Annette May Draper, age 59, passed away on January 6, 2022. She was born in Los Angeles on February 16, 1962 to Diane and John Draper. She was known as Tamara by her family in California as she grew up, then later as “Amazon Anne” by her friends, or “Big Tex.” Anne moved to Texas in 1988 after the birth of her first daughter, Krisanny. Five years later, she had her second daughter, Brina. Her daughters were her pride and joy. Although she only had two children, Anne was mother to many.

While in Texas, Anne bought her home in Longview, Texas. She also started her own business, The Moving Store. Not only did she own the Company, but Anne worked alongside the crew as well. She was one tough, beautiful lady.

Anne moved back to California to be closer to her sisters and brothers in McKinleyville. She brought her Texas southern accent and her homemade delicious cooking. While in McKinleyville, Anne joined a couple of pool teams. She enjoyed playing at Central Station and the Moose Lodge. She was a pool shark.

Anne was one of the most beautiful, smart, loving people you could know. Her laugh was contagious and she always had the best jokes.

Though Anne fought many demons throughout her life, her final years were the most difficult for her. She never stopped having faith in the Lord and would quote scripture often. Psalm 46: 1-2” God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.”

Anne is survived by her Mother Diane Norton, her daughters Krisanny Knupp and Brina Coffman, Brothers Michael Norton and Glen Norton, Sisters Brenda Norton, Tina Norton, and Marianne Norton, Grandchild Kinsley Knupp and countless nieces and nephews.

No services are planned at this time.

Andrea Ellison passed away unexpectedly in Eureka from a heart condition at age 80 on January 17, 2022. She made her home in Eureka with her husband of 40 years, Kevin Ellison.

She was born in Fortuna on September 8, 1941 to Norman Carl and Mary Elizabeth (House) Grunert and was raised and educated there. On September 28, 1989, she married the love of her life, Kevin Ellison.

Andrea began her working life in her father’s business in Fortuna. As the years went by, she discovered she had two true callings — as a certified caregiver and a legendary country cook. Over the years she nursed, cared and cooked for several dozen senior and disabled clients with patience, love, experience, laughter and an ethical dedication to the families she served.

She loved to cook and was at her very best when presented with local ingredients; wild duck, mushrooms, Dungeness crab, clams, wild salmon and other fresh local foods. Andrea was a forager, fisherman, hunter and adventurer. She and Kevin kept a bountiful garden and orchard in their small yard. She wrote a monthly column for the Humboldt Beacon as the “Backwoods Gourmet” telling hilarious stories of cooking in the wild. She worked for several catering companies but was happiest when she could feed friends or family.

She will miss and be missed by her pets and was an animal lover: dogs, cats, horses, wolves, racoons, birds and other creatures. You could always find her with a dog on her lap in her recliner, telling stories. She was known for her gift as a storyteller and was intelligent, witty, clever and always ready with a quick comeback. She was strong both physically and emotionally and overcame a myriad of health problems over her lifetime.

Over the last 10 years, her husband Kevin became her full-time caregiver, providing medical assistance, love and support for her daily. Her family will always be grateful for his devotion. She cast a big shadow and will leave a large hole in the lives of those who knew and loved her.

She is survived by her husband Kevin Ellison of Eureka, her son Joe Farnsworth (Amy) of Fortuna, CA, her grandchildren Cassandra Nichols (Brendan) of Poway, CA, Garrett Farnsworth and Taylor Rose Farnsworth, both of Lewiston, ID. Andrea had one great-grandchild, Kieran Joseph Nichols of Poway, CA. She is also survived by her sister Kathy Major of Ferndale, CA, brother Frank Grunert of Ruth, CA, sister Nikki Grunert of Dallas, TX and her step-sister Amanda (Baer) James along with several nieces and nephews including Michel D’Arcy (Kieu) of Westminster, CA and Andria D’Arcy of West Hartford, CT. She was preceded in death by her parents Norman and Mary Grunert and beloved grandparents Frank and Vivian Grunert.

The family would like to thank Dr. Allen Mathew, Dr. Andrew Hooper, Dr. Michael Palmer, Tuesday Lavoie and Andrea’s special caring friend of four years, Julie Williamson.

No memorial services are planned at this time. There will be an outdoor celebration of Andrea’s life, complete with bonfire, planned for Summer 2022.

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If you’re a fan of these Brady Bunch-style screenshot grids from Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meetings (above), well, enjoy them while you can because starting March 1, the supes are headed back into board chambers — the whole gang gathering in the same room for the first time in nearly two years. 

County staff, including the IT Department, has been busy upgrading the equipment inside chambers, adding an extra camera, a new sound system and something called a “tricaster” to facilitate live-streaming. They also plan to implement “Vote Cast” software, which, as we understand it, will allow each supervisor to cast their vote by pressing a button, rather than calling out “yea” or “nay” or some variation thereof. The results will pop up on a scoreboard in chambers.

All that’s left to do before go time is conduct some “mock meetings” to make sure everything’s running smoothly, according to Clerk of the Board Kathy Hayes. The supervisors sounded pretty pumped about getting back to in-person meetings and voted unanimously to do so starting in March.

What else happened at Tuesday’s meeting? Glad you asked. You’ll find a rundown below.

COVID contract

It’s not particularly surprising that the meeting kicked off with a smattering of wackadoo public comments about COVID-19. (Example: a pre-recorded comment that characterized isolation and quarantine measures as “the COVID Gestapo” and predicted a fascist progression toward COVID “internment camps.”)

Such remarks came from trio of anti-vaxx/mask-mandate callers, who’ve become regulars during the pandemic. They objected to a professional services agreement between the county and Public Health Institute, a firm offering staffing services to assist the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) with COVID case investigation and contact tracing.

What was a bit surprising was the testiness of the ensuing board conversation. First District Supervisor Rex Bohn said the public had asked some very good questions and deserved answers about such matters as the effectiveness of contact tracing at this point in the pandemic, given the high case rates, and the price tag of up to $634,013 for employing Public Health Institute’s services through April 12. (That funding is supplied via state-allocated grants, according to a staff report.)

Bohn also remarked on the pattern of COVID-related items being put on the consent calendar, as this item was, only to see them become the subject of public debate. This triggered some procedural confusion over whether to pull the item for discussion, with Bohn’s colleagues encouraging him to do so since he had so many questions.

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson said this was merely a contract matter rather than a policy decision and thus shouldn’t be controversial. But Bohn persisted with his inquiries, and the matter was officially pulled for discussion.

Public Health Director Sofia Pereira said Public Health Institute’s team of 10 workers has helped DHHS work to improve population-level health, focusing their contact tracing efforts on vulnerable populations such as homeless shelters, skilled nursing facilities and other congregate living settings. DHHS Assistant Director Michele Stephens agreed, saying, “We absolutely need this outside support.”

With Bohn’s continued questioning, DHHS Director Connie Beck asked him whether he’d like her staff to come back next week with a more comprehensive report on their COVID-19 response efforts. Wilson and Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass said they weren’t sure whether Bohn was referring to the comments about the Gestapo and internment camps when he mentioned the “very good questions” being asked. 

Bohn, growing frustrated, said he wasn’t.

“I — seriously. Shit,” he uttered before the board went back to public comment.

Eventually Bohn seemed satisfied that the questions had been answered satisfactorily, and the board voted unanimously to extend the contract through April 12.

Community halls

Wilson and Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone brought forward a resolution in support of local community halls, which, like others across the state, have been engaged in a years-long battle with the California State Grange organization over control of the rural gathering places.

Fieldbrook resident Rowetta Miller spoke on behalf of her community’s hall, saying the new leadership of the California State Grange has transformed the organization into exactly what the community center has fought against for the past 83 years: a large corporation bent on making an unjust land grab. 

Another grange advocate, Margie Plant, said, “It can only be considered as a forced takeover of community property” and urged people to visit a website dedicated to saving the local halls. 

Wilson said he understands that there have been many legal battles around this issue, and the resolution isn’t intended to take a stand on any of the underlying legal issues. Rather, it’s “just in support of those folks trying to maintain what they’ve found successful in keeping these community spaces together.”

Bohn said he’d prefer to “stay away from this one,” saying the state organization appears to have the upper hand, legally. “I think the horses are already out of the barn,” he said. “We’re gonna have to organize and figure out how to work with ‘em.”

Nonetheless, the board passed the resolution unanimously.

Samoa Wastewater Project

Later in the meeting, Planning and Building Director John Ford outlined for the board some policy changes that needed to be made, per direction from the California Coastal Commission, in order to move forward with the long-planned Samoa Peninsula Wastewater Project.

Ford said the policy document being presented today reflects the need to balance many factors, including groundwater quality, private property rights, sea-level rise and tsunami inundation.

Senior Planner John Miller told the board that the modifications suggested by the Coastal Commission will disallow all conditionally permitted uses and Accessory Dwelling Units on properties located within 300 feet of the proposed new sewer line. That means no manufactured home parks, no guest houses, no bed and breakfast establishments and no neighborhood commercial buildings, among other restrictions.

But staff recommended the board approve the new version of a policy resolution, allowing the project to move forward. 

Bohn questioned whether this would mean that the many legal lots in Fairhaven that are within 300 feet of the proposed infrastructure would be unable to do any type of development.

Miller said there would be a prohibition on additional extension of the public sewer main unless the board further amended the Humboldt Bay Area Local Coastal Program. But new development can occur on existing legal lots, subject to requirements designed to protect lives and property from tsunami and sea level rise while also protecting environmentally sensitive habitat areas outside of the 300-foot margin.

Rob Holmlund, former community services director for the City of Eureka and recently hired development director for the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, called in to express support for the project, saying it will be good for both water quality and economic development. 

Bohn was skeptical. “So we should anticipate not building anything on the Samoa [Peninsula], Fairhaven and everything else for any time in our lifetimes, right?” he asked. 

Wilson said he believes there are 82 lots within the 300-foot boundary being discussed, and Ford said those lots already can’t be developed because a sufficient septic system can’t be installed there. 

“The concern is is that putting a sewer there does make them now developable, and that’s being balanced against the fact that this is within an area that subject to sea level rise,” Ford said. Staff hopes to find an answer for this conundrum with an update of the Humboldt Bay Area plan, he added.

Eventually, the board was asked to vote on the matter. When Bohn was called upon to cast his vote he said, “Sure. Sucks.” Nevertheless, the motion passed unanimously. 

Eel River Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Shortly before the lunch break, the board approved a state-mandated groundwater sustainability plan for the Eel River Valley. The plan, which was discussed at length earlier this month, has been a heavy lift for staff, but it was legally mandated by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 (SGMA). And the county has to submit the plan by the end of the month.

Hank Seemann, the county’s deputy director of environmental services, said extensive analysis has shown that the groundwater in the Eel River Basin is being managed sustainably. Staff created a computer model to analyze whether pumping from the groundwater aquifer has a “significant and unreasonable effect” on migration of adult salmon and steelhead in the Lower Eel and Lower Van Duzen rivers. They concluded that pumping volumes could double without negatively affecting the fish.

Watershed projects and stream habitat restoration would be a better investment — and be more effective — than limiting pumping in the basin, Seemann said. The county will have to conduct periodic monitoring of groundwater levels going forward.

Seemann explained that the Department of Water Resources will publish the county’s groundwater sustainability plan for public review. The agency will then have up to two years conduct a review and determination, and county staff will need to update the plan in five years based on any new information.

During the public comment period, Alicia Hamann, executive director of the environmental nonprofit Friends of the Eel River, took issue with the groundwater plan, saying it fails to protect the public trust interest in groundwater and doesn’t comply with SGMA.

She quoted from a comment letter submitted by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which argued that continued groundwater use will negatively impact the viability of listed species and the greater ecosystem. If or when the state rejects this plan, Hamann said, the county should develop “meaningful regulatory mechanisms for groundwater use.”

Scott Greacen, Friends of the Eel River’s conservation director, expanded on those comments, saying the county has a duty to protect public trust values.

“In the Lower Eel River Valley, the water tapped by wells and pumps is connected to the water flowing down the Eel River,” Greacen said, noting that the river ran completely dry below Fortuna in 2014. The model and analysis underlying the county’s groundwater plan “do not support the county’s claim that groundwater extraction cannot affect salmon and steelhead in the Lower Eel,” Greacen said.

Melissa Lema, a field rep for Western United Dairies, representing 32 dairies in the Eel River Basin, disagreed, saying data shows that the Eel River Valley “has had a stable and thus far sustainable cycle of groundwater use since record keeping began in the 1950s and even in years of extreme drought.”

Lema argued that asking groundwater users to cut back “doesn’t make sense and could have significant economic impact impacts on farms and ranches with very little positive impact on the health of our groundwater basin, or the Eel River itself.”

After public comment ended, Seemann addressed the concerns brought up by Friends of the Eel River. 

“Some people look at the lower rivers and they see conditions that are not optimal or not favorable for fish, which is true,” he said, “but we did not find evidence that those conditions were directly caused by groundwater use.”

The board wound up approving the plan, though Bohn voted no, saying, “We should even be here in the first place.”

Reached after the meeting, Bohn explained that he strongly disagrees with the state assessment that (barely) found the Eel River Basin meets the criteria to require a groundwater management plan under SGMA. So his vote wasn’t against the plan, per se, but rather a protest vote over the justification for even needing a plan.

“My biggest concern is we will have a lot of unnecessary restraints on our dairy farmers,” he said.

UPDATE, 4:50 p.m.: Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On January 25, 2022, at about 3:25 p.m., the Eureka Police Department was notified that Eureka High School was placed on lockdown after receiving the report of a firearm brandished in a locker room. Officers responded and set up a perimeter and began investigating.

At about 3:55 p.m., officers located and detained the involved students. During the course of the investigation, officers located a BB gun and confirmed that it was what was brandished during the incident. No injuries were reported.

At about 4:30 p.m., the lockdown was lifted and students were released. The Eureka Police Department is working closely with Eureka High School to further investigate the incident.

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UPDATE: 4:40 p.m.: “Eureka Police has located a BB gun and involved students,” says EPD Facebook. “There is no further threat and the lockdown has been lifted. Students should be released from their classrooms shortly.”

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UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.: Sgt. LaFrance just announced to waiting parents that the lockdown is over and kids should be coming out now.

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UPDATE, 4:20 p.m.: A few more photos from the scene, taken in the last couple of minutes. The crowd on onlookers has grown, says Goff, but the emergency seems to be over.

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UPDATE, 4:10 p.m.: “It is believed that the students involved in the incident have been detained. Police are continuing to investigate out of extreme caution,” says EPD Facebook.

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UPDATE, 4:05 p.m.: EPD Sgt. Leonard LaFrance tells the Outpost’s Andrew Goff that police are wrapping up and hope to be out of there soon — a good sign.

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Eureka High School went on lockdown just before school let out this afternoon, and police have shown up in droves.

Brittany Powell, police spokesperson, tells the Outpost that their agency is still trying to figure out exactly what it going on, but that the lockdown was prompted by a report of a possible firearm on campus.

J Street is currently closed near the school, according to the Outpost’s Andrew Goff, who is at the scene. North Coast News, which was livestreaming from the scene a few moments ago, reported that police activity seemed to be focused on the gymnasium.

The EPD Facebook page says that it will post updates here as it receives more information. And we’ll update as we know more.

North Coast News livestream:

This just in from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Check out the newest piece of equipment now being carried by our patrol deputies! The Bola Wrap is a handheld device that propels a 7.5 foot Kevlar cord, wrapping a persons legs or arms. It’s meant to be used during crisis situations as an alternative to pain compliance tools (such as pepper spray, taser, or less lethal shotgun) in order to take an individual safely into custody. As you’ll see in the video, the Bola Wrap is LOUD and has a startle effect on the individual, but does not cause prolonged or intense pain.

Watch the video below to learn more about the Bola Wrap and see it in action!

Interviews filmed during deputy training on this new tool in late-November, hence, the “No Shave November” beards.

It is likely that no one will get to attend Samoa Beach Academy. The career and technical education charter high school – designed by a group of local tradespeople and business owners and backed by Danco, which hoped to build and own the Samoa-based school facilities – has again earned a stamp of disapproval, this time by Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools Michael Davies-Hughes. 

Read the full staff report at this link. 

[UPDATE, FEB. 8: … and read Samoa Beach Academy’s response at this link.]

It’s been an unrelenting journey for SBA’s petitioners, who originally submitted their proposal to the Northern Humboldt Union High School District, which includes Samoa in its boundaries. The proposal outlined a school offering three CTE pathways – residential and commercial construction, patient care, and business management. After NoHum staff recommended disapproval of the charter, petitioners withdrew the proposal and resubmitted a second draft they hoped adequately addressed concerns raised by the district, but it was not so. NoHum staff again recommended denial of the charter, which the board affirmed in September. In October, SBA submitted an appeal to HCOE.

The Humboldt County Board of Education hosted a listening session for the proposed school in December, where several community members and parents voiced support for SBA. The board will vote on whether to approve the CTE high school at its Feb. 9 meeting, based on findings and recommendations completed by HCOE staff. The findings, which are published on HCOE’s website, recommends denial of the charter due to its unsound educational program and unviable budget. Also, the petition failed to provide enough signatures from meaningfully interested teachers, HCOE found. But perhaps what stands out most is the charter’s relationship with Danco, prompting budgetary and conflict-of-interest concerns from HCOE.

“The proposed facility’s costs are excessively high so as to raise concerns of misuse of public funds, and the proposed lease runs afoul of Government Code Section 1090,” the staff report reads. The proposed facilities, which would be built and owned by Danco, would cost SBA $300,000 in rent its first year in operation, increasing to $649,459 by year five. In addition to rent and utilities, the charter school would be responsible for real estate taxes, building insurance and maintenance.

“These costs are excessively high for this location and the increases year-to-year are quite unusual. For example, Northern United – Humboldt Charter School leases several facilities across Humboldt County. Their most expensive lease costs approximately $1.10 per square foot per year. That lease also is a triple net lease, and has an annual 3% rent increase built into the contract. By contrast, SBA will be paying $15.96 per square foot in rent alone in the first year, with costs increasing to $34.54 per square foot in year five,” the report reads. 

“Additionally, and importantly, legal counsel identified concerns regarding conflict-of-interest requirements that likely prevent use of this facility in its entirety.” 

The report notes that the owner of Danco, Dan Johnson, is not identified in the petition by name. Lead petitioner David Lonn later told HCOE that Johnson is the “local businessman with deep educational experience” mentioned as a consultant on the petition. 

“This relationship runs afoul of Government Code Section 1090, which has been interpreted to apply to both consultants and businesses in relationships such as this one,” staff wrote.

“In other words, SBA may not enter into the proposed lease.”

In addition to that, staff who completed the report have several concerns about SBA’s educational program. 

“The proposal for CTE does not appear to be meaningfully integrated into required coursework for graduation; the CTE proposed does not appear to be have been chosen with students’ needs in mind; and the program is not likely to be of educational benefit to students with academic, behavior, and/or social-emotional deficits, students who are English Learners, and students with disabilities,” the document summarizes.

The report specifies that SBA’s proposed curriculum places overly hefty expectations on teachers, who would need to integrate all three CTE pathways into each and every core course – an unrealistic and educationally impractical assumption, staff say.

On top of that, the vast three CTE pathways – which were chosen based on reviewing occupations by median earnings among Samoa residents – “is likely to lead to an unfocused program that students cannot complete,” the report claims, noting that after committing to one pathway in ninth grade, it would be nearly impossible for a student to change their mind later.

Other concerns include a support system unlikely to actually help students, especially English learners and students with disabilities. The proposal misses the mark entirely in terms of serving students with disabilities, who are hugely under-budgeted for, staff found.

What else? The actual cost of food services would be twice what SBA allotted. A supposed dual-enrollment program with College of the Redwoods and (what will be) Cal Poly Humboldt looks unrealistic. Plans to offer competitive sports – which would necessitate compliance with the California Interscholastic Federation – seem a lofty goal for this charter.

On top of all that, the program is not financially stable, staff claim, citing a number of concerns in addition to the conflict of interest with Danco.

“Petitioners will not be able to successfully implement the program set forth in the Petition because the budget is not viable due to a number of inaccurate assumptions and errors; the proposed facility runs afoul of laws governing appropriate expenditures and conflicts of interests; and Humboldt County has an identified deficit in credentialed CTE staff necessary to adequately staff SBA.”

Achieving both a first year enrollment of 150 and eventual enrollment of 300 – which the budget is dependent on – is unlikely considering local charter school early enrollment history, staff predict. Furthermore, a study funded by the petitioners found that locally, attracting that many students is “a challenging goal.” 

Budget for staffing is unrealistic, staff found, and doesn’t account for a secretary or Registrar, food service workers, paraprofessionals, or maintenance and custodial staff. On top of that, CTE teachers are sorely lacking county-wide, and HCOE staff doubt the charter is capable of attracting qualified CTE teachers. 

“These are often concerns with any new charter school. What makes SBA unique is the clear data that the qualified CTE staff they will need in order to implement their program are not available in Humboldt County,” staff say, listing examples of local recruitment challenges in all three CTE areas proposed by SBA. 

“Our county is facing a potential crisis in CTE credentialed teachers,” the report states. Qualified CTE teachers must have three years of industry experience to qualify for CTE credentialing programs, which aren’t offered at HSU (aside from an industrial technology methods course, which is not an SBA pathway). 

“Humboldt County has a number of CTE teachers who are close to retirement, but no pool of currently appropriately credentialed teachers. Coupled with the difficulties attracting out of county residents to Humboldt County, it does not appear possible to staff a new CTE Program in the County at this time. This is even more the case with a program like SBA, which intends to hire three separate CTE teachers.”

With all these findings in mind, Davies-Hughes has recommended denial of the Samoa Beach Academy. In his cover letter to the county board of education, though, Davies-Hughes praised the petitioners’ respectful communication and dedication to their cause. 

“It is my belief that this petition, though flawed, highlights and elevates the importance of CTE in Humboldt County. Excellent CTE programs already exist, and as an educational community we can still do more to ensure that all students have the opportunity to be prepared for futures of their choosing,” Davies-Hughes wrote.

“It is my sincere hope that should the Board of Education act to deny this charter petition, the petitioners and supporters of this petition would engage with schools currently offering CTE programs and apply their passions and skills to help strengthen and expand what is already in place.” 

The Board of Education will vote to approve or deny the charter on Feb. 9, and community members will have the opportunity to comment on the item. The agenda should be posted here prior to the meeting. 

If the County Board of Education denies the petition, SBA can submit an appeal to the State Board of Education. If approved, the SBE will designate chartering authority to either the Northern Humboldt Union High School District or HCOE.

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PREVIOUSLY:

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Bass to Appoint Former Eureka Councilmember Mike Newman to County Planning Commission
• Natalie Arroyo Officially Launches Humboldt County Supervisor Campaign
• Councilmember Kim Bergel to Kick Off Campaign for Supervisor With Rally at Madaket Plaza Tomorrow Afternoon
  

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Mike Newman, a member of the Humboldt County Planning Commission and a former Eureka city councilmember, has filed paperwork that will allow him to raise money to run for Fourth District Supervisor, election officials confirmed to the Outpost this afternoon.

Newman will be the third person to enter the race to claim the seat of retiring supervisor Virginia Bass, joining current Eureka City Councilmembers Natalie Arroyo and Kim Bergel. (Another man, Thomas Koors, announced his intention to run but quickly dropped out.)

Newman is Bass’s appointee to the planning commission.

He served one term on the Eureka City Council, being elected in 2010, before losing a reelection bid four years later to one of the same people — Kim Bergel — that he will now face in June.

An insurance agent by trade and a former chairman of the Eureka Chamber of Commerce, Newman is renowned for his strong proclamations in support of business. In recent years, he has supported the TerraGen wind energy project and been skeptical of the city’s efforts to build housing on downtown parking lots.

The Outpost reached out to Newman for comment, but hasn’t yet heard back.

The Fourth District covers downtown Eureka and neighborhoods north of Henderson Street, roughly, as well as Myrtletown and the Samoa Peninsula south of the bridge.