It’s officially past the March 10 deadline to file candidacy paperwork. And though Arcata City Council is not usually one of races held during the June primary, after former councilmember Emily Goldstein resigned mid-term, the remaining councilmembers opted to hold a special election to fill the vacant seat.

Arcata City Clerk Bridget Dory confirmed with the Outpost this evening that six candidates have qualified to run for the Arcata City Council seat. Below are their names and candidate statements submitted to the City of Arcata.

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Chase Marcum

Marcum qualified to run, but has not submitted a candidate statement to the city. The Outpost also could not find a photo of Marcum.

Humnath Panta

Humnath Panta, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of finance at Cal Poly Humboldt. Before joining Cal Poly Humboldt, he was an associate professor and Program Director in a prior institution. He earned his Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Texas at Arlington and a master’s degree in Financial Economics from Ohio University. He also

Panta | File photo

received a master’s degree in International Relations and a BA in English and Economics. He is a volunteer, an active scholar, a dedicated teacher, and an effective mentor for students with diverse backgrounds and career goals.

Dr. Panta has over twelve years of university teaching, five years of public service, more than five years of high school teaching, and three-plus years of corporate work experience. He has extensive experience in planning, budgeting, financial policies, capital improvement plans, spending, revenue policy, policy formulation, policy and procedure, strategic implementation, coordination, collaboration, and team building. Currently, he serves the City of Arcata as a Vice-Chair of the Economic Development Committee. He also serves North Coast Co-op as a Board Secretary.

Dr. Panta is running for Arcata City Council Member and respectfully asks for your support and a vote for a better City Council.

Dana Quillman

Humboldt County, California resident for 41 years. I am running for office because I don’t like what Arcata and the world have turned into. Many elected leaders are not protecting our Constitutional rights. I will do locally, whatever I can to stop the globalist agenda referred to as The Great Reset.

Quillman (right) with partner Paul Pitino | Photo: Facebook

The World Economic Forum and other globalist entities have created this agenda where the world’s population will be ruled by a one world, totalitarian, social credit surveillance system, the same way the CCP rules in China. The plan includes eliminating currencies, digitalizing all money, implementing dangerous 5G technology, forcing everyone to use a smart phone, and taking away body sovereignty from humans in order to force mass vaccination at any time, and without any liability. This new world order will give government complete control over all information, possibly even assets, thereby preventing any dissent. Goodbye freedom!

I support body sovereignty. I oppose censorship, discrimination, cancel culture, and coercion. I oppose minors making vaccine choices. I support parents having more power than school boards. I oppose all health mandates and laws including lockdowns, vaccine passports and face masking, in both public and private sectors.

Edith Rosen

Arcata is our home. I chose to move to Arcata over 21 years ago, as a single mother, to raise my daughters in a safe, healthy environment, and to further my education. With the support of this community, I’ve accomplished that, and more. Now it’s time, as intended, to give back to the community that helped foster a loving, caring environment for my daughters and me.

Rosen | Photo by Jessica Frint Photography, via the candidate’s Facebook page. 

With an MBA from Humboldt State, vast experience both in public and private sectors, and strong commitment to the betterment of our community, I am ideally suited to serve on Arcata City Council. I’ve worked in finance and management at local companies, owned a consulting business, and oversaw City of Arcata’s CCAP program. The common thread throughout these experiences is my innate service mentality; helping others, while forming lasting, meaningful connections.

This service mentality is my driving force to be part of the renewed vision that Arcata needs now. A vision of a safe inclusive community, sustainable growth through thoughtful planning, and a thriving economy. Arcata is our home. Let’s continue to treat it as such. It is an honor to have your vote and to serve our community on Arcata City Council.

Welcome home. Edith Rosen for Arcata City Council 2022.

Alexandra Stillman

So much has changed in Arcata since I moved here in 1971, and I am proud to have been involved in so many aspects of those positive changes. I was a part of making the Arcata Marsh happen and helped start Arcata Main Street to revitalize what was then a diminished downtown.

Stillman | Photo: Facebook

The first female mayor of Arcata, I served on the Arcata City Council for 16 years, being elected first in 1972 and then again in 2006. I have been a business owner since 1974, enriching Arcata as best I could while raising my family here. My additional involvement in this community includes being chair of the Arcata Historical Sites Society and serving on various committees, such as Godwit Days Migratory Bird Festival, Humboldt County Aviation Committee and serving as a Friends of the Arcata Marsh docent. I will continue to work hard for Arcata and would appreciate your vote on June 7th, 2022.

Kimberley White

With global crisis, environmental crises, economic crisis, the unhoused and unemployed, and COVID-19, the uncertainties we face are seemingly insurmountable. I am not interested in doing buisness as usual and am committed to dismantling exclusive and oppressive ways of doing government by shifting and sharing power thus creating more transparent and responsive government. I am Cooperation Humboldt’s CUNA program coordinator (a Valley West/North Arcata grassroots group), a City of Arcata planning commissioner, community advocate/volunteer, mother of a teenage daughter and proud Valley West resident.

White | Photo: Facebook

We need to deepen our connections with Cal Poly Humboldt where I received my master’s in Sociology. I am passionate about equity and economic revitalization/rebuilding our community, worker cooperatives, protecting our forests, wetlands/marshes, open spaces/parks, trails and addressing the climate emergency.

Volunteer/advocacy work includes: Valley West Trash Cleanups, True North, Food for People, Bayside Gardens, Winter Clothing Drives, CERC Housing (COVID Economic Resilience Committee), Relay for Life, Talent Search, Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, housing and school board member and co-author Mad River Union’s Valley West column. I have lived in Arcata (land of the Wiyot) more than 30 years and I am ready to bring my passion, education and experience to serve the people of Arcata.

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CORRECTION: The list of candidates initially sent to the Outpost had misspelled Chase Marcum’s last name. It has been changed to the correct spelling.

Press release from the California Air Resources Board:

Sherman-Warne.

The California Air Resources Board announced the appointment of Jill Sherman-Warne as the newest, and the first Native American Tribal member of the AB32 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee.

Jill Sherman-Warne is the Executive Director of the Native American Environmental Protection Coalition (NAEPC). She currently works with 27 tribes throughout California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. Sherman-Warne is an enrolled member of the Hoopa Tribe in Northern California. She serves on a variety of boards and committees providing a tribal voice. As a former elected official of her tribe, Sherman-Warne intimately understands how to engage tribes and the barriers to engaging tribes.

“We are delighted to now have a voice that represents California’s Native American communities on the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee,” said Chanell Fletcher, Deputy Executive Officer – Environmental Justice. “This will help us better understand how our programs and policies can address the concerns of California Tribal residents regarding air quality and public health in their communities.”

Sherman-Warne graduated from Humboldt State and built her respected professional reputation serving tribes in a variety of capacities from language learning, vocational rehabilitation, grant writing, environmental planning, and emergency response.

Sherman-Warne immerses her energy into building scalable tribal programs to increase and strength the tribal sovereignty as well as increasing the professional capacity of tribal environmental staff and engaging tribes on environmental issues.

Sherman-Warne enjoys providing tribes the necessary tools to improve their capacity and capability to meet and exceed federal standards without increasing management burdens.

Sherman-Warne is a Senior Consultant to the Environmental Finance Center West and currently serves as a member of the San Diego American Indian Health Clinic Board of Directors, UC San Diego Chancellor’s Community Advisory Board, San Diego Water Advisory Board and on the Clean Vehicle Assistance (CVA) Advisory Board.

Her first session with the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee was on February 28.

Press release from CALFIRE:

This month, the CAL FIRE Humboldt – Del Norte Unit Emergency Command Center (ECC) had received multiple reports of vegetation fires near the end of Highway 169 East on the Yurok Reservation. Several fires occurred at the Jack Norton Elementary School, with one directly behind the classroom and another near a propane tank.

Over the course of several incidents, some of which involved multiple fires at a time, a person of interest was identified. On March 10th, 2022, CAL FIRE Law Enforcement, assisted by Yurok Tribal Police, contacted Louie Meyers, a local resident. Mr. Meyers is a suspect in causing multiple vegetation fires in the area.

Meyers was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on the following charge:

• PC 451(c) – Arson of a structure or forest land (six counts)

The CAL FIRE Humboldt – Del Norte Unit would like thank the public for reporting these fires. While the use of prescribed fire can be an effective tool to reduce hazardous vegetative fuels, uncontrolled fires such as these threaten residents, structures, and other property. Lack of rainfall in recent months further added to the risk these fires created.

Dillingham

On the second-to-last day before the filing deadline, Cheryl Dillingham, a longtime Humboldt County employee currently working as finance director in Rio Dell, submitted her candidate intention statement in the race for the county’s auditor-controller position.

“I have decided to run for auditor-controller because I believe I am uniquely qualified to do the work needed to get Humboldt County’s financial accounting and reporting in order,” she told the Outpost during a phone call this morning. “I feel that I can provide the leadership needed to deliver services that are accountable, efficient, and transparent.”

During her three decades with the county, Dillingham spent a decade working in the Auditor-Controller’s Office and eight years in Public Works before heading back to the A-C’s office. She spent two years as the assistant auditor-controller and later became the assistant county administrative officer. For a few months in early 2016, following the retirement of former CAO Phillip Smith-Hanes, Dillingham worked as the interim county administrative officer, a position she was appointed to by the Board of Supervisors.

In April of 2018, following former Auditor-Controller Joe Mellett’s early retirement, the Board of Supervisors unanimously appointed Dillingham interim auditor-controller, a role she filled until Karen Paz Dominguez took the reins in January 2019. In the three years since, Dillingham has offered support to that office.

Asked about her next-to-last-minute filing, Dillingham said, “The reason it’s coming very late is [that] it’s a very hard decision that I’ve put a lot of thought and consideration into. I very much respect the current auditor-controller and was hoping for her to be successful, and I just don’t feel like that’s happening.”

Paz Dominguez has faced criticism, votes of “no confidence” and even a threat of legal action from the state attorney general over her failure to submit mandated financial reports on time. 

Dillingham said she’s confident in her ability to solve that issue.

“I have filed those reports and I filed those reports timely when I was in the position,” she said. “However you want to put it — been there, done that, never had an issue with it.”

She said she has become increasingly concerned about the state of the Auditor-Controller’s Office as she read coverage in local media, and she reiterated that she feels “uniquely qualified to try to come in and help get this ship sailing in the right direction again.”

With just a few hours left before the 5 p.m. filing deadline, this is now a three-way race between incumbent Paz Dominguez, Dillingham and fellow challenger Mychal Evenson.

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Indoor masking will no longer be mandatory at K-12 schools and child care facilities after midnight tonight. While masking will no longer be required in California schools, public health officials continue to “strongly recommend” masking in indoor public settings.

What does this mean for your kids? It depends on which district you’re in. Some districts are taking the state’s recommendation as a suggestion, while others have taken a more cautious approach and opted to keep the mandate in place. 

“I think [Public Health has] made it very clear that we still strongly recommend that schools continue to mask after March 11,” former Humboldt County Public Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman said during a press briefing last week. “…This is a highly unvaccinated population on the whole, being that only about 25 to 30% [are fully vaccinated] statewide and locally, but there are trade-offs. They’re also much less likely to have severe outcomes. I think that moving towards this is really something that allows for each community to make the decisions for themselves and each individual and make the decision for themselves.”

Hoffman acknowledged that some parents may feel it is too soon to lift the mask mandate but said, “If [Public Health] felt the risk was too high, we would certainly keep the requirements in place.”

Michael Davies-Hughes, Superintendent of Schools for Humboldt County, told the Outpost that the Humboldt County Office of Education will no longer require masking for students and staff after March 11. “However, since several of our programs are located at schools in other districts, we will honor their requirements, which may be more restrictive,” he added.

“Keep in mind that our youngest learners below age [five] are not eligible for a vaccine at this time,” he said. “Schools also have individuals with compromised immune systems and other health concerns on their campuses. Some school districts may choose to continue to require masking. In the absence of such local decisions, students and families will need to make a decision that is best for them.”

“Regardless of individual choices, our responsibility as citizens is to be kind, accepting, respectful and safe,” he added.

The Outpost reached out to a handful of local school districts and it looks as though there is a mixed approach to the mask mandate being lifted.

Fred Van Vleck, Superintendent of the Eureka City Unified School District, and Glen Senestraro, Superintendent of the Fortuna Union High School District, told the Outpost that their districts would continue to strongly recommend masking and both encouraged parents to talk with their children about what is most comfortable for them.

The Rio Dell Elementary School Board unanimously voted to ditch the mask mandate ahead of public health’s announcement as “the prevalence of COVID-19 has decreased dramatically and the community widely supports student choice.”

“The Rio Dell Elementary School Board recognizes the importance of an academic rigorous classroom and also recognizes that constant mask reminders and reprimands during the instructional time can be disruptive to the learning environment,” according to a Feb. 17 statement shared by district Superintendent Angela Johnson. “…The Rio Dell School District will move forward with its continued focus on the academic instruction for our students and will encourage students to wear a mask indoors but will not seek disciplinary action for those students that do not comply.”

Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District Superintendent Jennifer Glueck said her district will move with caution and “will continue to require that masks be worn indoors at all [district] settings, even after the state mandate expires,” according to the district’s website.

More information from the California Department of Public Health can be found here.

There’s a collective groan, rippling across California, as drivers pull into gas stations and see prices above $5.

Gas prices per gallon are getting higher across the U.S., but prices in California are soaring higher than any other state according to the American Automobile Association. Yesterday, the average price of gas in California was $5.69 — up from $4.68 a month ago — while the national average was $4.32.

Much of what has driven up gas prices over the past several months is outside of California lawmakers’ control: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the sanctions that followed, have spiked prices, combined with the fact that demand for oil has ramped up from pandemic lows faster than supply.

California’s gas prices tend to be higher than other states in part because of higher taxes for infrastructure and environmental fees. State lawmakers raised the gas tax by 12 cents after a fraught battle in 2017 to pay for roads, bridges, transit projects, and more. Then there’s some amount of higher gas prices in California that’s harder to account for, which Severin Borentein, an energy economist at UC Berkeley, has dubbed the Mystery Gasoline Surcharge.

But people are feeling the effects of climbing prices now, and both Democrat and Republican state lawmakers say they want to help. One option is decreasing the state tax on gas suppliers, with the aim of reducing prices. Another, which Gov. Gavin Newsom teased in his State of the State address, is some form of rebate to help defray the higher cost of gas.

Here’s how each of those proposals would work, and what they would mean for Californians.

Decrease the tax on gas suppliers — but by how much?

California taxes gas before it gets sold and uses the money to fund highway improvements and transit projects. Right now that tax — paid by suppliers — is about 51 cents per gallon, which makes it the second highest in the nation, after Pennsylvania’s tax. It increases a little bit each year to keep up with inflation. This July the tax is set to go up by about 3 cents per gallon.

Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom made a modest proposal in January, before Russia invaded Ukraine: Pause the increase for one year. In other words, don’t let the tax go up by 3 cents this year. The Newsom administration described it as an effort “to potentially lower the price of gasoline” and provide some relief to consumers.

The proposal is so small that “it’s not going to have an effect that anyone will notice,” said Borenstein, the Berkeley economist. Drivers probably wouldn’t notice, but people managing state infrastructure budgets probably would: The plan would cost the state about $523 million in lost revenue. That would mostly wind up affecting funding for state highway projects in a couple of years, according to analysis from the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Leaders of the majority-Democrat Legislature, which Newsom would need to get on board with his plan, aren’t wild about the idea, saying “our focus cannot be a small cut to the gas tax that might not get passed on to consumers.”

California Republicans have proposed wiping away the whole 51 cent tax in the short term. Last year, Republican state senators proposed suspending the tax completely for a year; this year, Granite Bay Republican Kevin Kiley proposed getting rid of the tax for six months. The six-month proposal would cost the state somewhere between $4 to $4.5 billion in lost revenue, according to estimates from Assemblymember Kiley’s office. In both cases, the lost tax money for infrastructure would be made up for by a one-time infusion of other state funds into infrastructure accounts.

“The gas tax is something that we control as state lawmakers and it is one lever by which we can provide California taxpayers a bit of relief,” said Kiley. It would be impossible for a Republican to get a bill passed through the Democrat-controlled legislature without significant support from Democrats; so far a couple of Democrats have expressed interest in the proposal.

But because the tax applies to gas suppliers, the price of gas would go down only if gas sellers actually pass the savings along to consumers by reducing the price of gas. And there aren’t any guarantees on how much of the savings they’d pass along.

In February, economists at the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office reviewed research on how changes in fuel taxes affect fuel prices, said Seth Kerstein, an economist at the agency. They estimated that between two-thirds to 100% of the governor’s proposal — or 2 to 3 cents per gallon — would likely be passed along to people paying at the pump.

If that same estimated range applies to the Republicans’ larger tax break — which the agency did not analyze — it would translate into roughly 34 to 51 cents per gallon in savings at the pump. Generally, economic theory would say that larger tax changes would get passed through in the same way as smaller ones, said James Bushnell, an energy economist at UC Davis. But gas tax changes are also generally much smaller than 51 cents, so the research has been focused on the impacts of smaller changes, he said.

That was before Russia invaded Ukraine and the sanctions on Russian companies and gas that followed threw the international gas market into flux.

Gas tax breaks “come up every time there’s some kind of oil shock,” said Bushnell. “And that’s the absolute worst time to cut these taxes if the goal is to relieve customer prices.” Gas sellers are less likely to pass all of the savings on to customers when the supply of gas is constrained. In other words, while the war is affecting the gas supply, a gas tax cut could mean more profits for gas sellers, and less of a price reduction.

On top of that, California may have a less competitive market for gas distribution and retail than other states, Borenstein, the Berkeley economist, has found. Far more gasoline in California “flows through stations that are owned by refiners or have long-term contracts that give the refiners significant control over gas prices,” he wrote. That could make it even more likely that sellers pocket some of the savings of a gas tax break for themselves.

“While the war is affecting the gas supply, a gas tax cut could mean more profits for gas sellers, and less of a price reduction.”
— James Bushnell, energy economist, UC Davis

In addition to the question of just how much tax breaks would actually save consumers, Borenstein said reducing or getting rid of the gas tax would be bad policy.

“We need gasoline prices to reflect the real costs to society,” said Borenstein, referring to the negative effects of greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, as well as costs of cars hitting other cars, bikers, or pedestrians. When you add up all those costs, gas taxes are actually too low, he wrote in an analysis of the governor’s proposal.

Checks from the state for high gas prices

During his State of the State address on Tuesday, Newsom unveiled another idea for helping Californians with high gas prices. Or, at least, the germ of an idea.

“I’ll be submitting a proposal to put money back in the pockets of Californians to address rising gas prices,” he said. The proposal will be a tax rebate and give billions of dollars to Californians, a spokesperson for the governor said, though it’s not clear yet who exactly will get the money and how much they will get.

The money may be tied to owning a car that’s registered with the state, said Dee Dee Myers, an economic advisor to Newsom. People who have switched to other modes of transit to reduce their carbon footprint aren’t wild about that idea.

It could also wind up looking like the stimulus checks California sent out last year, said Chris Hoene, executive director of California Budget and Policy Center. If the last stimulus program is an indicator, the state could send out checks a couple of months after lawmakers reach an agreement, Hoene said.

Sending out checks to everyone — if lawmakers go that route — would also be more economically equitable than lowering the price of gas.

Funding could come from the state’s estimated $21 billion surplus. But there’s a lot of “ifs” and “maybes” because most of the details still need to be worked out with the legislature.

This proposal would also ensure that money intended to reach Californians actually does, said Bushnell, the UC Davis economist.

Sending out checks to everyone — if lawmakers go that route — would also be more economically equitable than lowering the price of gas, said Borenstein. Wealthier people use more energy than poorer people on average, so lowering the price of gas would help them more. If lawmakers send out checks, they could choose who gets how much.

A rebate could also help Californians deal with other rising costs, like rent and electricity. For most people those other costs actually make a larger dent in their bank accounts than gas, said Borenstein, but they aren’t as publicly visible.

As the U.S. turns away from Russian oil, there’s a fundamental reality that we’ll have to make do with less fuel, said James Hamilton, an energy economist at UC San Diego. And when it comes to gas prices, Hamilton doesn’t think good news is right around the corner. “I think they’re headed up before they come down.”

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CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Patrick Shane Baird Jr, age 42, died in his home in Fortuna on March 3, 2022 surrounded by his loved ones, who will continue to honor his legacy by living their lives to the fullest. Patrick graduated Highland High School in 1997 in Sacramento and moved to Humboldt County in 2014 where he met and married Christy Louise Baird (Belloni). Patrick earned his CISCO certification and went onto to work for Pac Bell, AT&T and most recently at USPS prior to his passing.

Patrick was born August 9, 1979 at Sutter Memorial Hospital, in Sacramento. Patrick was born with cystic fibrosis and he spent every day of his life fighting to stay alive and accomplish everything he desired. Patrick received two double lung transplants and spoke often for the California Transplant Donor Network, sharing his story and encouraging others to sign up to donate their organs when they no longer need them.

The simplest pleasures in life brought great joy to Patrick, but nothing was more central to who Patrick was than the love of family. Patrick cherished growing up and being surrounded by cousins and was always the first one to pull a prank. Patrick’s sister, Jessica, describes Patrick as the best big brother who was always there when needed. As a husband and father, Patrick was the calm force that kept the family centered and focused on moving forward.

Second to family, Patrick loved sports. All sports in general, however baseball was his favorite. Not only was Patrick a fan, but he got the most joy watching and coaching his children in soccer, volleyball, basketball, and baseball. He would beam on the sidelines with every success and was always there to support after every tough game. Patrick touched everybody’s lives and made it a point to support and encourage other kids to succeed in their sport of choice. Outside of youth sports, Patrick was avid fan of the Oakland A’s, Sacramento Kings, and San Francisco 49ers. Patrick would tell everyone he knew, if he would have known Christy was a Seattle Seahawks fan he would not asked her out on a date.

Patrick was very personable and friendly. He never knew a stranger and would always make you feel welcomed. Anyone who knew Patrick was touched by his kindness, humor, and mild temperament. He was truly a peacemaker and was always a source of positivity. Patrick also loved adventure, travel and especially warm weather.

Patrick is survived by his wife, Christy Baird, and children Madison Belloni, Sklar Little, and Mariqus Ludd. In addition, he leaves his grandmother Marjory P Lowman, his mother Donna L Baird, his stepfather William Bullis, his sister Jessica L Eller, and her husband Michael C Eller along with several aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children. Lastly, his mother-in-law Helen Belloni and sister-in-law’s, Carolyn Belloni & Celinda Belloni.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Jesse A Baird, Mardell Baird, and Donald E Lowman. His father Patrick Shane Baird, and uncles David M Lowman, Michael Baird, Jesse A Baird, and his aunt Susan E Lowman.

The family wishes to thank all those who have helped and supporting along the way, with a special thank you going to Humboldt Oncology and Dr. Heestand of Stanford Hospital for their care of Patrick.

Celebration of life will take place at Rio Dell Fire Hall in Rio Dell on Saturday, March 26 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Donations is his honor can be made to one of the following: Fortuna Union High School Baseball Program, Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute, Hospice of Humboldt.

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