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During Wednesday night’s meeting, the Arcata City Council passed an ordinance that places stricter regulations on vacation rentals and caps the number of these rentals allowed in the city at 100. The vote was 3-1, with Councilmember Sarah Shaefer dissenting. Mayor Sofia Pereira recused herself because she rents an AirBnB and felt it would be a conflict of interest.

Under the new ordinance, vacation rental owners will have to apply for a permit and complete a building inspection (costing around $220) if a building official believes there may be any violations on the property, in addition to purchasing a business license and paying transient occupancy tax — both already required by the City. Folks who are currently operating a vacation rental will be given a six-month grace period to apply for the permit before new ones are issued. Initially the ordinance required owners to have operated the rental within the last 12 months to be eligible, but council requested an exception for owners who have had to temporarily close their rentals due to the pandemic.

“If the vacation rentals operations had been discontinued during the previous 12-month period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the owner may demonstrate vacation rental operating income from activity occurring in 2019 in order to qualify for the limitation exemption,” the ordinance states.

Additionally, the ordinance requires owners to post a contact number somewhere that is visible by the public, so that people can call with concerns about noise or other issues without having to always resort to calling the police.

Several community members spoke during the meeting, most of them vacation rental owners themselves who were opposed to the idea of imposing a cap on these types of rentals.

“I want to object to the idea that there’s a lack of housing here,” Patrick Swartz said to the council, adding that he owns a property that he had difficulty keeping occupied by long-term renters. “Putting a cap on this is stopping potentially tourism, which is so important for our small community — we need to embrace this.”

Several of the speakers also took issue with the requirement that owners post their contact information, saying that this could pose privacy issues. Councilmember Stacey Atkins-Salazar pointed out that people who are concerned about this could set up a Google phone, like most of the council members have.

While all the council members felt that AirBnBs and other vacation rentals do serve an important role in providing lodging and promoting tourism, they also felt that having a cap on the number of these rentals was important to help regulate the housing stock and maintain the character of neighborhoods.

Vice-Mayor Brett Watson Councilmember Emily Grace Goldstein requested that the cap — which was initially set at 125 — be reduced to 100, a number that represents about 1.2 percent of Arcata’s current housing stock. The cap does not apply to “owner-operated” vacation rentals — meaning the owner lives on the property and only rents out a portion of it. Most of the other council members agreed to the cap of 100, which the council can raise at a later date.

“I have a feeling that there’s going to be plenty of space,” Vice Mayor Brett Watson said during the meeting. “I think people’s concerns are a little bit overblown. I think it’s a good stop gap to move forward with this ordinance and then we can reassess.” 

Councilmember Sarah Schaefer explained that her dissent was due to the abrupt change in the cap, which she felt required further discussion. “My vote was not out of overall opposition for the ordinance,” she wrote to the Outpost. “I am happy with the modifications staff made to the ordinance and think it reflects the needs of renters and the housing market in Arcata. However, I would have liked more discussion of the cap number and the choice to amend it.”

PREVIOUSLY:

• Arcata City Council To Consider Placing Cap, Stricter Regulations on Vacation Rentals
• Arcata City Council to Again Discuss a Vacation Rental Ordinance, Plus Hear an Update on the City’s Strategic Arts Plan

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CORRECTION: This article originally stated that all vacation rental permits require a building inspection and has been changed to reflect that the inspection is only required if the City determines it is necessary. The article also has been changed to reflect that Councilmember Goldstein suggested the 100-unit cap, not Watson. The Outpost regrets the errors.

UPDATE: All clear, says HCSO! “[The] device was scanned and did not contain explosives. Residents may return to normal activities.”

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Original Post: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has deployed to the town of Scotia on a report that a potentially military-grade explosive device was discovered in a garage there. 

HCSO has provided the following details on the incident:

HCSO Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team is investigating after a possible military-grade mortar was reportedly located in a garage in the area of 2nd and 3rd streets in Scotia. 

Residents on 2nd and 3rd St, Scotia, are being asked to EVACUATE their homes while EOD Deputies investigate. Residents may evacuate to Hoby’s Market or South Scotia near the Lumber Mill. Residents on 1st and 4th St should stay inside while law enforcement works.

Scotia School has been placed on a soft lockdown. Parents picking up students should do so on the North side of the school only. Parents- please do not contact 9-1-1 for school information. Contact the school directly.

Community members in Scotia should AVOID THE AREA of 2nd and 3rd Streets for your safety.

From the Eureka Police Department:

On February 4, 2021, at about 2:45 a.m., officers with the Eureka Police Department were on an unrelated detail near 1st and Commercial Streets when they heard 7-8 gunshots coming from an unknown location to the south. As officers began checking the area, an employee of a gas station at the 1000 block of Broadway phoned 911 reporting that two males were on scene reporting they had been shot.

Officers responded and located a 37-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the leg. The male stated that the incident occurred in a parking lot at the 1200 block of Broadway. Humboldt Bay Fire and City Ambulance responded to the scene and provided emergency medical care and transport to the hospital.

Officers located a second male walking near Broadway and W. 6th Streets. The 23-year- old male claimed to have no knowledge of the shooting and was sent on his way at his request. A short time later while officers were processing the crime scene on the 1200 block of Broadway, the 23-year-old male approached officers and admitted he had been shot during the incident and had injuries to both feet.

Based on the limited forthcoming information provided by the victims, it is possible the suspect(s) were associated with a small black SUV. Both victims are expected to fully recover. This is an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Eureka Police Department at (707) 441-4060.

PREVIOUSLY: 

• Fatal Early Morning Crash in Myrtletown
• Judge Denies Bail for 19-Year-Old Ferndale Resident Accused of DUI Manslaughter in Myrtletown
• Ferndale Teen Enters Surprise Guilty Plea in DUI Manslaughter Case

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A Ferndale man who was driving drunk when his car crashed on Myrtle Avenue, fatally injuring his teenage passenger, was sentenced this morning to a four-year suspended prison sentence and one year in jail.

Judge John Feeney also ordered that 19-year-old Ismael Lopez Jr. be placed on supervised probation for three years and perform 100 hours of community service.

“Hopefully a majority of the community service work is at local high schools,” Feeney said, “advising others of the dangers and pitfalls of driving under the influence.”

On Dec. 17, Lopez had been drinking heavily and smoking marijuana when he lost control of his car and it hit a parked vehicle. According to statements at today’s hearing, he was able to climb out of the car and into the back of a nearby pickup truck. When officers arrived, he told them no-one else was in the car.

But when the vehicle caught fire, they heard a scream. Lopez’s passenger, 18-year-old Emily Perry, was in the burning vehicle.

Lopez told police he didn’t know his passenger’s name.

“I don’t know that bitch,” he said.

Perry was hospitalized and hung on for about two hours before she died. Because authorities didn’t know her identity and couldn’t notify her family, she died alone.

Lopez, who had been working at a local dairy farm, has a girlfriend who is pregnant with twins. But on the day of the fatal crash, Perry’s family members said, he was hanging out and flirting with Emily. She was with him in the car because Lopez “wanted some alone time.”

“My grand-daughter,” Perry’s grandmother said today, speaking over Zoom. “Our baby girl. My daughter’s only little girl … time is not healing my heart.”

The grandmother said she had some compassion for Lopez until she learned he had been able to get out of the car but did nothing to help Emily and lied about having a passenger.

“It makes me sick to my stomach,” she said.

With credit for time served, Debbie Perry said, Lopez will serve 182 days in jail.

“I ask you. Is this enough time for your only little girl? I’m pleading for the maximum time. He had no compassion for (Emily), no compassion for his girlfriend.”

Perry’s mother, Vanessa Perry, cried as she spoke via Zoom about the devastating effect of her daughter’s sudden death.

“As a mother it tears me apart to try not to mourn for my daughter and be strong for my little boys,” the mother said. The family is “so damaged and broken” it will never be the same.

Family members described Emily as the shining star of the family, always there to cheer and comfort her loved ones. At 18 she was already living on her own and working — a straight A student with dreams of becoming a dentist.

Lopez, who was in court today but was not shown on video, also made a statement. He sobbed as he said he is “so sorry for everything that happened. I made a horrible decision, to enter that car and to drive that car.”

“I can’t sleep at night,” Lopez said. “If I could I would take her place. She didn’t deserve to die. I wish it was me. I need a chance to redeem myself — this world will never be the same for me.”

Lopez’s attorney, Conflict Counsel Meagan O’Connell, had asked Feeney to suspend imposition of sentence, meaning at some point in the distant future Lopez could ask to have his felony reduced to a misdemeanor. She said Lopez is very young, has no criminal history, and drinking and driving was “an aberration” for him.

At the time of the crash Lopez had a perforated bowel, was in pain, under great stress and “not in his right mind” when he spoke to police, she said. Suspending imposition of sentence would allow Lopez to be “gainfully employed and have his rights restored,” O’Connell said. “It’s not a free pass … there will forever be a strike prior on his record.”

Deputy District Attorney Jane Mackey responded that she had spoken with Perry’s family and “they made it very clear that their daughter’s death can never be a misdemeanor.”

Lopez is very young and an inexperienced drinker, but by his own admission “he drank a lot and smoked a lot of cannabis” on the day of the crash, Mackey said.

Four years is the maximum term for vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence. If he were to be convicted of a felony later on, any prison sentence would be doubled because of this offense.

Judge Feeney noted he has presided over too many hearings involving death and DUI.

“I wish there was some way to return Emily to the love and support of her family and friends,” he said. “She appeared to have a bright future.”

Lopez pleaded guilty almost immediately after his arrest, which prosecutor Mackey called “a first step.”

From the office of Rep. Jared Huffman:

Today, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) sent a letter to Cox Media Group (CMG) urging them to restore access to nationwide channels following CMG’s failed negotiations on retransmission consent agreements with AT&T/DirectTV. This is the second time CMG has contributed to blackouts impacting over 25,000 constituents in Rep. Huffman’s district who rely on Eureka, California channels KIEM-NBC and KVIQ-CBS. On January 8th, the same two CMG channels were dropped from Suddenlink’s programming.

Photo via U.S. House of Representatives. Public Domain. Link

“My constituents are tired of these finger pointing exercises where big media conglomerates blame each other while consumers get screwed by blackouts. I’m sure there’s some blame to go around, but CMG is the common denominator in the two recent blackouts. At a minimum, that suggests they’re not working proactively to protect consumers. At worst, it suggests they’re using consumers as hostages by letting blackouts happen to maximize their negotiating leverage. Either way, it’s unacceptable,” said Rep. Huffman.

In the letter to Cox Media Group, Rep. Huffman stated: “I am disappointed to learn that Cox Media Group has, for the second time this year, failed to negotiate retransmission consent agreements, resulting in blackouts for my constituents and communities across twenty markets nationwide […] As you know, [the Communications Act of 1934] requires that should broadcasting stations opt out of must carry status, the broadcaster along with cable and satellite operators must negotiate retransmission in “good faith.” Allowing consumers to experience blackouts to enhance your negotiating leverage is not “good faith.”

“CMG’s suggestion that customers switch to another cable, satellite, or streaming provider in order to regain access is poorly informed and entirely unreasonable; many of my affected constituents live in rural areas with limited access to broadband and other distributors. Furthermore, placing the burden on your customers to find alternative solutions is not only a terrible business practice – it’s also a grave failure to prioritize the public interest and the essential value your services provide to local communities […] I strongly urge you to restore access to these twenty nationwide channels immediately and do everything in your power to avoid blackouts of this kind in the future,” the letter concludes.

As an extra step to address this issue, Congressman Huffman will be reintroducing the Local and Independent Television Protection Act, a bill designed to address media consolidation by getting rid of the UHF discount, an antiquated FCC loophole reinstated by the Trump administration that facilitates mergers by allowing media companies to “discount” UHF stations (channels 14-83) when calculating whether they’re subject to the national TV ownership cap. The cap states that no single company is allowed to own broadcast stations that reach more than 39% percent of television-viewing households in the country. For reintroduction this year, the measure will be expanded to add protections for consumers whose access to local news is unfairly jeopardized by failed retransmission consent negotiations.

Specifically, the bill will include a provision stating that should two parties fail to negotiate, instead of cutting off access to local channels for consumers, the cable or satellite provider would be required to continue retransmitting local broadcast stations for a set period of time while the parties resolve their differences. This protection mechanism, known as interim carriage, would alleviate the burden on the consumer of these unnecessary and unfair blackouts.

A full copy of the letter can be found here.

Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

Whether it’s the commercials, halftime show or the game itself, the Eureka Police Department is reminding everyone that we are all on the same team when it comes to being safe on Super Bowl Sunday.

Super Bowl LV is Sunday, Feb. 7, and the Eureka Police Department will have additional officers on patrol over the Super Bowl weekend looking for drivers suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

“If you are watching the game at home and plan to have a drink or two, stay at home Sergeant Gary Whitmer said. “Have a family member who hasn’t been drinking go out on your behalf or have your food delivered.”

Eureka Police reminds the public that alcohol is not the only thing that impairs and may lead to a DUI. Prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications and marijuana may affect your ability to drive safely. Do your research and understand how a drug affects you before deciding whether or not you are OK to drive.

California’s public health guidance advises to limit mixing with people you don’t live with as much as possible to limit the spread of COVID-19. Although many watch parties will be virtual this year, it’s important to plan ahead, designate a sober driver or simply stay at home for the night.

Funding for Super Bowl Sunday enforcement is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Sarah Vevoda’s 7-year-old daughter Jaz used to say she had “up hair,” her natural Black curls growing upward instead of hanging down like nearly everyone else’s around her, including her family. Sarah, who is white, says Jaz has commented on not seeing other people who look like her. “It’s very hard for her to be in a sea of white people everywhere she goes,” says Vevoda, noting Jaz is darker skinned than her eldest child, who’s also bi-racial, and her hair and skin are sometimes treated as curiosities by classmates. “As innocent as they are, because they’re children and aren’t used to being around someone who looks like Jaz … they can say things that make her feel like she doesn’t fit in, that she stands out.”

It’s with young people like Jaz that the HC Black Music and Arts Association means to connect. The nonprofit organization, which operates as a Dream Maker Project of the Ink People, is focused on connecting young BIPOC people to their cultural roots and each other. Starting as it did in 2020, the connections meant to foster self-esteem and resilience have become even more vital amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its attending isolation. Throughout February, national Black History Month, HCBMAA is holding Harambee Liberation Month, with Zoom workshops and classes, as well as distanced in-person storytelling and a memorial march through Old Town.

President and founding member of HCBMAA Valetta Molofsky, who teaches social work at College of the Redwoods and serves as second vice president of the Eureka NAACP, was hearing more and more through her work as a social worker about BIPOC youth struggling with stress and even suicidal ideation.

“I had one child that told me [kids] called her dirt. That she was the color of dirt,” says Molofsky. “She thought she was ugly. … No child should be subjected to that.”

In late 2019, Molofsky started looking for funding and helping hands to create spaces of welcome and support for young BIPOC people in Humboldt. Donations and sponsorships started coming in, and with grant-writing help from Lorenza Simmons, the organization’s youth coordinator, so did funding from Humboldt Area Foundation and Coast Central Credit Union. With that funding, donated masks and hand sanitizer — and help from local artists, educators and community members — HCBMAA held a socially distanced Harambee Youth Empowerment Workshop in August. The camp, which took its name from the Swahili word for “pulling together,” focused on African history, dance, music and art, as well as bonding with BIPOC peers and mentors, all while applying African cultural principles.

For Jaz, Vevoda says the experience was invaluable.

“The first day of the camp, when she came home she was glowing,” she says. “Just being in a group of people who looked like her was just feeding her in a way that I didn’t realize.”

Simmons will be running somatic movement and music classes for Harambee Liberation Month. She incorporates African songs and movement from Congo, Egypt and around the continent, as well as African American traditions, to help participants connect to pan-African culture and “feel comfortable in their skins … doing that through music and art and all these different expressions to really build them up.” She’s found that many BIPOC youth “don’t have connection to African roots, or pieces are missing.” Through her classes, Simmons tries to bridge the cultures of Africa, the global diaspora and African American culture. Simmons says that connection — and just getting up and moving — has proven even more important over the last year.

COVID-19 has separated many students from vital support systems during a stressful time, but Simmons sees young people of color in particular suffering the loss after a tumultuous summer of local and national news.

“The movement and the protests were all amazing and needed, but I think with George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery — I could go on and on, just that constant flow — and with it coming to a head, it’s just overload for the youth to be able to process it,” she says. “Some of the normal places where they find connection were being lost with the pandemic.”

Kory Jones, who is teaching a three-part series this month called “Being Yourself through Deconstruction,” will be trying to fill in some of that support. The Marine Corps veteran says he’ll be sharing some of the strategies that have helped him with PTSD brought on by exposure to violence in his early years and his time in the military, as well as the racism he’s experienced in varying forms. That means breaking down some of the conflicting belief systems coming from one’s family, religion, culture and country, evaluating those beliefs and deciding what to let go.

“Deconstructing and pulling some of that back,” Jones says, “that frees us.”

Jones, who hails from Florida, understands the unwelcome feeling many BIPOC youth and adults say they experience in Humboldt. “In the South, you know where you can and can’t go as an African American person. In California, it’s ‘Oh, OK.’ But you can’t.” Jones adds, “On the East Coast it’s blatant; in California, it’s more subtle.” He says he was recently struck by his third-grade son’s admission that he sometimes worries whether his father will make it home. Even without having had a direct conversation about how easily a call to the police can escalate to violence against Black men, Jones says, “My children on some level already know what they’re dealing with. … We need to combat that on some level to keep their self-esteem high.” For Jones, the goal is creating something like the recreation center he grew up near, “a place where you can be safe with your being as a whole … mentally, spiritually — you have a place and you’re safe.”

HCBMAA Vice President Doug Smith, who is the coordinator of Humboldt State University’s African American Center for Academic Excellence, says he will be connecting to participants through poetry.

“It was a tool for me when I was younger going through challenges … it was an outlet,” he says. And leaning into African oral tradition, he’ll be encouraging reading poetry out loud and connecting the work to what’s going on at school and in the community. “The history we do get about ourselves is very negative and what that does to a young child, growing up hearing only that they come from slaves,” can be devastating, he says, as can disassociation from ancestral ideals, values, tools and strategies. “Reaching into history, reaching into cultures that are not given platforms” through poetry, for example, can help reconnect kids to that well of cultural resources.

“We’re just trying to build back some cultural identity that’s been lost,” says Molofsky. “We’re resilient, right? That’s how our ancestors taught us to be.”

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See the full schedule of HCBMAA’s Black Liberation Month events below and at www.northcoastjournal.com. Jennifer Fumiko Cahill (she/her) is the Journal’s arts and features editor. Reach her at 442-1400, extension 320, or Jennifer@northcoastjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @JFumikoCahill.

The Community Voices Coalition is a project funded by Humboldt Area Foundation and Wild Rivers Community Foundation to support local journalism. This story was produced by the North Coast Journal newsroom with full editorial independence and control.

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HCBMAA’s 2021 Harambee Liberation Month Schedule

In collaboration with McKinleyville High School’s Black Student Union, Benjamin Mertz, activists and musical talent and community leaders engaging in cultural and healing activities.

Classes are open to all ages unless noted.

Please check our Facebook page for any missing Zoom links and more information on other Liberation Month events. Masks and social distancing required for all in-person events.

McKinleyville High School BSU 
Monday-Friday Feb. 1-5 
https://mckinleyvillehighschool.nohum.org/

Scroll down to News Announcements and click on Black History activities .

Below are three-week series classes:

Somatic Movement
Tuesdays 4-5 p.m.
Facilitator: Lorenza
Meeting ID: 836 7019 6916 Passcode: 778981

Being Yourself Through Deconstruction 
Wednesdays 4-5 p.m.
Facilitator: Kory Jones
Meeting ID: 786 8544 3630
Passcode: FT7jtw 

Teaching BIPOC Youth 
(support group for local school teachers/ mentors)
Wednesdays 7-8 p.m.
Facilitators: Lorenza, Valetta and Flo
Meeting ID: 812 6888 7250

Black Women Civil Rights Discussion 
Thursdays 4-5 p.m.
Facilitator: Nikki Valencia
Meeting ID: 823 2595 7803

Ujima Parent Peer Support Circle 
Thursdays 6:30 p.m.
Facilitators: Valetta
Register at this link.

Family Fit at Home 
Fridays 5-6 p.m.
Facilitator: Andrea Jones
Meeting ID: 899 7862 2861

Community Class: Elderly Self-Care
Fridays 6-7 p.m.
Facilitator: Ms. Alice Barbee
Link

Poetry/Lyrics Slam Night 
Fridays 7-8 p.m.
Facilitator: Aj
Link
Meeting ID: 830 6035 6170
Passcode: 005214

Walk in the Truth Series
Saturdays 9:30-11 a.m.
This is a four-week restorative circle series for women who have experience generational trauma, domestic violence/sexual abuse and unhealthy relationships.
Facilitator: Valetta
Register at this link. 

Kuumba Literacy  
Saturdays on the Arcata Plaza 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Facilitator: Andrea Jones

Redwoods Meditation/Yoga 
Saturdays at 14 Union St. in Arcata noon-1 p.m.
Bring your yoga mat, water bottle and mask
Facilitator: Aj

Family Walk in the Park 
Saturdays
First hike location TBA 

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Four-week series with Benjamin Mertz
Sundays at 4 p.m.

Feb. 7: The Underground Railroad, music of freedom and escape:  profiles on Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Feb. 14: The Harlem Renaissance, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and the poetry of James Weldon Johnson and Langston Hughes. Feb 21: Jim Crow, Work Songs, and the Blues: profiles on Fannie Lou Hamer and Bessie Smith. Feb. 28: The Civil Rights Movement - freedom songs, profiles on Bernice Johnson Reagon and Harry Belafonte. Zoom link.

Special Event: Liberation March
Feb. 20 at 10 a.m.-noon

In honor of our Sistahs, Brothers and Youth that have died 

Wear white and black, bring your candles and instruments. 

More info will be provided on Facebook. 

Arcata Liberation March (no speakers)
Feb. 20 at noon-1 p.m.

Meet at D Street Community Park. Please wear white during this silent demonstration to honor our ancestors. Asante.

Special CPR Youth Certification
Feb. 22 at 6-7 p.m.
Ages 12-18; class size:10

This class is made possible by the COVID-19 Mental Health Grant from Humboldt Health Foundation to support youth that identify as Black, Brown or African American during the shelter-in-place ordinance. This is a first-come registration. Sign your youth up by emailing: hcblackmusicnarts@gmail.com.