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• Do You Feel More Like Redding or San Rafael? The California Citizens Redistricting Commission Wants to Know

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The rubber is meeting the road for the state’s Citizens’ Redistricting Commission, which is charged with drawing up the state’s Congressional and legislative maps. As you’ll recall, every 10 years, after the US Census, state and local governments must redraw the borders of the various political districts they comprise, so as to ensure equal representation.

It’s the job of the Citizens Redistricting Commission — a nonpartisan state body — to draw the lines that make up California’s state Senate and state Assembly districts (there are 40 and 80 of them, respectively) and the districts by which we elected our Congressional representatives (52 this year, down one from the last decade).

Earlier this week, the commission released a series of “visualizations” of the kinds of districts they’re mulling over, and whoo! Those visualizations show that the commission is seriously considering a realignment that has long been feared up here on the North Coast, but never quite realized: The joining of Humboldt County to its beet-red neighbors to the East, rather than the calming blue counties to our south. 

Here’s one of the visualizations it has published for a new Congressional lines:

If this becomes the new Congressional district, then we would no longer have Jared Huffman as our representative in the House, as Huffman lives in Napa Marin. It’s unknown who we’d have after the 2022 election for the House, as it’d be a whole new ball game, but currently the Shasta area is represented by something like Huffman’s polar opposite: Rep. Doug LaMalfa, a climate-change denier and a person who refused to certify President Joe Biden’s victory.

A couple of other visualizations show similar new alignments for our state Senate and Assembly seats. Here’s one of the commission’s Senate visualizations:

And here’s one of its Assembly visualizations:

The results here are the same. We would no longer be represented in the state Senate by Sen. Mike McGuire, nor in the assembly by Assm. Jim Wood, as the two of them live in the Santa Rosa area.

These “visualizations” are far from final maps, and the Commission is keen to hear feedback from people in the area. There’s a feedback form at this link — if you want to provide your thoughts, use the name of the maps that are overlaid — “CDBNORCA,” “SDBNORCA” and “ADANORCA,” respectively.

The Commission is also meeting by Zoom to hear feedback from residents of the North Coast and adjacent areas this Friday — Oct. 15 — from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There’s an agenda at this link.

The visualizations we’ve published here are the only ones that specifically include Humboldt County in them, but it’s clear from the entire pack — check them all out in PDF form at this link — of them that a Humboldt-Shasta alliance is not the only possibility on the Commission’s table. Other draft visualizations have Shasta extending farther south rather than west, which would seem to indicate that in those scenarios Humboldt and its southern neighbors would stay intact.

Which would have to be how most Humboldters prefer it. In August, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to send a letter to the Citizens’ Redistricting Commission urging it to keep us north-south aligned. 

“It is important to distinguish that though we are friends with and have close connections to other northern California counties, we are different from Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and other inland counties,” the board wrote. “We ask that this distinctness be recognized In future redistricting maps.” (Read the full letter here.)

Agree? Disagree? If you feel strongly either way, you’d better go ahead and register your thoughts. The Citizens’ Redistricting Commission’s whole purpose is to draw maps that represent the community, and public testimony plays a bigger role than you might imagine.

Craig Lane Berry passed away at his home in Fortuna on the morning of September 23, 2021 at the age of 78. He passed peacefully and privately, surrounded by his family, just as he lived his life.

Craig was born to Marguerite and Jim Berry in Palo Alto on November 6, 1942. He moved with his parents and brother to Eureka in 1947, where he spent the rest of his childhood. He was extremely proud to call Humboldt County home.

He graduated from Eureka High School in 1960 and then studied civil engineering at Humboldt State College and San Jose State College, graduating from the latter at the top of his department in 1965. He also studied for his MBA at both Columbia University in New York City and the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1967.

After working for the Bechtel Corporation and Transamerica in San Francisco for three years after receiving his MBA, Craig returned to Humboldt County in 1970 to assume control of Forbusco Lumber in Fortuna. Craig was a third-generation lumberman, as his grandfather had founded the Big Jo Lumber Company in Santa Fe, New Mexico and his father had a myriad of lumber businesses in Humboldt County, including Forbusco Lumber after he founded it in 1947. Over the 51 years as its President and CEO, Craig built Forbusco into the leading supplier of building materials in Southern Humboldt.

Craig was passionate about Forbusco’s role in the Fortuna community. He prided himself on providing good employment opportunities and assisting whenever he could with Fortuna’s development, particularly to causes benefiting children. His family has heard many stories about how Craig’s selfless advice and efforts helped Fortuna grow and survive times of crisis.

Craig also prided himself on his role as partner to Leah Mantooth and father to his son, Jeff. He was the dad who would help decipher homework at 2am despite just wanting to get some sleep. He never missed a single one of his families’ events, and he was always there to provide solid advice and encouragement, including during the last hours of his life. He was truly selfless as a partner, father and neighbor.

In his personal time, Craig was an avid hunter and fisherman. He was also an accomplished woodworker, having built most of the furniture in his house, and he certainly enjoyed fast cars.

Craig is survived by his partner of 41 years, Leah Mantooth of Fortuna; his son, Jeff Berry of Los Angeles and Jeff’s mother, Kathleen Berry; his step-daughter, Lynett Pray of Boise, Idaho; his granddaughters, Faith Pray and Trinity Pray, also of Boise; his brother and his wife, Ken and Karen Berry of Colorado Springs, Colorado; his niece, Alisha Crawford, also of Colorado Springs; his nephew, Brian Berry of El Cajon; and the employees of Forbusco Lumber in Fortuna.

The family is planning a memorial service and wake for the Spring of 2022 at Forbusco Lumber in Fortuna and an announcement will be made on the logistics of that event in early 2022. All who wish to attend are invited.

The family would also like to thank Dr. Donald Baird for years of wonderful care.

Donations can be made in his name to the Boys and Girls Club of Humboldt County.

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

On October 6, 2021 Hugh “Mack” McCullough went home to be with his Savior. Mack was born in Louisville, Mississippi August 27, 1936, to his parents Maburn and Sally McCullough.

His parents owned McCullough Farms, where they mainly grew cotton. In 1946, at only 10 years old, he lost both of his parents. At this time, he and his siblings, Sarah, Bess and Henry traveled from Mississippi to the Hoopa Indian Reservation to live with their older brother Bill, who had married a girl from Hoopa while in the service.

Mack was loved by all who knew him and spent time with several different families during his youth. He graduated from Hoopa High and was an outstanding athlete, playing all sports. Mack was a hard worker his whole life. As a young boy he would milk 40 cows before school. Mack fought and worked for everything he had. He joined the Navy after high school with his buddies from Hoopa. He served 4 years and was deployed to Japan. After the service he returned home to Hoopa. He rode a greyhound bus that got in late at night and he went to work at the saw mill the very next day.

He married Colleen Fountain and had 4 children, Macky, Troy, Nicole’, and Penny. He then returned to Jackson, Mississippi in 1961. There he joined the Mississippi Highway Patrol as a trooper. Three years later the family moved to Weaverville, where he became a Deputy Sheriff for a few years. He then put roots down in Salyer, working at Whitson’s Plumbing. Mack’s entrepreneur spirit sprouted, and he soon opened McCullough Plumbing. He ran and operated his business into his 70s. He used this business to train his sons, nephews, and others in the trade, taught them work ethic, and “how to shovel shit”. In addition to his plumbing company, he built a cattle company. Cattle was one his greatest joys along with raising hogs. Some his favorite times were spent running cattle on the Trinity Summit Mountain Range.

His entrepreneur spirit continued to his last days. He started a new cattle herd with his daughter in August of 2021. “5685 McCullough Cattle Company” Nicole’ was 56, he was 85, this was his newest and last endeavor. The last months of his life were spent negotiating cattle prices, buying, planning, building, and dreaming of this new adventure.

For the last 14 years of his life Carolyn was his friend, companion, and devoted helper. Carolyn attributes Mack with saving her life. He loved to call her “P Rooster”. Mack’s life is an example of perseverance through many hardships. He always said, “You just got to put it out of your mind and keep going” God was faithful throughout all of Mack’s life to draw him to Himself and in the end he lifted his hands and said “I am going HOME”.

He is preceded by his parents Maburn and Sally McCullough, his brothers – Bill, Henry, and Dee McCullough, sisters – Sarah Torrence, Bess Finton, and Virginia McCullough. Brother-in-law, JB Torrence. Sister-in-Law, Esther McCullough. nephews – Allan Torrence, Buff McCullough. Nieces – Darla and Michelle McCullough, Tami Johnson, and Great Grandson – Jazz Little Horse Hostler, Colleen McCullough, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. He is survived by Carolyn, Son – Macky McCullough and wife Dena McCullough, Grandchildren – Danielle and Travis Carmesin, Cole, Carly Carmesin. Rachelle and Clay Hicks, Bowdy, Carson, and Crew Hicks. Janelle and Mikey Jones, Conner, Lucus, and Cooper Jones. Son – Troy McCullough, Stefani Clark, Grandchildren – Lilian & Art Mastel, Talyor Davaris. Jedidiah McCullough, Elizabeth McCullough. Savannah McCullough and Olivia McCullough. Daughter – Nicole Ammon, Erick Ammon, Grandchildren – Ericka Hostler, Johnsilver, Coco, and Michael Hostler. Sarah Ammon, Bryce, Everett, and Gracelyn Gruetzmacher. Israel and Natalie Ammon, Kaiden Horn. Isaiah Ammon. Abigail and Grant Smith, Faith and Daisy Smith. Hope Ammon (His bull tamer). Daughter – Penny and husband Harv Grant. Grandchildren, Sashelle and Tim Broadbent, Jesse, Brooklynn, and Colt Broadbent. Jasmine and Jess Bacon, Mercedes Blankenship, and Kingston Bacon. Bryon and Amelia McIntosh Jr. Lincoln and Jude McIntosh. Cecily Grant. sister-in-law – Nancy McCullough (children) Cheri Gravalos, sister in law – Sid Colegrove (children) Sherlette Colegrove, Henry Boyd and Carol Ann McCullough. Nieces – Carol Criswell, Judy Harshman, Jerri Ellen Coleman, Sherry Ward, Pam Nichols, Collette Livingston, and Jackie Vail. Nephews – Dennis, Gary and Lee Turner. Jack and Henry Torrence, Robert Fountain.

Pallbearers – Macky & Troy McCullough, Harv Grant, Bryon McIntosh, Israel Ammon, Shane McCullough.

A viewing will be held at Paul’s Chapel in Arcata on Wednesday, October 13 from 4 to 7 p.m. Graveside Service will be held at the Hoopa Tribal Cemetery on Friday, October 15 at 11 a.m. Viewing before graveside service will be from 10 -11 a.m. Reception following at “The Ranch” at 1:00 p.m., 200 Fountain Ranch Road, Salyer.

Joel Landon Johnston
August 15, 1967 - August 3, 2021

On August 3, 2021, Joel Landon Johnston was invited by his Maker to join Him in paradise where his older brother, Todd Eric Johnston, has been waiting for him since May 3, 2020. The day before and the day he passed, he said that he had put up a good fight but he felt that Jesus was calling him Home. Jesus knew it was time. He had suffered enough.

Joel was born in Omaha, moving to Eureka at a very early age. At the time of his passing, he was still residing in Eureka with his loving son, Jeremiah Johnston.

During Joel’s early youth and through his young childhood, he loved to go fishing and crabbing every chance he got. That pretty much ended when he grew into adulthood and became a father to his beautiful son, Jeremiah, who then became his whole world. When he accepted God as his Savior, he lived a life as a devote Christian. He once told his son that Jesus was #1 in his life and Jeremiah was a very close #2. Jeremiah followed his dad when he also accepted Jesus as his savior.

At a very early age, Joel dealt with some major medical problems which we, as parents, helped him overcome those we were able to, but then as he aged he had to suffer through other medical problems that would have brought anyone to their knees. If it weren’t for Joel’s strong faith in his Lord, he wouldn’t have been able to endure the great pain he had to deal with almost all the time. As parents who witnessed his health and body deteriorate, it was devastating. Joel’s son was at his side all the while helping as much as he could. Their bond with one another was something to witness … very special.

Joel was also able to discuss Jesus with his niece, Savannah, who decided she wanted to join him and his son at various times when they went to worship. He was very pleased with that. He also rejoiced in the Lord when his other 2 nieces, Kasidy and MaKinzie and his nephew, Alex were baptized in their church.

Just a note: When your children are little, you wonder what kind of a person they will turn out to be but I think most of all, you just want them to be a kind, considerate and loving person.. What we witnessed in Joel was the unconditional love he showed for his son and the great love he had for his Savior. Our expectations were fulfilled and we feel we were very blessed to have him in our lives.

Preceded in his death was his older brother, Todd Eric Johnston; both of his paternal grandparents, Robert Johnston and Dorothy Johnston-Sharp, and both of his maternal grandparents, Chester Phifer and Astrid Carolyn Phifer-Lucas; his aunt and uncle, Dianne and Chuck Utter of Iowa; and his cousin; David Crockett of Wasilla, AK who recently passed away September 14, 2021 — David joined him in paradise as they were one with the Lord. There were also numerous other aunts, uncles and cousins who preceded him in death.

Joel is survived by his son, Jeremiah Johnston; Jeremiah’s sister, April Rasmussen, of Utah’ his parents: Patricia and Joe Leo of Eureka and William (Bill) and Joan Johnston of Ankeny, Iowa; his sister Rachelle (Shellie) ahd her spouse, Darin Taylor and their children, Joshua Johnston and Savannah Taylor; his brother Patrick Johnston and his children Alex, Kasidy and MaKinzie. He is also survived by his 3 loving nephews: Eric, Christopher and Matthew. Eric — his spouse Jeannette (Jennie) and their three children, Caleb, Kadence and Mariah from Tacoma, Wash., Christopher, his spouse Shalico and their two children, Lashyla and Jayden from Fortuna, Matthew and his loving partner, Heather Hardwich, from Eureka.

Joel’s graveside memorial service will be held at Ocean View Cemetery on Friday, October 22, 2021 at 2 p.m. Please wear masks and practice social distancing. Thank you.

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

Diana Izella Peak was born August 20, 1949 in Klamath Falls, Oregon to Beryl Marlis Jack (Jackie) and Roy Edwin Herrick.  She passed away at the age of 71 on Sunday August 1, 2021 from complications of pulmonary fibrosis in McKinleyville.

Diana grew up in Keno, Oregon and was the fourth-born of nine children.  Early in her life she lived in Hayfork, Alturas, Crescent City and moved to McKinleyville in 1983 and remained there until her passing. Diana met Charles Raymond Peak in Crescent City, and after a long courtship they married on March 6, 1993, in Blue Lake. Mr. and Mrs. Peak managed the Widow White Creek RV Park for over 20 years. She was a very giving individual with a heart of gold and would help anyone who needed it, she is loved by many.  In her early years she liked to paint ceramics and give them as gifts.  Her biggest joy was spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren later in life.

Diana is survived by her husband Charles Raymond Peak Sr., her oldest daughter Rosetta M Peak-Harris, her daughter Kimberley D. Ross, and son Robert D. Childers Jr., stepchildren, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Diana is also survived by her seven siblings, Beverly, James, Carolyn, Carleen, Cheryl, George and Mary.

Diana is preceded in death by both her parents Beryl Marlis Jack and Roy Edwin Herrick, her oldest son Donald Roy Herrick, her daughter Jackie Michelle Peak, her granddaughter Kayla Michelle Herrick and her sister Marie Lane Herrick.

Services are being held at Ocean View Cemetery on October 22, 2021 at 10 a.m. There will be a gathering to celebrate her life at Widow White Creek RV Park following the services.

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

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It’s happening. Construction has begun on infrastructure for two of the world’s longest fiber optic cables, which will stretch more than 10,000 miles along the bottom of the Pacific Ocean from the Samoa Peninsula to Singapore and Taiwan, respectively.

You may have noticed the bright orange hull of the Segero (pictured above) out in Humboldt Bay recently. The vessel has been working to pull fiber optic cables through conduits attached to a landing site near the old pulp mill property.

The project, dubbed the Echo Cable System, is being installed by RTI Infrastructure, and subsidiaries of both Google and Facebook have invested in the endeavor. 

From the Samoa Peninsula, RTI Infrastructure used a diagonal drill to install 10-inch conduits, which have been sunk 50 feet below the ocean bed and extend 1.2 miles offshore. The Segero is being used to pull the fiber optic cables through that conduit, according to Larry Oetker, executive director of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District.

The landing site is located on property owned by the Harbor District and slated to be developed as a land-based fish factory operated by Nordic Aquafarms.

In a recent phone conversation, Oetker explained a bit more about the fiber optic project. He said the Segero, that big orange-hulled ship, functions like a plow, burying the cables five feet beneath the sea floor until it’s about 30 miles offshore. 

“That way it won’t have any impact on fisheries,” Oetker said. Beyond that 30-mile point, the cables will run along the bottom of the ocean.

Fishermen expressed concerns about the project during a June hearing of the California Coastal Commission. Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association Vice President Ken Bates told commissioners that while his organization wasn’t opposed to the project, its members had “grave concerns” about the proposed mitigation efforts.

Before approving the project, the Coastal Commission added a few conditions of approval. One requires RTI Infrastructure to submit a Marine Wildlife Monitoring and Contingency Plan. The company also must notify fishermen of the location of the cable and adhere to a revised Fishing Agreement between fiber optic cable companies and the fishing industry.

The agreement is designed to avoid and mitigate conflicts between the installation, operation and maintenance of the cable projects and commercial fishing activities in the area.

You may also have noticed the recent and ongoing construction work along State Route 255 between Samoa and Arcata. While RTI Infrastructure works on the seaside part of the project, a Colorado-based company called Vero Fiber Networks is running the conduit from the landing site north into Arcata, where it will connect with a data center. 

From there, Oetker said, the line will be installed along the existing broadband right-of-way that runs adjacent to State Route 299 east to the I-5 corridor near Redding. Once connected, the new fiber optic lines will become the latest connections in the world’s vast and growing network of submarine fiber cables.

The landing site connects to four steel pipes, leaving plenty of room for future connections. When Google announced the project, it boasted, “Infrastructure investments such as these can have a substantial, measurable impact on regional economic activity.”

Oetker said Harbor District personnel are excited about this development.

“It’s just another one of those things to get clean, green industries into Humboldt,” he said. “It will set the stage for future economics for our region. Most people won’t even notice it, but they will be receiving the benefits.”

• New, Superfast Internet From the Ocean? Harbor District to Hear $1.75 Million Proposal to Connect Humboldt to Undersea Cables
• That Superfast Undersea Internet? You’re Probably Not Getting It, Unless You are One of 307 People Who Live in Lewiston
• New Fiber Optic Line a Go! State Pledges $47 Million to Dredge Internet Up From the Sea, Thread Fat Pipe From Eureka to Redding
• A Bill Sitting on Governor Brown’s Desk Could Determine the Future of Broadband in Rural Humboldt and Beyond
• Major Datacenter Company Purchases Arcata Warehouse, Starts Filing Paperwork to Build Fiber Optic Line to Samoa Peninsula
• Major Datacenter Coming to Arcata Will Connect to High-Speed Fiber Optic Cables Running From Samoa to Singapore
• Google Is Putting Money Into That Fast Undersea Internet Cable Between Eureka and Singapore, and They Think It’ll be Done by 2023

More info on “Sugar Bear.” | USFS

A harvest date has been set for the Six Rivers National Forest tree selected to be this year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.

“Sugar Bear.” | USFS

The 84-Foot White Fir nicknamed “Sugar Bear,” will be sawed down during a live ceremony broadcast on the Six Rivers National Forest’s Facebook page on Oct. 24 at 10 a.m.

“The People’s Tree will be harvested using a two-person crosscut saw, which is more eco-friendly and fire safe, as well as celebrates decades of U.S. Forest Service crosscutting tradition,” the U.S. Forest Service stated this week.

The tree will then be loaded onto a big rig by crane and trucked 3,300 miles cross-country from Northern California to Washington D.C.

More than 20 towns throughout the U.S. will hold outdoor viewing celebrations during the tree’s journey, including Eureka, Fortuna, Willow Creek, Crescent City and Ukiah.

“We are excited that the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will visit Fortuna on its journey to Washington, D.C.,” Fortuna Chamber of Commerce President Renee Lindsay stated. “We invite the community to come by anytime during the event to see the tree from Six Rivers National Forest.”

Friday, Oct. 29

• 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Del Norte Visitor Center (1001 Front Street, Crescent City, CA 95531)
• 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Eureka Waterfront (Madaket Square Boardwalk, D Street, Eureka, CA 95501)
  

Saturday, Oct. 30

• 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Willow Creek Mainstreet (CA Hwy-299, Willow Creek, CA 95573)
• 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.: Fortuna River Lodge (1800 Riverwalk Drive, Fortuna, CA 955340)

Sunday, Oct. 31 

• 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.: Pear Tree Shopping Center (504 East Perkins St, Ukiah, CA, 95540)

The tree’s journey will end at the U.S. Capitol Building’s West Lawn, where a tree-lighting ceremony will be hosted by Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in early December.