Criminal proceedings were postponed today for suspected fentanyl dealer James Charles Williamson, who refused to come to court for arraignment on a charge of killing a customer who reportedly overdosed on drugs he sold her.

Williamson, arrested Monday by the Humboldt County Drug Task Force, has been charged with manslaughter for the alleged killing of a 46-year-old Weitchpec woman found dead in her home on Nov 8.

District Attorney Maggie Fleming confirmed a manslaughter charge has been filed, saying this is the first time a fentanyl dealer has been charged with manslaughter in Humboldt County.

As of Nov. 15, 33 people had died this year from fentanyl overdoses in Humboldt. The Drug Task Force has arrested numerous people in 2021 for possessing or selling the powerful drug.

Refusing to come to court was apparently the trend today in the jail, with at least two other defendants declining to be brought down for arraignment.

The 30-year-old Williamson, found hiding in a closet in his residence on Boozer Lane in Hoopa, had four warrants out for his arrest. Most of the charges are for assault and battery, although the most recent one alleges false imprisonment, making criminal threats and assault with a deadly weapon.

Judge Larry Killoran rescheduled the arraignment for tomorrow afternoon.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Hoopa Man Charged With Manslaughter Following Fatal Fentanyl Overdose in Weitchpec, Drug Task Force Says

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Also appearing before Judge Killoran this afternoon was Eureka resident Curtis George Daniels, who was caught early Sunday morning allegedly stealing packages and letters from mailboxes.

Killoran released Daniels on his own recognizance, although he gave him a warning.

“If you come back on these types of charges,” the judge said, “we’ll make sure that you stay in custody until the matters are resolved.”

Daniels, 41, is charged with the misdemeanors of mail theft, receiving stolen property and identity theft. One of the items found in his possession was a stolen California driver’s license.

Deputy Public Defender Casey Russo requested the release, saying Daniels has no criminal history and is a lifelong Humboldt County resident.

Sheriff’s deputies who arrested Daniels at a Broadway service station saw “packages and envelopes inside (his) vehicle in plain view,” the Sheriff’s Office stated in a news release. Law enforcement was alerted by a Good Samaritan who spotted the thief in the Herrick Avenue area about 3 a.m. Sunday.

Deputy District Attorney Emily Norgaard argued Daniels should remain in custody or have to post bail, given he was stealing from mailboxes at a time of year when people are expecting to receive gifts and letters.

Daniels is scheduled for trial Jan. 10 in misdemeanor court.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Alleged Mail Thief Caught With Hoard of Stolen Packages, Envelopes, Sheriff’s Office Says

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In other court news, a Scotia woman arrested Sunday morning on a warrant for hit-and-run was arraigned this afternoon on a felony charge of smuggling fentanyl into the jail.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested Sierra Woodard Marshall, 29, on a warrant alleging hit-and-run, drunken driving, probation violation, evading an officer, driving on a suspended license and failing to wear a seatbelt. During the arrest, officers searched Marshall’s personal belongings and discovered methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

She was arrested without incident, but while being booked into Humboldt County Correctional Facility, “Marshall was found to have suspected fentanyl hidden inside her clothing,” the Sheriff’s Office said.

Judge Larry Killoran appointed the county’s Conflict Counsel’s Office to represent Marshall. Deputy Conflict Counsel Owen Tipps entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf and asked that she be referred to the Probation Department for the possibility of supervised release.

Killoran set bail at $25,000 and scheduled the bail hearing for Monday afternoon.

From the Eureka Police Department:

On December 22, 2021, at about 12:30 p.m., officers with the Eureka Police Department responded to 3rd and A Streets for the report of three males in a fight, with one male reportedly armed with a knife.

As officers approached, the male with the knife began walking away towards a grocery store parking lot at 3rd and B Streets. The male, 29-year-old Gabriel Perez, repeatedly failed to follow the officer’s commands to stop. While officers were attempting to make contact, Perez turned and lunged at an officer, stabbing him in the chest with a folding box cutter. Luckily the officer’s protective vest stopped the blade from causing any injuries. After a brief struggle, Perez was taken into custody without further incident.

While in transport to jail, Perez made multiple violent verbal threats. He was ultimately booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for attempted murder, violently resisting arrest, brandishing, and probation violation.

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Following a lengthy discussion and hearing comments from more than a dozen community members on Tuesday night, the Eureka City Council voted to postpone making a decision on a proposed land swap that would facilitate the construction of affordable housing in the City.

The council was poised to vote on a property transfer that would exchange three city-owned parking lots  – at Fourth and G Streets, Fifth and H Streets and Fifth and K Streets – for four parcels on Fairfield Street between Harris and Henderson, owned by Pierson Properties and Development LLC. The City had planned to convert the three parking lots into low-income housing, but was met with a good amount of community pushback, mostly over the threat of nearby businesses losing their parking spaces.

Map showing the three city-owned parking lots

Though the parking issues partly prompted the City’s decision to look for alternative sites for the housing, Eureka city staff also recommended the land exchange because it would potentially result in the creation of more housing units. During a presentation he gave at Tuesday’s meeting, Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery said that the three parking lots combined could hold 65 housing units (45 very low income and 20 low income), whereas the Pierson property would be able to hold 104 units (59 very low and 45 low income).

During the public comment period, many community members joined the meeting over Zoom to voice support for the project, saying that the land transfer seemed to be a great opportunity for the City to create more housing. Many folks were also against the proposed land swap, voicing concerns over the less central location of the Pierson property and questioning if the City might be making a mistake by letting go of properties located in the Downtown and Old Town area.

Some community members also had concerns over the public process surrounding the proposal and felt that there hadn’t been enough public meeting opportunities for them to voice their concerns. Several councilmembers also said that they had received emails from constituents who were disappointed with the lack of public outreach surrounding this proposed change.

The Pierson property on Fairfield between Harris and Henderson

The councilmembers were largely in support of the land swap, agreeing that it would be beneficial to the City and the creation of more housing and that the location of the Pierson property was ideal for a housing development – located near Winco, two city parks and Alice Birney Elementary School.

Councilmember Natalie Arroyo was concerned, however, about the council making a decision during the first public meeting to be held about the land exchange, especially since the meeting was the week before Christmas when many people are likely out of town visiting family. Arroyo made a motion to continue the discussion to the council’s Jan. 4 meeting, hoping this would give more time for public input.

The council then voted, 3-2, in support of Arroyo’s motion. Councilmembers Leslie Castellano and Kati Moulton supported the delay and Councilmembers Scott Bauer and Kim Bergel were against it.

Councilmember Bergel said that although she understood some of the concerns over the public process, she felt that the City could not afford to waste anymore time when it comes to creating more housing. “We are in a shelter crisis,” Bergel said during the meeting. “We have been in a shelter crisis. I agree that the process was a mess…I just get so tired of us putting things off so that we can keep talking about it.”

The proposed land transfer will come before the council for a vote at its next meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 4.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Eureka City Council: Responding to Community Complaints Over Parking Lot Housing Developments, Staff Proposes Property Exchange With Pierson Company
• The Eureka City Council Wants Developers to Build Affordable Housing on Three City-Owned Parking Lots
• EUREKA CITY COUNCIL: Wiyot Land Acknowledgement, Affordable Housing on City-Owned Parking Lots, Police Chief Citizen Advisory Board All on Tonight’s Agenda
• Eureka Planning Commission Chair Jeff Ragan Abruptly Resigns, Citing ‘Grave Concerns’ Over City’s Approval of Housing Projects on Three City-Owned Parking Lots
• The City of Eureka is Gearing Up to Turn Three More Parking Lots into Affordable Housing Developments, Including the Two Lots at City Hall
• Check Out the Neo-Victorian Designs for Those Eureka Parking Lot Housing Developments; Council Will Discuss Project Funding Tonight
• Arkley Threatens Lawsuits, Referendum, Recall Drive Over City of Eureka’s Plans to Convert Parking Lots to Housing
• EUREKA CITY COUNCIL: Adoption of the First Post-Pandemic City Budget; More Affordable Housing On City-Owned Parking Lots

With the Omicron variant driving a dramatic new spike in COVID-19 cases across the country, California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced new booster requirements and testing measures that will affect health care workers, public schools and more.

By February 1, all health care workers and employees in high-risk congregate settings, including nursing homes, will be required to get boosters. Newsom says this measure will mitigate staffing shortages and thus support hospital capacity.

The state is also increasing the supply of at-home COVID-19 tests, sending 2 million tests to public schools in an effort to keep them open.

Meanwhile, the 23-campus California State University system, which includes Humboldt State University, announced that it will require faculty, staff and students to get their vaccine booster shots no later than the end of February. 

Here’s the press release from Gov. Newsom’s office:

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced new booster requirements and testing measures to better protect all Californians as the Omicron variant becomes the dominant COVID-19 strain in the nation. The COVID-19 booster requirement for health care workers will mitigate potential staffing shortages while helping to safeguard the state’s hospital capacity and protect the health and safety of Californians. Combined with the new federal policies announced yesterday, these actions will help ensure everyone in California has access to testing throughout the holiday season and that K-12 public school students can return to school safely.

“As the Omicron variant spreads rapidly across the country and circulates in all regions of the state, we’re taking immediate, proactive steps to protect Californians with boosters and expanded access to testing,” said Governor Newsom. “The state is also redoubling our efforts to  keep kids safe and keep schools open. We will help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our communities by making at-home testing kits available to every K-12 public school student as they head back to the classroom from winter break.”

By February 1, 2022, health care workers and all employees in high-risk congregate settings, including nursing homes, will be required to get their booster. In the interim, all health care staff that have not received their booster must test for COVID-19 twice weekly until they are up to date on their vaccines.

To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our schools, the state is also increasing the availability of at-home COVID-19 tests across California so K-12 public-school students can be tested as they return to school from winter break. In early December, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) distributed approximately 2 million tests to schools for this purpose. CDPH will expand those efforts by providing 1-2 rapid tests for every student. CDPH will work with local education and health partners to distribute those test kits as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“As we fight Omicron, there is nothing more important for our kids than keeping schools safely open — that means deploying rapid tests,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. “Over the holiday break, CDE will be working closely with the Governor and California’s public health and emergency management personnel to get testing supplies to families, districts and schools.”

To ensure every Californian has access to testing, the state will also be expanding antigen test availability and expanding hours of operation at state-sponsored OptumServe sites that are already at capacity. Today, 90% of the population lives within a 30-minute driving distance of a site. Over the course of the pandemic, the state has established 6,288 testing sites statewide, comprising 31% of the nation’s testing sites. In support of this effort, since August, the state has purchased over 12 million over-the-counter tests. CDPH is distributing an additional 6 million tests to community partners serving disproportionately impacted Californians and 4 million to local health jurisdictions.

California has led the nation’s fight against COVID-19, implementing the most robust vaccination and testing programs in the country. To date, California has administered over 64 million vaccination doses and over 116 million tests, with an average turn around of just 48 hours. In recent months, Governor Newsom implemented a series of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, including first-in-the-nation vaccine and masking measures requiring that workers in health care settings be fully vaccinated, announcing plans to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations required to attend school in-person when fully approved, requiring masking in schools and implementing a standard that all school staff and all state workers either show proof of full vaccination or be tested. These decisive actions have resulted in California being labeled the safest state to live in during COVID-19 and a national leader in preventing school closures.

“California’s determination to use every available tool to keep our children safe during this pandemic has allowed us to keep schools open and case rates low — a key to their physical and mental health as well as learning,” said Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, State Board of Education President. “Ensuring boosters and testing in the new year will continue this commitment to keeping our children’s welfare front and center.”

While we are still learning about the severity of illness caused by Omicron, it is clear that individuals who are up to date on their vaccines, including a booster, are most protected. To help slow the spread of COVID-19, Californians are encouraged to get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask indoors and get tested if sick.

It’s beginning to look a lot like, well, hazardous driving conditions! But also beautiful and seasonally festive SNOW, which is forecast to come fluttering down as low as 1,000 feet over the weekend with heavy snow and small hail likely impacting road conditions in and around Humboldt County.

As outlined in the graphic above, snow and hail are projected to get progressively heavier and lower in the coming days. If you’re traveling out of town on or after Christmas Day — particularly if you’re headed east — you may want to bring chains. Snow and hail impacts are forecast for all major roads in and out of the county, including Highway 101 and State Routes 299 and 36.

Photo by Etienne Assenheimer on Unsplash.

Looking for more detailed info? Here’s a link to mountain pass-specific forecasts from the National Weather Service. Berry Summit, for example, is expected to see four to eight inches of snow accumulation on Christmas Day.

Highway 101 should offer a less treacherous drive, though rain and snow showers are likely along Ridgewood Summit, north of Ukiah, starting early Sunday morning. 

Okay, warnings aside, maybe you’re ready to embrace the snow! Bring on the family snowball fights, thermoses of hot chocolate and downhill tobogganing!

Now, we know that locals often like to head up Kneeland way, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you — as the Sheriff’s Office has done repeatedly over the years — that them thar hills are private property, and trespassing is illegal, including at Kneeland Elementary School. 

Might we suggest the U.S. Forest Service land up on Horse Mountain? Or perhaps Bald Hills Road north of Orick! 

Whatever you do, stay safe out there, Humboldt. And happy holidays!

Russell Joseph Dellabalma passed away unexpectedly on December 16, 2021.

Russell was born on May 22, 1957, to Robert and Carol Dellabalma, at the old Trinity Hospital in Arcata. He began working at the family business (T.P. Tire Service) at the age of 12 so he could earn enough money to buy a dirt bike. Over the years, Russell worked his way up, and upon the death of his father and the eventual retirement of his mother, Russell and his wife Rhonda carried on the operations of the passenger department, making a third generation T.P. Tire Service legacy. Russell was a hard-working man who loved his job and his many loyal customers. He always had a story for many of his regulars, making each one feel like they were his favorite.

Russell was always happy and smiling and had an energy that you wanted to be around. He would do anything for his friends and family and would drop whatever he was doing to help someone else in need.

If Russell wasn’t working at the shop or starting a new project at home, you could find him hunting, quadding, boating, traveling, adventuring in the wilderness, exploring new places, rock hunting or spending time at his vacation home in Trinity Center with his wife and family. Trinity Lake was Russell’s happy place and home away from home – a place that he frequented from the time he was a teenager.

Russell was predeceased by his father Robert Dellabalma, grandparents Joseph Dellabalma and Virginia Dellabalma, and Thelma Poff and Cecil “Zeke” Poff.

Russell is survived by his wife, Rhonda Dellabalma, children Jeremy Dellabalma (Teva), Chad Dellabalma, Nicole Uhl (Ian), Christine Peets (Garret), grandchildren Sydney Dellabalma, Collin Dellabalma, Harper Uhl, Rowen Peets, and Ryder Peets, mother Carol Dellabalma, sisters Angela Bernardi (Don) and Beth Dellabalma, nephew Nathan Bernardi, and several other nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles. Also survived by mother-in-law, Norita Alcorn, sisters-in-law Vicky Couch (Tom), Tami Gruetzmacher, and brother-in-law Michael Alcorn (Peggy).

A celebration of life will be held on Russell’s birthday, May 22, 2022. The location will be announced at a later date.

The family would like to thank Arcata first responders John Evenson and his partners, and the Emergency Room Medical Team at Mad River Community Hospital. We would also like to thank everyone who has reached out and showed their love and support, and everybody’s kind words.

Map showing the three city-owned parking lots that the City plans to exchange

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Following public outcry over the City of Eureka’s in-progress plans to turn a bunch of city-owned parking lots into low-income housing, city staff proposes to remove three of the parking lots – at Fourth and G Streets, Fifth and H Streets and Fifth and K Streets – from that plan, exchanging them for four parcels near Winco owned by Pierson Properties and Development, LLC.

During its next meeting, the Eureka City Council will consider approval of the property transfer agreement between the City and Pierson Properties “for the purpose of preserving parking in the Eureka Old Town area while still providing the City alternative property locations to develop affordable housing,”  the draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) states.

The lots are three of 12 city-owned parking lots that the City planned to use for housing developments, with three lots to be released each year– a proposal approved in 2019 as a part of the Housing Element of the City’s General Plan, in an effort to meet state and regional housing requirements. If the council approves the property transfer,  the City would enter into the MOU with Pierson Properties and Development to exchange the three lots for four parcels on Fairfield Street between Harris and Henderson. Pending approval from the  California Department of Housing and Community Development, the three lots would be removed from the housing element and replaced by the new properties.

The parcels owned by Pierson Properties that will likely be the new site of affordable housing units.

Since the City first proposed this plan and released the first batch of lots – which will be developed by Linc Housing – it has drawn ire from some community members, mainly those who live or own businesses near the lots concerned over the loss of parking spaces. This particular group of three lots, the second batch to be released by the City, have arguably been the most controversial, and during several community meetings some residents expressed outrage at the proposal. The lot on Fourth and G – across from the Arkley Center for Performing Arts – caused an especial uproar, even prompting owner Rob Arkley to threaten a lawsuit against the City. 

The Arkley Center marquee in June | File photo

After receiving this response, city staff put those parking lots on hold and told the public it would pursue alternative options. According to the staff report, the Pierson property is the only property that met the City’s criteria of allowing for creation of the same number or more units than the three parking lots. 

“This exchange will result in an increase of both very low-income units (at least 14) and low-income units (at least 25) that will count towards the City’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA),” the staff report states. The three parking lots are a combined 41,943 square feet in size, and the Pierson parcels are a combined 154,538 square feet.

Of course, many community members supported converting the parking lots into housing and some of them are not thrilled by the property transfer plans. Tom Wheeler, executive director of Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) and Colin Fiske of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP) are concerned about the property exchange, feeling that it may result in the creation of less housing units and that it sets a “bad precedent” for the future conversion of parking lots into housing.

“This puts the City on record declaring that parking is more important than affordable housing in the downtown area,” Fiske wrote in an email to the Eureka City Council and City Manager Miles Slattery. “This is not only untrue and frankly offensive, but also an unwise precedent to set. Using public funds to maintain extensive parking spaces downtown is an economic loser for the City, while housing people in dense, walkable environments is an economic winner.”

Another argument Fiske makes is that the best option for the community would be for all of the properties in question to be converted into housing. By exchanging the properties, the City is effectively taking the option to use the parking lots for housing off of the table, whereas if the lots were converted into housing – as originally planned – the Pierson property would also likely be developed into housing as well. Greg Pierson submitted plans for a 43-unit apartment complex on the property to the Eureka Design Review Committee in July 2020.

Fiske also told the Outpost that from the CRTP’s standpoint of encouraging alternative forms of transportation, the parking lot sites are a much better location, more central and closer to services. “They’re not quite as dangerous for walking and biking,” Fiske said in a recent phone interview. “[The Pierson property] is really in a much more car-designed part of town.”

But City Manager Miles Slattery disagrees, arguing that the Pierson site is actually more ideal for access to services. It is walking distance from the Eureka Mall – which holds several useful stores and restaurants, including Winco Foods – and is also very close to both Highland Park and 20/30 Park. The property’s proximity to Harris, Henderson and Broadway streets would also make public transportation very accessible to the residents. “HTA [Humboldt Transit Authority] has told me that the best access to the most mass transit is on Henderson and Harris,” Slattery told the Outpost in a phone interview late last week.

Slattery also said that the property exchange would not necessarily mean that the parking lots could not be converted into housing in the future. Although the MOU states that the the property exchange is “for the purpose of preserving parking in the Eureka Old Town area, while still providing the City alternative property locations to develop affordable housing,” Slattery insisted that there is nothing binding in the agreement that says the lots must be maintained as parking site or that prohibits development of housing on the sites.

Assuming the Council approves the property exchange and the MOU, Slattery said, the next step will be for the change to go before the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for approval, which should take 30 days. The City will also declare the parking lot parcels as “exempt surplus land,” which should streamline the process for releasing the lots. After obtaining the necessary approvals, the City will either start working with a developer or put out a request for proposals for development of the Pierson site.

More than anything, Slattery wanted to emphasize that the City’s decision is based on the desire to create the housing that the community needs and that is necessary for the City to meet its state housing requirements. The Pierson property is larger than the three parking lots, has more land that is developable and will result in more housing units in the near future, and the fact that the property exchange will also appease (at least for now) the people who complained about the loss of parking, is just the icing on the cake.

“We’re making this decision because it creates more housing,” Slattery told the Outpost. “I think it’s a logical decision to be able to still achieve our goals without pissing off all these other people … If there’s a way that we can have our cake and eat it too, then let’s do it.”

The Eureka City Council meets tonight (Tuesday), Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. You can view the full agenda and directions on how to participate here. 

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PREVIOUSLY:

• The Eureka City Council Wants Developers to Build Affordable Housing on Three City-Owned Parking Lots
• EUREKA CITY COUNCIL: Wiyot Land Acknowledgement, Affordable Housing on City-Owned Parking Lots, Police Chief Citizen Advisory Board All on Tonight’s Agenda
• Eureka Planning Commission Chair Jeff Ragan Abruptly Resigns, Citing ‘Grave Concerns’ Over City’s Approval of Housing Projects on Three City-Owned Parking Lots
• The City of Eureka is Gearing Up to Turn Three More Parking Lots into Affordable Housing Developments, Including the Two Lots at City Hall
• Check Out the Neo-Victorian Designs for Those Eureka Parking Lot Housing Developments; Council Will Discuss Project Funding Tonight
• Arkley Threatens Lawsuits, Referendum, Recall Drive Over City of Eureka’s Plans to Convert Parking Lots to Housing
• EUREKA CITY COUNCIL: Adoption of the First Post-Pandemic City Budget; More Affordable Housing On City-Owned Parking Lots