Toys to the world! Few things make Humboldt’s President of Positivity happier than firefighters delivering oodles of toys to local children. And despite the obstacles 2020 threw their way, Humboldt Bay Fire pulled off another successful toy drive this year with the help of Humboldt’s generous citizenry. To celebrate, Michaele somehow convinced HBF’s Wyatt Esola to zoom with her (and you). Happy Monday!

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Perhaps You’d Like to Explore Previous Mondays With Michaele For Some Reason!

Tofu Mike is Holding Up

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As we near the end of this crazy year and look forward to staying home for the holidays, your Outpost invites you to enjoy 2020’s final episode of Humboldt Holding Up — our pandemic-prompted podcast adventure.

Tofü

This week we are joined by local drummer and sound engineer Mike “Tofu” Schwartz who discusses what needs to happen for live music to thrive again in Humboldt and what shows might look like in 2021 and beyond. 

Other topics discussed with Schwartz:

• Playing the “last party in the world” before the COVID shutdown in March
• His local band résumé
• The Absynth Quartet’s new album project
  
• How he got the nickname Tofu
• More!

So, since you can’t attend Absynth Quartet’s NYE show this year, do the next best thing by clicking the audio player above to listen to Schwartz chat with LoCO’s Andrew Goff and Stephanie McGeary. And if you’ve got some more time to kill, you can scroll through past guests below.

Happy holidays, Humboldt!

Subscribe to Humboldt Holding Up on iTunes!

PREVIOUS GUESTS:

• HACHR Executive Director Lasara Firefox Allen
  
• Alchemy Distiller Owner Amy Bohner
• Eureka City Councilmember Kati Moulton
• Eureka City Councilmember Scott Bauer
• Ungraceful Ager Barry Evans
• Arcata City Councilmember Sofia Pereira
• HumBrews Music Booker Laurel Weston
• Eureka City Councilmember Kim Bergel
• Film Commission’s Cassandra Hesseltine and Nate Adams
• Marble Maker Topher Reynolds
• Arcata Playhouse Director Jacqueline Dandeneau
• Humboldt Political Junkie Eric Kirk
• Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes
• Second District Supervisor Estelle Fennell
• Arcata Food Aficionado Jada Calypso Brotman
• Body Piercer Jackie Silva
• Dick Taylor Chocolate’s Adam Dick
• FUHS Teachers Mark Thom and Inma Thompson
• Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery
• Savage Henry Co-Founder Chris Durant
• Eureka Street Art Festival Organizer Jenna Catsos
• SCRAP Humboldt Founder Tibora Bea
• Gym Owner Tyler Parr
• Six Rivers Brewery Co-Owner Meredith Maier
• Multicultural Skincare Therapist Levia Love
• Annie’s Cambodian Server and Social Worker Joshua Coppock
• Eureka City Councilmember Austin Allison
• HSU Professor Deidre Pike 
• Pastor Bethany Cseh
• Singer/Songwriter Chris Parreira
• Eureka City Councilmember Leslie Castellano
• Arcata City Councilmember Paul Pitino

We found a large number of books in these characters and, as they contained nothing in which were not to be seen as superstition and lies of the devil, we burned them all, which the Maya regretted to an amazing degree, and which caused them much affliction.

— Diego de Landa Calderón

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At sunrise on July 12, 1562, the Maya people of what is now Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula possessed an extensive cultural history in the form of dozens — perhaps hundreds — of handwritten books. By nightfall, virtually all that heritage was gone, devoured in the flames of an auto-da-fé ritual supervised by Franciscan friar Diego de Landa Calderón. By his own account, 27 books, or codices, were burned, although historians suspect his claim is a vast underestimate. All that are left today are three Mayan codices, with perhaps parts of a fourth (historians debate its authenticity), which somehow escaped Landa’s fanaticism.

No one, as far as we know, died that day. No massacre, no torture (although Landa was known to have used torture extensively, particularly on Mayan nobility), no physical abuse. Just the books, and thousands of figurines, died. But, because each of these was unique in its own way, whole chapters in the history of a people were lost. Much of what we do know about the Maya comes from the remaining codices, such as the “Dresden Codex,” the oldest book we have from the Americas, dating back to approximately 1200 AD (300 years before the Spanish conquest). Like the other two (or three) surviving Mayan codices, it’s written on amate, the inner bark of the wild fig tree, and is folded, accordion-style. Opened out, it’s about 12 feet long, 8 inches high, written on both sides. Only recently fully deciphered, it consists of astronomical data (particularly of the planet Venus, which the Mayans associated with warfare) and a listing of ceremonial events.

So why did Landa pursue his crusade against what he perceived as idolatry — he also burned thousands of cult images — with such vehemence? According to historians who study the era, he thought — in common with most other Franciscans of the time — that the Second Coming was nigh (perhaps at the turn of the century), and it was his duty to save as many souls as possible. Which, of course, meant eliminating what he saw as pagan practices and cult worship. Hence the destruction of books containing “nothing in which were not seen and superstition and lies of the devil.”

The Maya were the most advanced people of the New World. In addition to writing, they built hundreds of stone temples, pyramids and palaces. Their irrigation works were as sophisticated as any in the Old World. Their calendar was astonishingly precise, starting with a creation date of August 11, 3114 BC, cycling every 18,980 days (i.e. about a lifetime, 52 years). Their astronomical records allowed them to figure out the synodic period of Venus as 584 days — it’s actually about 583.92. And their civilization lasted for over 1,000 years. If you’re interested, I wrote about theories of their demise here.

Ironically, we have to thank Landa for preserving much of our knowledge about the Maya people who lived at the same time as his 16th century Yucatán crusade. Landa had two Mayan scribes show him how to read their hieroglyphics (kind of — a Soviet linguist showed in the 1950s that many of his conclusions were inaccurate) and his account of pre-conquest Mayan social organization has been invaluable to future historians. Still, for me, and apparently for the contemporary descendants of the Mayan people (judging by this mural in Mérida’s Governor’s Palace), Landa was and always will be an asshole.

 

As a school bus driver, a teacher, helper of blind children, artist, caterer, upscale bartender and much more, Edward (Ed) Ramstad made his way through his 70 years of quiet, unassuming success. His greatest accomplishment was in maintaining the love and admiration of his immediate and extended family.

Edward J. Ramstad was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota June 24, 1950. He, his parents Clarence (Clink), Geraldine (Geri), and siblings then migrated to Southern California when he was five years old. Within a couple of years, Ed found himself in a more remote area known as Whitmore, California in Shasta County. Ed was educated in Shasta County and graduated from Enterprise High School and later from Sacramento State University with his art degree and teaching credential. Ed’s love of all things artistic was boundless.

In midlife, Ed met his future soulmate, Jim Glover of Eureka. They were inseparable for the next 35 years and married in 2008. Although they returned in the 1990s to Shasta, living in Anderson, most of their time together was in Eureka where they had lived since 1996. Anyone who ever visited their home instantly felt the inspiration of Ed’s talents and hard work.

Ed worked locally at two fine establishments which had been recently renovated: The Hotel Arcata and The Victorian Inn in Ferndale. He also dabbled in the grocery business, working at Food Mart and Ray’s. The ultimate accomplishment was in those six years in Redding running the deli-bakery and catering business for Sunset Marketplace.

Ed is preceded in death by his parents and brother Fred (wife Susan) of Reno. He is survived by his life-partner Jim of Eureka, as well as his brother Randall (wife Cindy) of Reno, sister Linda McCoskey (husband Ed) of Whitmore and extended family Leigh Cates (husband Matt and Chris (wife Jennifer) all of Reno and Abby Ramstad (Husband Ben) of San Francisco. He loved them all, but was particularly proud of his nephew, Brandon (wife Destiny) and their little girl, Wilder.

Ed’s last breaths were taken Saturday morning, December 12 with Jim at his bedside. His sister Linda had also been comforting him in the last few days of his life. What a difficult and painful goodbye. There are no immediate plans for a funeral or memorial service.

There is not space enough anywhere to describe the quiet accomplishments or to convey the love and admiration earned from his family and close friends. Hoping Ed rests in peace is good, but he deserves to rest in glory and comfort as we try to adjust to his absence. Ed was a treasure in our lives, and it is impossible to adequately thank him for sharing his life with all of us.

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Last week, the Arcata City Council officially welcomed three new members — Stacey Atkins-Salazar, Emily Grace Goldstein and Sarah Schaefer — marking the first time the famously progressive town has had a majority of women councilmembers.

There is no question that this was the most unusual election we’ve ever seen, with the pandemic preventing most conventional campaigning. On top of that, there were 10 candidates running for three Arcata City Council seats.

So what helped these three women win? How did they approach campaigning during the pandemic?  And how might this council shake-up affect the city? The Outpost asked the new council members for their views on these questions and more, to help you better know the newcomers who will be making decisions that affect Arcata for the next four (or more) years.

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Sarah Schaefer

Councilmember Schaefer

Born and raised in Arcata, Schaefer graduated with a bachelor’s in History from Lewis & Clark College in Portland and returned to her hometown, where she earned her teaching credential from Humboldt State. Schaefer currently teaches History and college prep at Northern United Charter School in Eureka.

Passionate about serving her community, Schaefer had been considering running for Arcata City Council for some time. When she saw that there were three open seats and only two incumbents — Michael Winkler and Paul Pitino — running for re-election, Schaefer thought this was the perfect opportunity to run for election. She also felt like it was time for some fresh perspectives on the council.

“I have the utmost respect for Paul and Michael,  but I just felt like it was time for a change,” Schaefer told the Outpost in a recent phone interview. “The young professionals in Arcata need a voice.”

Figuring out how to run a campaign during COVID was challenging, Schaefer said, and she said that staying active on social media was important for her. Schaefer also credits a lot of her success to her campaign signs, saying that she is pretty sure she put signs out before any of the other candidates and that having the name recognition was important in this year’s crowded field of candidates.

Schaefer is happy to see Arcata voters elect new, younger council members and feels that it shows that a lot of Arcata’s younger voters — HSU students and graduates — have a strong voice in the community. “I think it shows that Arcata is first and foremost a college town,” she said.

And although Schaefer knows that there will be a learning curve for the new council members, she feels that the fresh perspectives they bring will benefit Arcata.

“I’m excited to get to work and see the passion that we’ll bring to projects,” Schaefer told the Outpost.

Emily Grace Golstein

Councilmember Goldstein

Goldstein also wanted to see some new faces on the council, which is a big part of why she decided to run. “I think that for me it feels like while we’ve had great leadership in our city, I did see a need for change,” she told the Outpost in a phone interview last week.

Graduating from HSU with a bachelor’s degree in Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and earning her master’s in Social Work from the University of Washington, Goldstein now works for the California Health Collaborative’s RISE program — a non-profit program dedicated to reducing tobacco related health disparities in rural areas.  

The 26-year-old is the youngest councilmember and feels that her appeal to younger voters is part of why she was elected, Golstein said, adding that she hopes seeing her elected will help encourage more young people to run for office, even if they have no experience.

“I want other people to feel confident in themselves to run in the future,” Goldstein told the Outpost. “It’s not that I’m anything special, it’s just that I went for it…I’ve never done this before and I’m a little intimidated. The people chose us, they put their confidence in us and I don’t want to let anyone down.”

As far as campaigning during the pandemic, Goldstein said she relied heavily on social media — especially Instagram — to connect with her constituents, an approach she also feels helped her appeal to the younger voters. Goldstein also said she made a concerted effort to connect with local organizations during her campaign, such as Arcata House Partnership, March for Our Lives and the Humboldt Center Area for Harm Reduction (HACHR). She also was grateful for the online forums and felt they really helped voters get to know the candidates a little bit better.

Goldstein said she is happy to see more women and younger people on the council, adding that she is very proud to help represent the LGBTQ community. Goldstein identifies as queer, something she was very open about during her campaign. 

“I have been out since 2012 and I’m not interested in hiding any part of who I am,” Goldstein told the Outpost. “I’m glad it was well received in the community, and maybe even gained me votes. I love my queer community here and I wanted all the queer people in Arcata to know that they had representation. It’s not the only part of who I am, but I think as far as being on the council, having more representation in every area is a good thing.”

Stacy Atkins-Salazar

Councilmember Atkins-Salazar

Atkins-Salazar was born in Arcata, graduated from Arcata High and earned two degrees in Psychology from Humboldt State. Previously a part-time professor at College of the Redwoods, Atkins-Salazar ended up focusing on her other passion — dance — and has owned and operated No Limits Dance Academy in Arcata for 20 years.

A mother of three, Atkins-Salazar spent a lot of her spare time volunteering and organizing for school-related activities and served on the Arcata School Board. With her children mostly grown — her youngest now a senior in high school — and her business temporarily closed due to the pandemic, Atkins-Salazar found herself with more time to focus on the social and political issues facing us today. She felt it was the right time to do something more to serve her community and decided to run for council with the campaign slogan “finding common ground.”

“I was feeling frustrated, upset and angry at what was happening in our country and more specifically with how it was affecting people’s relationship,” Atkins-Salazar told the Outpost in a recent interview. “Scrolling through Facebook was depressing and the hate that was streaming out of people towards those different from them was upsetting me. I felt like we were being unnecessarily and extremely polarized.  Where was the middle ground?”

Gaining the highest number of votes of all the candidates, Atkins-Salazar attributes her success largely to her connection to her community through living and owning a business in Arcata for many years, but she also feels that it helped that she visited voters in person.

Atkins-Salazar and her team passed out nearly 7,000 flyers, leaving them under people’s doormats, under flower pots and even under a few bongs, she said. Because of COVID, she did not knock on any doors. But if people saw her, she would talk to them outside. “A couple people didn’t like that we came by,” she said. “But many people were appreciative.’”

Atkins-Salazar added that, although she had a lot of respect for the incumbents and all the other candidates, she was not surprised that the voters elected all women and all newcomers.

“I  think having three new council members will be exciting and will add a big influx of new energy to the council,” Atkins-Salazar told the Outpost. “[When I was campaigning] I didn’t hear a lot of negativity about the incumbents. A few people had their opinions. It wasn’t that they didn’t like them. I just feel like they wanted to shake things up a little. What I heard was people just wanted change.”

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The fresh, female-dominated council will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 6.

If you would like to see how the council has progressed throughout the years, check out this list of every Arcata City Council since 1880, compiled  by another amazing woman, Arcata City Clerk Bridget Dory.

From the office of Rep. Jared Huffman:

Today, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) issued the following statement after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine:

“Based on the recommendations and direction of the House Attending Physician, I received the vaccine for COVID-19 today. I’m happy to report that it was not painful, and I did not experience any side effects,” said Rep. Huffman. 

Based on medical guidance, I just received the #COVID19Vaccine. I don’t think I’m more deserving than anyone else, but I want to lead by example. Please — when the vaccine is available to you: take it. It is safe, it’s effective, and it’s how we’ll beat this pandemic. [1/] pic.twitter.com/6RwROXsDtv

— Rep. Jared Huffman (@RepHuffman) December 19, 2020

“I strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as it’s available. The path to our recovery from this pandemic depends on a speedy and successful vaccine distribution, and on all of us continuing to stay safe by following public health guidance to wear a mask and practice social distancing. Following Public Health advice, I will also continue to wear a mask and socially distance even after receiving the vaccine. I am grateful to the Capitol physician’s office for making this vaccine available to address the continuity of our government, and grateful to the scientists and researchers who made this vaccine possible. This weekend, as I stay at the Capitol, I will be fighting for more funding for vaccination distribution, for direct payments to Americans who are suffering, and for far more support for families, employers, and state and local governments. We have a lot of work to do to make sure all Americans can be quickly and safely vaccinated, and to keep everyone safe until we are through this pandemic,” Huffman concluded.

According to government continuity guidelines, Congressional Leadership has been informed by the Office of the Attending Physician that Members of the House and Senate should receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The Attending Physician further stated to Members “My recommendation to you is absolutely unequivocal: there is no reason why you should defer receiving this vaccine.”

There are currently over 100 Members of Congress who are or have been quarantined, tested positive for COVID-19, or came in contact with someone with COVID-19. 

A favorite American political tradition is the idea of the “first 100 days in office.” Gang Green breaks down the roots of this tradition, what President-elect Joe Biden has said will be his environmental priorities in the first 100 days, how the Georgia Senate run-off election may mean for his legislative agenda, and what environmental groups are urging him to do.

AUDIO:

“The EcoNews Report,” Dec. 19, 2020

LINKS:

• “Leading Environmental Group Urges 5-Point Action Plan During Biden Administration’s First 100 Days,” Waterkeeper Alliance
• The #ClimatePresident Action Plan: 10 Steps for the Next Administration’s First 10 Days