The following statement was emailed to the Outpost Monday afternoon by Deputy County Administrative Officer Sean Quincey in reference to the post linked above:
Nobody is outsourcing the Auditor. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The addition of a CFO [chief financial officer] will supplement, not replace, the county’s efforts to carry out important fiscal functions, including those related to the Board’s Nov. 23 meeting.
At that meeting, the Board, at the Auditor’s recommendation, chose to share in accepting responsibility for posting central services charges, internal service fund charges, and closing the books on last fiscal year.
To be clear, this is significant additional responsibility, as these functions typically reside solely in the Auditor’s Office. The other list of functions from the staff report [for the Dec. 8 Board of Supervisors meeting] (long-term budget preparation, developing internal service fund charges, facilitating fiscal corrective action plans, etc.) are already performed by CAO staff.
So, a CFO, ideally one properly trained in public accounting, would be able to take on these financial functions in addition to working with the Auditor and county departments on the accounting changes that have been brought about in recent years. I would hope that would be a welcome effort as it will only make the entire county more fiscally sound.
The CAO’s responsibility is clear in the county code. There is not “significant overlap” with the Auditor, and nothing [Sacramento accounting firm] MGO would do would replace the Auditor, nor would a CFO position. Nobody is proposing a Director of Finance. This is about providing the support the county organization needs to serve people in Humboldt County; it’s not a personal attack.
The Board directed staff to carry out a staffing study, in cooperation with MGO, on the Auditor’s Office and staff were intent to bring an item before the Board on Dec. 4 related to this effort.
MGO is an expert in this space as they have a team of people who have decades of local government and public accounting experience, and their expertise will add to HR’s efforts in providing appropriate recommendations related to staffing. However, it appears it may need to wait until January as the Auditor has very limited availability to dedicate to this project. Staff will continue to carry out the Board’s direction in this area.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Dec. 6, 2020, at about 9:40 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s Special Services deputies were dispatched to the Headwaters Forest Reserve for the report of a 27-year-old solo male hiker who had become lost.
The hiker had reportedly arrived at the reserve early that morning and was hiking the Salmon Path Trail when he somehow got off trail and became disoriented, at one point falling into a creek. Deputies requested the assistance of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Posse to assist with an aerial and ground search for the hiker.
Deputies were able to obtain approximate GPS coordinates for the hiker and crews began searching the area. At about 3:30 p.m., the USCG helicopter crew spotted the hiker, however due to the terrain they were unable hoist the hiker to safety. The crew was able to drop a handheld radio to the hiker allowing him to communicate with the rescue team.
At about 5:30 p.m., members of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Posse were able to reach the hiker by foot and escort him out to safety. The hiker did not sustain injuries during this incident.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the United States Coast Guard and the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Posse for their assistance in this successful search and rescue operation.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind the public to take caution and be prepared when hiking or accessing the beach.
Even if you are just planning a short day-hike, be sure to:
Carry a flashlight
Bring extra water and high-energy foods
Pack a small first aid kit
Dress properly for a hike and prepare for changes in the weather by bringing rain gear or a jacket.
Tell somewhere where you are going and when you plan to return.
Stay on an established trail and if in an unfamiliar area, bring a map.
Be sure to charge your cell phone prior to leaving home.
If you do become lost while hiking and are unable to find your way out, the best thing to do is to stay where you are and call 9-1-1.
To learn how you can become a member of the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Posse, visit humboldtsar.com.
Video of the scene provided by reader Daniele Smith.
UPDATE, 1:10 p.m.:
The sheriff’s office reports that the victim is out of the water and that CPR is in progress.
According to scanner traffic, the victim is reportedly being taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka by helicopter.
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Search and rescue teams are searching the waters near the North Jetty after a 67-year-old woman was reportedly swept out to sea in the area.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Tweeted out minutes ago that the HCSO and U.S. Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay are on scene.
Eureka’s National Weather Service has issued a high-surf advisory for the area that will remain in effect until tomorrow afternoon.
“A long-period swell is forecast to spread into the waters on Monday,” the NWS stated. “Hazardous surf with breaking waves from 22 to 28 feet is expected for west and northwest facing beaches.Large surf is turbulent and dangerous, so beachgoers should stay farther back from the surf and off of jetties or rocks.”
#HappeningNow Search and Rescue underway at the North Jetty after a 67-year-old female victim was reportedly swept out into the ocean. HCSO and USCG responding.
Eureka, Calif: at 12:03 p.m. December 7th, Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay units received a 911 call that a female had been swept off the Humboldt bay Jetties. Two Motor Life Boats and a MH-65 helicopter were dispatched to the scene.
After intense efforts by all units, including Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Samoa Volunteer Fire Department, the woman was recovered on the beach and emergency services personnel commenced administering CPR on the 67-yea-old female.
The MH-65 helicopter crew transferred the woman at approximately 1:10 pm to St. Joseph’s hospital in Eureka, CA.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Dec. 6, 2020, at about 3 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 70 block of Abbott Lane near Arcata for the report of a stabbing that had just occurred.
While enroute to the residence, deputies located the 33-year-old male victim outside a vehicle at the Alder Grove Marsh parking area. The victim was discovered to have multiple laceration injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Hagmann
During their investigation, deputies learned that the victim had been attending a party at the residence on Abbott Lane when he reportedly got into an altercation with the suspect, 28-year-old Dylan Matthew Hagmann. At some point during this altercation, Hagmann reportedly assaulted the victim with an improvised weapon. The victim was able to flee to safety.
Deputies conducted a search of the residence but were unable to locate Hagmann.
Dylan Hagmann is described as a white male adult, approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall and 145 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Hagmann is wanted on charges of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm (PC 245(A)(1)).
Anyone with information about Hagmann’s whereabouts is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office press release:
The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office is sad to report the passing of Narcotic Detection K-9
“Reece”. Reece partnered with District Attorney Investigator Marvin Kirkpatrick for over 10 years. Reece’s
obituary, prepared by Marvin and his family, appears below:
It is with heavy heart and much sorrow to have to announce the passing of Humboldt County District
Attorney’s Office K-9 Reece.
K-9 Reece passed away on December 1, 2020 at the age of 14 with her handler and family by her side.
K-9 Reece dedicated her service in the detection of controlled substances for the County of Humboldt. K-9
Reece was a warrior in the battle against drugs. Her career spanned just over 10 years. K-9 Reece was
always ready to go to work and lived for it.
In K-9 Reece’s dedicated service of over 10 years, she was deployed 524 times. Based on K-9 Reece’s alerts
she was responsible for the seizure of 2,522 pounds of marijuana, over 50 pounds of concentrated cannabis,
concentrated cannabis chemical extraction laboratories (BHO), 6 pounds of cocaine, 82 pounds of heroin, 80
pounds of methamphetamine, and $2,619,464 in currency. One could not have had a better K-9 than
Reece.
K-9 Reece will be buried at her family’s home where she will remain in our hearts and memories. For those
of you who wish to honor her memory we request that you do so with a donation to one of our local no-kill
animal rescues and/or animal shelters in K-9 Reece’s name.
Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the statewide launch of CA Notify, a new digital tool that will help reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Starting Thursday, December 10, Californians can opt in to receive COVID-19 notifications informing them if they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for the virus. CA Notify is a digital tool that protects privacy and security – it does not collect device location to detect exposure and does not share a user’s identity. The tool was developed in partnership with Google and Apple and piloted with the help of the University California, San Diego and the University of California, San Francisco.
“Throughout this pandemic we have tapped California’s talent pool to fight this virus and that includes working with tech innovators like Apple and Google,” said Governor Newsom. “CA Notify will help slow the spread by alerting those who opt in to receive an alert if they’ve come into contact with someone who has tested positive. The process is private, anonymous and secure, and is one of the many tools in the state’s data-driven approach to help reduce the spread.”
Starting Thursday, December 10, Californians can enable CA Notify in their iPhone settings or on Android phones by downloading the CA notify app from the Google Play Store. Californians may start receiving availability alerts from their phones on Thursday, December 10.
When individuals voluntarily activate CA Notify, the tool uses Bluetooth technology to exchange random codes between phones without revealing the user’s identity or location. If a CA Notify user tests positive for COVID-19, they will receive a verification code to plug into the app, if they choose. Any other CA Notify users who have been within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more of the COVID-19 positive individual will get an anonymous notification of possible exposure. CA Notify will accelerate how quickly people get notified of a possible COVID-19 exposure, giving people the information they need to make responsible decisions around quarantine and testing. Users who have tested positive for COVID-19 will get a text from the California Department of Public Health at 855-976-8462 with a code which they can enter into CA Notify triggering an alert to phones of people who may have been exposed in the previous 14 days.
“When combined with other actions like wearing masks and physical distancing, CA Notify can help curb the transmission of COVID-19,” said Dr. Ghaly. “Every day that is saved in alerting others of a possible exposure, is a day that a possibly infectious person can begin self-quarantine and reduce the spread. This technology is another way for Californians to take proactive steps to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe.”
The state launched a pilot in September for students, staff and faculty at UC San Diego and UC San Francisco and expanded to include five other UC campuses in mid-November. Given the privacy-first focus of CA Notify, we do not know how many students, faculty, staff and patients have enabled CA Notify, but UC estimates more than 250,000 people are utilizing this technology as part of the pilot. CA Notify has helped identify exposed individuals early, allowing them to quickly quarantine and reduce the transmission of the virus. The performance and privacy of CA Notify has been successfully evaluated through the pilot project and similar programs have been launched in other states.
“Our pilot experience starting at UC San Diego and expanding to other UC campuses showed this technology was effective in identifying exposed individuals early for quarantine and testing, and helping keep our communities as safe as possible,” said Christopher Longhurst, MD, chief information officer of UC San Diego Health. “This free and reliable smartphone technology can help all Californians. As we enter a new, and hopefully final, surge in the pandemic, now more than ever is the time to put every possible tool to use to slow the spread of the virus.”
“With the rapid surge of COVID-19 cases, we need every tool possible to protect our communities. We applaud the State for expanding this scalable system so all people living in California have another means of being informed of potential exposures as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Carrie L. Byington, Executive Vice President of University of California Health and an infectious disease expert. “We are glad that University of California Health could be a resource for the pilot testing and now for the management of the expansion.”
CA Notify is completely voluntary and free, and is designed to protect your privacy. It does not use device location to detect exposures and does not share your identity to other users. And individuals can securely report if they test positive, so that others can be notified of exposure without indicating their identity.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Dec. 5, 2020, at about 1 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies on patrol in the Hydesville area observed a vehicle being driven by wanted felony suspect Clayton Lloyd Miller, 32, of Eureka, on Highway 36.
In addition to felony warrants, Miller was wanted by HCSO deputies for the theft of a trailer in the Myrtletown area December 1.
Deputies attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle, which was observed to be occupied by Miller and a female passenger, in the area of Rohnerville Road. Miller failed to yield the vehicle and a pursuit ensued. Deputies pursued the vehicle approximately 28 miles, eventually onto Kneeland Road. The vehicle then left the road, traveling through an open field and onto an overgrown logging road surrounded by a heavily wooded area. Due to the condition of the road and terrain, deputies exited their patrol vehicles and continued on foot. Deputies located Miller’s vehicle abandoned further down the road.
Deputies conducted a ground search for Miller and the passenger, while the California Highway Patrol assisted deputies with an aerial search for the two suspects. Despite great effort, law enforcement was unable to locate the suspects.
At about 9:30 p.m. that evening, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center received a call from a resident in the area of the 32,300 block of Kneeland Road for the report of an unknown female tapping on the resident’s window and asking for help. The resident, who was aware of the pursuit earlier that day, told dispatchers the female matched the description of the female passenger associated with Miller.
Deputies arrived on scene and contacted the female, identified as Camille Mischell Steele, 37, of Sausalito. Steele was then taken into custody on outstanding warrants. During their investigation, deputies learned that Miller had possibly returned to his abandoned vehicle and was sleeping inside. Deputies returned to the vehicle and located Miller. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Miller was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of burglary (PC 459/461(b)), grand theft (PC 487), vehicle theft (VC 10851(a)), resisting arrest (PC 148(A)(1)), assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm (PC 245(A)(1)), probation hold (PC 1203(e)(4)), evading a peace officer (VC 2800.2) and fleeing a peace officer (VC 2800.4).
Steele was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on a warrant for robbery (PC 211), grand theft (PC 487(a)) and battery (PC 242).
Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
