The family of longtime Arcata Mexican restaurant owner Esteban Gonzales has announced that they would like to show their appreciation for the outpouring of love they received following their loved one’s recent passing. How do they plan to do this? In a way that Esteban would undoubtedly have approved of: They’re going to give away hundreds of free tacos.
The first 200 people to show up to Esteban’s Mexican Restaurant at 1021 I St. starting at 1 p.m. this Sunday, April 18 will have their choice of either meat or veggie tacos to-go. Wear a mask, of course.
Esteban Gonzales was hospitalized with COVID-19 in December of 2020 and later died of pneumonia in January of this year. His family members reopened Esteban’s Mexican Restaurant reopened in March.
Read the release from Esteban’s Mexican Restaurant below:
Sunday, April 18th from 1-4pm, Esteban’s Mexican Restaurant invites the community to come out for free tacos to-go in appreciation for the outstanding support from local community after Esteban’s passing. It will be first come first serve for the first 200 people. There will be a meat and a veggie option available. Please wear a mask and adhere to social distancing guidelines to stop the spread. Esteban’s is located on 1021 I St, Arcata CA
Domingo 18 de abril de 1pm a 4 pm, El restaurante mexicano de Esteban’s invita a la comunidad a recibir tacos para llevar gratis en agradecimiento por el apoyo excepcional de la comunidad después del fallecimiento de Esteban. Se asignará por orden de llegada a las primeras 200 personas. Habrá una opción de carne o de verduras disponibles. Use una máscara y cumpla con el distanciamiento social. La ubicación de Esteban’s es 1021 I st, Arcata CA.
File photo of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office overseeing the removal of abandoned vehicles at Samoa Beach last year. | HCSO
The County of Humboldt has made it easier for citizens to air their grievances with its various departments. The county administrative office released a new survey yesterday that allows members of the public to rate their level of satisfaction with each department, ranging from “very satisfied” to “very dissatisfied.”
Humboldt County Administrative Office spokesperson Manny Machado told the Outpost that the county issued the online questionnaire in accordance with a grand jury report recommendation made in August of last year.
“It’s nice to hear that great feedback on great service that employees are providing, but maybe there’s some input that causes each department to improve,” Machado said. “The county is open to ideas that the community has.”
In the report, the grand jury states that members of the public frequently misdirect complaints to the Humboldt Board of Supervisors Office or to the civil grand jury due to the lack of a proper complaint system provided by the county.
“The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury often receives complaints from members of the community regarding various public entities,” the report reads. “The grievances range from hand scrawled grumbling about the county government to thoroughly documented typed appeals specifically targeting a particular department. In some cases, the complaints are about concerns the Civil Grand Jury cannot investigate. In others an investigation is launched. Not all investigations yield enough information to write and publish a report. In all cases, the process of vetting, investigating, reporting, and publishing takes a long time. A response to a complaint received by the Civil Grand Jury may take a year, or more. ”
The new county survey is designed to offer a faster, simpler way for community members to voice their complaints. In addition to the rating system, the survey also provides a text box for comments and suggestions and an option for citizens to request a telephone or email response to their feedback from a member of that department.
“A typical standard for any complaint process is that the complaint should be addressed at the lowest level possible,” the grand jury wrote. “Many issues can be resolved by a phone call, an email, or with a simple feedback procedure with the specific public agency involved. Launching an official Civil Grand Jury investigation is similar to calling your member of congress to complain about a malfunctioning traffic light.”
The grand jury report also recommends that each department be required to provide Humboldt County Supervisors with annual survey reports to better improve county services.
“Such a policy assures taxpayers that the department welcomes feedback, provides ever improving service to the community, and will better inform a more cost-effective government,” the report states.
The Outpost reached out to the Humboldt County Supervisors Office for comment but did not receive a response.
In an effort to celebrate and better understand the copious number of artists who choose to call Humboldt County home, KEET-TV has produced Studio Space. Each episode of the 13-part series, set for weekly release starting in April, explores the processes and techniques of a pair of local visual artists kind enough to invite cameras into their creative zones.
To kick off this first episode — which you can watch below — host David Ferney speaks with George Bucquet about the 21st century techniques he uses to mold his glass creations. Later, host Kati Texas speaks with Jimmie Nord about his mixed media metal and wood sculptures.
Studio Space is made possible, in part, by funding from the California Arts Council. Episodes will be available to watch free online for a month after their original air date. (LoCO plans to post the episodes here for your convenience too.) After that grace period, you’ll need to become a sustaining member of KEET to access ‘em. To learn more, head over to the Studio Space website and for more info on how you can support local programming like this, head on over to KEET.org.
Press
release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
Humboldt
County has seen a substantial increase in illicit fentanyl
distribution, possession and overdose cases, including an alarming
number of overdose deaths.
Fentanyl
is a synthetic opioid and a Schedule II narcotic that is
approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more
potent than heroin. Fentanyl is often added to heroin and other drugs
to increase their potency and can cause accidental overdose.
As
of April 14, 2021, the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has
received confirmation of eight fentanyl overdose deaths in the
county, with six in the month of March alone. Multiple overdose death
investigations remain pending receipt of toxicology reports, with
more fentanyl cases anticipated.
Additionally,
in 2021 alone, Humboldt County Drug Task Force Agents have seized
over 187 grams of Fentanyl and approximately 5,002 Fentanyl pills. In
comparison, agents seized just 3 grams of Fentanyl in 2020 and three
Fentanyl patches in 2019.
“What
we are seeing currently are products that contain larger doses of
fentanyl, especially in pill form,” Lieutenant Shawn Sopoaga,
Humboldt County Drug Task Force Commander said. “Fentanyl is being
transported to Humboldt County in a raw form and used as a cutting
agent, by dealers, to produce more product.”
Image: DEA.
According
to the Drug Enforcement Administration, a lethal dose of fentanyl
consists of two milligrams, equal in size to a few grains of salt.
The DEA’s Fentanyl Signature Profiling Program found that 26
percent of illicit fentanyl pills examined in 2019 contained
potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. Counterfeit pills can be
difficult to distinguish from legitimate medications and are often
marketed as M30s, Perc30s, Blues or Mexican Oxy.
Fentanyl
can also be absorbed through the skin and accidental inhalation of
airborne powder can occur. Due to the rising threat of Fentanyl
exposure, Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies have been equipped
with Narcan, a nasal spray designed to rapidly reverse opioid
overdose. In California, residents can purchase NARCAN® Nasal Spray
without a prescription, directly from a pharmacist, and those locally
struggling with addiction are highly encouraged to carry Narcan in
case of overdose emergency.
“One
of my biggest concerns is that our teenagers and young adults are
taking pills from these dealers that are laced with fentanyl. The
chances of overdose is very high,” Humboldt County Sheriff William
Honsal said. “We are working with both our state and federal law
enforcement partners to hold those persons accountable that are
pushing fentanyl in our community.”
Anyone
with information regarding narcotics related crimes are encouraged to
call the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 707-267-9976 or the
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
California’s secretary of state’s office has failed to collect $2 million in fines owed by politicians, lobbyists and campaign donors who the office says filed disclosure reports late, a CalMatters analysis shows. It’s allowed some of the largest fines to languish for many years with no consequences to those who are supposed to pay up.
The debts are owed by a range of political players, according to a list published on the secretary of state’s website that details outstanding fines as of April 1. It shows fines owed by 26 state lawmakers and 21 superior court judges, as well as former legislators, losing candidates, ballot measure campaigns, Democratic and Republican clubs and corporate and labor-backed political action committees.
Some of the fines are very small. About 300 of them are less than $100, reflecting paperwork filed a few days late — a routine violation of campaign finance law that’s the political equivalent of a parking ticket.
But 45 of the fines are more than $10,000, and some are for violations more than a decade ago — raising questions about whether California is effectively enforcing its campaign finance law that is meant to promote transparency and prevent corruption.
“Enforcement in California is horribly lax up and down the scale, whether it’s regulatory compliance or criminal compliance,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. “The rules ought to be clear, they ought to be fair, they ought to be enforceable and they ought to be enforced.”
The secretary of state’s office sends three letters to people who owe the fines, but doesn’t take steps beyond that to collect the money, spokesperson Joe Kocurek said. In the past, he said, staff members called people who were behind on paying their fines, but that became too time consuming.
“It’s a large amount of money, and so the question is: What can we legitimately do?” — Shirley Weber, California Secretary of State
The problem has persisted long before Shirley Weber, the current secretary of state, took office in January. Still, she said she’ll look into the issue to see if any changes should be made. Though $2 million is a tiny portion of California’s more than $200 billion annual budget, it’s roughly as much as the state spends to educate about 190 students for a year.
“It’s a large amount of money, and so the question is: What can we legitimately do?” Weber said in an interview this week. “They’ve done things in the past, (but) what good is a fining system, if you can’t enforce it?”
Sam Mahood, a spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla — who was secretary of state for six years before Weber — said the office “has limited resources and enforcement mechanisms to collect late fines.” Even so, it collected more than $3.6 million in fines during Padilla’s tenure, he said.
The lax enforcement is a far cry from the experience ordinary Californians face if they, for example, neglect to pay a traffic ticket. Those fines increase when people don’t pay. Eventually, people can be charged with a misdemeanor for not paying, or have their tax refunds seized through a debt collection process.
“Once you get a fine in the criminal justice system, it compounds and increases and it easily takes over your life if you are low-income,” said Natasha Minsker, a lobbyist who has pushed for more leniency in traffic fines.
“The fact that these fines (on politicians and judges) can go unpaid without any consequence, it’s definitely an illustration of privilege.”
A bureaucratic maze
Legislators write laws and judges enforce laws, so they have an especially high duty to obey them. CalMatters analyzed the list posted on the secretary of state’s website and contacted lawmakers and judges who, according to the list, owed more than $1,000 as of April 1. CalMatters also contacted campaigns that owe more than $30,000 and politicians who owe relatively small amounts but hold prominent positions.
The process revealed a byzantine system of accountability. Until CalMatters contacted them, many officials on the list said they had never been notified about an outstanding fine. Others said they were aware of it, but were negotiating to have it reduced or waived. Some were confused that the secretary of state was lodging campaign finance violations because they had already resolved an issue with the Fair Political Practices Commission. While the FPPC is responsible for enforcing broader provisions of the campaign finance law, both agencies can levy fines for late disclosure reports. The Commission on Judicial Performance also can discipline judges for violating campaign finance law.
“The fact that these fines (on politicians and judges) can go unpaid without any consequence, it’s definitely an illustration of privilege.” — Natasha Minsker, lobbyist
The largest outstanding fine for a public official is nearly $38,000 owed by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jennifer Madden stemming from her 2016 campaign. She did not return multiple messages seeking comment. In 2019, she paid a $4,000 fine to the FPPC for failing to file required campaign disclosures in 2016.
CalMatters found several instances where officials said they are working to resolve the fines, either by paying them off or asking to have them waived:
Assemblymember Eloise Reyes, a San Bernardino Democrat, owes nearly $15,000 from her 2016 campaign. She said in a statement that her attorneys are working to resolve the issue “and once that occurs any outstanding fines will be paid as soon as possible.”
State Sen. Shannon Grove, a Bakersfield Republican, owes a total of $3,940 from campaigns in 2012, 2014 and 2018. The fines “should have been paid in full when we were first notified,” Grove said in an email. “I regret the payment was not made on time, as promised to me. I have been assured by my Treasurer that the fines will be paid in full by (mid-April).”
Stanislaus County Superior Court Judge Annette Rees owes $2,410 from her 2020 campaign. She said the secretary of state notified her of the fine last month — a year after she had resolved the same issue with the FPPC, which resulted in a warning letter. “I filed an appeal of the (Secretary of State) fines,” Rees wrote in an email. “I am currently awaiting a decision in my appeal.”
Sen. Steven Bradford owes $1,490 and Assemblymember Chris Holden owes $1,160, both from their 2020 campaigns. The Los Angeles Democrats have asked to have the fees waived, according to their lawyer Stephen Kaufman. “Once they receive a determination from the Secretary of State, the committees will pay any remaining fees that have not been waived or reduced,” Kaufman said by email.
Marin County Superior Court Judge Sheila Shah Lichtblau owes $1,090 from her 2016 campaign. Her treasurer, David Lichtblau, said he filed required disclosures on time with the county elections office, but that the secretary of state didn’t accept the forms through the county’s electronic filing system. He said that he resubmitted them directly to the state, and that he and the county registrar requested that the state waive any penalties. The secretary of state “recently admitted the waiver was never processed,” David Lichtblau wrote in an email, adding that he has re-submitted the request and expects the fine to be waived in the next two weeks.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon owes $90, from his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He believes the fines should be waived, said his campaign spokesperson Bill Wong: “Sometimes there is a mistake in billing. While it’s in dispute, we are not going to pay it.”
In other cases, officials said they were unaware that the secretary of state’s list shows they owe outstanding fines until CalMatters raised questions:
Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua, a Stockton Democrat, owes more than $10,000 from his 2018 run. A campaign spokesman said Villapudua was not notified of the fine. Last year, Villapudua paid a $483 fine to the FPPC for filing 2018 campaign disclosures late. He “never got anything from the secretary of state saying, ‘You owe $10,000,’” said Lee Neves.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge JoAnne McCracken owes $4,097 from a 2010 campaign. She said it must be an error because she never received notice of a fine. “To my knowledge, I do not have an outstanding fine nor did I fail to comply with any reporting requirements during my 2010 campaign for judge. In fact, your email is the first time I have heard of this,” McCracken wrote to CalMatters.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Efrain Matthew Aceves owes $1,450 from his 2016 campaign. He also said he had no knowledge of the fine until contacted by CalMatters. “I want to follow the law to the letter of the law,” Aceves said in a phone interview. “What’s odd to me is that there weren’t any notifications at all, and now it’s five years later.”
Sen. Richard Roth, a Riverside Democrat, owed $1,120 from his 2016 campaign. He was unaware of the fine until questioned by CalMatters, attorney James C. Harrison said, but promptly paid up after learning of it. Days later, Roth’s campaign heard from the secretary of state’s office “that the fine was assessed in error and that they would be returning Senator Roth’s check,” Harrison said in an email.
GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox, who says he will challenge Gov. Gavin Newsom if there’s a recall election, owes $650. “California residents face a maze of burdensome regulations covering nearly every part of their lives,” he said in a statement. “This is a perfect… example.”
State schools superintendent Tony Thurmond owes $550 from a 2014 campaign for Assembly. His spokesperson David Beltran called it a clerical error and said “it’ll be paid immediately.”
Weber did not address any specific fine but said that her office may have difficulty collecting some debts if campaign committees disband after an election.
“Some of these folks on this list haven’t been in existence in forever. And so as a result… who do you contact?” she said.
Confusing enforcement
The FPPC has its own log of outstanding fines — which stands at $414,112 for cases from 2014 to 2020, according to spokesperson Jay Wierenga. It includes fines for various violations of California’s political ethics law, not just for filing disclosure reports late. But its procedure can include more repercussions than the secretary of state’s: It refers outstanding debts to the Franchise Tax Board, which can garnish tax refunds and state lottery winnings.
Bob Stern, who helped write California’s campaign finance law in the 1970s, said it was intentionally designed with multiple channels of enforcement, even though that comes with some inefficiencies.
“We were concerned that if you put it all in one agency there could be a problem,” Stern said. “It was a conscious decision we made to have different agencies enforce the law because we wanted to ensure there was somebody out there who would enforce the law.”
But that divided responsibility and an apparent lack of coordination has also led to some confusion.
A 2014 campaign committee that hoped to overturn a law allowing transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice (but never qualified for the ballot) owes more than $42,000 in fines, according to the secretary of state. Treasurer John Fugatt said the committee had paid off its fine to the FPPC: “My understanding is that the secretary of state fees are then waived once an FPPC agreement is reached. Not sure why these are still showing as due.”
Similarly, the secretary of state’s list shows that unsuccessful Assembly candidate Robert Bernosky, a Hollister Republican, owes more than $34,000 from a campaign in 2012. But his attorney Harmeet Dhillon said Bernosky paid a $2,500 fine to the FPPC and was never notified that his name sat on a list of outstanding fines: “If the secretary of state is defaming people with nonsense like this, that just underscores the incompetence of the office.”
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CALmatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
David was born
November 18, 1948 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Nellie Bresler
joining sisters Cecilia and Pearl. He passed away April 7, 2021 in
Eureka after a brief illness.
When David was
two, his father Bill joined the family and then the family was
completed by the birth of his only brother Edward.
David grew up
going by David Sanford while attending Laffayette and Eureka High
School. It was in his teen years when he went to using his legal last
name of Galbraith. He was briefly in the Navy after which time his
second wife Barbara made him a father with the birth of his daughter
Angie.
David’s life
changed forever when he went to lunch at Humboldt Coffee Shop and met
the love of his life Petie. On April 16, 1988 they were married and
David become a step-father to Melissa and adopted Petie’s son Kevin.
In 1992 David,
Petie and Kevin moved to Alaska, with David driving up the Al Can
towing their travel trailer with Kevin. In Alaska David enjoyed
fishing for halibut and salmon. Angie soon joined them in Alaska. It
was then that they really formed a strong bond. It was the impending
birth of his first grandchild, Chase that inspired David to get his
GED at age 48. He also embraced his sobriety at this time and was
immensely proud of doing so.
In Alaska
David went to school and obtained his commercial truck driving
license. He went to work driving long haul from Alaska to Seattle.
After a few years he convinced Petie to get her license as well and
they drove together for many years.
After his
daughter Angie and her family moved to Oregon, David and Petie
followed. After a few years they returned to Ferndale, and moved into
the house they first lived in together.
A life long
fisherman and avid hunter. He has many photos of his adventures in
the outdoors. He especially enjoyed hunting and fishing at Ruth Lake.
He even spent time as a campground host. He also would go ocean
fishing with his friend Charlie Collum or his nephew Gary Gilbert
Jr., and even once with his brother-in-law George, who only fished
with David. He also took his nephew Allen Preslar Jr fishing once, as
Allen brought the bad luck to that trip in the form of a banana.
David is
preceded in death by his parents, Wilson “Bill” and Nellie
Sanford; his sister Cecelia Chism; his father-in-law Allen “Timer”
Paine; his brother-in-law Pat Walter and great-nephew Christopher
Gilbert. He is also preceded in death by his beloved dogs Gizmo and
Spuds.
David is
survived by his loving wife Patricia “Petie” Galbraith; his
daughter Evangela “Angie” Hopkins and partner Jeff
McKenzie; his son Kevin Galbraith; his step-daughter Melissa Shepherd
and husband Dave; his grandchildren, Chase Hopkins, Haylee Hopkins,
Brittani Shepherd, Jasen Shepherd, Madison Hopkins, Denali Hopkins
and Aliese Galbraith; his great-grandchildren Riven Hopkins, Brooklyn
Hopkins and Adalyn Shepherd; his mother-in-law Evelyn Paine; sister
Pearl Walter; brother Edward Sanford and wife Tracey; sister-in-law
Linda Brito and husband George; brother-in-law David Paine and wife
Joanne. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews. He is also
survived by his faithful dog Buddy.
A memorial
service will be held Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 3 p.m. at Ferndale
Community Church, 712 Main Street,
Ferndale. A reception to follow.
The family
would like to thank the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department for their
assistance during with his illness; his nephew Gary Gilbert Jr. for
helping take care of David, for Stephanie for assisting with putting
together the memorial service, and the community of Ferndale for the
outpouring of prayers and support during his illness and now.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of David Galbraith’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Teresa L. Dore Lewis of Rio Dell, passed away April 3, 2021 on her 65th birthday. She was born to Charles “Jack” Dore and Janice Bennett Dore of Orick. Teresa was the fourth of their four children.
She grew up in Orick and went to McKinleyville High School, where she met her husband, Duane “Rick” Lewis. They married in 1974 and had two daughters they raised in Orick until 1985. Teresa remained in close contact with her lifelong Orick friends until her death.
In 1985, Teresa and Rick moved their family to Fortuna. After raising their daughters, they moved to Rio Dell in 2006. For many years Teresa was a stay-at-home mom. She worked for the Redwood State Park in Orick, then held banking positions when she moved to Fortuna and finished her career at Green’s Fortuna Pharmacy.
She is survived by her father, Jack, her husband, Rick, her children Jackie (Joe) Eldridge, Monica Pitts, her grandchildren Mackenzie Eldridge, Madison Eldridge and Hallie Pitts, her sister Kathryn (Dave) Bugbee and brother Frank (Pam) Dore. She is also survived by her nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and her Oregon cousins whom she had special relationships with and enjoyed visiting. She was preceded in death by her mother, Janice, and her eldest brother, Thomas. No funeral services will be held.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Teresa Dore Lewis’ loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
