Lost Coast Outpost

(AUDIO) HUMBOLDT HOLDING UP: Supervisor Virginia Bass on Deciding Not to Run For Reelection, the Candidates Vying For Her Seat and What She Learned Serving Steaks in Her Father’s Steakhouse

LoCO Staff / Sunday, March 13, 2022 @ 9 a.m. / Humboldt Holding Up

Virginia Bass began her tenure as Humboldt County Supervisor after winning election in 2010

Earlier this year, with other candidates already publicly confirming their intent to pursue her seat in 2022, Fourth District Humboldt County Supervisor Virginia Bass made a consequential announcement. The longest-serving member of the board made it known that she would not put herself up for reelection, putting an end date on this chapter of her career in local politics, a journey that has also included stints as Eureka’s mayor and as a member of the Eureka City Council.

On this edition of Humboldt Holding Up — the Lost Coast Outpost’s Zoom-era podcast — we speak with Bass about her long tenure in Humboldt government and how she’s feeling about our current political moment. Topics this week include:

What factored into her decision not to seek a fourth term in the 2022 election cycle
Memories of coming up working in her family’s restaurant OH’s Town House, a beloved old Eureka institution
Her thoughts on supervisorial candidates Natalie Arroyo, Kim Bergel and Mike Newman who are eyeing her soon to be vacant job
Why she decided to endorse challenger Larry Doss over her fellow supervisor Steve Madrone
Reflections on who might be hiring come next year
More!

Click the audio player above to hear Bass’s chat with LoCO’s Andrew Goff and Stephanie McGeary. And also be sure to scroll our aural rolodex of past HHU guests below.

PREVIOUS HUMBOLDT HOLDING UP GUESTS:

GROWING OLD UNGRACEFULLY: Where’s the Daylight We’re Saving?

Barry Evans / Sunday, March 13, 2022 @ 7 a.m. / Growing Old Ungracefully

“Your readers, who with me have never seen any sign of sunshine before noon…will be as much astonished as I was… that he gives light as soon as he rises.” (Benjamin Franklin, Journal de Paris, 1784)

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Ben Franklin’s satire knew no bounds. Written during his sojourn as American Minister to Paris, his essay went on to suggest that rising Parisians could save money by rising at dawn: “An immense sum! That the city of Paris might save every year, by the economy of using sunshine instead of candles.”

It’s a fun essay, worth quoting a bit more. He goes on to propose regulations to get folks out of bed at sunrise. “Every morning, as soon as the sun rises, let all the bells in every church be set ringing; and if that is not sufficient? Let cannon be fired in every street, to wake the sluggards effectually, and make them open their eyes to see their true interest.”

But that’s about as far as he went. Contrary to folklore, Franklin didn’t actually invent Daylight Saving Time. That had to wait until 1916, when it was first instituted by Germany during the first World War. Two years later, March 1918, the first DST law in the U.S. went into effect, the official reason being to save fuel. And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce backed it because business: “Americans getting off work while it was still light out meant they would be more likely to go out shopping in the evening.” In the intervening 104 years, DST has come, gone, and come, both here and in many—by no means all—countries the world over. Confusingly (as if we’re not confused enough), countries aren’t uniform in the dates when DST is in operation; this year, for instance, DST starts on March 27 in the UK. And then there’s “double summer time.” Google will take you down a deep rabbit hole, if you care.

Library of Congress, Public Domain.

Personally, I hate the whole idea of changing clocks twice a year, with its many opportunities for screwing up: arriving an hour early or late for a meeting; Amtrak trains sitting idly on their tracks for an hour early Sunday morning, since clocks read times from 1 to 2 am twice (that’s in Fall; in Spring, Amtrak tries to make up the lost hour); forgetting to change your watch. You did, right? And those messy time zones! Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Marianas Islands don’t observe daylight saving; neither does Arizona…except on native reservations.

Then there are the health aspects. According to Martin Young (University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Cardiovascular Disease), “Moving the clocks ahead one hour in March is associated with a 10-24 percent increase in the risk of having a heart attack the following Monday and to some degree Tuesday.” And even for those who aren’t at risk from a heart attack, the twice-a-year time shift messes up our circadian rhythms for weeks.

There’s hope on the horizon, in what seems to be a bipartisan push to put the whole country on permanent DST. As reported in The Washington Post two weeks ago, “19 states have passed bills to switch to year-round daylight saving time, should Congress allow it…Another 22 are considering it this year.”

I could go on (and on) but I’m still recovering from jet lag. Time change, you know.

Harold Lloyd and Wesley Stout, Public Domain.

THE ECONEWS REPORT: Housing is an Environmental Issue

The EcoNews Report / Saturday, March 12, 2022 @ 10 a.m. / Environment

Plans for affordable housing development on Eighth and G Streets in Eureka. File photo.

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Ask anyone who has tried to look for rental housing lately and they’ll tell you that housing in Humboldt is expensive. Humboldt, like California generally, suffers from a housing affordability crisis brought on chiefly by failing to build enough housing. Our housing crisis is an environmental issue and local green groups are working to support new infill housing development.

On this week’s episode, Gang Green talks to housing policy experts Lulu Michelson and Brian Heaton about why California has failed to build enough housing and what policy changes can be made to support housing creation.

AUDIO:

“The EcoNews Report,” March 12, 2022.

THE CANNABIS CONVERSATION: Divided We Fall

Jesse Duncan / Saturday, March 12, 2022 @ 7:30 a.m. / Cannabis

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash.

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It’s time for Humboldt to come together, to support one another more than ever.

Troubled economic times are brewing. Gas and food prices have reached dizzying levels, as have the prices of many other goods and services we rely on in our daily lives. The current trajectory is unsustainable and promises to collapse the state’s economy. Inflation, or the rise in average prices for goods and services, is at its highest level in approximately forty years. Historically, inflation peaks into recessions, and the last time we had a nasty spike in inflation the economy cratered, and stocks lost nearly half of their value.

While the Federal Reserve promises that inflation will be transitory, or temporary in nature, I think that’s optimistic and misguided. An economic storm is coming and Humboldt’s best chance of weathering it is to come together, support one another in business, and attract tourism and capital investment dollars.

While a statewide or national recession will hamper consumption, tourism, and investment, we need to aggressively pursue capital inputs so our area can maintain a comfortable existence. As you might expect, troubles within the local cannabis industry only exacerbate the sobering reality of a hard economic downturn.

Shop Local

The first thing we can focus on is shopping local. I fully understand that some goods and services aren’t readily available in our area, so shopping out of town or online is a forced necessity. For many goods, though, local shops are convenient, well-stocked, and a pleasure to work with. Local restaurants, hair salons, barbershops, furniture stores, auto dealers, service providers, banks, credit unions, fishing and hunting suppliers, art dealers, massage therapists, and craft vendors to name a few are able to happily meet your needs.

We also have a fair amount of locally owned cannabis dispensaries offering a wide variety of products. When you shop for cannabis or any other goods and services ask two simple questions: is this business locally owned and do you sell any locally produced products?

All the time really, but especially during challenging economic times, supporting one another in business can truly make or break our region. Local dollars are the backbone of our economy and the money circulating through Humboldt versus being remitted to other areas benefits us all.

Tourism

Tourism is critically important to California and to Humboldt County. According to Visit California, direct travel-related spending was estimated at $65 billion in 2020, down significantly from the prior year. With Covid restrictions, fear, and likely due to increasing inflationary pressures and mounting economic uncertainty, people are staying home and fewer are venturing to our Golden State.

We need to reverse this trend, now.

California more broadly, but Humboldt specifically needs to attract tourist dollars to support the lodging, dining, shopping, and entertainment venues our area needs to thrive economically. We know that Humboldt is a treasured destination for many reasons. The natural beauty of this place is spectacular, as are our rural, artistic, humanitarian, and environmental values. Additionally, we have a world-renowned reputation for cannabis production.

We need to unify, both cannabis and non-cannabis operators and tell the Humboldt story proudly, and in unison. Quibbling over the allocation of marketing dollars and the direction of a county-wide, all-inclusive marketing program is easy – and offers no lasting solutions. It is a function of egos, a lack of critical thinking, and a limited understanding of urgency.

The time is now.

We need a global marketing campaign, highlighting our region’s cannabis and non-cannabis attractions. Humboldt should be and need be our state’s premier travel destination. On the cannabis side, we need to boldly offer farm tours, cannabis consumption lounges, direct-to-consumer cannabis sales, and a Humboldt County Cannabis Cup that dwarfs the Emerald Cup (thanks for the idea Tree Frog Botanicals.)

As mentioned, we have a host of natural and cultural attractions for non-cannabis lovers that we also need to market boldly and creatively to the world – especially emerging regions of affluence in Europe, South America, Asia, and the Middle East.

Capital Investment

While I am, and will always be an advocate for shopping local, we must also attract capital investment to thrive. With a highly uncertain future for Humboldt’s largest industry – cannabis – the county needs to be open to further economic developments. Sustainable industrial developments, technology, aquaculture, agriculture, R&D, commercial shipping, and other large-scale projects are needed here.

While many love and cherish our rural vibe and advocate for a semi-closed economy, such ideals are not sustainable in an economic sense – especially in light of the declining cannabis revenues that have paved the way for such comfortable lifestyles for so many residents. We need to put people to work – in high-paying jobs for the 21st century.

The county is facing the imminent loss of several billion in economic activity with the current trajectory in the cannabis space, so it’s time we act. We need to think outside the box and open ourselves to new ideas and new developments. We need to aggressively market our area as a destination hub for recreational outlets and thriving businesses. It’s time to implement policies that foster growth and development – tax incentives, more favorable zoning, streamlined environmental compliance processes, and sensible cannabis regulations namely.

Our livelihoods are at risk. Recession looms, asset prices are in serious jeopardy, business and governmental receipts are tanking, and we need change. In the words of my dear friend Natalynne DeLapp from HCGA, united we stand, divided we fall. Now more than ever, we need to stand together – one voice, one community!

In conclusion, I’d like to inform you that I will now be publishing on a bi-weekly basis. Farm season is in full swing and between working long shifts and spending my limited free time with the family, I simply don’t have as much time to write. I plan on carrying the column throughout the remainder of the year and would like your participation. If anyone has a cannabis-related topic they are dying to learn about, DM me on Instagram and I’ll consider it.

All my love to Humboldt and Beyond!

Your Friend,

Jesse

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Jesse Duncan is a lifelong Humboldt County resident, a father of six, a retired financial advisor, and a full-time commercial cannabis grower. He is also the creator of NorCal Financial and Cannabis Consulting, a no-cost platform that helps small farmers improve their cultivation, business, and financial skills. Please check out his blog at, his Instagram at jesse_duncann, and connect with him on Linkedin.

OBITUARY: Teresa Danielle LaPietra, 1985-2022

LoCO Staff / Saturday, March 12, 2022 @ 6:56 a.m. / Obits

Teresa Danielle LaPietra
September 23, 1985 - December 14, 2021

Teresa Danielle LaPietra came into this world on the evening of September 23, 1985, in Orange, California. She left our world suddenly and unexpectedly on the morning of December 14, 2021.

Teresa lived her first 4 ½ years in Orange and in 1990 she and her family moved to Humboldt County. Teresa attended St. Mary’s Elementary in Arcata and St. Bernard’s Elementary and High School in Eureka, CA. When Teresa turned 16, she moved to southern California to live with her father and stepmother. She finished high school at Temescal Canyon in Lake Elsinore.

Teresa moved to Long Beach, where she lived some of the happiest years of her life. She attended Long Beach Junior College and Long Beach State University. Teresa loved living so close to the ocean and beach. She became an avid bicycle rider often riding with a bike group on several mile long rides. She worked as a barista at Berlin Bistro in Long Beach where she loved her job and enjoyed making artistic coffee creations.

In 2016 Teresa rejoined her mother in Eureka. She worked at Eureka Natural Foods at the beverage bar and finally at the North Coast Co-op in Arcata.

Teresa was an artistic and creative spirit. She enjoyed fashion design and decorating. Teresa was a sensitive, loving and caring individual. She loved life and lived her life to the fullest and always on her own terms! A few nights before Teresa left us, she and her mother enjoyed seeing the movie Encanto and going out to eat Mexican food together.

Teresa leaves behind her mother Jean, father John/Wilma her siblings Vince/Sara, John/Tanya, Robert/Sonia, Mando/Trish and Brenda. She also leaves behind several nieces and nephews her boyfriend Tim, her Aunt Patty and her many friends of Long Beach and Lake Elsinore, California and Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. Teresa was predeceased by her grandmother and grandfather Frank and Wanda LaPietra and her great grandmother Vera Barrile.

A celebration of Teresa’s life will be held Sunday May 1,2022 from 1-3 p.m. at Harbour Coffee and Wine 1651 Myrtle Ave. Suite B, Eureka. All who knew Teresa and her family are invited to stop by and share some time together. Teresa would want us all to always remember to be kind and loving to one another.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Teresa LaPietra’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

OBITUARY: Frank Stanley Povirk, 1942-2022

LoCO Staff / Saturday, March 12, 2022 @ 6:56 a.m. / Obits

Frank Stanley Povirk was born to Eleanor Indof Povirk and Frank C. Povirk in Greensburg, Penn. on July 28, 1942 and passed on March 10, 2022 in Eureka. He grew up alongside brother, James E. “Valentino” Povirk in the small western Pennsylvania town of Yukon and later attended Grove City College, where he studied hard to get a degree in metallurgy and met his future wife, Linda Flaherty and made lifelong friends of his Kappa Alpha Phi Brothers.

When we consider Frank’s small-town roots, and the obstacles he overcame to finish his degree, he was a tribute to hard work and determination. Frank excelled in his career, working for J&L, LTV, Davis-Walker and Republic Engineered Steels as chief metallurgist and sales engineer. He had a very successful career selling specialty alloy stainless steel that took him all over the world in the 1980s and 90s – Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, East Germany, Japan, Malaysia and many more. Frank had a special rapport with his customers and made some great memories in his travels. He would always bring the kids a sample of the local currency.

The steel business took him, Linda and their two children, Kurt and Kyra, from Pittsburgh to Michigan, and then to Irvine, California in 1979. It was a big change that Frank fully embraced. Weekends at Main Beach in Laguna or Aliso were common, as were frequent tennis games with neighbors at the courts of the Racquet Club. Old Pittsburgh neighbor, fellow Pittsburgh Steelers fan and best friend, Terry Bowman, lived in nearby Newport Beach. Their friendship grew stronger with many fun outings and almost every Thanksgiving spent with the Bowmans, whether at their home or in the Cabo San Lucas of the 1990s.

Frank loved animals, and we have fond memories of dogs Tipsy and Bridgette who brought him joy over the years. Terry surprised Frank with a tortoise on his 40th birthday; the creature was an escape artist and Frank took to sticking address labels and writing his phone number in white-out on its shell so it could be returned more easily. Frank was a problem solver.

In the early 1990s, Frank and Linda divorced and he met Angie Tracy, with whom he spent a fun and love-filled 23 years before moving to assisted living in 2016, and then to Eureka to be closer to his son, Kurt. After he and Angie met, he welcomed her and her two daughters, Holly and Christina into the family home and treated them like family too.

Frank had a lot of pride in his children, especially in son Kurt when he co-founded Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville. He enjoyed the the food and beer and being doted on by Talia and Meredith, Kurt’s business partners. Mention of Six Rivers always brought a sparkle to his eye.

Family was very important to Frank, and the kids have fond memories of going back East to family reunions at Westmorland County Park, where Frank would visit with his Aunts and other far-away family each July. He loved the gym, and he regularly attended 24 hour fitness in Irvine until his health no longer allowed. As his health deteriorated, long-time friend, Darci Liang, was a frequent visitor and helped with doctor appointments, shopping, and visited with him frequently; our group trips to King’s Fish House in Laguna Hills are missed.

Frank was strong and a testament to his nickname, Frank the Tank, to the very end. The family thanks the wonderful staff at Frye’s Care Home and Hospice of Humboldt for their care and attention to Frank and family. We were so blessed to have you by our side. Darci and Terry remained good and close friends with Frank; we all could only wish for such true friendship and love.

Frank was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Eleanor Povirk, brother Jim Povirk, and is survived by his daughter Kyra Povirk (Dave Lingle) of Salmon, Idaho, son Kurt Povirk and grandsons Monti and Killian Povirk of Bayside, nephew Josh Giannini of New York, numerous extended family and friends: Linda Povirk, Darci Liang, Terry Bowman, Doug and Traci Bowman, Angie Tracy, Holly and John Hamel, Christina Locke, the Wells family, the Bourassa family, and others. Many thanks to the professionals who supported the family over the years: Karen and Phil Schmidt, Ruth Dioquino of Care Art Homecare, and Tiffany Pascual of Oso Medical Pharmacy. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a local animal shelter or the Parkinson’s Disease foundation of your choice.

Services will be held at a later date at the West Newton Cemetery in West Newton, Penn.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Frank Povrik’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

Evenson Drops Out of Auditor-Controller Race, Throws Support Behind Challenger Cheryl Dillingham

Ryan Burns / Friday, March 11, 2022 @ 6:09 p.m. / Politics

Less than an hour after the Elections Office closed, and with it the window for candidates to qualify for the June primary ballot, Mychal Evenson announced on his campaign’s Facebook page that he is dropping out of the Humboldt County auditor-controller race and supporting Cheryl Dillingham’s bid to unseat incumbent Karen Paz Dominguez.

Paz Dominguez turned in her candidacy papers and signatures shortly before the deadline Friday.

Here’s the statement posted to Evenson’s campaign’s page:

Evenson
Hello Humboldt,
From the day I declared my candidacy, I have said that I would step down if a more qualified candidate arrived. A more qualified candidate arrived today and that person is Cheryl Dillingham. This election was never about me, it was about protecting my community and its future.
I had the honor of working for Cheryl when she was the interim Auditor-Controller. I have seen first hand that she has the communication, leadership, and accounting skill to unravel the mess that the county is in. I wholeheartedly endorse Cheryl and I will work to help her win this election.
I thank you for your support over the last few months. After we know more about what withdrawal looks like from county elections staff, I will reach out to each of my donors individually.

(AUDIO) HUMBOLDT HOLDING UP: Supervisor Virginia Bass on Deciding Not to Run For Reelection, the Candidates Vying For Her Seat and What She Learned Serving Steaks in Her Father’s Steakhouse

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