Christopher John Lottie passed away suddenly on July 28, 2022

Christopher John “Chris” Lottie, was born August 6, 1980, in Raleigh, N.C. The family made moves to New Jersey, Texas, Washington and Minnesota before moving to Plano, Texas, in 1994. Christopher finished middle school in Plano, and graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas. He spent two years at the University of Texas-Austin before graduating from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute of Austin. Chris was part owner of two Dickey’s BBQ Pit restaurants in Austin before moving to Redway in 2015.

When Chris was a kid the family used to take a lot of road trips to visit friends and family across the US. His parents quickly learned that the easiest way to keep Chris and his little sister from arguing was to embrace their shared love of comedy movies, specifically Jim Carrey movies. On one of these many long drives, Chris came up with an idea while watching Ace Ventura Pet Detective. There’s a particular part in the movie when Ace is really close to cracking the missing dolphin case and he ends up at Ray Finkle’s childhood home. Upon asking for Ray Finkle, Ace launches into a one-breath impressive monologue documenting the great kicker’s life. Chris and Christy loved this scene so much and would watch it on repeat. Chris decided they should memorize the monologue and each take a turn reciting it while the other sibling listened and tried to get the speaker to crack into laughter. This game became a tradition between the two and carried into adulthood. Chris loved to laugh and there was one surefire way his little sister had in her back pocket that would crack him up at any moment…two simple words. “Penis wrinkle.”

Upon moving to Redway he quickly made friends and became an important part of the community. He volunteered for many local events through the Mateel Community Center and for the local fire departments. Chris made friends easily and would drop whatever he was doing to help a friend in need. He was a brilliant, fun, loving, and generous soul. He was known for his huge smile and his tremendous sense of humor. Chris loved to hunt, fish and work outdoors. His favorite place to fish was Shelter Cove and he never came home empty-handed. He was a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan and rooted for the SF Giants. He was an amazing chef and had a deep passion for food, both cooking and eating it. No one left the table hungry when he was cooking a meal. He loved road trips and enjoyed attending concerts. He was the world’s best dog dad to his two beloved labradors, Beretta and Voodoo.

Chris also had a deep passion for helping sick children and supporting the Humboldt County volunteer fire departments. During the 2020 and 2021 wildfires, he helped evacuate friends and strangers offering his trailers and trucks to help others safely evacuate while possibly having to evacuate himself. During fire season he would drive around with a cage tank of water and water pump ready to stop any new fires that started.

Chris met Mackenzie Dorn in June of 2019 while she was working at Dazeys. It took a month of flirting until he finally asked her on a date. From that first date on they were inseparable. They bonded quickly over their shared love of nature, Guns N’ Roses, food, dogs, attending community events, movies, comedy, and working hard. The two simply just fit into each other’s lives perfectly. Very early on in their relationship, Chris knew he had met the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. He proposed in March of 2021 on her birthday and took her by complete surprise. They married on June 25, 2022 at the Dorn Family Ranch. They were married for one month and three days before his passing.

He is survived by his wife Mackenzie Dorn Lottie (Redway), his parents Rick and Vickie Lottie (Prosper, Texas), his sister Christy Lottie and husband William Ellis (Orinda), his uncles Raymond Lottie (Hawley, Minn.), Robert Lottie and his wife Elfi (Kailua, Hawaii), Dick Bossing (West Lafayette, Ind.), his mother and father in-law Lynn and Richard Dorn (Eureka), his sister-in-law Katie Dorn (Eureka) and several cousins.

A celebration of Christopher’s Life is planned for September 24th, 2022, in Redway at the Mateel Community Center. Please come and celebrate Chris and share your favorite stories of him and what he meant to you.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to:

The Humboldt Area Foundation

or

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital:

Below is a link to the invitation for the Celebration of His Life event in Redway on September 24, 2022.

https://pp.events/ajY4MZ7y

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

Mike was born September 15, 1952 and died peacefully in his sleep on August 14, 2022.

Mike was born and raised in Myrtletown. Growing up in Myrtletown was special to Mike, as he made many lifelong friends there. Mike’s greatest passion in life was baseball. He was very proud of the fact that his mom made it to every game but one, and wouldn’t you know it, that was the time he pitched a perfect game. As he got older his attention was diverted to other interests, however he never lost his love of sports. He especially enjoyed watching his boys and later his grandchildren play sports. One of his most talked-about vacations was in 2004, when his wife Mary surprised him with a trip to Yankee Stadium. He would brag about using the same urinal that Mickey Mantle used. It was everything he ever thought of and more.

His other favorite vacation spot was the adult playground, Las Vegas. In July of 2009 Mike and wife Mary renewed their wedding vows of 35 years at MGM Grand, with their children in attendance. What a special trip that was! Mike loved traveling from casino to casino just to say he had been there.

Mike’s first job was at Verla’s pizza parlor. After a few years there he then went on to work for Tommy Fuller at Mobil (where he met the love of his life, Mary). He then went on to work for Eureka City Schools, where he worked on the grounds crew. He took pride in taking care of Albee Stadium. Fridays during football season were his favorite times, knowing that he got to get the field ready for Friday night football. Go Loggers! Prior to his retirement in 2016 Mike and wife Mary were the proud owners of the Eureka Grocery Outlet for over 20 years. Not only was it Mike’s workplace, but a place where new friendships were made and old friendships renewed.

Mike is survived by his wife of 48 years, Mary, his sons Mike Jr and wife Susy, and Dustin and wife Sandy. Also his six beautiful grandchildren — Kelly, Mariela, Crystal, Dustin Jr, Annabella and Alex. Also his brother Herb Barber and sister Sue Hinds and many other family and lifelong friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents Herb and Violet Barber, in-laws Huey and Joyce Stark and best friend Dave Schneider.

The family would like to thank Ayres Family Cremation for their professionalism and compassion, Hospice of Humboldt, Dr. Luh, Dr. Holst, Dr. Palmer and the staff at Providence St.Joseph Hospital.

There will be a celebration of Mike’s life on Saturday, October 1, at 1 p.m. at Sequoia Park.The family would like guest to wear pink, as this was Mike’s favorite color.

Keith Darrel Bachman was born on December 7, 1961 to Donald and Helma Bachman in Yreka. Keith passed away suddenly on September 3, 2022 at his home in Eureka.

After a short time in Yreka, Donald’s job took the family to Santa Barbara. They continued to live there until 1975. The family moved to Eureka shortly after the death of Keith’s older brother, Kersten. Keith began to attend Winship Junior High School, where he met his first wife, Carole Segura, in band class. Keith attended Eureka Senior High School where he excelled in all sports, including football, wrestling, swimming and track. He then went onto College of the Redwoods and continued to play football, as a star athlete, while studying engineering. Keith and Carole found one another again and began dating while they were both studying at College of the Redwoods. Keith went on to play division two football at UC Davis, where he was invited to play in the All American Bowl two years in a row. Keith became a regular face shown in local papers and television for his football achievements in both high school and college.

In February of 1988 they moved to Weaverville and welcomed their first son, Kert Bachman. They enjoyed life on an 80-acre property where they built their mountain home. In July of 1989, they welcomed their second son, Piers Bachman. They soon moved to Eureka to be closer to family. Keith worked in the local lumber mills, Schmidtbauer and Sierra Pacific. Keith and Carole enjoyed many years of hiking, fishing, bicycling, running and traveling. As they drifted apart, Keith moved to Redding for work. While in Redding, Keith reconnected with a childhood family friend, Laurie Tussey (Carbine) who was also going through a separation.

Keith and Laurie got married in 1998, combining their families together including Laurie’s children from a previous marriage, Larissa and Kristopher Carbine, and lived in Redding for 10 years. While in Redding, Keith, Laurie, Kert and Kristopher all lived together, shortly followed by Piers moving into the home. There was a time where Larissa was also in the family home. The family enjoyed a lot of lake trips, swimming and fishing in both Shasta and Whiskeytown Lake. They also enjoyed many skiing trips when the weather got colder. Keith and Laurie then moved up to Mount Vernon, Washington where Keith began to work at a new division of the Sierra Pacific lumber mill. Keith and Laurie enjoyed the great outdoors while living in Washington. Many hiking, boating and fishing trips were enjoyed over the years. Laurie turned into the great love of Keith’s life. She truly brought out the best in him. Laurie’s sudden passing in September of 2014 truly rocked Keith to his core. He never fully recovered from her death.

After Laurie’s death, Keith moved back to Eureka to be closer to his family and to help with his parents. Keith married Kim Pinches of Eureka in August of 2017. They bonded over their shared love for all things Humboldt after having both grown up on the North Coast. They shared a love for camping, road trips, swimming in the Mad River, their pets, current events, local history and local art. As a testament to the fact that everyone who met Keith liked him was the harbor seal he made friends with during Keith and Kim’s honeymoon trip to Orcas Island. Everyday when he swam in the sound the same harbor seal would come several hundred yards closer to shore and rise up in the water to get a better look. Keith met Kim at a time when his sense of humor, strength and dedication to family was exactly what she needed. 

Our time with Keith was too short but his care, love and positive impact on his family and friends will live on. In 2015 a long successful career in mill work ended, mostly with Sierra Pacific Industries. He transitioned to driving for The PACE Program with The Humboldt Senior Resource Center and it was his job to deliver the program participants to appointments and The Day Program at the Center. He delivered food and medicine and helped in any way he could to support the participants and their families with his characteristic, warmth, good humor and love for other people that radiated from Keith. 

Keith is preceded in death by his parents Donald and Helma Bachman, his older brother Kersten Bachman and his second wife Laurie Bachman. He is survived by his third wife Kim Pinches and her daughter Emma Pinches and Kim’s parents Christopher and Doralee Smith. His sons Kert and Piers Bachman and their mother Carole Segura. Kert’s wife, Samantha and their children Zoey, Sophia and Warren. His step-children Larissa and Kristopher Carbine. Keith’s uncle Tom Bachman and his wife Myonsuk and their children Shana and Natasha Bachman. His uncle Jim and his wife Rose Bachman, and their children Laura Beth, Andrea and Julie Malone.

Keith’s memorial has been planned for October 29, 2022 at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Bachman family invites you to bring your memories of Keith and share them with his family and friends. Please reach out to bachmanfamilytrust@gmail.com with any questions about the memorial.

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

On September 16, 2022, Robert J.Goodwin — aka Bob, Happy, Huggie Bear, Balboa — passed on to his next adventure. It is with deep sorrow and a broken heart that I surrender my soulmate to the peace he so deserves after a very painful 18 months.

He was born in Silver Creek, N.Y. on October 30, 1945 and grew up in Angola, near Buffalo, N.Y. He attended Lakeshore Central High School and Clarkson University, Potsdam, N.Y.

He relished the small farming community of his childhood and often spoke about picking raspberries, sweetcorn, tomatoes and potatoes during the summer holidays. Sweet memories of riding bicycles to the creek with his mates and hanging out from breakfast to dinner time. As a teenager, he performed lifeguard duties on the beach at Lake Erie.

After graduation, he drove out west in his TR4 and began his sales career in San Francisco and spent the rest of his years in the city, Sausalito (on a houseboat), San Rafael and the most recent 25 years in Humboldt County.

He was passionate about sailing all kinds of craft and raced on S.F. Bay. He also loved his canoe (Eva) and birding, combining both for explorations in the bay, estuaries and rivers. Stone Lagoon was a favorite. He later developed a zeal for golf and played three times a week at Redwood Empire Golf and Country Club, Fortuna, making some fun friendships there.

He savored his single malt scotch and a good pinot noir. He was fond of adding “Less Bother” and “If Not Now When?” to any life decisions.

My heartfelt thanks to the team at Hospice and my good friend, Ava McKenzie, who shepherded us through the last eighteen months with professional skill and compassion.

He is survived by his spirited wife of 33 years, Jean Harvey. Farewell my love, until we meet again.

Some time to honor and remember him will be on October 30 (his birthday) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at our home. All are welcome.

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

PREVIOUSLY:

• Heated Meeting Sparks Accusations of Dishonesty and Discrimination, Opening Rift Between Tribes and Humboldt County Planning Commission
• Despite Silence From Tribes, Mega-Home Builder Optimistic Ahead of Tonight’s Continued Planning Commission Hearing to Address Permit Violation Fallout
• After Rebukes and Apologies for Bongio’s ‘Disrespectful’ Comments, Planning Commission Defers Decision on Mega-Home Permits
• ‘Unfit to Serve’: Local Environmental, Social Justice Groups Call for Resignation or Replacement of Planning Commissioner Alan Bongio

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On Tuesday, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will consider formally reprimanding Planning Commission Chair Alan Bongio, and taking “other appropriate action as necessary,” in response to Bongio’s behavior at recent Planning Commission hearings.

Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone is bringing the matter forward for discussion at Tuesday’s meeting, with recommendations from staff to discuss adherence to appropriate rules of conduct and behavior and possible censure of Bongio.

The item also directs staff to develop a “Code of Conduct” for all county boards and commissions in line with the county’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies.

Bongio has been under fire for a series of comments made during an August 18 hearing about revised permit requests for an 8,000-square-foot home construction project from local developer and businessman Travis Schneider.

At the hearing, Bongio repeatedly referred to local Wiyot-area tribes as “the Indians” while alleging that they’d been intentionally dishonest and manipulative during negotiations, which involve mediation of potential damage done to a designated Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area (ESHA) and a known tribal cultural resource at Schneider’s property.

At one point, Bongio accused the tribes of reneging on an agreement, adding, “I have a different term for it but, you know, whatever.”

Bongio’s comments have drawn rebukes from representatives of the Wiyot Tribe, the Blue Lake Rancheria and some of his own colleagues on the commission, among others.

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Our summer season is coming to a close. Alas, it is time to say goodbye to beloved river days and say hello to autumnal rain, pumpkin spice everything and the return of regular Eureka City Council meetings. Council meetings have been few and far between in the last month or so with at least a few of our hardworking council members taking advantage of the late summer months to squeeze in a couple of last-minute vacations.

The council will return to a few familiar topics during Tuesday’s meeting. Let’s have a little look-see, shall we?

Dolbeer/W Street Couplet Project

Remember that one-way traffic experiment, or “couplet demonstration,” the City of Eureka conducted on W and Dolbeer streets earlier this summer? That change could become permanent. 

The two-lane roads currently run parallel to each other, one block apart, with traffic rolling past the Sequoia Park Zoo and Washington Elementary School. The project proposal seeks to create one-way traffic on Dolbeer and W Streets between Chester and Hemlock Streets in an attempt to “close gaps in the multimodal transportation network” and enhance access to the zoo and surrounding neighborhoods.

“The project will provide previously non-existent bike facilities to the Dolbeer/W Street Couplet and improve pedestrian access, also acting as an anchor for the proposed Bay to Zoo Trail, which Council has consistently deemed a high priority,” according to the staff report. “The City has been exploring options for improving multimodal access in this neighborhood for a number of years. …One-lane one-way traffic allows pedestrians to only cross one-lane of traffic and only have to clear one direction as well. Additionally, one-way streets tend to have lower collision rates.”

Of course, the project has its downsides. The staff report notes that a one-way traffic orientation has the potential to increase travel time and vehicular congestion in the area. 

The city sent out mailers to folks living in the vicinity of the couplet demonstration and created an online survey to gather public input on the project. Of the 934 responses, only 12.7 percent of those surveyed supported a permanent change to the existing traffic orientation. Eighty-one percent of the respondents said they did not like the temporary traffic demonstration.

Even with enhanced bike facilities on both streets, 83.6 percent of respondents said they would not support a permanent change.

The council will take a more in-depth look at the project proposal and the survey results during Tuesday’s meeting. Those survey results can be found at this link.

Digital Billboards in the Coastal Zone

The council will return to the topic of digital billboards on Tuesday night and review a change to the city’s zoning code that would restrict the number of illuminated digital billboards allowed in Eureka’s coastal zone.

Eureka’s planning staff has spent the last two years working with California Coastal Commission staff to update the Sign Ordinance within the city’s Local Coastal Program, a planning tool used to guide development in the coastal zone. Staff presented the modified amendment to the commission back in July but were asked by commissioners and members of the public to adopt stricter regulations.

Staff introduced the proposed ordinance to the council last month. Because the ordinance seeks to modify the city’s zoning code, it must be introduced during one meeting and adopted in a subsequent meeting. As such, staff will bring the proposed ordinance back to council for approval during Tuesday’s meeting.

North Coast Casino Card Room

The council will also consider a card room permit for the North Coast Casino. The proposed business, which is slated to open at 26 Fifth Street near the North Coast Co-op, is located just outside of the city’s “card room district” boundaries. Interestingly enough, a card room previously operated in the same location.

City code defines a “card room” as “Any space, room, or enclosure furnished or equipped with a table used, or intended to be used, as a card table for the playing of cards and similar games, the use of which is available to the public or any portion of the public…” and specifies the rules under which a card room can be operated within city limits, according to the staff report. 

“While ‘card rooms’ are not specifically listed as a use in the inland zoning code, there are a number of use categories which allow uses similar to a card room: Bars and Nightclubs, General Retail, Restaurants, General Services, and Non-commercial Places of Assembly,” the staff report states. “Therefore, since uses with similar characteristics and impacts to a card room use are allowed in the Downtown West zone district, Council can determine a card room use could be allowed.”

Before a Card Room Permit and business license is issued, the operator of the card room will undergo a background check and a copy of the application must be inspected by the Chief of Police “who must inspect the premises and investigate the moral character and reputation of the applicant.” Interim Police Chief Todd Jarvis conducted the required inspection and investigation of the applicant and recommended approval of the application.

“I personally inspected the premises located at 26 Fifth Street, in the City of Eureka, as listed on the application, and have found no areas of concern wit the physical facility,” according to an Aug. 19 letter from Jarvis. “There has been no disqualifying information discovered during this investigation and the applicant claims no association with any other person(s) or entities who will have a financial interest in this card room business.”

City Manager Miles Slattery accepted the report. Now it goes to the council for a public hearing.

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Those are probably the most interesting items on the agenda. The council will also receive an update on the Local Coastal Plan, discuss yet another zone reclassification for one of the Pierson properties, consider an increase to the scope of the Elk River Estuary Enhancement Project to the tune of $306,963.00 and, more than likely, approve the appointment of Todd Jarvis to Chief of Police.

​​The Eureka City Council meets on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. at Eureka City Hall — 531 K Street. You can also watch the meeting online here.

UPDATE: 

• PG&E Releases Statement Addressing Electricity Transmission Limits, Says Short-Term Improvements Will Allow Garberville Hospital Project to Proceed

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State and local officials are demanding answers after learning in recent weeks that Pacific Gas & Electric has all but reached the limits of its capacity to transmit electricity to new projects across southern Humboldt County, including the cities of Fortuna, Rio Dell and Garberville.

In meetings with local leaders, PG&E has said it could cost more than $900 million and take up to a decade to make the upgrades necessary to increase capacity for the utility’s substations and its two main transmission lines for the region — one coming in from Cottonwood to the east and the other from Laytonville to the south.  (A third transmission line, coming from the Redding, does not have the same capacity issues.)

In interviews with the Outpost, local officials say PG&E’s failure to adequately plan for the area’s growing electricity demands could have devastating impacts on future development, jeopardizing a major hospital project, scaring off potential investors, torpedoing new housing developments and stymying local governments’ efforts to adapt to climate change.

In a phone interview this morning, Second District Humboldt County Supervisor Michelle Bushnell said that after weeks of requesting a meeting to get more information, she and fellow supervisor Rex Bohn finally met with PG&E officials two weeks ago. 

“What they told us was that from basically Fortuna to the Mendocino County-Humboldt County line [and] east to west from Dinsmore to Shelter Cove … there’s no room to add any kind of infrastructure,” she said, noting that Shelter Cove generates its own power. “So Fortuna has a little bit of power to give, a little tiny bit, and Rio Dell has about three hookups that can be accommodated in the next year to two years, is what they told us. [But] from there south there is no availability.”

PG&E, an investor-owned utility whose history of legal troubles includes pleading guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for causing the 2018 Camp Fire, has issued numerous “will serve” letters to local business applicants in recent months, only to inform some of them later that they cannot accommodate the hookup requests.

Reached by phone on Friday, Fortuna City Manager Merritt Perry said he and other city staffers met with PG&E personnel last Tuesday and were surprised to learn about the projected $900 million price tag and 10 year timeline to address the problem.

‘It basically shuts off a lot of our economic development efforts and puts projects in question.’ —Fortuna City Manager Merritt Perry

“It puts the city in a situation where it basically shuts off a lot of our economic development efforts and puts projects in question,” including housing developments, Perry said. A key component of the city’s Climate Action Plan calls for transitioning the city’s fleet of vehicles to electric models. “If PG&E is already limited in its ability to provide service, how are we going to accomplish that?” Perry asked.

Asked whether county officials felt blindsided by this revelation from PG&E, Humboldt County Planning and Building Director John Ford laughed for a few moments before responding.

“Yeah,” he said finally. “Yeah.”

He and other county personnel had been hearing “whispers” about transmission capacity problems for months, Ford said, but it took them a long time to set up a meeting with PG&E officials. They finally did meet this past Thursday, and at the meeting the utility’s representatives agreed to make a presentation before the Board of Supervisors. But that, too, is proving difficult to pin down. 

The presentation was originally scheduled for October 4, then got moved to the meeting of October 18, and Ford said PG&E is now looking to move the presentation back even further.

Ford said PG&E electricity transmission limits will impact countless cannabis applicants who’ve been planning to convert to new electric hookups.

“There is a site I’m aware of [in Redway] that has been built, and they can’t occupy their buildings because they don’t have power,” Ford said. “And that’s right on Redwood Avenue, too.”

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The other big implication from this news concerns the county’s Climate Action Plan, which outlines the county’s attempts to meet the challenges posed by climate change.

‘It has a huge implication on our ability to effectively address climate change.’ —Humboldt County Planning and Building Director John Ford

“And a core strategy of that is to move away from carbon-based fuels, which would include generators, natural gas, propane — and if there’s not the power supply to be able to convert to renewable, non-carbon-produced electricity, [then] there is no ability to implement those measures,” Ford said. “So it has a huge implication on our ability to effectively address climate change.”

Bushnell said the potential impacts to Southern Humboldt County would be hard to overstate.

“It’s dire,” she said. “It’s dire. Like, there can be no new housing.” The electricity transmission limits could also threaten a long-planned new community hospital facility in SoHum, she said. In order to meet the state’s seismic safety requirements, Jerold Phelps Community Hospital must relocate its emergency and acute care departments into a new hospital building, which is slated to be built on the former College of the Redwoods site on Sprowel Creek Road in Garberville. 

“The hospital purchased the property, they’ve raised funds, they’ve gotten grants — they’re well on their way to getting that building going [along with] apartments to house their staff,” Bushnell said. But PG&E has yet to say whether it will be able to provide electricity to these facilities.

Fortuna officials first became concerned about PG&E’s service limits back in January. The city had finished installing a Tesla battery backup system at its Kenmar lift station, a project completed with hefty state grant funding, only to be informed by PG&E that its nearby substations are incapable of providing service to the system. The batteries can’t be connected to the grid until improvements are made.

In July, Fortuna staff learned that a business owner’s request for increased capacity service at an existing building at the former Pacific Lumber Company mill site had also been denied by PG&E. Staff, at the time, was in the process of reviewing a proposed distribution facility at the mill site that had requested 3,000-amp service.

PG&E had issued a “will serve” letter to the applicant, indicating its intent to provide the requested electricity, but Fortuna officials have since been unable to confirm that commitment with PG&E. Instead, the utility asked for additional time to analyze the situation, according to a Fortuna staff report.

Perry wrote an informal complaint letter to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and the city council will consider whether to make a formal complaint at its meeting tonight. Perry said CPUC officials seem to be viewing the local situation as part of the normal processes — identify needed improvements, review potentially affected projects, set a timeline, etc.

“But there’s a real disconnect,” Perry said. “The timeline for PG&E to supply this service essentially slams the brakes on all new power demand projects” for the next decade. City staff has been working closely with a developer who’s interested in buying the former PALCO mill site. “It concerns us that somebody could walk away because power can’t be supplied for 10 years,” Perry said.

Rio Dell City Manager Kyle Knopp shares his frustration. In a meeting last Thursday, PG&E officials encouraged city staff to forward details about specific development opportunities to help PG&E justify the cost of infrastructure upgrades. Knopp described this as akin to a “chicken and the egg scenario.”

“Our obligation to people looking to do business in this community is to tell them the whole truth — so, the good, the bad and the ugly,” he said. “So when people come to the city looking initially at investments, we’re going to have to disclose that the power supply is questionable at best.”

In other words, PG&E wants to know that there’s sufficient demand to justify investments in infrastructure upgrades, but any potential developers interested in setting up shop in Rio Dell are unlikely to even submit plans once they find out they may not get power for up to a decade.

Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes sent a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission back in May expressing “extreme concerns” over PG&E’s “inaction” when it comes to upgrading its “substandard electrical distribution and substation facilities.”

She cited a $4.5 million development project that promised to generate $44,000 in annual tax revenues for the city, plus much-needed jobs. But PG&E had recently informed the developer that there was no power available for the project, and it couldn’t give a timeline for when the power would be available.

“This lack of clarity from PG&E risks the developer pulling the project and potentially locating out of this region,” Garnes wrote in her letter.

A CPUC commissioner responded the following month, saying PG&E had submitted its latest utility grid capital improvements application in June 2021, proposing projects and investments for the 2023-2026 timeframe. The letter did not identify any details about these proposed projects and investments, which are scheduled to be approved or denied by the middle of next year, though it said Rio Dell’s capacity issues “may be considered” during that proceeding.

The letter also said PG&E should be “as transparent as possible about the timeline and next steps with local governments.”

Like Fortuna, the City of Rio Dell recently commissioned a large Tesla battery facility. This one has enough capacity to run the city’s corporation yard, including its wastewater treatment plant and water plant, for up to 19 hours. Knopp asked whether its fair to ask cities to bear the cost of such electricity storage facilities or whether PG&E should be on the hook due to its lack of planning.

Knopp noted that in a statement provided to the North Coast Journal, PG&E identified the cannabis industry as one source of growing electricity demands. Rio Dell has been hosting stakeholders meetings regarding cannabis since 2017 — meetings that PG&E officials attended. “So they’ve known for quite a while that this development was coming,” Knopp said. “And at that point in time [the utility said] it was three years down the line that they could do some of these upgrades and be able to serve everybody.”

The phrase he remembers PG&E employing at the time was, “We’re in the business of providing power.”

At the city’s meeting with PG&E last week, Rio Dell staff asked about those cannabis statements published in the Journal. 

“We brought that up in our in our meeting and they [PG&E] were apologetic about it,” he said. “They insisted that it was not an intentional [slight on the industry] and they recognize that, obviously, it’s legal and it should be treated just as any other customer on the system.”

Knopp said one benefit of cannabis legalization has been to drive many energy-intensive indoor grow operations out of business while professional facilities are highly regulated, with some located just minutes from City Hall. 

‘That is maybe a bit of a convenient whipping horse, to blame cannabis. … It obscures the general fact that there hasn’t been any planning for any kind of capacity growth in this region, and that’s highly problematic.’ —Rio Dell City Manager Kyle Knopp

“And so, to me, that is maybe a bit of a convenient whipping horse, to blame cannabis,” Knopp said. “But in reality, it obscures the general fact that there hasn’t been any planning for any kind of capacity growth in this region, and  that’s highly problematic.”

A wide range of large developments have been proposed in Rio Dell, including a lumber processing facility that wants to generate its own power, Knopp said, but he worries that developers will choose to go elsewhere once they learn about these capacity issues. PG&E won’t give city officials a list of applicants in the queue they believe they can serve, he said.

“It’s terrible. It’s just terrible,” Bushnell said, though she added that in subsequent meetings PG&E employees have been “very cooperative.”

Local officials noted the added complications posed by California’s recently adopted rule stating that by 2035, all new cars and trucks sold in the state will be zero-emission vehicles, including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Plus, regional climate action plans call for eliminating natural gas hookups in favor of all-electric utilities for new developments. Updated building codes going into effect next year will also require all new homes to have 225-amp hookups, a significant increase over the current 125-amp requirement.

“So these [electric infrastructure] investments have to be made, and they need to be made quickly,” Knopp said. 

Bushnell said she’s been in touch with our region’s representatives in the state legislature, including Assemblymember Jim Wood and Senator Mike McGuire. The Outpost reached out to their offices for comment and received the following statements.

From Wood:

I was not happy to learn about the electricity transmission capacity concerns that will likely affect projects in the Humboldt area and I have conveyed to PG&E that I have an expectation that communication among all parties improves immediately.

Unfortunately, we are experiencing capacity issues in every part of the state and that’s reflected by the number of Flex Alerts that have been issued in the past several months alone.

This summer, the legislature was actively engaged in deciding whether or not to keep the Diablo Canyon plant open beyond its pending closure and in doing so, demanded that there be an emphasis on jump starting and completing green energy projects to ensure that California meets our ultimate capacity issues.

McGuire’s office sent along the following statement:

When we heard late last week about this asinine proposal from PG&E to deny new service hookups throughout huge swaths of Humboldt County, we immediately went to work and spoke with the CEO of PG&E [Patricia K. Poppe] to let her know this half-baked initiative won’t stand and they must do better.

We’ve continued to meet with utility representatives and we’ve let them know we’re expecting alternate solutions. We’ve also been in constant communication with county officials and we’ll be bringing local elected leaders and PG&E together soon to discuss potential alternatives.

The Outpost reached out to PG&E’s regional media representative Deanna Contreras with a list of questions shortly before 9 a.m. today. She replied via email, saying she’d work on getting answers by 2 p.m. Shortly after 2, however, she emailed again, saying she was unable to meet that deadline. We replied, asking when she expected to get answers to our questions but had not received a response by the time of this post.

Ford, meanwhile, said the county’s state lobbyist is in town to give a presentation to the Board of Supervisors at tomorrow’s meeting. Today, the lobbyist is meeting with county department heads and supervisors to discuss the county’s legislative platform and top priorities.

“And as you can probably imagine,” Ford said, “this [PG&E situation] will be probably the thing that goes from not even on the list to the top of the list, in terms of things that need to be addressed.”