Representatives of Humboldt County’s hospitality industry are taking a hard stand against a county-backed ballot initiative that would raise the local transient occupancy tax (TOT) rate to 12 percent. Members of the Humboldt Lodging Alliance (HLA) called the ballot measure “misleading” and said the county’s failure to include industry in initial conversations was “outrageous.”
Measure J, the Humboldt County Hotel Tax Update Measure, seeks to increase the TOT rate in the county’s unincorporated areas from 10 percent to 12 percent while also making the tax applicable to overnight RV parks and private campgrounds.
If passed, the total TOT would generate nearly $3.1 million annually to fund general county services, such as emergency response, children’s mental health, county road repairs, emergency communications systems, job training, as well as theater and public arts.
The matter was brought forth by the County Administrative Office and presented to the Board of Supervisors during the board’s March 8 meeting. The board voted 4-1, with Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell dissenting, to place the measure on the June ballot. The item initially appeared on the agenda’s consent calendar but was pulled for discussion by Bushnell who said she had received many emails and phone calls from representatives of the hospitality industry who felt “blindsided” by the proposal.
Members of the HLA convened via Zoom on Wednesday morning to discuss and determine how the organization would respond to the ballot measure.
Before diving in, board president Chris Ambrosini noted that members of the CAO’s office, county economic development director Scott Adair and Supervisor Bushnell had met with several members of the HLA at the Benbow Historic Inn on April 8 to discuss the history of the ballot initiative and explain the county’s process.
“This began in January of 2021 when there was a presentation to the Board of Supervisors about the funding which is being used to market the county,” Adair explained during Wednesday’s meeting. “There was a presentation also made in 2021 by the Humboldt County Visitors Bureau with some comparisons to what other counties and communities are spending on their marketing efforts. As a result, at that January 2021 meeting, the board directed staff to go and perform an analysis of [TOT] and to return to the board with recommendations.”
Months later, the county hired a third party to conduct randomized polling of Humboldt County voters asking whether or not the TOT should be amended.
“That company…balanced the number of registered voters that were picked randomly…so that there was equal representation across the districts,” Adair said. “…There seemed to be broad support for amending or changing the TOT, so on March 1 of this year, the board directed staff to prepare what would be a potential ballot measure for a modification of TOT to go on a future ballot for voter consideration.”
Adair acknowledged that the county had fallen short in its communications with the HLA and said there was “quite a bit of discussion [at the April 8 meeting] about how the county could have done better communicating with hoteliers and with other community stakeholders.”
During that meeting, County Administrative Officer Elishia Hayes suggested the county move forward with a workgroup comprised of HLA members, county representatives and community stakeholders to determine how future TOT revenue would be spent.
“Supervisor Bushnell also agreed to put this before the board on April 26,” Adair said. “So I’m giving everyone notification right now that on April 26 this is intended to go to the Board of Supervisors for discussion and review. …[We] also gave guidance to HLA that they could prepare and remit a formal letter concerning this item and the ballot measure in general, and direct that to the clerk of the board in advance of the April 26 meeting.”
Turning to discussion from HLA members, Ambrosini called the wording of the ballot measure “very misleading” and said it suggested the 2% TOT increase would bring in an additional $3 million in funds rather than a total of $3 million.
“There’s really only going to be about $800,000 or something they’re predicting [it will bring in] which I think is really misleading to the public,” he said. “They’re putting in the full amount because the county is already collecting the 10% which is $2 million. The total that they’re showing is very misleading and almost, I don’t know, not ethical to have the correct amount not showing.”
Jeffrey Durham, owner of the Redwood Riverwalk in Fortuna, also criticized the wording of the ballot measure, asserting that “nobody in their right mind is going to say no to mental health and safety issues.”
“Bravo to the county counsel who wrote that ballot measure, he should be employed by every single municipality in California to write ballot measures to raise people’s taxes,” he continued, criticizing county administrators for failing to communicate with the HLA about the ballot measure. “…Now you’re asking us to come to the table. …I love the idea of everybody coming together, but Jesus Christ, wouldn’t it have been nice to happen 14 months ago?”
Mike Caldwell, owner of the Inn of the Lost Coast in Shelter Cove, underscored that the ballot measure will be presented to all Humboldt County voters but noted that it would only impact unincorporated areas of the county.
“In the cities, citizens are voting on this and it’s not affecting their businesses or their areas,” he said. “It’s all on the unincorporated county which represents about half of the TOT that’s generated through both the incorporated and the unincorporated side. …I’ll be the first one to say that if there’s a plan out there that benefits the entire county – the incorporated side [and] unincorporated side – I’ll be the first one as a hotelier to step up and support [it]. This is just outrageous.”
John Porter, a managing partner of the Benbow Inn, echoed Caldwell’s concern. “The fact that everybody in the county – including incorporated areas – gets to vote on this, I mean, it’s the biggest taxation without representation example that you can put your hands on. People are voting on it and it has no effect on them whatsoever. Those of us that have hotels in the [unincorporated] areas are going to be at a disadvantage.”
Speaking to Adair, Ambrosini reiterated that the HLA board was “blindsided” by the March 8 agenda item and did not have time to convene for an emergency meeting to discuss the matter.
“If the county would have come to HLA…with a specific earmark [as to] where the funds are gonna go, we might have gone for the two-thirds vote and we may have said, ‘Gosh, increase it 3%’ or we may have come up with a different alternative where it didn’t even [need to be] put on the ballot. We could have come up with other ways to help fund whatever they needed funded.”
Adair, once again, acknowledged fault and said the county’s process “could have been better.”
“Even for myself, even though [my team wasn’t] necessarily the drafters of this ballot measure, we could have done a better job to communicate and involve you,” he said. “…Hopefully there’s more opportunity for this to get out into the public and for the community to have dialogue and discussion on this and be aware of the issues that were part of the intent behind the April 8 stakeholder meeting.”
Lowell Daniels, owner of the Victorian Inn & Redwood Suites in Ferndale, thanked Adair for trying to build a bridge between the county and the HLA. “I think you’re being as honest as you can be….I think you were in the dark as much as us on some of these items. …I believe that you are not aware, but that doesn’t excuse the county. I just feel it’s a travesty and [the measure] is probably going to pass – Who’s going to vote against it the way it’s written? – but it’s dishonest.”
Adair apologized several times throughout the discussion and admitted that he was torn between “not throwing my coworkers or staff members under the bus but also trying to be as transparent as I can.”
“Our agency did not know until very late in the process, or maybe we didn’t realize that the increase was also going to be part of the ballot measure,” he said. “We knew that that discussion was occurring but thought that perhaps they would be two separate measures and not combined.”
Even still, Durham emphasized that the measure is already moving forward and will likely receive voter approval. “It’s already been done. …It won’t be and it cannot be changed by law. It was already approved.”
But the measure hasn’t been approved just yet. Ambrosini noted that there is still time to reach out to local media outlets and launch a public information campaign before the June 7 Primary Election. The board unanimously agreed to do just that.
The matter will be discussed at the next Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, April 26.
A caregiver at Providence St. Joseph hospital beams with joy while holding a baby goat | Photos: Stephanie McGeary
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Working in healthcare can be incredibly tiring and stressful — especially over the last two years, with hospitals and caregivers overwhelmed by the pandemic. This week, two of our local hospitals, Providence St. Joseph and Providence Redwood Memorial, introduced a new and interesting way to combat stress in the workplace – baby goat therapy.
That’s right. Baby goat therapy.
Baby goat therapy is one type of animal therapy – sometimes called animal-assisted therapy or pet therapy – an increasingly popular practice wherein people spend time holding and petting animals to help reduce stress. Proponents of animal therapy say it has many mental and physical health benefits, including decreasing stress and anxiety, improving mood, reducing fatigue and lowering blood-pressure, to name a few.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to go from a working environment to something that’s soothing, relaxing,” Hilary Eisenburg, from the gastroenterology department, said as she held a baby goat in her arms. “It just feels really nurturing.”
Eisenburg was one of many hospital caregivers, some taking breaks from their shift and others coming in on their day off, who lined up to try out the goat therapy at Providence St. Joseph Hospital on Thursday. As folks entered a room toward the back of the hospital, they sat in a chair and were handed a goat to basically just hold for a little while. The overall response seemed to be joy, with periodic “aw”s from the people from cuteness overload.
Rachel Conway of Francis Creek Ranch in Ferndale brought four goats – two 9-day-olds, named Oreo and Caramel, and two 2-day-olds, who don’t yet have names – from the farm to the hospital. The goats also went for a visit to Redwood Memorial Hospital on Wednesday. Conway said this was her first time facilitating goat therapy sessions, although the ranch does host farm tours where people have a chance to visit with the goats. The goat kids enjoy being held by humans, Conway said, especially when they are very young.
“These guys are all bottle babies and so humans are ‘mom,’’’ Conway told the Outpost. “The older they get, the more they want breaks and don’t want to be in laps all the time.”
And the cuddliness varies with different goats’ personalities too, Conway said. Oreo, for example, is a bit more wily and needs to take a break from being held at least every 30 minutes. Other goats can go closer to an hour without a break. When the goats start looking restless and are wiggling around a lot in someone’s arms, Conway gives them a break by placing them in a pen so they can run and jump around a bit. Conway knows the goats are ready to be held again when they start bleating for attention.
Roberta Luskin-Hawk MD, chief executive for Providence St. Joseph, said that with the increased stress of the pandemic, the hospital has been searching for ways to support the mental health of its caregivers and has made multiple wellness initiatives and services available – including therapy, apps for yoga and meditation. When Luskin-Hawk saw a video of caregivers at a hospital in Oregon receiving baby goat therapy to help them cope with the stresses of the pandemic, she knew it was something she wanted to try. She emailed Christie Duray, volunteer services coordinator, and she just ran with it, Luskin-Hawk said.
This week’s baby goat therapy sessions were a pilot program, Luskin-Hawk said, to see how things went and if it really seemed beneficial. Because the response from the hospital workers was so positive, Luskin-Hawk said the hospitals will almost definitely do it again.
“Our life is very frenetic in healthcare and we’re always responding to something,” Luskin-Hawk said during Thursday’s goat therapy session. “But when you’re holding a baby or a baby goat, you really have to slow down your breathing, get centered and be present. It’s not something that we’re all good at doing on our own, and this forces us to do it. So it’s really pretty cool.”
Scroll down for more photos of baby goat cuteness.
A Rhode Island man charged with murdering a disabled Kneeland woman and assaulting her caretaker pleaded not guilty today to all charges.
Judge John Feeney appointed the county’s Conflict Counsel’s Office to represent Austin Michael Medeiros, and Deputy Conflict Counsel Meagan O’Connell entered the not guilty pleas on his behalf.
Medeiros declined to give up his right to a preliminary hearing within 10 court days of arraignment, so the hearing was set for May 3. Deputy District Attorney Candace Myers said she expects the hearing to take about 90 minutes.
Medeiros, 27, allegedly murdered 28-year-old Emily Rose May Lobba on April 3 in her home on Greenwood Heights. Lobba’s caretaker told law enforcement she arrived at the house for a scheduled visitation and a man refused to let her in.
The man then assaulted the caretaker, she says, before fleeing in Lobba’s van. He then led police on a chase, at one point allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road, before fleeing on foot into the Arcata Community Forest. He was arrested a week later in Santa Cruz as he reportedly was attempting to steal a boat in the harbor.
Medeiros’s arraignment was postponed Monday when he asked for time to hire his own attorney. Today he told Feeney he had made “phone call after phone call” but was unable to find anyone.
Although law enforcement has said Medeiros is from Warwick, Rhode Island, he was convicted of misdemeanor drug charges in Humboldt County in 2016. He also is charged with violating probation on that case.
Medeiros is accused of murder, assault, battery and driving against traffic during a police pursuit. The criminal complaint does not allege that he used a weapon.
Lobba’s father, Alex Lobba, watched the hearing today via Zoom. Her parents live in the Ventura area.
Sacramento, CA– Senator Mike McGuire’s urgent bill, SB 884, that will safeguard communities and save lives by expediting the undergrounding of electric utility lines in California’s highest fire risk zones, overwhelmingly passed two major policy committees this week. SB 884 is supported by CalFire firefighters and it passed the Senate Energy Committee and the Governance & Finance Committee this week.
“For far too long, America’s largest utility – PG&E – has failed its customers and made California unsafe. For years, the utility underfunded modernization and wildfire safety efforts, which has had devastating impacts. The only path forward is to move power lines underground in the most high fire risk regions. SB 884 will save lives and ratepayers money.”
PG&E has been charged with nearly 100 felonies in the deaths of California residents in wildfires they caused over the past four years. Californians have literally run for their lives to escape flames from these utility-caused wildfires.
Undergrounding electric lines reduces the likelihood of fires starting by 99% and will vastly reduce carbon emissions by stopping mega fires before they start. SB 884 will expedite the undergrounding of 10,000 miles of utility lines, while saving ratepayers money by using federal infrastructure funds. Currently, PG&E undergrounds approximately 100 miles of their electrical lines annually.
“Year after year, these utility-caused wildfires have become our reality. This insanity must be stopped for the health and safety of all Californians,” said Senator McGuire. “We’ll be working day and night to get this critical legislation passed.”
The bill now will be sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee for a hearing.
Here is what the bill will do:
Mandated performance metrics would be implemented by the California Public Utilities Commission on undergrounding projects, including timelines for completion and penalties for not hitting deadlines, and the utility would have to prove safety protocols are met prior to receiving a rate of return.
Develops a pathway to expedite undergrounding construction by establishing a shot clock for local government permit approval/denial to just 150 days.
The legislation would save ratepayers money by mandating that utilities use available federal infrastructure funds to construct the undergrounding project before using ratepayer funds, and it would mandate telecommunication companies to underground their utilities in the same trench as the electrical undergrounding.
This dig-once policy will help as a cost share and help make our state telecommunication system more resilient, especially in the highest risk zones.
Guarantees a 270 day judicial review in California courts if an undergrounding project faces a California Environmental Quality Act lawsuit.
Park Rangers with California State Parks are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect(s) involved in the recent cutting and theft of redwood burl wood from Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
The section of redwood burl affected is about 4’ by 3’ by 2’ and was recently cut.
The redwood burl wood was poorly cut and would likely still be in multiple roughly block pieces.
Park Rangers were able to identify a suspect vehicle involved in this and other recent redwood thefts: a light colored Ford F-250 with no license plates and no tailgate occupied by two (2) people.
The suspect vehicle
The park has experienced an increase in the illegal cutting and theft of old-growth coast redwood and burl in recent months.
Burl theft involves cutting of burls from both live and dead trees which often are sold to a third party and then finished as ornamental furniture, veneer, and souvenirs.
California State Park Rangers are committed to protecting our State’s natural and cultural resources. We could use the community’s help in identifying suspects who damage park resources and prey on park visitors. State Parks requests anyone with information regarding the identity of suspect in this case, or related criminal activity to contact Ranger Kuhnhofer at (707) 946-1818 or call the park’s Tip Line at (707) 946-1816.
Cal Poly students Dakari Tate (foreground) and Gloria Thompson (right) with Umoja Center Coordinator Doug Smith at Bayside Farm Park in Arcata | Submitted
Cal Poly Humboldt release:
Working as an intern at a local farm in Humboldt County gave Douglas Smith (‘13, International Studies) the sense of belonging he had struggled to find when he transferred to Cal Poly Humboldt from Los Angeles.
Now an Applied English Studies graduate student and coordinator of the Umoja Center for Pan African Student Excellence, Smith is helping students find similar kinship with the land and the community through the Black to the Land Farm Project, which trains and supports Black students to be the next generation of farmers.
“Community-supported agriculture is a large part of the culture here on the North Coast, and it offers a special platform to learn while doing,” Smith said. “Farming and community-supported agriculture also creates an opportunity to build bridges with the local community and to share culture.”
Smith launched the program to encourage Black students to engage with farming in 2019, soon after he became the Umoja Center coordinator. Every Wednesday and Friday, he brings six students to Bayside Park Farm in Arcata to grow kale and collard greens. They will soon be raising chickens, too.
The students’ expressions when they see the farm for the first time is all the validation Smith needs of the program’s value, he says.
“It’s so rewarding to see students take in their surroundings and get excited about the opportunities to settle into a space here in the local community while engaging in multiple forms of learning.” Smith says.
Wildlife major Dakari Tate says his experience at the farm offers an opportunity for self-reflection. “One of the reasons I’m out here is to find myself. Find out what I want to be. Find out where I came from and hopefully that will shape me into who I want to be in the future,” says Tate.
Gloria Thompson, a Child Development major, says working the land is fun and reminds her of family. “I enjoy going to the farm because I do well growing things, and it helps me feel connected to my grandpa, who was a farmer.”
Black to the Land continued to encourage student farmers even as the pandemic shut down campus, mailing them home planting kits and copies of Leah Penniman’s book, Leah Penniman’s book, Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land. Penniman’s virtual lecture during the Umoja Center’s Black Liberation Month lecture series in February was by far the most popular talk, attracting more than 300 students, faculty and community members.
As part of Campus Food Summit 2022 this month, Black to the Land invited campus and community members to get a taste of farming life during work days at the Bayside Park Farm. The group led participants in cleaning out the chicken coop and will be building raised beds and putting together a small hoop house.
For more information about Black to the Land, contact the Umoja Center at umoja@humboldt.edu.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On April 21, 2022, at about 1:05 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle for reckless driving in the area of Janes Road in Arcata.
The vehicle failed to yield, and a pursuit ensued. Deputies pursued the vehicle through Arcata, with the assistance of the Arcata Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and Cal Poly Humboldt University Police. At approximately 1:40 a.m., the vehicle became disabled in the area of LK Wood Boulevard and Diamond Drive. The driver of the vehicle, 19-year-old Nolan Weldon Camper, then fled from law enforcement on foot. Camper was apprehended and taken into custody after a brief struggle.
Camper was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of evading a peace officer (VC 2800.2), fleeing a peace officer (VC 2800.4), resisting arrest (PC 69), reckless driving (VC 23103) and resisting a peace officer (PC 148(a)(1)).
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all coordinating agencies for their assistance in this case.
Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
