Rebecca
I. Frambach of Willow Creek, a resident of Humboldt County,
passed into God’s perfect memory on October 26, 2025, at the age of
56 years. She died very peacefully at Santa Rosa Providence Memorial
Hospital, surrounded by two very dear couples, who for years were
like family to her.
She
is survived by her beloved mother Avis (“BEA”) Frambach and
only sibling, her proud sister Laura Frambach, both of
Sheffield, MA. Also by her loving Uncle Richard and Aunt
Mary Frambach, of New Hampshire. And by her dear Aunt Martha
Abbondandelo. In addition, she was deeply loved by literally hundreds
of precious friends, her spiritual brothers and sisters! These are
fellow members of congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses, starting
with her childhood congregation of Great Barrington, Mass.
for 19 happy years. After that, she moved to help out the small but
very caring Valley City, N.D. congregation for 20 happy years. After
Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, she readily moved to New Orleans,
Louisiana to volunteer in the Disaster Relief Committee of Jehovah’s
Witnesses to aid affected ones and their moldy homes for a year!
Lastly, she again moved up to beautiful Willow Creek for 17+
wonderful years to help out the close knit, very loving congregation
in the volunteer work she always loved the best: sharing in spreading
hope of the best future ever possible, through God’s Kingdom
government soon to bless all mankind permanently.
She
is predeceased by her beloved and wise father, Ronald Frambach.
Becky
made it her life’s work to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ,
who shared kingdom good news while he was on earth for 3 1/2 years.
(Please see Matthew 24:14 in the Holy Scriptures). She
devoted her heart and energy to serving as a regular pioneer in the
volunteer ministry for 40+ years starting at age 16.
She
supported herself by a variety of part-time jobs, and the one she
enjoyed the most was her reflexology business, where she could help
many people find relief and comfort with her special type of “hands
on“ treatment.
Becky‘s
early years were spent enjoying quality family time, spent mostly by
delighting in God‘s handiwork which is all around us. Starting in
the 1970s, the Frambach family enjoyed roughing it by tent
camping, then in the 1980s, graduating to pop-up trailers,
which were taken all over New England, especially the beautiful White
Mountain area in New Hampshire. She and her sister grew to know our
Grand Creator by studying His beautiful creations on these camping
and adventure trips.
Two
of her favorite joys were her hobbies, which brought her endless
delight. She loved taking photographs of people, places, and all of
life’s adventures — carefully labeling them, storing them in
countless albums, and sharing them with others.
She
also cherished staying connected with friends. At the beginning of
each month, for decades, without fail, Becky would compose unique
cards, some of which included heartfelt poems, to send out to every
couple who was celebrating their wedding anniversaries, and special
milestones.
She
carried out this tradition with zeal, joy, and deep satisfaction —
much to the delight of those who received her treasured cards!
What
sustained her more than anything – filling her with happy hope,
vigorous zeal for the life-saving ministry, and endurance through
hard times – was the beautiful promise of a future on earth. This
promise comes from our loving God, who canCorey Shannon-Johnson’snot lie, and is recorded in
the Holy Bible. In Revelation, chapter 21, verses 3, 4, it says:
“God… will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be
no more… The former things have passed away. Look! I am making all
things new.” And in verse 5, He continues: “Also he says, ‘write,
for these words are faithful and true.’ “ And Christ himself
promised in John chapter 5, verses 28, 29: “Do not be amazed at
this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the Memorial tombs
will hear his voice and come out… to a resurrection of life!”
On
Saturday, December 13, 2025, at 2 p.m., there will be a
memorial service held at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
at 65 Blue Jay Lane, Willow Creek.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Rebecca Frambach’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Jeffrey Lynn Meisner, born on July 25, 1956,
passed away on November 12, 2025 in Arcata. He was 69 years old.
Jeff was a man of deep faith and compassion, known for his kindness
and generosity. A devoted member of Faith Center Foursquare Church in
Eureka, he lived his life guided by his love for the Lord and a
sincere desire to serve others. His gentle spirit and giving nature
left a lasting impression on all who knew him.
He shared 23 cherished years with his loving partner, Ramona Roth Cooke. Jeff was a proud father to his daughter Miranda Islas and sons
Jordan Meisner and Seth Meisner. He also leaves behind
five beloved grandchildren.
Jeff is remembered by his brothers Jerry Meisner and
Tom Meisner. He also held a special bond with his extended Roth
family: Judy Ingraham, Linda Lynes, and Larry Roth. And beloved
friends Andrew, Sarah and Willow.
Those who knew Jeff will remember him as a man of quiet strength and
unwavering kindness. His presence brought comfort and warmth to those
around him, and his absence will be deeply felt.
May his memory bring peace to all who loved him.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Jeff Meisner’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Screenshot from a Board of Supervisors meeting last month.
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Humboldt County’s First District supervisor, Rex Bohn, says a formal complaint accusing him of being abusive
and hostile toward staff was filed by his colleague, Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone.
If this is the first you’re hearing about a formal complaint against Bohn, that’s not surprising. There hasn’t been much media coverage of it. But Bohn himself brought it up, unprompted, during the Nov. 4 Board of Supervisors meeting. In the midst of deliberations about misconduct by Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell, Bohn remarked that he’d been accused of misconduct as well.
The Outpost promptly asked the county for a copy of the complaint and related documents, pursuant to the California Public Records Act. On Monday evening, the county released those documents to both the Outpost and blogger John Chiv.
The documents include a partially redacted copy of the complaint, which says Bohn’s alleged misconduct occurred during a June 24 meeting to discuss the county’s Tobacco Retail Licensing (TRL) Ordinance, which was passed in 2023. From the complaint:
As soon as the meeting started it became obvious that this meeting was initiated by
Supervisor Bohn to lobby for an acquaintance of his. This person was the owner of 30 or
more Chevron Stations in Northern California who was selling his business, as a whole. The
owner was upset that the new TRL Ordinance was going to cost him to lose his tobacco
sale license for 3 stations in Humboldt County. One in McKinkleyville [sic], one in Garberville,
and one in Willow Creek.
The ordinance in question was unanimously approved by the board in June. Among its many provisions is one saying a tobacco retail license can only be transferred to a “parent, child, spouse or domestic partner.”
The complaint says that during this June meeting, Bohn “aggressively pushed on staff to offer some sort of waiver for his friend,” and when they explained that they lacked the authority for such a move, he “continued his attack on staff.”
In a phone interview, Bohn disputed that characterization.
“Was I animated? Yeah,” he said. But his insists that he didn’t yell, call anyone names or otherwise abuse staff. As for the underlying dispute, he’s still upset about the ordinance’s provision limiting license transfers.
“The bottom line is, our health department told people they had their cigarette licenses for 50 years, and now they’re being told that if they sell their stores [the new owners] couldn’t get that license unless they’re directly related,” Bohn said.
He said he was arguing on behalf of the owner of Redwood Oil Company, which owns nearly two dozen gas stations and mini markets across five counties, as well as the owner of Country Club Market on Humboldt Hill.
“I was raised in a corner grocery,” Bohn said. “We can’t keep putting small businesses out of business.”
Asked why he voted to approve the TRL ordinance given these misgivings, Bohn said staff failed to highlight this specific provision of the 40-page ordinance.
However, recordings of Board of Supervisors meetings show that staff did highlight that aspect of the ordinance. For example, video of a June 2023 staff presentation introducing the ordinance shows Elaine Hogan, then-program services coordinator for Tobacco-Free Humboldt, discussing that provision specifically. She says limiting transfers to family members is designed to reduce the total number of tobacco retail licenses in the county over time. (The link above is queued to that moment.) Video of the board’s June 3 2025 meeting shows Public Health Director Sofia Pereira addressing that provision again.
At any rate, the complaint goes on to say staff tried to reason with Bohn, telling him they planned to come back to the board in a month or two with suggestions for changes to the ordinance. But Bohn would not be placated. From the complaint:
Supervisor Bohn continued his rants and I spoke up and asked him to calm down and [told him] how
inappropriate it was to be pushing so hard for this waiver. He said “I know I am an asshole, I am just an asshole”. This is not the only incidence of this behavior on Bohns part.
“It’s Madrone making a complaint against me,” Bohn told the Outpost today. (Madrone has not yet responded to a voicemail left for him this afternoon.)
In Bohn’s account of the incident, he said to staff at one point, “I’m sorry I’m an asshole, you guys. I’m sorry, but I’m pretty passionate about this.”
Bohn addressed his objections to the license-transfer portion of the tobacco ordinance at a Board of Supervisors meeting last month, and he reiterated his position in our interview. “There’s just no reason for us to dictate business like that,” he said. He added that, while staff with the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services say they notified tobacco retailers about the new rules, the ones he’s spoken to say they had no idea about the transfer restrictions.
Asked whether a third-party investigation into the complaint against him has been resolved, Bohn replied, “I have no idea; I’m not participating.” He later noted that he refused to talk to the investigator.
As readers might recall from the Bushnell misconduct incident, the Board of Supervisors Code of Conduct and Ethics spells out the process for investigating misconduct complaints against county supervisors. The complaints are initially reviewed by a committee consisting of the county administrative officer, director of human resources and county counsel.
On July 10, HR Director Zach O’Hanen emailed Bohn to say that the committee had met and determined that the allegations against him should be
examined through an impartial third-party investigation. O’Hanen followed up in late September with an “investigation interview notice.” It said external investigator Kimberlie Revai had been retained and explained, “The purpose of the investigation is fact-finding, and no decisions will be made
until all relevant facts are gathered and you are given an opportunity to explain your
side of the story.”
The notice went on to say, “Please cooperate fully with the investigator and answer questions in a
complete and truthful manner. You are being requested to attend the interview and to answer the questions
accurately, completely, and truthfully.”
Bohn replied a few days later: “I will not be participating to save the County Money, Thanks Rex.”
We’ll update this post if we hear anything back from Madrone.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On December 2, 2025, at approximately 12:11 a.m., the Humboldt County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call from a residence on the 3000 block of Barber Creek Rd., Hydesville, regarding a domestic violence incident. The suspect in this case was later identified as 65-year-old David Bernard Privat.
As deputies were responding to the residence, a deputy traveling on Rohnerville Rd. observed a white Chevrolet Suburban towing a trailer at a high rate of speed approximately one mile from the reported location. The deputy immediately recognized the vehicle as belonging to Privat and initiated a traffic stop near Rohnerville Rd. and Puddin Rd. in Fortuna. The deputy contacted Privat and detained him for further investigation while another deputy contacted the victim at the Barber Creek Rd. residence.
Based on the victim’s statement and evidence located during the investigation, it was determined that a violent crime had occurred and Privat was taken into custody. The victim sustained minor injuries and did not require immediate medical attention. Deputies contacted the on-call judge, who granted an emergency protective order for the victim.
Privat was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility and was booked on charges including:
P.C. 664/187 Attempted homicide
P.C. 273.5(a) Inflicting corporal injury on spouse
P.C. 236 False imprisonment
P.C. 29800(a)(1) Felon in possession of a firearm
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.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announces lawsuit against St. Joseph Hospital as Eureka chiropractor Anna Nusslock — whose experience at the hospital prompted the case — looks on. | Image via Bonta’s Twitter account.
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Press release from the Humboldt County Superior Court:
The
Attorney General’s request for a preliminary injunction in The
People of the State of California vs. St Joseph Health Northern
California, LLC (CV2401832) is set to be heard on December 10, 2025,
in Department 4 of the Superior Court for the State of California,
Humboldt County, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
This
case has generated substantial public interest and media attention.
In light of this interest, as well as limited seating in the
courtroom, the Court will allow the public to observe the proceedings
via Zoom. The Zoom meeting link for courtroom 4
is here;
more information is available at the court’s website.
Whether
observing in person or via zoom, everyone must comply with
courtroom conduct rules so that the parties and their counsel may be
heard and the decorum of an open court be maintained. Those
rules include: no talking and remaining quiet while in the
courtroom; cell phones and other electronic devices in silent
mode or powered off; hats removed; no photography, video, or
audio recording without prior permission from the Court; and
complying with all instructions from the courtroom Bailiff.
Guidelines for observing via Zoom are available at the Court’s
website, listed above; microphones must be muted at all
times. Anyone failing to comply with those rules and
guidelines may be removed from the courtroom or from the Zoom meeting
room.
The
date, time and location of the hearing is subject to change, so
please check the courtroom calendars the night before on the Court’s
website by using the QR Code.
UPDATE, 1:13 p.m.: After this post was published, Humboldt County Public Information Specialist Cati Gallardo provided the following response to a request for comment:
This an important matter for the county, however, this is a pending legal matter, and to preserve the integrity of the process, the County of Humboldt cannot provide further comment to the press at this time.
We also received a follow-up email from the PR firm representing Christie Larson LLP, asking us to replace the original press release (which contained a misspelled reference to Humboldt County) with a corrected version. We have done so. The firm also emailed a photo of Christie and his sons, below.
Photo courtesy Larson LLP.
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Original post:
Ray Christie sits detained in a Bureau of Land Management vehicle during the 2018 raid on his ranch in the Arcata Bottoms. | File photo by Andrew Goff.
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Attorneys representing Arcata cattle rancher Raymond Christie filed a federal civil rights lawsuit yesterday against the County of Humboldt, Sheriff William Honsal, former Sheriff’s Office Livestock Deputy Travis Mendes and former Deputy District Attorney Adrian Kamada, alleging multiple civil rights violations.
The 68-page complaint from L.A.-based law firm Larson LLP accuses the county and its officials of violating Christie’s Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures and his Fourteenth Amendment rights to due process during a multi-agency, “SWAT-style” 2018 raid on his ranch in the Arcata Bottoms, his subsequent arrest for animal abuse and five years of criminal prosecution.
An L.A.-based public relations firm called Infinite Global emailed the Outpost a press release this morning. It outlines the lawsuit in broad strokes, saying Christie’s business involves purchasing sick, weak and injured cattle and attempting to nurse them back to health. It accuses Honsal, Mendes and Kamada of hypocrisy for pursuing Christie “while ignoring obvious violations at other operations in the area.”
The suit itself, which you can download via a link below, accuses Mendes of evidence tampering, including staging photos and moving evidence, and then lying under oath. It alleges that during the 2018 raid, officers ignored Christie’s requests to speak to an attorney. It accuses Kamada of secretly recording unconstitutional questioning and then hiding that recording for a year and a half. And it says this persecution and negative media coverage harmed Christie financially while damaging his reputation.
A 2019 court case against Christie for animal cruelty and illegal dumping of cattle carcasses near state waters ended in a mistrial after a single juror declined to convict him on four felony and 10 misdemeanor charges. His conviction on other misdemeanor charges was later set aside and dismissed.
Last year, the majority owners of Redwood Meat Company, the region’s only USDA-certified slaughterhouse and processing facility, sold their shares to Christie, though he has yet to reopen the business, which shut down in 2024 after more than 70 years in operation.
Christie’s lawsuit seeks compensatory damages for lost income and business opportunities, legal fees, reputational damage and emotional distress, plus unspecified punitive damages and injunctive relief.
Here’s the press release from Christie’s PR firm. Scroll down for a link to the lawsuit and links to just some of the many stories about Christie.
SAN FRANCISCO, December 2, 2025 – Law firm Larson LLP sued Humboldt County and three officials late Monday in San Francisco federal court on behalf of a northern California cattle rancher, alleging they violated his civil rights in raiding his home and properties, improperly tampered with evidence, and pursued criminal charges against him that were later dismissed but that continue to harm his reputation and ability to conduct business.
The case outlines how Humboldt County Deputy Sheriff Travis Mendes, serving as livestock deputy, unlawfully raided Ray Christie’s properties in 2018 under the pretext of searching for alleged animal abuse violations. Former Humboldt County Deputy District Attorney Adrian Kamada maliciously prosecuted Christie for years for alleged felonies following the raid, leading the District Attorney to fire him for improprieties in another matter and dismiss the charges in this case in 2023 following evidentiary challenges by Christie, according to the complaint. The complaint also names Sheriff William Honsal as a defendant for supporting Mendes’ and Kamada’s actions.
As the complaint states, Mendes, Kamada, and Honsal pursued Christie while ignoring obvious violations at other operations in the area.
“Mr. Mendes, Mr. Kamada, and Mr. Honsal showed unmistakable bias toward Mr. Christie for practicing and upholding industry standards but turned a blind eye to other operations that have admitted to clear violations,” said Rick Richmond, partner with Larson LLP and lead counsel for Mr. Christie. “This lawsuit is about vindicating Mr. Christie’s civil rights and highlighting the hypocrisy of Mr. Mendes, Mr. Kamada, and Mr. Honsal, while also allowing my client to assert the truth of what has so far been a one-sided story. We ask the court to right the wrongs Humboldt County and its officials have inflicted on Mr. Christie.”
Core to Christie’s business is purchasing cattle directly or at auction that other ranchers no longer want to care for—due to illness, injury, malnutrition or other issues—and rehabilitating them back into good health. These culled cattle come from a variety of operations, including beef ranchers and dairy farmers in the area who have declined to provide needed antibiotics or other care that disqualify an animal from being considered organic under the USDA’s National Organic Program. Products certified as organic under the USDA’s classification fetch far higher profits compared to non-organic products.
When culled cattle first arrive on Christie’s properties, they are often sick, injured or malnourished due to how they were cared for by their previous owners. Previous livestock deputies were familiar with Christie’s practices of taking these animals in and rehabilitating them and, in the years prior to the raid on his home and property, had investigated and dismissed complaints about the appearance of cattle in Christie’s herd.
Despite this, Mendes and Honsal singled Ray out in an investigation that began shortly after Honsal was elected as sheriff, and as soon as Mendes assumed the role of livestock deputy, and culminated in an early morning raid in March 2018 with officers in SWAT-style gear and carrying automatic assault rifles. During the raid, as noted in the complaint, Christie and his girlfriend were forced to stand outside in the frigid damp air, barefoot, and in the clothes in which they were sleeping. Mendes and Kamada interrogated Christie during the raid after Christie had asked to speak with his lawyer, and Mendes secretly recorded their improper questioning. It was later discovered that Mendes moved evidence before photographing it during the raid, and also used altered photographs as evidence, according to the complaint.
Kamada, who was among the raiding party and who participated in questioning Christie with no lawyer present, filed felony charges against Christie as a result of the raid. As outlined in the complaint, out of the 4,000 animals on Christie’s properties, fewer than 10 were identified as alleged victims of abuse in the felony charges that were later dismissed after Christie’s counsel uncovered fatal deficiencies in the evidence against him. Several of these cattle had arrived from an auction only hours earlier, in the middle of the night, and had not yet received the care and treatment Christie’s herd typically receive on arrival at his main ranch property. Others were cattle that had died prior to the raid but had yet to be buried due to particularly wet weather. As noted in the complaint, the industry-wide mortality rate for “open” cattle herds like Christie’s is around 20% annually, and cows that die must be buried on site due to a lack of a rendering plant in the area for more than 20 years.
Other farms in the area committing violations have escaped the county’s scrutiny. One prominent example mentioned in the complaint is Alexandre Dairy Farm, a well-known producer of A2 organic milk that Farm Forward and The Atlantic found in 2024 to have committed numerous instances of animal abuse following an extensive investigation. When confronted with this evidence, along with a mountain of corroborating evidence from other local ranchers, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office concluded the complaint by Farm Forward was “unfounded.” This was despite the USDA opening an investigation that forced the farm to admit to many instances of abuse and receive supervision from the USDA’s National Organic Program.
As a result of the ongoing harm caused by the county’s arbitrary enforcement, Christie has suffered financial and reputational damage. The charges, along with the negative media coverage and public attention, harmed Christie’s business partnerships and resulted in denied loans Christie had depended on to finance his operations. He has also had to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on attorneys to defend against criminal charges. Christie developed cancer and a heart condition during the prosecution.
The complaint states that the defendants’ wanton disregard of Christie’s constitutional rights violates the United States Constitution and 42 U.S.C. § 1983, which provides an individual the right to sue local government officials for civil rights violations. The complaint seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, pre-judgment interest, and all other relief provided by law.
The case is Raymond Frank Christie v. County of Humboldt et al., case number 3:25-cv-10328 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
Another photo of the 2018 raid on Christie’s property. | Andrew Goff.
From the California Department of Transportation District 1 Office:
A full closure of Route 36 is scheduled east of Swimmer’s Delight between postmiles 15.7 and 16.3 the weekend of December 6 and 7 to support slide-response work. The long detour requires using Routes 299 and 3.
The roadway is expected to close at 8 a.m. on Saturday, December 6, and reopen at 6 p.m. on Sunday, December 7. During this time, crews are planning helicopter operations to remove hazards from the slide area. These operations are weather and fog-dependent.
Emergency vehicles will be accommodated through the closure if necessary.
Outside of this planned closure, one-way traffic control continues with delays of up to 15 minutes. Please travel cautiously, and stay tuned for critical opening updates.
Go to quickmap.dot.ca.gov or the QuickMap app for the most up-to-date road conditions.
