

Still, Madrone said he’d be fine with placing a moratorium on all AOB permits for homes larger than 3,000 square feet, saying people building houses that large probably have the funds to go through the standard permitting process. He also suggested that building inspectors can do a better job, and he embarked on a bit of a tangent to speak in favor of composting toilets.

During the public comment period, Hydesville resident Mike Gordon called in to say the AOB program “is more vital now than it every has been” and has encouraged “new and innovative ways to reduce our footprint while living holistically off the land.”

Longtime SoHum resident Tom Grover spoke about the history of the back-to-the-land movement, saying people moved up to Humboldt County and built homes with their own ungraded wood and nobody cared in those days. But he said he thinks it’s wrong that the program is being used to permit larger buildings.

Other speakers pointed the finger at Planning and Building Department staff, with one man saying the county’s complex policies are responsible for the region’s housing crisis. 

When the matter came back to the board, Fourth District Supervisor and Chair Virginia Bass noted that time was limited, since she and Bushnell had to leave in the next 15 minutes. (She did not say where they were headed.) Bohn made a motion to keep the AOB program in place while requiring that homes larger than 3,500 square feet “be put under a level of scrutiny that is far beyond what it is now.”

Wilson interrupted Bohn to second his motion. This interjection appeared to be a playful jab directed toward Bushnell, who clearly wanted to second the motion herself, and the supervisors enjoyed a good chuckle. (Bass was the lone exception. “I’m so confused,” she said. “What just happened?”)

But Bushnell said she wanted to “do an amendment,” and the deliberations went in circles for a bit as each supervisor sought to clarify and/or tweak the motion to their own desires. Wilson wound up retracting his second, and Bushnell stepped in with one of her own. 

Ford took some time to defend his staff, saying his department typically responds to requests for inspections and it’s not uncommon for somebody building a house, especially under the AOB program, to not request one. 

“If [the projects] are in an isolated location where we’re not driving by it all the time, we’re not going to see it,” Ford said. “And even if we were to see it, we still need permission to go on the property. … I know a lot of people want to throw the Planning and Building Department under the bus, and we did make mistakes here. The mistakes we made were in permitting, though, not in the inspections.”

With time winding down, Bass said she’d be fine leaving the program as it stands. “It feels like we’re trying to rush this,” she said. In response, Bohn pulled his motion, and Madrone quickly made one to continue the matter to an unspecified future date, and he asked staff to prepare for a discussion of the county’s Safe Home Program at the same time. (That program is aimed at getting unpermitted residential and accessory structures into compliance.)

Bohn and Bushnell said they’d rather just leave the AOB discussion alone for the time being, rather than bringing it up again in the near future, but the rest of the board overruled them. The conversation will resume in the coming weeks or months. 

On Monday, a U.S. District Court judge overturned a jury’s decision to award Kyle Zoellner $750,000 in damages for what he alleged was “malicious prosecution” by former Arcata Police detective Eric Losey during the investigation into the killing of David Josiah Lawson.

Zoellner

The ruling, issued by presiding U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, concludes that Zoeller was unable to prove “the lack of probable cause element of his malicious prosecution claim” because “a reasonable officer with Mr. Losey’s knowledge would believe there was a fair probability that Mr. Zoellner stabbed Mr. Lawson” because Zoellner “had a motive to stab Mr. Lawson.”

To be clear, this week’s ruling made no determination about Zoellner’s involvement in Lawson’s death. The civil trial was brought forth to determine if there was probable cause for Zoellner’s arrest and whether or not Losey had acted maliciously to frame Zoellner.

The court notes that probable cause “does not require a belief ‘to an absolute certainty, or by clear and convincing evidence, or even by a preponderance of the available evidence’ that Mr. Zoellner committed the stabbing,” but is established, rather, by the totality of the circumstances. “Probable cause is not a high bar.” 

An eyewitness had seen Lawson and Zoellner “fighting and entangled together on the ground” that night. “When [the witness] managed to separate them, he observed that Mr. Lawson has been stabbed in the chest. No one else was there fighting with Mr. Lawson,” the order states. “[The witness] described what he [had seen] within minutes of the incident and in detail.”

There was also a significant amount of blood on Zoellner’s clothing that was deemed inconsistent with his injuries. “A reasonable officer with Mr. Losey’s knowledge could believe that the soaked-through blood on Mr. Zoellner came from Mr. Lawson,” the order states. “No forensic evidence disputed that inference and Mr. Zoellner does not identify any evidence known to Mr. Losey that suggests otherwise.”

This evidence, in addition to several other witness accounts, established probable cause to arrest Zoellner and charge him with Lawson’s murder. 

But Losey made a big mistake. His police report stated that the aforementioned witness had identified Zoellner as the assailant in the killing of Lawson when the witness had not actually identified Zoellner by name.

Losey told the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office about the error before the preliminary hearing began on May 1, 2017, but the DA’s Office opted to proceed with the hearing.

Soon thereafter, a state court judge found that the DA “had not proved probable cause to hold Mr. Zoellner for trial and dismissed the murder charge without prejudice,” the order states. Zoellner subsequently filed suit against the city of Arcata, Losey and several other APD employees and people in City Hall in 2018, accusing them of unlawful arrest, malicious prosecution, defamation and other civil rights violations. 

Earlier this year, a U.S. District Court judge threw out the bulk of the civil suit, excluding claims against Losey. The latter resulted in the ruling that came out on Monday.

Zoellner will have the opportunity to appeal the decision, but the civil proceedings aren’t over just yet. There is still a “bifurcated claim” that was not a part of the recent trial. In September 2021, a judge ruled that one of Zoellner’s claims — that the city’s outside counsel, Patrick Moriarity, threatened him with prosecution unless Zoellner dropped his lawsuit — would be held over and tried separately.

The court will hold a case management conference on Nov. 17 to discuss next steps regarding the bifurcated claim. “An updated joint case management conference statement is due seven days in advance,” the order’s conclusion notes. “The statement should address whether separate judgment should be issued on the malicious prosecution claim (along with the claims disposed of on summary judgment).”

DOCUMENTS:

• Order Re: Lack of Probable Cause Element

PREVIOUS LoCO COVERAGE OF THE LAWSON CASE:

• Jail Records Reveal Name of Suspect in Fatal Arcata Stabbing
• Arcata Police Receive Anonymous Email Detailing Specifics of Arcata Homicide, Beg Author to Come Forward; Suspect Officially Named
• ‘He Was the One’: Josiah Lawson, Humboldt State Student and President of Brothers United, Remembered at Campus Prayer Service
• Zoellner Pleads Not Guilty to Arcata Stabbing Murder; Bail Set at $1 Million
• United by Tragedy, HSU Community Celebrates the Life and Mourns the Death of David Josiah Lawson
• ‘It Should Not Have Happened’: Friend of Arcata Murder Victim Believes Racism Delayed the Emergency Medical Response That Could Have Saved His Life
• ARCATA MURDER HEARING: First Witnesses Cast Doubt on Whether the Police Department’s Suspect Could Have Stabbed Victim; More Testimony Coming Tomorrow
• ARCATA MURDER HEARING: Witness Testifies That Lawson and Zoellner Were Grappling as the Victim Bled; Police Officer Describes Chaotic Crime Scene
• ARCATA MURDER HEARING: Friends Testify on ‘Girl Fight’ Between Lawson and Zoellner’s Girlfriends Prior to Fatal Stabbing
• ARCATA MURDER HEARING: More Testimony on the Knife Found at the Scene; Lawson’s Friend Testifies He Saw Zoellner Drop Something Shiny
• Judge Dismisses Case Against Kyle Zoellner, McKinleyville Man Arrested in Stabbing Death of HSU Student David Josiah Lawson
• Arcata’s Police Chief, Vice Mayor React to Zoellner Hearing Ruling
• ARCATA MURDER HEARING: Kyle Zoellner to Be Released After Judge Reinholtsen Rules Not Enough Evidence to Hold Him For Stabbing Death of Josiah Lawson
• (PHOTOS) Protesters March Through Arcata Demanding ‘Justice for Josiah’
• HSU Faculty, UPD, Brothers United Participate in Radio Town Hall on Lawson Case Tonight; Arcata Mayor Releases Statement; HSU Walk Out Planned Tuesday
• (PHOTOS/VIDEO) After Busy Week, Family and Friends of Josiah Lawson Still Seeking Justice
• Josiah Lawson’s Mother Offers $10k Reward for Information Leading to the Conviction of Son’s Killer
• Arcata Calls in Outside Investigators, Approves $21K Reward for Info Leading to Conviction of Lawson Killer
• Kyle Zoellner Appears in Court to Request Law Enforcement Return His Cell Phone, Laptops; Judge Says No
• (VIDEO) This Morning’s Lawson Murder Press Conference Offers Few Updates
• Public Investigator Working With APD in Josiah Lawson Case
• Kyle Zoellner, Once Suspected of Homicide in David Josiah Lawson Slaying, Files Claim Against City of Arcata For Defamation, Pain and Suffering, Emotional Distress
• (PHOTOS) Hundreds Turn Out for Eureka MLK Day People’s Rally and March for Justice
• DA: Grand Jury Declines to Indict Anyone in David Josiah Lawson Case
• (VIDEO) Justice for Josiah Activists Hold First Monthly Vigil Since Grand Jury Decision; Charmaine Lawson Vows to Keep Fighting
• ‘Justice For Josiah’ Advocates Demand Arcata City Council Turn Lawson Case Over to the State
• Arcata Police Release Images of Potential Josiah Lawson Stabbing Witnesses, Ask Public’s Help
• TWO YEARS
• (WATCH) ‘Who Killed Josiah?’: Documentary Takes a Look at the Lawson Case
• California Attorney General’s Office Says it Will Not Take On Josiah Lawson Case
• ‘Racism Kills!’ Supervisor Bohn Adjourns Meeting and Leaves Chambers Amid Outcry Over Derogatory Joke
• Humboldt High Schoolers Announced as First David Josiah Lawson Scholarship Recipients
• Josiah Lawson Documentary Set to Air on Los Angeles Television Later This Month
• (AUDIO) Charmaine Lawson, Arcata Police Chief Ask Witnesses to Josiah Lawson Slaying to Come Forward in Public Service Announcement.
• (VIDEO) ‘Justice for Josiah’ Activists Shut Down Arcata City Council Meeting
• Outside Review of Lawson Case Complete; Emergency Response Deemed Appropriate But More Training Recommended
• On the Third Anniversary of Josiah Lawson’s Death, Arcata Police Once Again Ask for Witnesses to Come Forward
• (VIDEO) Charmaine Lawson Interviewed for TV Documentary Series ‘Still a Mystery’; Episode on the Murder of HSU Student Josiah Lawson to Air Tonight
• Civil Grand Jury Finds ‘Failures’ and ‘Ineptitudes’ But No Direct Evidence of Racial Bias in Review of Josiah Lawson Homicide Investigation
• Submissions Sought for David Josiah Lawson Oration Festival
• Charmaine Lawson Settles Lawsuit Against City of Arcata; Terms Include $25,000 Contribution to Scholarship Fund, New City Mural and Additional, Undisclosed Terms
• Eureka City Schools Board Overturns Mural Ban, Making Way for BIPOC Student Art
• Five Years
• Charmaine Lawson Continues to Seek ‘Justice for Josiah’ Five Years After Her Son’s Death
• San Francisco Jury Awards $750,000 to Kyle Zoellner in Ongoing Civil Trial; Judge to Make Final Determination in Coming Weeks

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The Biden Administration announced this morning that it’s ready to proceed with putting two swaths of the ocean off Humboldt County up for lease to potential offshore wind developers.

Leases for the two areas, which together total more than 206 square miles, will be sold at auction on Tuesday, Dec. 6.  Three areas near Morro Bay will go out for auction on the same date. These will be the first offshore wind leases on the Pacific Coast, and the first in the nation to support what the Department of Interior is calling “commercial-scale” offshore energy.

In all, 43 separate entities have qualified as potential bidders for the five lease areas. They include well-known energy giants like Shell, all the way down to the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, an intergovernmental agency representing Humboldt County and its municipalities.

Offshore wind is one of the many large-scale economic projects in Humboldt County at the moment, and potentially one of the most transformative. Boosters believe that the Port of Humboldt Bay could someday serve as the West Coast hub of a nascent offshore power industry. As for the local project, though, the Schatz Energy Lab has raised questions about the number of infrastructure upgrades that will be needed to connect the windmills off Humboldt County into the national grid.

In a press release, Rep. Jared Huffman celebrated the announcement of the upcoming auction.

“I’ve always advocated for a swift transition to clean energy to meet our climate goals, and offshore wind meets the mark – not only with clean, green energy production, but also boosting our local economies and creating jobs,” he wrote. “I’ve worked with community leaders and stakeholders to identify an agreement that would directly benefit the constituents of California’s 2nd Congressional District, and this final sale notice thankfully includes many of our goals. I’ll continue to work with the administration to make sure our constituents are getting a deal that’s good for them and the planet,”

Press release from the Department of the Interior:

In a new development in the pursuit of a clean energy future, the Department of the Interior today announced that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold an offshore wind energy lease sale on Dec. 6, 2022, for areas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) off central and northern California.

This will be the first-ever offshore wind lease sale on America’s west coast and the first-ever U.S. sale to support potential commercial-scale floating offshore wind energy development. This sale will be critical to achieving the Biden-Harris administration’s deployment goals of 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2030 and 15 GW of floating offshore wind energy by 2035.

“The demand and momentum to build a clean energy future is undeniable. I am proud of the teams at the Interior Department that are moving forward at the pace and scale required to help achieve the President’s goals to make offshore wind energy, including floating offshore wind energy, a reality for the United States,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “Today, we are taking another step toward unlocking the immense offshore wind energy potential off our nation’s west coast to help combat the effects of climate change while lowering costs for American families and creating good-paying union jobs.”

In May 2021, Secretary Haaland and California Governor Gavin Newsom joined Biden-Harris administration leaders to announce an agreement to advance areas for wind energy development offshore the northern and central coasts of California. The California sale reflects the leasing path announced last year by Secretary Haaland and last month’s announcement of a new deployment goal of 15 GW of floating offshore wind energy by 2035.

BOEM will offer five California OCS lease areas that total approximately 373,268 acres with the potential to produce over 4.5 GW of offshore wind energy, power more than 1.5 million homes, and support thousands of new jobs.

“Today’s announcement represents years of close coordination and engagement with the state of California, Tribes, ocean users, local communities and all interested parties to move us closer towards achieving the administration’s vision to fight climate change and realizing California’s clean energy future, while creating a domestic supply chain and good-paying union jobs,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton, who will deliver remarks this morning at the Offshore WINDPOWER 2022 Conference. “BOEM remains committed to ensuring transparency and active engagement with stakeholders throughout the post-leasing process.”

To date, BOEM has held 10 competitive lease sales and issued 27 active commercial wind leases in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to North Carolina.

The California Final Sale Notice (FSN), which will publish in the Federal Register later this week, provides detailed information about the final lease areas, lease provisions and conditions, and auction details. It also identifies qualified companies who can participate in the lease auction.

The FSN includes three lease areas off central California and two lease areas off northern California. It also includes several lease stipulations designed to promote the development of a robust domestic U.S. supply chain, advance flexibility in transmission planning, and create good paying union jobs. Among the stipulations announced today, BOEM will offer bidding credits for bidders who enter into community benefit agreements or invest in workforce training or supply chain development; require winning bidders to make efforts to enter into project labor agreements; and require engagement with Tribes, underserved communities, ocean users, and agencies.

On May 26, 2022, the Department announced the Proposed Sale Notice for offshore wind energy development located offshore central and northern California. During the 60-day comment period, BOEM received valuable feedback on several lease stipulations that reaffirmed BOEM’s commitment to create good-paying union jobs and to engage with Tribal governments, underserved communities, ocean users and other stakeholders.

More information about the FSN and lease stipulations, a map of the area, the list of qualified bidders for the auction, and auction procedures is available on BOEM’s California website.