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When Kekoa Gittens was 3, his preschool teacher told his mother he was a problem. He couldn’t sit still. He didn’t participate. When other kids learned the alphabet, he didn’t pay attention.

The next year, Kekoa’s classroom problems worsened. His mother, Sonia Gittens, took him to his pediatrician, who referred the boy to an eye doctor.

That doctor looked at the back of Kekoa’s eyes and diagnosed him with myopic degeneration, a dramatic form of nearsightedness.

“They are too little. They don’t know how to express themselves and say ‘I cannot see it, teacher,’” said Sonia Gittens, who lives in the Marin County town of Corte Madera.

Today, Kekoa is a successful high schooler, but too many kids don’t get their eyes checked until they’re far behind in school.

Vision problems, particularly nearsightedness, have grown more common among American children. Roughly one in four school-age kids, or 25%, wear glasses or contacts, a proportion that increases as kids get older, according to 2019 federal survey data.

In California too few children on Medi-Cal like Kekoa are getting their eyes checked, and the problem is growing worse. Just 16% of school-age kids on Medi-Cal saw an eye doctor between 2022 and 2024 for first-time eye exams, continuing vision check ups or glasses, according to a report commissioned by the California Optometric Association. That’s down from 19% eight years earlier. The report, based on two years of Medi-Cal data, suggests that the state is moving in the wrong direction even as eye problems become more prevalent among kids.

Medi-Cal provides insurance for low-income Californians and those with disabilities.

“Every day when I see these children it is always a surprise to me that the kids are not getting the care they need,” said Ida Chung, a pediatric optometrist and an associate dean at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona.

Kekoa Gittens used to wear glasses when he was younger. Photo courtesy of Sonia Gittens

The trend indicated in the report is alarming, Chung said. In her clinic, where about half of children are on Medi-Cal, it’s common for kids with congenital vision problems to visit for the first time when they’re in first grade or later. That indicates to Chung that many kids don’t have enough access to eye care.

Though kids might be getting basic vision screenings at school or from a pediatrician, some eye problems are still overlooked. “It’s something the child had before they were born,” Chung said.

Eye exams decrease statewide

Colusa County, a rural farming region north of Sacramento, saw the sharpest drop in kids’ eye doctor appointments in the state from 20% between 2015-16 to just under 2% between 2022-24.

Nearly all counties — 47 out of 58 — performed worse on vision care than they did in the past, the report shows, with some, like Colusa, declining significantly.

Most of the severe declines happened in rural areas, although urban counties like San Francisco and Los Angeles also saw decreases. Only seven counties improved the rate of children receiving eye exams or glasses. Four counties were excluded for comparison in the report because the numbers were too small.

“The decline in performance here is so widespread that something really needs to happen,” said David Maxwell-Jolly, a health care consultant who authored the report and the former director of the Department of Health Care Services, which oversees Medi-Cal. “These numbers are way lower than what you would expect to be seeing if we’re doing a good job of detecting kids with treatable conditions.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health Care Services said in an email the state could not confirm the accuracy of an external report, noting that vision services can be difficult to track because “not all encounters are captured in a single, comprehensive dataset.”

For example, many initial vision screenings take place in the pediatrician’s office during well-child visits, which include eye and hearing screenings as well as immunizations and developmental checks. State data shows about half of kids with Medi-Cal receive well-child visits.

Still, experts say the low numbers tell a real story: if children were reliably getting follow-up care from initial screenings, the share who get comprehensive eye exams and glasses would be closer to 25-30% — in line with the known prevalence of vision problems among kids — rather than the 16% found in the optometric association’s report.

Maxwell-Jolly said the analysis he conducted was based on an internal, unpublished department report tracking vision services.

The state’s most recent Preventive Services Report, which measures how well Medi-Cal delivers preventive care to children, shows the rate of comprehensive eye exams for children and young adults ages 6-21 is similar to the optometric association’s analysis at 17%.

Contra Costa County experienced the third largest decline in children’s eye care in the state. A spokesperson for Contra Costa Health Plan said Medi-Cal health plans are not required by the state to track vision benefits and that it would take time to understand the data. The state, however, does track vision services internally, according to the health care services department.

A bill sponsored by the optometric association and authored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens, a Democrat from Cupertino, aims to require the state to establish vision benefit quality measures and report performance data publicly. The goal of the legislation is to track where kids do not have enough access to vision services and to ensure that Medi-Cal providers are improving services.

Rural challenges

Amy Turnipseed, chief strategy and government affairs officer for Partnership HealthPlan of California, said rural parts of the state struggle to find enough providers. The nonprofit health insurer provides Medi-Cal for 24 northern counties, including Colusa and Modoc.

In Modoc County, which borders Oregon and Nevada, one optometrist serves a 90-mile radius. Partnership has worked closely with that optometrist to ensure they continue accepting Medi-Cal patients, Turnipseed said.

“In rural counties with lower populations, losing even one provider can exponentially impact the access to services to families,” Turnipseed said. “In the past few years we’ve seen vision providers reduce or limit their Medi-Cal, which makes it harder for families to see providers.”

An assortment of glasses at Vision to Learn mobile optometry clinic at Esther Lindstrom Elementary School in Lakewood on March 20, 2026. Photo by Ariana Drehsler for CalMatters

Modoc is one of just seven counties where more children have received vision care in recent years, according to the report.

Providers frequently cite low reimbursement rates from the state as a reason for not accepting Medi-Cal patients. The California Optometric Association estimates only about 10% of its members accept Medi-Cal. The reimbursement rate for a comprehensive eye exam is about $47, said Kristine Shultz, association executive director.

“Our reimbursement rates haven’t increased in 25 years. Imagine getting paid what you were paid 25 years ago,” Shultz said.

Schools check kids’ vision, but follow-up is spotty

State law requires schools to periodically check kids’ vision starting in kindergarten. Those screenings are a good bellwether for if a child is struggling to see in class, said Chung with Western University. The problem is getting the kids who fail the screening to an eye doctor.

Chung runs an academic optometry clinic that works with local schools in Pomona. Each year up to 35% of students fail the screening, meaning they likely have a vision problem. But based on conversations with school nurses, Chung said only about 7% of those children then go to an eye doctor and come back to school with glasses.

Chung, who chairs the children’s vision committee for the California Optometric Association, said colleagues who work with school districts around the state report similar experiences.

“If a high number of those children are not getting the follow up care, we may just be fooling ourselves and checking a box,” Chung said. “We’re in compliance with the law in California but are we really helping the children?”

Kekoa Gittens is now 15 years old and wears contacts. Photo courtesy of Sonia Gittens

For some families, the answer is no. That’s what happened to Kekoa when he was 3. The school checked his eyes and said he might have vision problems, but his mother, Gittens, waited. Her son was still learning his numbers and letters. How would he be able to read an eye chart, she reasoned. It wasn’t until his problems got worse that Gittens took Kekoa to an eye doctor.

Now, at 15, Kekoa wears contacts and likes athletics. He needs to see to compete in capoeira martial arts competitions and surf on the weekends, his mother said.

First: Dr. Kiyana Kavoussi shows letters on a monitor during Noah Mattison’s, 11, visual acuity test. Last: Optician Maya Ortega looks at Italia Martin’s, 6, eyes before she chooses new glasses inside the Vision to Learn mobile optometry clinic at Esther Lindstrom Elementary School in Lakewood on March 20, 2026. Photos by Ariana Drehsler for CalMatters

Many parents lack the resources to take their kids to the doctor, or simply wait. Notes from school nurses flagging that a child failed a vision screening may also get lost in a backpack on the way home, educators say. The California Department of Education does not track the results of school vision screenings.

Vision To Learn, a nonprofit, created a mobile eye clinic to help bridge the gap between kids failing school vision screenings and getting glasses. The group brings an optometrist to campus, meaning kids that need an eye exam can get one the same day and go home having gotten a prescription and ordered glasses.

Damian Carroll, chief of staff and national director, said Vision to Learn’s numbers tell a similar story to Chung’s. About one-third of students screened are unable to read the eye chart, but very few of those kids have adequate glasses.

In the California schools where the program operates, around 70% of kids who have been prescribed glasses did not own a pair. Another 20% had glasses with outdated prescriptions, according to internal data, Carroll said.

And that gap can drastically affect learning outcomes or behavior in school.

“First and second graders who try on glasses the first time are blown away because they just thought that’s how the world looked,” Carroll said. “They can see the leaves on the trees and the math on the board, and it’s shocking to them.”

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Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.

Nathan Eugene ‘Eagle’ French passed away on March 28, 2026. Born in Eureka to Ronald and Gloria French on May 9, 1968, Nathan was known for his big smile and love of sports. He enjoyed playing football, baseball, and softball for the Night Spirits and traveling to tournaments. Nathan was deeply loved and will be missed by his family, friends, and all who knew him.

​Nathan was a kind man who could often be found with a smile on his face. He will be deeply missed by his family and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth “Punkin” (Smiling) French; parents, Ronald and Gloria; grandparents, Donald and Daisy French, and Lewis and Lydia Sanderson; uncle, Gary Markussen Sr.; uncle, Albert Sr.; Albert Jr. “Bubba” Llewellyn; sister-in-law, Tracey Masten; and nephew, Llewellyn French Jr.

He is survived by Ronald French Jr., Cheree French-Bowie, and Llewellyn French Sr. (Tracy French). He is also survived by his uncle, Daniel French Sr., and his children and grandchildren.

He is survived by his nephews, Kapel Robbins of Loleta, and Franklin Donahue and his children: Eugene Donahue, Franklin Donahue Jr., and Raider Donahue of Yreka. He is survived by his niece, Lydia Robbins (and the late Israel “Chilo” Renteria) of Rio Dell; his great-nieces and great-nephews: Myriah “Bear” (David Rodriguez), Stormy Star, Ronald Robbins Marshall, Evelina Robbins, Gloria Robbins Salinas, Guillermo “Momo” Robbins Salinas, Dwayne “Ishi” Robbins Salinas, Maria Esther “Sweetie” Renteria Robbins, and Julian Jay “Pollito” Renteria Robbins.

He is also survived by his niece, Trisha Ray French (Loren Ray Sr.) and LJ; Gregory Gilbert; daughter-in-law, Amanda Marshall (French); Kami French; and Kyle French and his partner, Soriah Herrera.

He leaves behind many beloved great-nieces and great-nephews: Alexandria Gilbert, Ethan French, Loren Ray Jr., Mila Ryan, Jordan Gilbert, Silas French, Koda Ryan, Ellen Gilbert, Kahea Ryan, Samera Medina, and Romina French.

Honorary Pallbearers:

Sylvester Brown, Frankie Donahue, Ricky Sanderson, Kapel Robbins, Ronnie Robbins, Rodney Robbins, Everett “Muss” Colgrove, Harold Sonny Jones Jr., Willie Lamebear, Walter Grey, Julian Markussen Jr., Roy Robinson, and Jeremy Houston.

The family wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to the Hospice of Humboldt nursing staff and social workers for the profound compassion and expert care they provided during Nathan’s final days. We also wish to share a special thank you to Roy Robinson and Sylvester Brown for their unwavering support. Our sincere appreciation goes to Chairman Joe James and the Yurok Tribe for their leadership and community strength, as well as to Paramdeep Hira and Kelly for their kindness and dedicated presence.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 3, 2026, at the “Pink Church” located off Highway 96 in Hoopa, California. Following the service, family and friends are invited to gather for a meal at the Trading Post. To honor our loved one’s spirit of community, guests are invited to bring a dish to share; your contribution would be highly appreciated.

Frank Edward Weaver Sr.
February 9, 1941 - March 30, 2026

With a heavy heart, the family of Frank Edward Weaver Sr. announces his peaceful passing at Seaview Retirement in Eureka on March 30, 2026. Frank leaves behind a lifelong community of friendships built on kindness.

Frank was born in Madera, Calif., to Nobel and Vivian (Fern) Weaver, and was the middle son. He married Donna Louise Coiner in 1958 in Humboldt County. They had four children together: Frank Edward Weaver Jr., Cynthia Ann Weaver, Penny Jean Weaver and Toni Marie Weaver.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Noble and Vivian (Fern) Weaver, his dear brothers, James Anderson Weaver and Robert B. Weaver,  his son, Frank Edward Weaver Jr., and ex-wife Donna Louise

Frank is survived by his daughters, Cynthia Ann Westphal, Penny Jean McDermott, and Toni Marie Weaver, and grandchildren, Anthony A. Apostalo III, Levi R. Westphal, Jarred Westphal, Samantha L. McDermott, Patrick T. Mobley, and Zachary V. Weaver, as well as 14 great-grandchildren, his 2 nephews, James and Jason, and 3 nieces, Vicky, Midge and Lisa.

Frank will be remembered for his love of family, friends, community, nature, and all creatures wild and domestic. He will be missed by many.

There will be a private service for his family, where his ashes will be scattered per his request in his beloved river with his father and brother.

UPDATE, APRIL 2, 16:15 p.m.: 

Chin’s got a follow-up visit from health inspectors a couple of hours ago, and those inspectors liked what they saw. The restaurant has been cleared for liftoff. Sate thos egg foo young cravings at will.

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ORIGINAL POST:

The Humboldt County Health Department has temporarily shuttered Chin’s Café & Motel in Eureka following the discovery of rodent droppings in the dry storage and kitchen area of the restaurant. The health inspector found the droppings — along with some unclean knives and a broccoli-cabbage mix that was not adequately chilled — during a routine inspection this afternoon, resulting in the temporary suspension of Chin’s retail food permit.

To reopen, the owners must “increase the frequency of licensed pest control services to biweekly visits until such time that two consecutive reports show no activity,” according to the report. The owners must also clean and sanitize “all impacted areas” and “containerize” all dish ware and food containers overnight to avoid potential contamination. 

Once that work is complete and the health inspector delivers a clean bill of health for the restaurant, Chin’s may reopen.

Find the full report here.

PREVIOUSLY

• Cal Poly Humboldt Activist Arrested, Three Students Handed Interim Suspensions for Nelson Hall Occupation
• I Saw the Shit Buckets. They Were Real. Inside Nelson Hall During the Occupation

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Update, Thursday 9:15 a.m.:

The Humboldt County District Attorney’s office is in the process of filing misdemeanor charges against Cal Poly Humboldt activist Rick Toledo ahead of a hearing later this month.

The charges are a piece of an ongoing legal battle between the university and the activist related to a March protest.

Toledo was arrested March 6 by the University Police Department, on suspicion of battery, assault, conspiracy and false imprisonment — alleged crimes which stem from protest activity on campus the week before.

UPD forwarded a report seeking felony charges and continues to investigate the case.

The District Attorney’s office has yet to finalize the criminal charges, but DA Stacey Eads said in an email “misdemeanor charges will be filed against Mr. Toledo in time for his anticipated April 20 arraignment date.  The paperwork is being processed by our staff for filing with the court.”

Toledo, a masters engineering student who is currently temporarily suspended, said his cell phone, computer, school laptop, a gaming hard drive and two cameras were seized by police on March 19. One camera he used while he was a legal observer.

“The raid is a definite escalation against me,” he told the Outpost. 

The March building occupation called for university divestment from Israel and a smattering of other requests. Since then, Toledo was arrested and released on a $25,000 bail, barred from campus under an interim suspension and faced a workplace violence restraining order.

Toledo, who was among the very few unmasked protesters at the building occupation, was accused by the university in legal documents and suspension paperwork of leading the protest and assaulting a university official, both of which he denies.

Officials pointed to Toledo blocking the man who was attempting to halt protesters as they tried to enter the occupied building with supplies.

An image university officials claim shows Toledo assaulting a staff member. Photo: Dezmond Remington.

The workplace violence restraining order was dismissed March 24, according to court records. Toledo said it was dismissed after his pro-bono attorney from the Civil Liberties Defense Center and the university, represented by the Attorney General’s office, came to an agreement he said did not include meaningful restrictions.

He said these developments have taken a toll on him. His life was disrupted when police seized his devices.

“It’s had a big impact on me; all my research, my homework and everything was on there,” he said.

And he said the efforts of the police has a psychological effect on him.

“You don’t really feel comfortable in your own home anymore, because when are they going to come again? What are they going to do next?” he said.

He was unable to access accounts and said he struggled to keep up with classwork. He is skeptical he will be able to finish this final semester given his suspension and the device seizure, with missed projects and midterms.

Under an academic conduct case, he recently attended an interim suspension appeal hearing he said went well, but generally called the process a “kangaroo court.”

Toledo and his attorneys are working to file a motion related to the items seized from him, and he’s used crowdfunded money to replace some devices.

Toledo believes the efforts of the university are political in nature. He argued the university is trying to scare people out of taking similar protest actions.

“The university has invested a lot in making me looking like a criminal terrorist,” he said.

“They’ve been wanting to get rid of me for a long time. I’ve been an outspoken organizer on campus for three years, and I think that this is just like… they just saw a big opportunity,” he said.

He urged activists to continue protesting, arguing the university wouldn’t take the actions unless what activists were doing was working.

UPD refused to comment, directing the Outpost to the university communications department.

“We cannot comment on the details of an active investigation. We can confirm that the case is under investigation by UPD, which is the lead agency on the case. Anyone with additional information about the case is encouraged to contact the University Police Department,” a statement sent by spokesperson Melissa Hutsell said.

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Eureka’s aging and largely empty Bayshore Mall, which SFGate recently proffered as a metaphor for region-wide decline (rude), will soon be auctioned off to the highest bidder on the steps of the Humboldt County Courthouse.

Our esteemed crosstown rival Robert Schaulis of the Times-Standard broke the story yesterday, and Humboldt County Clerk/Recorder and Registrar of Voters Juan Cervantes confirmed that a notice of trustee sale has been filed.

The property, which is held by a Delaware entity called Bay Shore, LP, has accumulated nearly $39 million in debt, according to the sale notice. The mall’s previous owners agreed to a friendly foreclosure in 2021, and for the past few years it has been leased and managed by the Spinoso Real Estate Group, based in Syracuse, New York.

It’s been a rough couple of decades for indoor shopping malls as online retail has steadily eroded the consumer base for brick-and-mortar businesses, and anyone who’s recently ventured into the Bayshore Mall’s internal corridors can attest to its status as a ghost mall — or close to it.

We submit the following video, in which a group of young content creators waltzed in with a large TV under an arm and video game console in a DoorDash bag just to see if they could plug the setup into a floor outlet and play a full game of Wii Bowling before being stopped by security.

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Anyway, the trustee sale will be held outside the Fifth Street entrance of the Humboldt County Courthouse on April 17 at 10 a.m.

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Press release from the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission:

Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission is proud to announce it has been selected as a 2026 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Chris Rogers. 

Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission is one of more than one hundred nonprofits that will be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers for their outstanding contributions to the communities they serve. 

The Humboldt Del Norte Film Commission (HDNFC), operating as Redwood Region Entertainment and Education Liaisons, Inc., serves as the official film commission for Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. Our mission is to bring film and television production to California’s Redwood Coast while creating opportunity through education, workforce development, and film tourism. We support productions from scouting to wrap, promote local businesses and locations, and produce programs like the Redwood Coast Museum of Cinema and the Forest Moon Festival. Our work has helped bring major productions to the region, including the Academy Award winning One Battle After Another, driving economic impact, supporting local jobs, and strengthening quality of life by connecting our communities to the global film industry.

“We are deeply honored to be recognized by Assemblymember Rogers as a 2026 Nonprofit of the Year,” said Cassandra Hesseltine, Executive Director and Film Commissioner. “This recognition reflects the growing role regions like ours play in California’s film economy. Film is not just an industry, it is a driver of jobs, small business growth, and long-term cultural tourism. Through our work locally and our leadership within Film Liaisons in California Statewide, where I will serve as incoming President, we are committed to ensuring rural communities are part of the future of this industry and to supporting programs like the California Film and Television Tax Credit that help keep production and jobs in our state.”

“We are grateful for the work of Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission and want to extend our congratulations for this well deserved recognition,” said Geoff Green, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits) which sponsors the initiative. “Nonprofits are among our country’s most trusted organizations and an integral part of civil society. There’s likely never been a more important time to lift up the contributions nonprofits make within the communities they serve.”

Nonprofits are well known for being problem-solvers, innovators, helpers, and advocates, but they are also a major economic force. According to “Causes Count 3.0,” a new report soon to be released by CalNonprofits, the nonprofit sector is now the 3rd largest employer in the state, with approximately 1.5 million Californians working for nonprofit organizations. Collectively our state’s 110,000 501c3 public charities generate more than $430 billion in revenue each year.

Now in its eleventh year, the California Nonprofit of the Year initiative provides the opportunity for each California state legislator to recognize a nonprofit organization doing outstanding work in their district. The program culminates with a celebratory luncheon at the Capitol on California Nonprofits Day, which this year is May 20. 

The program is sponsored by the CalNonprofits in partnership with the state Senate and Assembly Select Committees on the Nonprofit Sector. CalNonprofits, the leading policy voice for California’s nonprofit sector, focuses on advocacy, education, and research to build a more powerful and politically engaged nonprofit network across the state.