If Melissa Sanchez-Johnson didn’t learn until she reached Redding that her son was fleeing after murdering three people on the Bear River Rancheria, can she plead guilty in Humboldt County to being an accessory to his crime?

That was the dilemma today for Judge Kelly Neel, who said she’s not sure she can accept Sanchez-Johnson’s plea when the alleged crime occurred in Shasta County.

“I am not certain that this court has jurisdiction,” Neel told attorneys today. She said it’s possible Shasta County may have to “cede jurisdiction” before the case can be resolved here.

In February 2021 Sanchez-Johnson’s son, Mauricio Johnson, shot three people to death and then fled east with his mother’s boyfriend, Von Keener, in the car with him. Sanchez-Johnson followed them in a separate car, but says she didn’t realize until checking her cellphone at a Redding gas station that her 18-year-old son was wanted for murder.

She continued following him, however, and all three were arrested the following day in Utah.

Sanchez-Johnson was prepared to plead guilty this morning, but the plea was postponed until logistics can be sorted out. Keener also is expected to admit being an accessory, but his case is more complicated because he has a separate charge of failure to register as a sex offender.

Keener remains in jail, but Sanchez-Johnson is out of custody. Mauricio Johnson has already been sentenced to life in prison for the murders of Margarett Lee Moon, her fiance Nikki Dion Metcalf and her 16-year-old daughter, Shelly Moon.

Sanchez-Johnson is represented by attorney Kathleen Bryson and Von Keener by attorney Joe Judge. The prosecutor is Deputy District Attorney Roger Rees, who was not at the hearing today because he is out of the office.

The next hearing is set for May 10.

###

Eureka High School and University of Oregon football standout Jake Hanson officially signed a one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers yesterday during the team’s first day of offseason workouts.

According to Overthecap.com, Hanson signed for a league minimum $825,000 after the Packers exercised an exclusive-rights tender on the 24-year-old center in March. This qualifying offer prevented Hanson from negotiating with any other teams this offseason.

The 2020 6th-round pick played in five games last year after spending his rookie season on the Packers’ practice squad. The Outpost asked the Green Bay Packers organization if coaches anticipated Hanson seeing more snaps during the 2022 season. However, the team declined to comment.

“Thank you for your interest, but we will not be able to provide a quote from a coach,” Packers Communications Coordinator Nate LoCascio said.

Keep an eye out for #67 on the Packers this season. If the 6-foot-4, 296-pound Eureka native makes the team’s final roster, he will likely be used to provide depth at the center position.

As Gov. Gavin Newsom and California lawmakers contemplate how to deliver the state’s surplus dollars back to Californians facing high gas prices and other rising costs of living, one group of advocates is pushing for another stimulus-like payment for the state’s poorest residents.

A coalition of anti-poverty organizations is calling for the state to send a one-time payment of $2,000 per child to families making up to $30,000 a year.

The proposal is sponsored by Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, a Los Angeles Democrat. It is intended to partly make up for the expiration of last year’s expanded federal Child Tax Credit payments. That expansion gave as much as $3,000 per child and $3,600 per child under 6 to families making low and middle incomes.

Researchers at Columbia University have found that the expanded child tax credit reduced child poverty by more than 26%, with greater reductions among Black and Latino children. Nearly 90% of families spent the money on basic costs such as food, clothing or rent, according to the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

Advocates have raised alarms now that the expansion of the program expired in December, citing CBPP figures showing 1.7 million California children are at risk of falling back into poverty.

It was one of several pandemic relief programs that came to an end last year, including the Newsom administration’s Golden State Stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment benefits.

“When you’re making $30,000 or less for a family, they need immediate help.”
— Assemblymember Miguel Santiago

Santiago said his proposal is a follow-up act on “the largest anti-poverty program we’ve had.”

“When you’re making $30,000 or less for a family, they need immediate help,” he said.

His legislation was heard Monday by the Assembly Revenue and Taxation committee, where it awaits a vote. The measure would cost $3.8 billion.

It is the latest of several proposals for how the state could spend down a $31 billion budget surplus projected by the Legislative Analyst Office.

Officials already are considering several rebate ideas potentially affecting a wider pool of Californians, to help them deal with inflation and the cost of gas.

Newsom has proposed sending $400 debit cards to the owners of every registered car in the state, capped at $800 per individual, as well as $750 million to public transportation agencies to give free rides for three months.

A group of Democratic lawmakers wants to give $400 rebates to all state taxpayers, regardless of car ownership. Both plans would cost around $9 billion.

But Democratic leaders have balked at giving tax relief to wealthy Californians in addition to those with more modest incomes.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins favor a $7 billion plan that would give at least $200 rebates to families making up to $250,000 a year. In March Atkins said she was focused on “ensuring that state money is targeted to those who actually need relief.”

Advocates of the child tax credit idea say the top priority for the surplus should be even more targeted. The lowest earners are hit hardest by inflation and spend the largest share of their incomes on gas, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

“We’re really pushing for a focus on doing the most and as much as you can for the lowest-income households,” said Teri Olle, California campaign director for Economic Security Project Action, a group advocating for cash assistance programs. “We know those are the households that are hurting the most.”

A spokesman for Newsom did not comment on the proposal but said his rebate idea targets car owners regardless of income because it “is specifically meant to support Californians facing increased gas prices.”

###

This article is part of the California Divide project, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequality and economic survival in California. CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

###

Workers today are subject to more monitoring and tracking on the job — often without their knowledge — than ever before, advocates say.

Various productivity applications, often on workers’ smartphones or other devices, track and predict delivery drivers’ and warehouse workers’ every move, collecting data on their location, speed, and accuracy in finishing orders, according to a study by UC Berkeley’s Labor Center.

Meanwhile some employers install software on remote workers’ computers to log their keystrokes, monitor their internet activity, or take screenshots at any moment – even turning on webcams to monitor them. If workers refuse to be tracked they are risking their jobs, advocates say.

Assemblymember Ash Kalra proposed a bill Monday that he said would ensure workers gain some protection from off-duty employer surveillance and retaliation.

The Workplace Technology Accountability Act, or AB 1651, would create a set of privacy standards for employer workplace monitoring tools.

The bill will be heard Wednesday in the Assembly’s Committee on Labor and Employment.

It would require employers to give workers advance notice and explain how, when and why monitoring technology is being used on the job. It would prohibit employers from monitoring workers off duty or on their personal devices, and it would allow workers to view and correct data about them.

It also would ban the use of facial recognition technology, and it would stop employers from using algorithms to decide when and if an employee is to be disciplined or fired.

Kalra, a Democrat representing San Jose, said low-income workers of color often bear the brunt of workplace surveillance. Nationally, four out of 10 frontline workers are people of color, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington D.C..

“Here in California with the Black and Latino workforce … they’re the ones that are being asked to take on the burden of keeping our economy moving,” Kalra said.

“And yet they also, at the same time, are being asked more and more to be under surveillance and to be under the control in many ways (by) technologies that are designed to squeeze out every single ounce of productivity from them, without giving them the empowerment to have much say in their work environment.”

At the national level, exemptions in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 gave employers the right to spy on workers’ written and verbal communications.

In recent years the market for workplace surveillance technology has exploded, especially during the pandemic.

Coworker.org, a tech worker advocacy nonprofit, released a report last year on the rise of workplace surveillance tech. It found nearly a third of the more than 550 new workplace tech products and companies it cataloged were created in the last two years.

Similarly a 2021 UC Berkeley Labor Center report showed workers across various industries – including retail, hospitality, construction and healthcare – were subject to increased surveillance with little oversight from the government.

“It’s really kind of the wild west out there, and employers are pretty free to do whatever they want with predictably negative effects on workers,” said Mitch Steiger, a legislative advocate for the California Labor Federation.

He said monitoring has become routine in workplaces and unfair use of algorithms and productivity tracking increasingly are tied to disciplinary actions, often leading to physical injuries for workers.

Last month, the state of Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries fined Amazon $60,000, noting that there was a “direct connection” between workers’ joint and muscle disorders and the company’s use of employee monitoring and discipline systems.

Work included hours of repetitive lifting and twisting at a fulfillment center in Kent, Wash. The department said Amazon’s productivity tracking technology forced workers to overextend themselves to meet quotas with little time to recover without penalty.

An Amazon spokesperson said the company disagrees with the findings and plans to appeal the citation.

Kalra and other advocates say his bill is not anti-tech. Rather it’s an attempt to restore workers’ rights to privacy — at work and outside their jobs.

“It’s really kind of the wild west out there, and employers are pretty free to do whatever they want with predictably negative effects on workers.”
— Mitch Steiger, legislative advocate for the California Labor Federation

Steve Smith, communications director at the California Labor Federation, said currently “workers have absolutely no ability to fight back, to even raise concerns about the invasion of privacy this creates. Low wage workers are front and center here in terms of who we’re trying to protect with this bill.”

The number of workers being surveilled in California remains unknown, because there is no requirement that employers report this information.

“The fact that we’re not able to identify how common these technologies are, or how they’re impacting workers is actually a very telling symptom of the problem,” said Annette Bernhardt, director of the Technology and Work Program at UC Berkeley’s Labor Center.

“These systems are literally a black box to both workers and policy makers, and also to researchers.”

AB 1651 would force employers and vendors to be transparent about these systems by requiring them to conduct “impact assessments” about any algorithmic or worker tracking systems prior to use and submit those reports to the Labor and Workforce Development Agency for review.

In addition, the state’s Labor Commissioner would create an advisory committee by next March to recommend the best — and least harmful — uses of data-driven tech in the workplace.

Workers would be able to file claims with the agency and bring a civil action against employers that violate the bill’s standards.

Kalra’s bill is supported by unions, but he says he expects some pushback from conservatives in the legislature, business lobby groups and from vendors of workplace productivity and surveillance products.

The California Chamber of Commerce has been in touch with the California Labor Federation about the bill but has yet to see the final proposal, said Ronak Daylami, a privacy policy advocate for the business group.

“However, as the pandemic has adapted how we all work, new technologies have developed to help both employees and employers operate in a more flexible and efficient way,” she wrote in an email. “We want to ensure that we do not stifle this innovation as our economy continues its recovery.”

If the bill were successful, it would be one of the far reaching pieces of worker surveillance legislation in the country, supporters said.

Next month New York will join Connecticut and Delaware in merely requiring employers to disclose electronic monitoring to their workers. The New York law will apply to workers hired on or after May 7. None of the laws enacted in those states give workers the right to review and correct data created about them.

Kalra’s bill is part of a number of efforts across the state to boost protections for workers and curb the use of facial recognition technology, which studies show disproportionately discriminates against women and people of color.

“There is no question in my mind that these technologies are rapidly becoming the backbone of how employers are organizing work and production,” said Bernhardt. “So we need to ask ourselves whether these technologies will be used to benefit workers and help them thrive in their jobs or whether they will be used to intensify work loads and rob workers of their autonomy and dignity?”

Last year Newsom signed AB 701 into law. The measure, which had Kalra’s support, now requires warehouse employers to disclose productivity quotas and work speed data to workers, and it bars any quota that penalizes workers for taking breaks or using the bathroom.

###

This article is part of the California Divide project, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequality and economic survival in California. CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Ceva Renee’ McWhorter-King, beloved mother, sister, friend, and partner, passed away on April 11, 2022. Ceva was born on November 12, 1958, at Redwood Memorial Hospital , in Fortuna, to the late Ben and Billie McWhorter.

Ceva was a Mother and Grams first. She enjoyed her visits to Kentucky taking Josiah, Cora Shay, Rosalie, and Jeremiah to Great Wolf Lodge and watching the girl’s dance recitals and Josiah on the Tennis court. She helped homeschool Hayes and loved watching him play all sports. She had a special bond with her granddaughter Adyn, taking her to the beach and the ranch. She loved her playdates up at the house with her youngest grandson Cyrus.

Some of her happiest memories were when Jerry was in the army and as a family they lived and traveled in Europe. She was kind and always willing to offer words of encouragement and upliftment to her nieces, nephews, friends, and family. She was a light to many and spread positivity everywhere. Ceva was a very thoughtful, compassionate person. She loved her family, friends, and pets with her whole heart. She was kind, generous with her time, and could make anyone feel comfortable, so they could just be themselves. Her mom Billie was her best friend. She taught her children to be loving, always. She was a true Golden Girl!

She graduated from Fortuna High school. Her and her Best Friend Shawn Coleman were Cheerleaders together from 7th grade until high school graduation. She played various sports; her favorite sports were swimming and softball. She was a “Tomboy”, but she was always dressed like she just walked out of a fashion catalog. We remember many times coming up to the house and she was mowing the property in a full fashion outfit. That was our mom!

She was an avid water and Snow Skier. She Coached Swimming in Germany & Tennessee for many years. She worked at Hensel’s Ace Hardware managing the Housewares department until she retired. During her life time Ceva served on the Board of Vector Rehabilitation and Aquatic Center. She volunteered countless hours helping with not for profit events, fundraisers, and live auction items. Her hobbies included drawing, painting, poetry, and horseback riding. The one place you could always find her was working in the yard and gardening. Her favorite thing was to go to the Ranch, Ruth Lake, Tahoe, and the Beach. She was loyal to her friend groups ” The Army of Angels” and ” The Pink Ladies” Ceva had no fear; she rock climbed , road quads, bucked hay and laid irrigation pipes with Grandpa Herky, she bungie jumped with her mom, ice climbed, whitewater rafted, and if there was a rope swing she would be the first one swinging. She loved life and lived it to the fullest.

Ceva was blessed with a large and loving family. Ceva is survived by; her Ex-husband and dear friend Jerry King; her sons Jaushwa Russell and Caleb King; her daughter Ceva Courtemanche;her grandchildren Josiah, Cora Shay, Hayes, Rosalie, Adyn, Jeremiah, and Cyrus; Her sisters Connie Kirk, Saudia Kelling, Sabina Renner, and her brothers Shane, Shannon, and Sterling McWhorter; Her Boyfriend , Scott Schick and his Family , Chelsea, Austin, Austin’s newborn daughter Evelyn Ceva Schick, Matthew. She is preceded in death by her parents, Ben & Billie McWhorter, and Brother Patrick McWhorter; her faithful dog Tauji

There will be a “Celebration of Life” for Ceva and a Reception to follow, For Friends and Family , April 23, 2022, at the River Lodge Conference Center, in Fortuna, from 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

###

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

Lynn Adele Leydecker received her angel wings on April 1, 2022, surrounded by friends and family. Her family would like to thank Hospice of Humboldt and Helping Hands for their compassion, loving care and the comfort she received during her final days here on earth. Her immediate family and friends were able to spend time with her at home because of this.

Lynn was a native Eurekan and lived with her folks and four brothers in the same family Victorian home on C Street all of her young life. She faced a major life challenge early on with her eyes during a surgery to correct her vision. The surgical procedure unfortunately left her with only one damaged eye to find her way through life. Despite this life challenge, her progress never slowed and she excelled academically over the years, attending a local elementary school, Eureka High and Humboldt State University. All along the way she made wonderful life-long friends.  

During college she met and dated Emery G. Leydecker.  He had recently moved from Lancaster, California to Eureka and knew after spending just nine days with Lynn that he wanted to marry this special lady. They were married in January of 1964 and began their lives raising a family in Eureka. Lynn and Emery were blessed with four children; first the twins, Ken and Karen, followed by two more sons, Tom in 1968 and Tim in 1970.

As time progressed, the advancement in laser eye surgery allowed Lynn the opportunity to have her vision restored in her remaining damaged left eye. Her family knew this surgery was a “Christmas miracle,” because the vision in that eye was fully restored. The success of that surgery was immediate and profound in her life. It was wonderful to watch her appreciate the simple visual things we so often take for granted. She was able to fully see for the first time in her life everyday objects and events, such as seeing her family’s and friends’ faces, seeing the ocean and Redwoods, the vibrant color of the grass, watching planes take off and land, and even a simple trip to the grocery store. All of these wonderful things took on a new meaning in Lynn’s life and no one appreciated the gift of eyesight more than she. She went on to obtain her driver’s license, started working at Sears and Roebuck, and then obtained full-time employment at St. Joseph’s Hospital; there she worked as an admitting clerk in the emergency room for many years until her retirement.

Lynn loved camping with her relatives on Underwood Mountain at the family’s favorite camp site aptly named “Hubbard’s Hilton.” So many great and funny stories happened there - if you were there, you know!!   She truly loved being in the beauty of the outdoors, especially time spent along the Van Duzen River. Another big part of Lynn’s life was her faith. She was very active in her church, The Faith Center. She loved participating in the various women’s groups, Cursillo, Celebrate Recovery, helping in the kitchen, and other office-related duties.   

Lynn and Emery loved to spend their time square dancing and in their younger years belonged to the Redwood Empire Jeep Club, where they loved to trek with their family through the mountains and sand dunes.   At home Lynn kept busy with family activities and loved crocheting, cooking, and baking.    One of her favorite joys in life was spending time with her children, grandchildren and now great grandchildren - especially during the holidays. Her family was a very important part of her life, and they, in turn, loved her “googolplex”!!!    We would be remiss not mentioning the special closeness Lynn had with her mother Betty. Theirs was a special bond, and we are comforted knowing they are up there together dancing in Heaven’s kitchen.

Lynn was preceded in death by her parents, Betty and Kenneth Hubbard, her eldest brother Dennis Hubbard, and nephews Jason Hubbard and Darnell Hubbard. She leaves behind her beloved husband Emery and her children; daughter Karen Sotelo (Augie), and sons Ken Leydecker (Amy), Tom Leydecker (Colleen), and Tim Leydecker. She also leaves behind her wonderful, rascally brothers David Hubbard (Michelle), Donny Hubbard (Joan), and Dean Hubbard (Joanie) and her grandchildren, great grandchildren, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews and a multitude of friends.    “Lynnie” loved her special, precious best friend Pam Pelascini. They were a force to be reckoned with - laughing, antics, helping, exploring, and just loving each other best.

At Lynn’s request there will be no formal funeral service. We hope you can join us to honor a life well lived and loved at a Celebration of Life/Birthday Party. This celebration is planned on Lynn’s birthday! It is August 13th, 2022, at 10:45 a.m. at The Faith Center on Bay Street in Eureka. We encourage all attendees to wear happy, bright colors, as she truly loved seeing all the beautiful colors.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Lynn’s name to the Lion’s Club for the visually impaired, Hospice of Humboldt or your favorite charity. Thank you so much.    

Anthony John (A.J.) Machi, aged 72, of Shelter Cove passed away from natural causes, peacefully amongst his family in the Redwoods of Eureka on March 7, 2022.

On July 5, 1949, A.J. was born to parents, Anthony Nunzio Machi and Mary Teresa [Demartini] Machi in San Francisco. He was raised in Shelter Cove and Redway, where he attended South Fork High School. After graduating from high school in 1967, he left the US for Europe to evade the Vietnam War draft. There he spent two years in Holland and England with a rag-tag group of American musicians working as their roadie and sound man. That was where A.J. first learned to play banjo, mandolin, and autoharp and cultivated his love for music. From England, he flew under the radar to Canada where he worked as a cook and Sous-chef in Toronto, Ontario and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. From there he made his way east to the small town of Falkland in the interior of British Columbia at the invitation of a friend to help develop and work on their acreage. It was there that he taught himself to farm, mechanic, run heavy machinery and weld.

In 1977, A.J. met his wife, Renette [Costley] Machi at a jam session at the local general store. He and Renette had two children, Shanna Machi and Leon Machi and raised them in the farming community of Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada.

Shanna is currently living with her dog, Coco, in Santa Barbara, Ca and is working as an event producer. Leon is living in Penticton, British Columbia and is working as a carpentry contractor. He lives with his partner, Lindsay and their 3 year old daughter, Laila.

A.J. returned home to Shelter Cove from Canada in 2011 and worked for the Whitethorn Construction Company. In 2016 he retired from his job at Whitethorn and continued to pursue his love for music, especially Bluegrass. He was self taught on various string instruments and accomplished on banjo and ukulele. He had an inherent passion for fishing and spent his days beachcombing. His heritage was important to him and he was proud to share the historical stories of his home of Shelter Cove.

A.J. was predeceased by his parents, Anthony Nunzio Machi and Mary Teresa [Demartini] Machi; his paternal grandparents, Pietro Giovanni “Pop” Machi and Rosaria “Sarrida” Alioto; and his maternal grandparents, Cesare Demartini, and Luigina Demartini. He is survived by his children; Shanna Machi, Leon Machi, and his partner, Lindsay Courtice. Grandchildren; Braxton Machi [age 12] and Laila Machi [age 3]. Siblings; Michael Machi, Mary Ann Machi, and Theresa Machi. Also, his little “grandogger” Coco and countless friends throughout his life.

A.J. will be sadly missed by his family and many friends. Please join the Machi family in celebrating his light and spirit and take solace in knowing that he is at peace now, playing his banjo with angels in a “concert in the sky”.

A celebration of A.J.’s life will be held at a later date in Shelter Cove.