A woman walking across a Eureka intersection was struck head-on by the driver of a silver SUV in a disturbing hit-and-run incident captured by surveillance camera Thursday night. 

In the video, the woman can be seen slowly crossing Pine Street as a pair of headlights approach from the cross-street of Hawthorne. As the vehicle approaches Pine the driver makes a swift left turn, striking the woman hard enough to throw her briefly onto the hood before she collapses onto the street. After hitting the brakes, the driver reverses and idles for a few seconds before driving away.

Warning: Some may find this video hard to watch.

Ash Underhill lives at the intersection where the driver hit the pedestrian, and as first reported by Kym Kemp, she and her boyfriend heard the collision. 

“Police, fire and ambulance arrived a minute after I called 911,” Underhill told the Outpost. The victim was conscious when first responders arrived. “She sat up and was clutching her head,” Underhilld said. “She was speaking somewhat coherently but was very shaken up.”

The victim’s husband, who uses a wheelchair, was at the scene and witnessed the collision. “Her husband was livid,” Underhill said. “The vehicle almost hit him too.”

Another neighbor who witnessed the incident ran barefoot down Pine, trying to catch up to the vehicle, but he was unable to read the license plate, according to Underhill. 

She provided a copy of the video to the Eureka Police Department. We’ll update as more info becomes available.

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Note: This post originally stated that the vehicle was a Nissan Pathfinder, but sharp-eyed readers have suggested it looks more like a Kia Sportage, a Hyundai Tucson or something else altogether, so we’ve updated to make it more general.

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The California Coastal Commission tonight ordered an end to offroad vehicles at Oceano Dunes state park within three years in a decision that climaxes 40 years of acrimony and debate.

The commissioners voted unanimously to approve a new coastal permit for Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area with the condition that offroad vehicles would be phased out at the park.

Oceano Dunes is one of only nine state parks in California — and the only one on a beach — that allows motorized recreation. About 1.5 million people visit the park each year, with thousands of all-terrain vehicles a day motoring across 3,600 acres of sand.

The decision followed a 12-hour meeting, including five hours of fiery, virtual public comments from nearly 200 people and hours of discussion among the ten commissioners.

“We are obligated to comply with the Coastal Act,” said Commissioner Caryl Hart. She said it is clear that off-road driving harms resource at the park, which is largely protected under state law as an environmentally sensitive habitat area.

Map: California State Parks.

Arguably the most contested stretch of sand in California, the park in San Luis Obispo County has been the stage for decades of governmental infighting, missed deadlines and serial lawsuits.

An array of issues are at stake at Oceano, including protection of endangered species, recreational access to parks, air pollution from sand and dust stirred up by vehicles, and impacts on nearby communities’ health and safety.

Pro-riding groups have long argued that the coastal commission has applied a heavy hand to park management and vowed to fight the agency in court.

Don Amador, a longtime advocate for off-highway recreation warned the commision that it was in legal jeopardy, vowing to take the agency to court. “Never have I seen such hubris displayed by a state or federal agency in my career.”

Amy Granat, managing director of the California Off-Road Vehicle Association, said the commission, in its decisions, is “making judgments about the value of off-highway recreation. ”

But commission staffers told commissioners that their recommendations are not based on emotions or bias and that they “follow the facts and the law.”

“In our view, it would be irresponsible for the commission not to take action here,” said Dan Carl, the commission’s district director.

The Coastal Commission is tasked with enforcing California’s Coastal Act, which requires the state to maximize public recreation on coastal land “consistent with sound resources conservation principles.”

The commission’s staff says that offroading at the park endangers rare birds, which nest in the sand. The state parks agency, on the other hand, is adamant that the public should retain a right to use the park for motorized recreation, the activity it was originally established to encourage.

At the crux of the debate is two state agencies with disparate views of state laws, environmental protection and beach access.

The park is home to Western snowy plovers and California least terns, two federally protected birds that build their nests in the sand, making them extraordinarily vulnerable. Every year at Oceano, some of the rare birds are inadvertently squashed under the wheels of off-road vehicles.

After decades of no resolution, the commission in June issued a cease and desist order ordering the parks agency to stop harming imperiled birds because it violates the Coastal Act.

Street-legal vehicles — not offroad vehicles — will still be allowed along a one-mile strip of the beach in a northern section of the park that does not carry special habitat protections. The commission also voted unanimously to amend the permit conditions to allow people in campgrounds to drive in the park at night. No recreational riding will be allowed at night.

Many people speaking at the hearing chided the parks department for its failure to meet deadlines and warned that the proposal to phase out motorized recreation in the park over five years would result in more broken promises.

“Five years is the biggest kick down the road you have given so far, and you promised not to kick the can down the road,” she said. “ Please do not believe that park will comply in five years when they have not complied in 40 years.”

The hearing began with an admonition from Coastal Commission Chairman Steve Padilla calling for civility and decorum, behaviors that have not been hallmarks of previous meetings on Oceano.

Parks Director Armando Quintero set a conciliatory tone, calling for partnership. He said the issues “are some of the most complex in the state park system.”

Coastal Commission Executive Director Jack Ainsworth reflected on his 35 years of wrestling with the Oceano problem and the “stalemate” with the parks department.

“I’ve always tried to reach compromise, but sometimes it’s just not possible. In the end, we cannot compromise our core values. That’s what’s happening here,” he said. “We simply cannot continue a cycle of running around in circles, kicking the can down the road. That is not the definition of good government.”

But as the evening wore on, Mark Gold, executive director of the Ocean Protection Council, was frustrated by the acrimony between two state agencies. The Newsom administration last year tasked Gold with bringing the two agencies together after decades of conflict.

Gold said it’s “just not true” that the agencies aren’t at war. “The working relationship between parks and the commission is beyond disappointing.”

The parks department has developed a proposed plan, called a Public Works Plan, that is a management guide for the park and will still require Coastal Commission approval.

The commission took issue with aspects of the plan, saying it did not resolve more than a dozen issues the commission asked the park to address. Instead of making immediate changes, the plan called for multi-year studies of vehicular reduction, wildlife management and air quality, and making adjustments in the future should problems arise.

The proposed plan also includes future development around Oso Flaco Lake and additional campgrounds, staff housing, a state vehicle car wash station and a law enforcement target shooting range. The commission’s staff calculated that the future plans add 2,000 acres to the park, representing a 40% increase to the park’s size.

The parks department’s unwavering fidelity to off-roading may be traced to its unique source of funding. Unlike California’s nearly 300 other parks, the nine set aside for vehicles are funded almost entirely by off-road receipts: license fees from the vehicles, entrance fees from the parks and a portion of gas taxes that everyone pays at the pump.

That money is deposited in the state’s Off-Highway Vehicle Trust Fund, which provides off-road areas with much more operational funding than other parks even though they have fewer visitors.

Local air quality officials say the region sometimes records the nation’s worst air quality for PM10, coarse particles linked to asthma attacks and other respiratory problems, partly from dust and sand stirred up by thousands of offroad vehicles.

One of the issues raised is environmental justice and how the park operations are harming the residents of Oceano, a mostly Latino community. But pro-riding groups assert that they, too, represent a culture with traditions that should be respected.

The commission has a representative appointed by the governor to specifically monitor environmental justice issues, but that commissioner, Effie Turnbull-Sanders, was not present for today’s meeting. In addition, the gubernatorial appointment to the commission, representing the Central Coast region, is unfilled.

Commissioners heard public comments from nearly 200 people, most of them polarizing. But the sides coalesced on one point: Instead of punting, someone needs to make a decision.

“Taking no action on these concerns is not an option. We must resolve this conflict,” said state Sen. John Laird, a Democrat from Santa Cruz whose district includes the park. In eight years as former head of the state resources agency, Laird has debated the issue countless times.

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

Michael Ryan Risling passed away suddenly on Friday, March 12, 2021.  Michael was born February 13, 1970 in Eureka.

He is survived by his three children — Heather Loraine Risling, Richard Michael Risling and Ryan Michael Risling; his brothers Anthony (Tony) Wayne Risling, Jr.,  Ronald Wade Risling, Lonnie Lawayne Risling and sister Jeanie Loraine Risling Spare; nieces and nephews Christina, Nikki, Nicole, Angelia, Antoinette, Levi, Lori, Misqiy’ts, Panther, Barbara, Buck, Jacqueline, Lonnie, Jr, Alexa, Derick, Aiyana, Miracle, Hope, Brandin, Justin, Jared and many more family members.

He was preceded in death by his father, Anthony Wayne Risling, Sr.; mother, Caroline Quartrucci Keller; sisters Angela Rose Risling and Lenaire Kristine Keller Gondek; grandparents Anthony and Barbara (Marshall) Risling and Edward and Veta Gillespie Mitchell.

Michael attended Hoopa Elementary, Eureka Middle school and graduated from Centralia High School, DQ University and UC Davis. He excelled at all sports and played football for the Trinity Valley Falcons, baseball and football for Eureka Middle school and football and wrestling for Centralia Tigers. He loved to hunt and fish. Mike always loved spending time with his family and friends, his children meant the world to him, when he spoke of them his face lit up and you could just feel the love that he was sharing. He traveled to Washington almost every year at Christmas and Thanksgiving time to be with his family there.

One thing he is remembered by is his love for food, especially during the holiday season. Amongst the happiest moments of his life were the birth of his pride and joys, his children — Heather, Richard and Ryan — as well as marrying his high school sweetheart when he was 18, walking his sister down the aisle in 1996, becoming a journeyman carpenter and obtaining his AA degree from DQU. 

Michael was a hard worker. He poured himself into every job he had and always did his best. He loved building and working for the Carpenter’s Union and private sector. He took great pride in his work. When Mike was younger he was in Cub Scouts,. He loved being with his grandfather Anthony and learning about his heritage, riding dirt bikes with his siblings down by the Trinity River and camping with his family at Fish Lake. Everyone that knew him spoke of his kind heart and of the love he felt for all of his family and friends.

As an adult he loved participating in cultural ceremonies, making native jewelry, visiting family especially his great aunt and uncles Vivien Hailstone, David Risling, Jr and Mahlon Marshall. He was curious and wanted to learn about his culture or how to do new things. Michael was always willing and wanting to help others in their time of need whenever he could.  He cared about others and insisted on knowing how they were doing. He loved to make people smile and laugh. He was a character, to say the least — being silly, making faces, playfully, being loud, loving hard — and oh my gosh he so loved playing with children whether it was his own or anyone else’s getting them all riled up and energetic. Michael loved life, his family and friends and in return he was so, so loved and will be greatly missed by all.     

Family and close friends: we are having a reception and potluck to remember Michael Ryan Risling on Friday, March 19th, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Address; 265 Keinser Road, Loleta.

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

Verna Elva Grooms
November 18, 1933 - March 14, 2021

Verna Elva Grooms passed away peacefully on March 14, 2021, at her home in McKinleyville. This was only one week following the death of her beloved husband, Herman Grooms. They had been married 70 years this June.

Verna had a deep abiding faith in Jesus throughout her life.

Verna was born on November 18, 1933, to Amos Eugene and Ethel Elva Byers in Cambridge, Idaho. Verna’s family moved to Astoria, Oregon, during her high school years. While picking strawberries, Verna met and fell in love with Herman Grooms, who was stationed in Astoria, serving in the Navy.

Verna’s family then moved to Fortuna, where she attended high school. The day after graduating from high school, Verna married the love of her life, Herman Grooms, at 17 years of age.

They were blessed with four children — three boys and one girl.

Verna loved her family, loved to cook, bake, taught Sunday school, administered the business end of Grooms Logging, and could do about anything she put her mind to.

She was the youngest of eight children and has been preceded in death by all but one of her siblings, her son Roger Herman Grooms and beloved husband Herman J. Grooms.

She is survived by and will be greatly missed by her sons Jack (Cheryl), Paul (Debbie), daughter Carol Grooms Eastman (Mike), her brother Eugene (Ruth) Byers, 14 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-granddaughter.

A graveside service will be held Monday, March 22, at Ocean View Cemetery at 1 p.m.

UPDATE: All friends and family are welcome to the Rio Dell fire hall on Sunday, July 11 at 2 p.m. for a remembrance in honor of Billie Marie Griffith Brown.

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Billie Marie Griffith Brown was born on November 5, 1938 in Eureka to William and Elsie Griffith and passed away from dementia on March 12, 2021, with her family by her side. She was a resident of Fortuna.

Billie Marie was a fourth-generation Humboldt County native on five sides of her family — Caston, Light, Griffith, Brown and Cooksey ancestors coming to Arcata in 1850. Billie Marie attended Rio Dell Elementary and Fortuna High School. She was well known for being a favorite waitress at the Sportsman Cafe in Rio Dell and the Scotia Coffee Shop for over 40 years.

Billie Marie is survived by Jimmy Brown, her husband of 63 years. She was the mother to Marilyn (Richard) Summerfield of Reedsport, Ore. and Helen Marie (Doug) Dinsmore of Rio Dell. She was grandmother to Chris (Amanda) Summerfield, Glen Summerfield and Richard Summerfield and Laura Ann-Marie Dinsmore and Robert (Kendra) Dinsmore. She was a great-grandmother to Jesyka, Ginger and Gabe Summerfield and Kara and James Dinsmore. Brothers David , Tom (Barbara) Griffith and sisters Alice Thomson and Vickie (Alan) Aust. She was preceded in death by her son Jimmy H. Brown, Jr., parents William and Elsie Griffith, Brothers Lester, Leonard, Gerald, Raymond, Reece and John Griffith and sisters Margaret Webster, Irene Eacker, Betty Laustrup and Ruby Holmes. Services are being planned for a later date.

The family would like to thank First Choice in Fortuna for their compassion and the professional care they provided Billie during her stay at their care home.

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Following a lengthy discussion on Wednesday night, the Arcata City Council was a little torn on how to move forward with drafting an ordinance that would require grocery stores to provide “hazard pay” for workers during the pandemic. Ultimately, the council decided that it needs more information on how the ordinance would affect the workers, business owners and the City.

The request for a hazard pay ordinance was brought forward by the local branch of the United United Food and Commercial Workers, UFCW Local 5, part of a fight the union has been leading across the state to secure temporary wage increases for grocery employees who have been working throughout the pandemic.

Arcata City Manager Karen Diemer began by giving some background to the council, saying that eight other California cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco have passed a hazard pay ordinance — which all essentially require a $3 to $5 hourly increase for the protected employees, prohibit retaliation against workers for asserting their rights under the ordinances and require records of compliance from the businesses.

However, Diemer added that “most of the cities that have enacted this are under some sort of litigation.”

Arcata City Attorney Nancy Diamond said that she would need to more extensively investigate the legal implications of a hazard pay ordinance, and also said that the council needs to consider factors like the role vaccines play in mitigating the health risks of grocery store employees. Many grocery store employees are now vaccinated, Diamond said, and they were not when other cities enacted their ordinances.

Several members of UFCW Local 5 voiced their support for the ordinance during the meeting, saying that large grocery stores have seen significant profit increases since the onset of the pandemic and have not passed those profits on to the employees, who have been in a position of increased risk of contracting COVID-19.

“Simply put, these are not workers who can work from home and this essential work remains unrecognized,” Mario Fernandez, an organizer and researcher for UFCW Local 5 said during the meeting.

A local grocery store owner who spoke during the meeting argued that requiring a pay increase would have a severe financial impact on her business, which has seen an eight percent decline in profit in the past year. The speaker did not say her name or identify which store she owns, but said that they have 40 employees and if an ordinance like this were to pass, they would likely have to lay off several workers.

The council members were a little split in their feelings, with council members Emily Grace Goldstein and Sarah Schaefer ardently supporting the idea of the extra pay for grocery workers.

“Working in the middle of a pandemic that’s scary and dangerous is not something you think you’re going to be doing when you agree to work at a grocery store,” Councilmember Goldstein said during the meeting. “I would like to see a recognition of that type of sacrifice that has kept our community fed all year.”

Council members Sofia Pereira, Brett Watson and Stacy Atkins-Salazar were a bit more hesitant in moving forward with an ordinance, however, questioning the potential legal ramifications and the burden it would place on business owners.

Mayor Sofia Periera also had concerns that this ordinance would only benefit a small portion of the community’s essential workers. “I think about the workers who are not public-facing and yet, working in agriculture or production, experience high risk,” Pereira said. “We have seen outbreaks across the country and in our own community that are not covered by this ordinance that is being proposed.”

Agreeing that it is important to ensure the ordinance does not disproportionately impact small business, the council discussed how many employees a store would need to have to be subject to the pay increase. Watson felt that the council could not realistically decide on a number, without first seeing a list of all the grocery stores in Arcata and the number of employees they have.

The rest of the council agreed and unanimously voted to direct staff to pursue more information about our local grocery stores, the potential legal ramifications of the ordinance and financial impacts it might have on the business owners. The council will continue its discussion on hazard pay for grocery store employees at a future meeting.

“I’m just hesitant to meddle in the finances of businesses that we’re not 100 percent sure of,” Councilmember Atkins-Salazar said. “I just need more assurances that this can be absorbed financially by the local stores.”

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PREVIOUSLY: Arcata City Council May Require Higher Pay for Grocery Store Workers During the Pandemic

From the Eureka Police Department:

On March 17, 2021, at about 12:50 a.m., officers with the Eureka Police Department responded to the area of Wabash Avenue and California Street for the report of a carjacking that had just occurred.

Miranda.

The female victim told officers that she was in her vehicle near the 3400 block of Broadway when an unknown male approached and asked for a ride. The victim agreed and when they arrived at their destination, the suspect took the victim’s keys, pointed a firearm at her, and ordered her out of the vehicle. The male fled in the victim’s vehicle. A BOLO was issued and officers thoroughly searched the area.

At about 9:30 a.m., a Detective with the Eureka Police Department’s Problem Oriented Policing Team (POP) located the victim’s vehicle parked to the rear of a residence at the 1800 block of California Street. With the assistance of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, EPD POP, CSET, and patrol established a perimeter around the residence. Multiple people exited and were detained.

One of the detained subjects, 23-year-old Horacio Miranda of Eureka, matched the description of the carjacking suspect. During an in-field show up, Miranda was positively identified as the suspect. A search warrant for the residence, Miranda, and the victim’s vehicle was obtained and served. During the search, detectives located two firearms, one of which was believed to have been used during the carjacking.

Miranda was transported and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for carjacking, vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.