Samanatha Kristen Machado aka Smoker left the earth on September 14, 2021 after a difficult battle of pneumonia exacerbated by repeated asthma attacks. While she is no longer with us, her love will live forever in all those she held near and dear to her heart.

Samantha was a proud Yurok tribal member with a strong family bloodline of Tolowa tribal descendancy. Her beautiful presence was a gift to all those she encountered. A charismatic, strong and sometimes hilarious personality lit up every room she walked in. Sam enjoyed traveling all over California and Oregon to visit friends and family. She spent some time living near Yosemite park. It was a dream to visit one day with her family. Sam prided herself on her hard work and not a day went by without accomplishment. Her love and dedication to her family and friends meant everything to her. Sometimes her sense of humor would catch you off guard. If you needed to hear tough love, she would give it to you. Recently, she gained certification as a caregiver. She was a Healthcare Hero that worked very hard to help people in need. Her sweet but down-to-earth charm allowed her to engage and befriend people from all walks of life. We will forever miss her laugh and the love she gave.

She is survived by her family; her son, Jason Andrew Sabedra Jr. mother, Sarah Smoker, brothers John Rogers Jr. Sister in Law Tracy, Damon Rogers, Sister in law, Vena Jones. Uncles, Jason Smoker, Frank McKuhn and Harold Huck. Her baby Charlie Smoker, Nephews, Damon Rogers Jr., Braxton Rogers. Aunties Lori Swain, Dana Shade, Marilyn Bray. Cousins Rose Smoker and her son Zachary, Her cousins from Smith River and Oregon, Larry Smith, Rose Smith and Family, Nancy Colegrove, Terry Bray and Tacheena, Shayla and Terry Jr. Dean and Mike Jones, Max Sterling, Mitchell and Keyton McKuhn and family. Extended Family Big John and John Rogers, She loved her best friends, they were everything to her and there are many including Jennifer McCovey, Willow & Summer Reed and Rosie.

She is preceded in death by her Uncle Marvin aka Muggs Smoker Jr. Grandfathers Marvin Smoker Sr. and Alvin Machado Sr.Harold “Rip” Gardner. Grandmothers, Catherine Richards, Maxine Machado and Sarah Smoker, Cousin, Aunties Mary Russell, Roselyn Jones, Uncle Jack Russell and Cousin Kristen Bagley. Family members, Arilla Aubrey and Pamela Hickey.

A graveside service will be on October 8 at 1 p.m. at Sunset Memorial Park. Following the service will be a celebration of life gathering at the Jefferson Community Center.

Honorary pall bearer: Jason Smoker

Pall bearers: John and Damon Rogers Harold Huck, Brian Bennett,

Donations to the service expenses are appreciated.

Please see the gofund me link below:

https://gofund.me/b5b8a03d

Steven John, loving husband, dad, brother, grandpa, uncle, and friend passed away on August 31, 2021, from complications following surgery. Steve was born to Alfred and Belle John on April 18, 1947, in Oakland.

Steve started working at a very young age doing various jobs, including washing dishes at a local hospital and a tire shop. His work ethic was exemplary from the beginning and he appreciated every job he had and gave it his all. Steve was self motivated and extremely curious about how things worked. When Steve was in 7th grade he decided he wanted to learn how to swim so he could join his friends at the local public pool.

Steve checked out a book at the library and taught himself how to swim by reading that book from cover to cover. This is just one example of how Steve faced a challenge. After graduating from St. Elizabeth High School in 1965, Steve planned on attending Seattle University, but after his dad suffered a disabling injury, he decided to enroll at San Francisco State to be closer to home during his dad’s recovery. While at SFU, Steve majored in Civil Engineering and played basketball for one year as a “Gator.”

In the spring of 1966, Steve was set up on a blind date by a good friend. This is where he met his loving wife, Ann Cerruti. That fall, like many of his close friends, Steve enlisted in the Marine Corp. He was stationed in Hawaii before his tour of duty in Vietnam. During his time in the service he and Ann wrote to each other and after Steve returned home, they knew they were meant to be together.

After returning home, Steve enrolled at Chabot College in Hayward to complete his AA while Ann was completing her BA at College of Notre Dame in Belmont and would then pursue a teaching credential. During this time, a childhood friend of Steve’s mentioned a trip to Humboldt State that he had taken for homecoming. He spoke of the “beautiful” weather and the amazing scenery. This sparked Steve’s interest. He could complete his degree and Ann could earn her credential. Following their engagement in the winter of 1969, they drove up to visit the area with Ann’s grandpa, Louis Bertain. Ann’s family was very rooted in Humboldt County and it seemed to be the perfect place. Following their wedding in 1970, they loaded up their VW beetle and headed north. Shortly arriving in Eureka, they attended the 7 o’clock mass at St. Bernards Church. It was there that the pastor introduced them to several young couples who would become some of their life long friends.

The summer they arrived it rained, and rained. Once they got used to the weather, they settled in and finished their schooling at HSU. Ann started her first teaching job and Steve took 24 units each semester to complete a new major in Social Welfare. Steve hoped to be a juvenile probation officer, but after interning he was disappointed in thesystem and decided to pursue different paths. Steve’s first job in Humboldt was working at the tire shop at Montgomery Wards. From there he went to work for Mendes Supply and acquired a Commercial license.

Steve and Ann started their family in 1976 with the birth of Matthew. Katie and Michael followed in 1978 and 1979. Ann quit her teaching job after the birth of Matthew and she thanked Steve daily for the opportunity to be a stay at home mom. The next years were busy with school and sporting events for the kids. Every weekend was traveling for games, tournaments, and wonderful family time in the famous “Barney” blue bus. During these early years, Steve worked for Ken Bareilles Logging. For many years there was a log truck parked in front of the house and the kids accompanied Steve on many truck rides out to log decks and to the shop. Working for Ken allowed Steve to work around his family schedule. Working very long days didn’t stop Steve from attending every sporting event or school function. Steve was always thankful to Ken for giving him the opportunity to be his own boss. Steve loved the outdoors and driving a logging truck gave him the chance to be outside and see parts of Humboldt County that many rarely get to see. While working for Ken, Steve learned to weld, honed his mechanic skills, and learned how to repair almost any piece of equipment. Steve and Ken continued to work together throughout the years and Steve especially enjoyed going up the ranch or working in the field at the bottom of “O” Street with both Ken and his brother, Paul.

During the kids’ high school years, Steve was part of the Crusader Athletic Board. He enjoyed being around the kids, parents, and especially loved the Sunday bingo games. He always came home with a story to tell. He could often be found in the snack bar during Babe Ruth games, Crusader football games, and barbequing during soccer games. As the kids got older and started their own journeys, he volunteered his time and skills to Soroptimist of Eureka, Humboldt Botanical Garden, Main Stage Humboldt, Freshwater School, and to anything else that Ann volunteered his services for. He never said no and would help anyone. If you were family, a friend, a friend of a friend, or a friend of his kids, he would offer his help without hesitation.

Following his time in the logging industry Steve became a full time diesel mechanic for the next several years. He worked at Roebucks, Cummins West, and Redwood Reliance Peterbilt and really enjoyed time in the shop with his fellow mechanics. Upon his retirement in 2011, Steve continued to work in many different capacities. He was a carpenter, electrician, plumber, painter, chauffeur, handyman extraordinaire, and the first one to offer help. Steve was the MacGyver in the family and could fix any problem. Retirement allowed him to put even more work into their Victorian on Buhne Street. Every nook and cranny of their home has his magic touch. Most of his skills were self taught and his handy work is shown throughout his home as well as many others. Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing Steve would say he was an amazing listener.

He was famous for running a quick errand and arriving home an hour later. It never failed that he would run into someone he knew and catch up on their latest family news. He genuinely cared about people and every conversation mattered to him. We can only guess that Steve knew more about others than they did about him. He was selfless and humble and didn’t feel like he needed to be acknowledged for his gifts. To him, that is just how everyone should be.

Steve was blessed to be able to see his grandchildren grow and was affectionately known as Pops. He was ever present and fully in the moment when they were together. He spent many hours on the floor playing games, attending school and sporting events, and simply enjoying their company. He was a master Playdoh sculptor and his artistic skills will go down in history.

Steve loved being outside. He looked forward to the summers when he could take his bike and canoe to Whiskeytown Lake and enjoy a day in the sun. Steve, Ann, and the kids spent their summers camping around Humboldt County and making trips to the Bay Area to visit family. He started skiing again when he was 61, and was able to share that with his kids and grandkids. He loved to be up on any mountain and really loved skiing because it gave him the opportunity to meet people on the lifts. He never met someone he didn’t like. Steve had the opportunity to enjoy many things with his children including attending professional soccer games, concerts, hikes, road trips, and even a cross country trip by train. Steve didn’t need much to be happy or to enjoy himself. All he needed were some laughs, some sun and the people he loved.

Steve took care of those he loved in a way that is hard to put into words. He put himself last and everyone else first. He anticipated everyone’s needs and was often “just in the neighborhood” right when help was needed. He took great pride in his home and could be seen in the early morning hours picking up litter in front of the house, or painting over graffiti that appeared overnight. Steve was an amazing and attentive husband to Ann. He took care of her and the kids with true intention and purpose. His nature was to support others. He didn’t judge. He was grateful for what he had and never wanted for anything.

Steve is preceded in death by his parents Alfred and Belle John. He is survived by his best friend and wife of 51 years, Ann, his children, Matt John (Robin) of Eureka, Katie (Joe Hall) of Arcata, Michael John of Granite Bay, grandchildren Sabine John, Amelia and Ruby Hall, and Zeke and Izabella John, sister Rosemary Thierolf of Seattle, numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He also leaves behind a large extended family including the Bertain, Cerruti and Davi families. Steve also leaves behind his dear friends Ken and Paul Bareilles who meant so much to him and never ceased to make him laugh.

The immense grief we are feeling over this loss is at times unbearable. We would like to thank everyone that has reached out to us over the last few weeks. It has brought us comfort to read your words and to know you share in our love and admiration for such an amazing man. Memorial donations can be made in Steve’s name to the Wounded Warrior Project (support.woundedwarriorproject.org) or Tunnel to Towers (t2t.org). A celebration of life will be announced at a later date.

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

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Press release from the Redwood Coast Energy Authority:

New legislation just signed into law on Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom will significantly advance the development of an offshore wind power industry on the West Coast, especially in Humboldt County, say developers of a proposed local project and the area’s Community Choice Aggregator (CCA).

The legislation, AB 525, which was approved nearly unanimously by the California Legislature earlier this month, directs California state agencies to develop a strategic plan to facilitate the development of offshore wind on a large scale over the next two decades.

California law states that, by 2045, 100 percent of electricity consumed in California must come from carbon-free sources. One study has suggested offshore wind has the potential to generate electricity in an amount equal to 150 percent of California’s electricity usage in 2019. Further, offshore wind is the perfect complement to solar generation in California as ocean winds pick up in the early evening when the sun begins to set.

“This new law shows California is now fully committed to developing an offshore wind industry that can create local jobs, advance towards a carbon-free electric system, and address the threat of climate change,” said Tyler Studds, chief executive officer of Redwood Coast Offshore Wind (ROW).

ROW is a 50-50 joint venture between two international offshore wind developers, Ocean Winds and Aker Offshore Wind, in partnership with the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA). RCEA is a CCA formed by nine local government entities with a mandate to procure clean and renewable power for Humboldt County electricity customers.

Earlier this year, Newsom and the Biden administration announced they expect to hold an auction in 2022 for leases off both the Humboldt Coast and the Central Coast near Morro Bay. These areas combined could produce 4.6 GW of offshore wind energy and power 1.6 million California homes. 

“This legislation and the support it received underscores the wisdom of RCEA engaging early to work toward the responsible development of our local offshore wind resource,” said Matthew Marshall, executive director of RCEA. “We are taking a community-based approach to developing Humboldt County’s offshore wind resource that prioritizes community values, protecting the environment, and developing strategies to avoid or mitigate impacts to the fishing community and local Tribes, while creating jobs and economic development.”

ROW has already actively engaged a host of local stakeholders, including fisheries, labor, and Tribal governments to understand their concerns and explore solutions.

Deploying wind turbines offshore, where they will be placed on floating platforms so they can operate in deep water, will require significant investments and upgrades to the Port of Humboldt Bay that can also benefit other port users. Once the port is upgraded and as the industry develops, other parts of the offshore wind supply chain could locate facilities in Humboldt County and elsewhere in California. In July, the Humboldt Bay Harbor and Recreation District submitted a grant application to the U.S. Department of Transportation Port Infrastructure Development Program to fund the development of a Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind and Heavy Lift Marine Terminal.

“This law provides much-needed certainty around the future of offshore wind in California and will spur significant upgrades in port and grid infrastructure,” said Jonah Margulis, senior vice president of US operations for Aker Offshore Wind. “We look forward to creating a robust, sustainable offshore wind industry in Northern California that will serve the community with reliable, clean energy and well-paying jobs for decades to come.”

CORRECTION: This story originally incorrectly said that Humboldt County League of Women Voters Program Director Molly Cate referred to a HCLWV position statement — “We support expansion of funding for and parity in mental health services in Humboldt County” — as “woefully inadequate.” She was actually referring to an older HCLWV position statement: “Support of a mental health facility in Humboldt County.” The error has been fixed.

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It’s been a hard year and a half. The number of people facing mental health challenges nearly doubled during the pandemic, the number of people seeking help for depression and anxiety has skyrocketed, and, consequently, the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention recommended last year that public health responses to the pandemic should include efforts to address those increases. And so it’s fitting that a study looking into Humboldt County’s mental health services is underway.

Image: League of Women Voters of Humboldt website

Headed by the League of Women Voters of Humboldt County — a nonpartisan education and advocacy group — the study will culminate in “positions” backed by the LWVHC organization, which, in theory, could lead to swaying local policy. If you want to lend a hand, they’re interested.

Every year, the League revisits its positions on various issues and evaluates whether updating those positions is needed (each issue is assessed every decade or so). The call for this study rose in February when the organization looked over its “Public Health” positions and realized that within that issue, its sole position on mental health — “Support for a mental health facility in Humboldt County” — was “woefully inadequate,” as LWVHC Program Director Molly Cate put it.

But fixing the problem is not as simple as drafting up some new positions. “We can take no advocacy or educational position on any topic of importance without doing a study on it,” Cate said (it’s a rule). Once aware of their lacking stance on mental health, League members agreed it is “very important to get this done,” Cate said. 

The League wrote a new statement — “We support expansion of funding for and parity in mental health services in Humboldt County” — as a placeholder, with plans to replace it with more position in-depth position statements upon the completion of their study. 

The LWV study process is a bit long. They’ll assemble a committee, which right now has about a dozen League members, Cate said, though they plan to invite folks from the Department of Health and Human Services and from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office to partake as well. 

Over a series of meetings, the committee will gather materials — national and local reports, statistics, studies — and conduct interviews with experts, including local folks who are members of the National Alliance of Mental Illness, for example, and some community members who’ve interacted with Humboldt’s mental health services as patients themselves. 

League members will review those materials, come to a consensus and develop recommendations for “positions” for the Humboldt County League of Women Voters. If that’s done by April, the League will vote on whether to adopt those positions at their annual meeting in May, but Cate noted that it may take another year. “We are going to take our time with this,” she said. 

Once positions have been adopted, the League will use them as guidance for education and advocacy. In the past, that’s included letters to government entities or letters to the editor in local news outlets. For instance, in 2017, LWVHC submitted a letter to the North Coast Journal supporting harm-reduction programs, which offer syringe exchange services. In 2019, they wrote to the State Water Resources Board supporting dam removal along the Klamath River.

LWVHC is seeking help from the community. Cate told the Outpost they welcome “anyone who has a heartfelt concern about mental health facilities and access to services here in the county.” Whether you’re familiar with some handy resources or want to share your own experience, you can send thoughts to Cate herself — at awestruckliving@gmail.com — by the end of September, she requests.

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Linda Urbina, a recently engaged, 29-year-old mother of four, has been posting videos of herself from her bed at Eureka’s St. Joseph Hospital, speaking directly into the camera between ragged breaths as she struggles with COVID-19. 

She’s posting the videos to Facebook and urging people to share them as documents of what can happen if you don’t get vaccinated. She wants to speak to the community despite how hard it is to talk, despite the heart pains caused by complications from the virus and despite the constant anxiety she feel separated from her family, unsure whether she’ll even survive.

Urbina and her fiancé on vacation in June, two days before getting engaged. | Photo via Facebook, used with permission.

“It’s important so everyone can see,” she says in a video posted Thursday. “Nobody documents this shit. Why not? All you that have been sick with it, how come you guys don’t post how you felt? It would definitely help others.” 

In the videos, Urbina talks about her painful conversations with her worried family, her dreams of starting a tequila business with her dad and the symptoms racking her body. 

“I feel like I’m in a fucking boxing match — round 50,” she says in one video, immediately before suffering a coughing fit. When she recovers she says, “I’m fighting so hard, you guys.”

The Outpost reached out to Urbina on Thursday night via Facebook Messenger and asked what she would like to tell the community. Our interview with her, below, has been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can also scroll down to see one of her recent videos.

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Lost Coast Outpost: What would you like people to know?

Urbina: To get vaccinated. This is horrible. What it is like to be alone feeling hopeless with kids at home.

LoCO: How long have you been hospitalized?

Urbina: Since Tuesday. Ambulance brought me from Weott. I live in Weott. Grew up in Scotia.

LoCO: How many kids do you have? How old are they?

Urbina: Four. Two 13 yr olds, a 7 year old and 1 baby. [The] baby is 1 year 6 months.

LoCO: What’s your status? Are you getting any better or worse?

Urbina: Complications every day! I feel good then all of a sudden something happens. I am having heart problems now due to covid. I am passing clots also. Through my urine. All covid related.

LoCO: That sounds scary. Why did you choose not to get vaccinated?

Urbina: I was pregnant and scared [that the vaccine would harm the fetus]. I ended up having a miscarriage on aug 17th and covid hit my house Labor Day weekend.

[Note: The CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccination for all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant or might become pregnant in the future. Read more here.]

LoCO: May we download your videos? They’re very powerful and I think they could do a lot of good.

Urbina: Yes. I want to try to save lives! I am 29 years old!!! 

LoCO: What are the doctors telling you?

Urbina: I have to be here 3 more days to finish treatment. But I will be on oxygen tank for a while. This is going to be a long recovery. I’m trying so hard

LoCO: You’ve been struggling to breathe?

Urbina: Yes! Breathing is the worst. I cannot be without the oxygen. Now anxiety is hitting. Being here alone is so difficult.

LoCO: Is anyone else in your family sick?

Urbina: We all had it. Six of us. Everyone had it for 1-2 days. I was the last and worst.

LoCO: Do you have any underlying conditions?

Urbina. No. Healthy girl my whole life. Never thought I would get it like this.

LoCO: We are grateful to you for sharing your story.

Urbina: I hope Humboldt listens.

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This morning she sent photos of Post-It notes filled with a list of her medications:

She doesn’t know how her body will react to all of them. “It could harm my organs for sure, the treatment,” she said. 

You can see more of Urbina’s videos on her Facebook page and read another story about her experience on Redheaded Blackbelt.

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Despite an initial slow rollout of rent relief money, the state of California is extending and more than doubling its deal with the outside contractor it hired to get the money to tenants and landlords.

The contract with Horne LLP, a Mississippi-based accounting firm that specializes in disaster relief, jumped from $51.7 million when the program kicked off in March to at least $146.8 million in the amended agreement signed on Sept. 16, according to documents obtained by CalMatters through a public records request.

Under the new contract, which goes through March 2022, Horne will be responsible for administering $2.6 billion in rent relief, up from $1.15 billion when the program kicked off in March.

The increase follows the doubling of federal rental relief funds for California to $5.2 billion and the decisions by several big cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, to hand over their local rent relief programs to the state, according to Geoffrey Ross, deputy director at the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

Ross said the cities previously administering their own programs joined the state because of increased efficiencies; for example, the state can easily redistribute funds if one city or county has leftover money. He also said that local officials saw the state’s success with its contractor.

Horne, which has made emergency rent relief a line of business, isn’t in charge of distributing all the money that California has. The remainder of the $5.2 billion available for rent relief is being handled by local jurisdictions that are still disbursing the first round of funds, including Los Angeles, and those running their own programs for the second round, including Sacramento, Stockton, San Diego, Oakland and Alameda.

The amount that the state, and Horne, handles could increase if local jurisdictions also choose to hand over their program to the state, or if California gets anticipated leftover federal funds from other states.

But State Auditor Elaine Howle warned last week that California could lose as much as $337 million in federal rent relief because of how it reports spending to the feds. The Housing and Community Development Department disputes that will happen.

While the state bumped up Horne’s administrative fees in the renewed contract, it amounts to about 5% of the total rental assistance allotment — and still falls under the federal government’s 15% cap for administrative fees.

“Even though it’s a sizable amount of money, we’re able to actually now deploy additional resources,” Ross told CalMatters. “We have a pretty significant cost savings when you were to compare what it would cost for all 49 jurisdictions to run this center.”

Most of what Horne is receiving will go to staffing, which Ross said the company had already quadrupled, to about 1,200 employees, since the start of the program.

In September, the contract calls for at least 1,190 people to manage individual cases, 340 people to staff the call center and 19 people to manage funds. The staffing is supposed to drop off in November, to 650 case managers and 190 call center workers, and even more so by March.

“Even though it’s a sizable amount of money, we’re able to actually now deploy additional resources.”
— Geoffrey Ross, deputy director at the California Department of Housing and Community Development

If the state decides additional staffing is needed, the contract says Horne would provide 200 more employees within three weeks at an additional cost of $4 million a month to the state.

The money budgeted to pay Horne could technically be redirected to landlords and tenants if they use less staffing than predicted, Ross said.

Lots of big contracts

This is only one of a multitude of contracts worth tens of millions of dollars the state has signed with outside vendors in response to emergency needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. They include several to fix problems with unemployment benefits getting to jobless Californians. Some other deals have had problems.

Ross said the state had received multiple bids for this contract, and determined that Horne was the most qualified because of its expertise in disaster relief, including rent relief in Texas. While that rollout also started slowly, it has improved, according to media reports.

The state was unprepared to create the software or hire employees to get the money out in time before it started to be clawed back by the feds, Ross said.

“It is really hard to fully understand what’s the appropriate dollar amount for these kinds of things, particularly, to be honest, of a program of a scale and speed, which is fairly unprecedented,” said Vincent Reina of the University of Pennsylvania, whose research group has been studying rent relief distribution in California and Los Angeles.

To evaluate how effective the program has been, Reina said to look at three components: the total dollars distributed, the rate at which distribution has increased and whether the dollars have reached those who need it most. “And that’s where the data becomes really complicated,” he said.

This week, the state announced it has paid out $584.8 million to nearly 50,000 households, about a quarter of the $2.6 billion available. That’s a nearly 700% increase since June 28, when the state passed the latest round of tenant protections, according to Russ Heimerich, a spokesperson for the state’s Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

Ross attributed the faster rollout to eased federal documentation requirements, which led to simpler applications, and an increase in how much landlords and tenants are eligible to receive.

While the eviction protections passed in June are set to expire on Sept. 30, rental assistance will continue to be available. To be covered by eviction protections through next March, eligible tenants must apply for rent relief.

“When an eviction matter comes before the court, the court is supposed to ask the landlord: ‘Have you participated in rent relief and has your tenant participated in rent relief?’ If the answer is yes, then the courts cannot take up the eviction matter until that case is decided,” Heimerich said.

Horne and the housing department are working on a separate phone line courts could call to corroborate whether a plaintiff in an eviction case had applied for rental assistance, Heimerich said.

A landlord gets relief, finally

One landlord, Bill Phelps, told CalMatters he had on Monday finally received nearly $35,000 in missed rent payments for the 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom house he rents out for $3,500 a month in Concord. But he had applied for the money six months earlier, on March 15, the day the state opened its portal.

“It was a long, long, long wait, but I’m happy to get the money,” said Phelps, 72.

But he said his tenants, an unemployed couple with two kids who lost their jobs at the start of the pandemic, still plan to move in with family at the end of the month because they’re $7,500 behind in rent.

“I talked to the tenants and said, ‘The moratorium ends at the end of the month. You’re going to have to leave. I don’t want to start an eviction,’” Phelps told CalMatters. “That’s where I made the offer: I’ll forgive the $7,500 you owe if you’re out by the end of the month. I even kicked in $200 if they need it.”

Ross said money was still available and encouraged landlords and tenants to apply for rent through December to avoid having to leave. But they have to wait 15 days between the day they receive rental assistance, and their next application.

Phelps said he didn’t know that was an option, and would consider it. But he has little faith.

“If I would get my check right away, oh yeah, they can stay,” he said. “But the way that it is, I wouldn’t be getting this money until maybe next July or August. I’ll just sort of accept my losses, and just move forward and sell the house.”

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

Michael Stephen Mast of Arcata passed away on September 8, 2021 after battling cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. He was 75 years of age. He was born on September 2, 1946 in St. Louis, Missouri to Lawrence Mast and Marie Boegeman Mast. He is survived by his sister, Mary Ekiss, his daughters, Theresa Mast Sorensen of Sacramento and Christina Mast of Arcata. He also leaves behind his former wife Kathleen Strickland of Sacramento and his estranged wife Catherine Dean of Arcata.

He grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, and just loved the music of the Beach Boys. After high school he went to Pierce College there for a while and then transferred to a small Catholic University in Olympia, Washington called St. Martin’s University. They built a brand new gym which they also intended to use as an entertainment venue. Somehow Mike got put in charge of booking some entertainment. He had no idea how to go about it so he contacted a local DJ who happened to know the agent for some groups including the Beach Boys. He found out that the Beach Boys were on tour along with Buffalo Springfield and they were playing Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. They had an empty day in between those two concerts. Well, with the help of the DJ, Mike convinced the Beach Boys to come to St. Martin’s University and play on that empty day. Although Mike had many accomplishments I think this is the one he was most proud of.

Most recently Michael worked as a civilian for the US Air Force at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento. After retirement he moved to a rural property just south of Orick. Then he moved to a home in Arcata to be closer to medical care and his daughter and grandchildren.

Mike loved to make people smile. Even during the radiation treatments he had, the nurses and technicians always smiled when they saw him.

He loved to travel. Some memorable trips he took were to Europe in a motor home, several trips to Hawaii and two to Belize where he especially enjoyed investigating the Mayan ruins.

He had always wanted to be a farmer like his grandfather, but he was allergic to all animals, trees and grass. He called the property he had south of Orick on McDonald Creek Road his farm. He did love to watch the elk that came to graze in the field across the road from his house.

Michael was known for his “Get ‘er Done” attitude, his love for his family an his generosity. We all miss him.

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