Make Alcatraz Great Again!

THAT is the news of the hour, and not any other so-called news that some very former friends of the president keep talking about for some reason!

Look: We all know what Alcatraz once was, back in the days when things made sense. It was where we sent the baddest of the bad. And guess what: They didn’t like it very much, I can tell you that! 

Now it is time to sweep out the school tour groups and restore this great American island to its former glory as a supermax prison. You’ve heard of Alligator Alcatraz? This will be like that … but with sharks.

And never let it be said that Humboldt County did not contribute to this glorious effort! Today, Attorney General Pam Bondi is on the scene surveying the site, so that she might offer the president her expert opinion on how best to move forward with utmost speed.

What’s that we see, in the clip above? Yep! Bondi is being ferried, on her tour ‘round the Rock, by the Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat Humboldt Bay. That’s one of Sector Humboldt Bay’s motor lifeboats! A Coast Guard spokesperson tells us that it is currently on loan to San Francisco, while one of their motor lifeboats is being repaired.

So, a day to mark on the calendar in red — the day that a piece of Humboldt was there, in spirit, to play its humble role in one of the most amazing deals yet brokered by the president … and certainly one of the closest to home!

Naturally, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a former Speaker of the House who has not yet been officially declared an enemy of the state, has called this magnificent effort “the Trump Administration’s stupidest plan yet.”

PREVIOUSLY

• Arcata May Be Getting a Friday Night Market of Its Own for Three Days in September

• Humboldt Made Dishes on the New Arcata-Based Friday Night Market, Which in All Likelihood is Coming This September

Humboldt Made’s Friday Night Market is officially coming to Arcata after a unanimous vote during the city council meeting last night.

Rosa Dixon, the director of Humboldt Made, made her case to an enthusiastic city council, who highlighted the fun and the money the Friday Night Markets will bring to Arcata. It’ll be very similar to the Eureka Friday Night Market, complete with a beer garden, live music and dozens of vendors (though not quite as many as in Eureka). Businesses on the Plaza would also have the option to open a booth for the market. 

Humboldt Made predicted over 5,000 attendees for the markets, which will run every Friday night in September from 5-8 p.m., except on Sep. 19, when the North Country Fair is running. 

“The ‘why’ is really to celebrate Arcata,” said Assistant City Manager Tabatha Miller, “Our culture and our local offerings, and to give the opportunity to support our local economy and local businesses, feature Humboldt products, welcome Cal Poly students back…It’s really just to highlight everything wonderful about Arcata.”

The city council agreed to pay Humboldt Made three stipends of $2,500 each to help pay for the infrastructure costs, like toilets, security, stage, and sound. The City will be responsible for closing the streets around the Plaza, cleaning up beforehand, and coordinating public safety. Miller estimated those expenses will cost around $2,000 per market, for a total cost of $13,500, paid for by funds set aside for economic development. Humboldt Made covers whatever’s left over.

There will be some methods used to throttle the amount of waste. Dixon said a hired team will sort garbage and recycling. Although the Eureka Friday Night Market uses single-use plastic cups (Dixon said the Eureka Police Department needs to be able to see what’s inside), the Arcata Friday Night Market will use the same re-usable metal beverage cups from OysterFest.

There will be a strong focus on attracting Cal Poly Humboldt students, who will have their own “welcome area,” and Dixon said she will attempt to convince CPH officials to run a shuttle back-and-forth from campus to the Plaza during the events. 

“The energy and community that comes together for this event — I’ve never seen anything like it in Humboldt County,” Dixon said. “The idea is to spread that incredible passion that the artists have, the artisans have, the food vendors have, the local businesses and the community into Arcata is so exciting to me.”

Nicer Hotels?

Assistant City Manager Tabatha Miller presented a staff report to the council about the potentially invigorating effects a Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue sharing program could have on the city’s hotel stock. 

Arcata makes a fair bit of money from its TOT, the 10% tax travelers pay when they stay in a hotel or an Airbnb; Miller estimated that Arcata earned about $1.6 million from the TOT during the last fiscal year.

There aren’t too many places to stay in Arcata. There’s only one hotel outside the Valley West area, the Hotel Arcata on the Plaza. Many travelers also choose to stay outside the city; Miller even noted that even city consultants often choose to stay in Eureka. Though expenses to open more hotels or revamp others that could use a facelift would be huge, a revenue-sharing program could make it a little more attractive to build some more.

Miller shared some examples of how a few other California cities like Temecula and Dublin do it: a hotelier applies to the program, and the government calculates the average TOT they generated over a period of a few years. The owners dump money into making their hotel nicer, and if they end up generating more tax money than before, the city pays a percentage of that extra money back to them to help defray the expenses. There are also plenty of deadlines developers have to meet to keep things moving quickly.

Incentives to build new hotels work slightly differently because they don’t have a base TOT, so Miller said the council would likely have to prioritize one or the other. 

There’s already at least one interested party; Miller said the owners of the old Fairwinds Motel on G Street have approached Arcata about partnering to help redevelop the old property (“It is, quite frankly, an eyesore,” Miller said) into a sleek, 27-room hotel called “The ‘Jack.”

All of the council members said they were excited about the idea of getting some more hotels outside Valley West.

“I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with folks since I’ve been serving the last four and a half years wanting more hotels in the downtown area,” councilmember Stacy Atkins-Salazar said. “I’m very much in favor of exploring this.”

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Press release from the City of Arcata:

The City of Arcata wishes to inform the community that Arcata City Hall will close at 1 p.m. every Friday beginning on Aug. 8 to better align with operational needs and employee wellness.

This change reflects the City’s ongoing commitment to employee retention and sustainable work schedules. By closing City Hall to the public for these hours, staff can focus on completing projects uninterrupted before the weekend. By providing staff with a more balanced end to the workweek, the City aims to foster a healthier workplace culture and improve long-term job satisfaction. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to attract and retain talented professionals dedicated to serving the Arcata community.

In addition, the Finance Department counter will open two hours earlier at 9 a.m. on Fridays and will close at 1 p.m. in alignment with the new City Hall hours. This adjustment ensures residents have expanded access to financial services while supporting staff flexibility.

All other weekday hours will remain unchanged with City Hall open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the Finance Department counter open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, please visit cityofarcata.org or call (707) 822-5953.

Let’s watch Chef Taku clean one of these ugly-ass fish and make a delicious pita wrap out of it! His cookbook looks pretty cool, BTW.

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Press release from CalTrout:

“Go get ‘em!”

The Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby is back again, after over 500 fish were caught in the 2024 derby. The derby is put on by a collaboration of groups working to restore native fishes in the Eel River. From now through August 31st, anyone with a fishing license (or if under 16 years of age, no license is necessary) can go and catch pikeminnow on the Eel for a chance to win up to $500, with $2,500 in cash prizes! There is no entry fee. Data from your catches can help managers aid in the conservation of our native fishes.

Pikeminnow were introduced to the Eel River via Pillsbury Reservoir in the late 1970’s. Since then, they have spread to all the forks of the Eel and are remarkably prolific. They make seasonal migrations within freshwater and have been found to consume native salmonids and lamprey among other fishes in the Eel River. In 2018, The Wiyot Tribe and Stillwater Sciences began a focused effort to monitor the pikeminnow population in the South Fork Eel and develop a better understanding of their prey through diet analysis. Since then, the collaboration has grown to include CalTrout, UC Berkeley, the Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and TRIB Research, all working together to better understand pikeminnow in the Eel River. A recent method has been to install a channel-spanning weir to limit pikeminnow migration into the upper South Fork Eel. On top of the other factors affecting the Eel River such as historic overfishing, logging practices, habitat loss, and impacts from climate change, pikeminnow can have a significant effect on native fish populations.

The waters open to fishing for the derby are: the South Fork Eel River downstream of the Humboldt County line to the confluence with the mainstem, the mainstem Eel from Dos Rios to the mouth of the Van Duzen, and the Van Duzen from Grizzly Creek to the mouth of the Van Duzen.

We recommend eating your pikeminnow in the form of fried fish cakes, fish balls in noodle soup, fish tacos or smoking them. Don’t believe the common misconception that pikeminnow are inedible. They are delicious, they just need extra care to deal with the y-bones.

For more details on how to enter the derby visit this link.

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UPDATE 3:45 P.M.: The community meeting at the Forks of Salmon Community Center has been canceled, according to a spokesperson with California Incident Management Team 1. Keep an eye on the Six Rivers National Forest’s Facebook page for updated information.

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Press release from Six Rivers National Forest:

Butler Fire: 10,093 acres; 2% containment

Red Fire: 116 acres; 95% containment

Operational Updates:

Butler Fire: Firefighters achieved 2 percent containment on the Butler Fire July 16 and successfully held the fire from jumping the Salmon River at a precarious corner south of Nordheimer Campground. The public is invited to a community meeting at 6 p.m. today at the Forks of Salmon Community Center, 15520 Salmon River Road. The meeting will also be streamed from the Six Rivers and Klamath National Forests Facebook pages. People did not need to have a Facebook account to watch a Facebook Live stream.

With the northern section of the fire secured around Butler Flat, crews are making their way south along Salmon River Road extinguishing isolated hot spots. Salmon River Road remains closed between Butler Flat and Nordheimer Campground as burning vegetation and debris further upslope continue to fall into the roadway.

Terrain and weather aligned along a southern section of Salmon River Road for an increased chance of spotting over the river near Boyd Hill. Firefighters and aircraft kept the fire within its eastern perimeter while it passed by the point and continued to push southward, staying upslope of the river.

Crews have begun moving into the Forks of Salmon and Yellow Jacket Ridge areas east of the Salmon River, as well as the Horn Creek and McNeal Creek areas west of the river to perform preliminary structure protection work and reopen preexisting containment lines as contingencies against the advancing southern front. Strategic backfiring and ridgetop ignitions further south might be necessary in coming days if conditions warrant and weather allows.

Fire remained active around Orleans Mountain in the fire’s southwest perimeter. Crews and aircraft continued to focus attention on a portion of the fire that pushed east of Butler Creek. Its westward advance was diminished as it entered into the burn scars of the 2024 Boise Fire and 2023 Pearch Fire.

Red Fire: Containment of the Red Fire remained at 95 percent as crews worked the remaining section of uncontained perimeter to locate and extinguish isolated hot spots.

Evacuations:

Butler Fire: Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office expanded its evacuation orders July 15 to include FRK-1709 (Forks of Salmon), SIS-1707-B, SIS-1708, SIS-1804 and SIS-1805. They join the following zones already under an evacuation order: SIS-1703, SIS-1704 (Butler Creek, Lewis Creek, Bloomer Mine residents and Nordheimer Campground), SIS-1707-A and SIS-1803-A.

Zones SIS-1705, SIS-1710, SIS-1802, SIS-1808 and SIS-1906 are under an evacuation warning, where residents are advised to be prepared to evacuate if conditions become more threatening. The latest evacuation information can be found at https://protect.genasys.com.

Closures:

Butler Fire: The road between Butler Flat and Nordheimer Campground remains closed as rocks and burning debris continued to fall into the roadway. National Forests: The Six Rivers and Klamath National Forests issued a joint closure order July 16 within the vicinity of the Butler Fire. The closure includes Nordheimer and Oak Bottom campgrounds.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Temperatures are expected to be slightly cooler today with highs in the mid to low 90s. Winds will mostly come out of the west with occasional gusts up to 20 miles an hour.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• BREAKING: Avelo Airlines is Leaving Humboldt County, Closing Its Base in Burbank

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Press release from Breeze Airways:

Breeze Airways, the premium leisure carrier connecting underserved cities across the U.S., today announced that it would be bringing its affordable, accessible air service to Arcata-Eureka beginning March 12, 2026, with nonstop service to Burbank-Hollywood and connecting service to Provo- Salt Lake City.

“Breeze is known for its convenient, affordable flights, premium seating options, and amenities like fast onboard WiFi and power at every seat, and we look forward to introducing travelers in the Humboldt County area to our Seriously Nice service,” said David Neeleman, founder and CEO of Breeze Airways. “Arcata-Eureka is exactly the kind of underserved market our airline set out to serve and we’re confident our new Guests will enjoy their enhanced travel experience onboard one of our brand- new Airbus A220 aircraft.”

Beginning today Arcata-Eureka travelers can book a flight on Breeze to:

• Burbank-Hollywood, Calif. (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, starting March 12, 2026, from $39* one-way); and
• Provo-Salt Lake City, Utah (One-stop/no change of plane BreezeThru, or connecting service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays starting March 12, 2026).

“We are thrilled to welcome Breeze Airways to the California Redwood Coast– Humboldt County Airport (ACV),” said Ryan Cooley, director of aviation for the County of Humboldt. “We appreciate Breeze’s commitment to serving the needs of Humboldt County’s travelers and visitors while helping to strengthen connectivity in our region.”

The announcement, which follows the close of the airline’s second full quarter of operating profit, is a direct response to growing demand for the airline’s successfulhybrid business model and represents a significant expansion of Breeze’s West Coast network.

Breeze was recently named one of Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative companies of 2025 for its fresh take on affordable flying that is transforming low- cost air travel into a nice experience. It was also named the No. 3 Best Domestic Airline by Travel + Leisure in 2025, placing Breeze in the list’s top four every year since it began flying.

The airline’s flexible network conveniently connects travelers in underserved cities directly to desirable destinations nationwide, reducing unnecessary travel time and making air travel more accessible to millions of travelers coast to coast. Coupled with its brand-new fleet of Airbus A220-300 aircraft and premium products like free family seating, fast onboard WiFi, preferred seat options, and no change and cancel fees, Breeze is making it nice to fly affordably.

To learn more about Breeze or to book a flight, visit flybreeze.com or download the Breeze Airways app.

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*$39 No Flex Fare promotion is available only when booking a new reservation for BUR- ACV and ACV-BUR. Promotion must be purchased from July 17, 2025, July 23, 2025 (11:59 pm PT). BUR-ACV and ACV-BUR promotion is valid only for travel from March 12, 2026, through May 12, 2026. Price displayed includes taxes & government fees. Fare prices, fare classes, rules, routes, and schedules are subject to change or exemption without notice. Any changes or modifications to qualifying promotional reservations will be subject to fare repricing. A difference in airfare at the current fare price may apply. Other restrictions and blackout dates may apply.

About Breeze Airways

Breeze Airways operates more than 300 year-round and seasonal routes to 76 cities in 34 states. Founded by aviation entrepreneur David Neeleman, Breeze took flight in May 2021 bringing premium, affordable, and nonstop air service to secondary markets on its flagship fleet of Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Breeze has been named a top 4 “Best Domestic Airline” by Travel + Leisure for four consecutive years and was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies for 2025. Breeze was thefirst U.S. domestic airline to be certified by Autism Double Checked and is the official airline of Make-a-Wish Utah. With seamless booking, friendly policies, and customized booking options, Breeze makes it easy to buy and Seriously Nice™ to fly.

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Press release from the County of Humboldt:

Breeze Airways has announced new nonstop air service between the California-Redwood Coast Humboldt County Airport (ACV) to Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and connecting service to Provo Airport (PVU) beginning March 12, 2026.

Starting today, travelers can book a flight on Breeze to BUR and a connecting flight to PVU. Flights are scheduled to run Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, starting March 12, 2026 catering to the needs of travelers, including residents, business professionals, students and visitors. 

“Breeze is known for its convenient, affordable flights, premium seating options, and amenities like fast onboard Wi-Fi and power at every seat, and we look forward to introducing travelers in the Humboldt County area to our Seriously Nice™ service,” said David Neeleman, founder and CEO of Breeze Airways. “Arcata-Eureka is exactly the kind of underserved market our airline set out to serve and we’re confident our new guests will enjoy their enhanced travel experience onboard one of our brand-new Airbus A220 aircraft.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Breeze Airways to the California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport,” said Ryan Cooley, Director of Aviation for the County of Humboldt. “We appreciate Breeze’s commitment to serving the needs of Humboldt County’s travelers and visitors while helping to strengthen connectivity in our region.”

Breeze Airways is currently offering limited-time one-way fares starting at $39 for travel between ACV and BUR. This promotional fare is available for reservations booked between Thursday, July 17 and Wednesday, July 23. Travel must take place between March 12 and May 12, 2026, and other terms and conditions apply. Travelers can book their flights on Breeze Airways and view the full promotional details at FlyBreeze.com. 

For more information about Breeze Airways, visit FlyBreeze.com.
For more information on the California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport, please visit FlyACV.com.

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

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California lawmakers want to limit public access to their addresses and phone numbers after two Minnesota lawmakers were shot, one fatally, in their homes last month.

One proposal would ban journalists from accessing that information through candidates’ and public officials’ voter registration records, even though there is no indication the Minnesota shooter used those kinds of records to track down his victims.

Officials’ voter registration data is already confidential to most of the public. It is available to a select few, including journalists. But AB 1392, authored by Assemblymember LaShae Sharp-Collins of La Mesa and sponsored by Secretary of State Shirley Weber’s office, would eliminate that carve-out and effectively block journalists’ access to politicians’ phone numbers, emails and home addresses and prior voter registration.

“This common-sense bill will protect public servants and their families,” Sharp-Collins told lawmakers during a Tuesday Senate hearing.

Stripping the public of vital information?

But press freedom advocates say they doubt the measure would protect public officials from violence, arguing it would instead strip journalists of vital information they use to keep government officials in check. Journalists often use a politician’s residential address to determine if they live in the district they represent and are eligible for office.

“Democracy is founded on the promise of ‘trust but verify.’ We are not required to take the government’s word for it,” said David Loy, legal director of the First Amendment Coalition, which advocates for public access to government documents and proceedings. “We understand the concerns, but this should not deprive the press of its ability to do fundamental watchdog and accountability reporting.

Sharp-Collins’ chief of staff Michael Lucien said she did not have time for an interview. Her office also did not respond to questions sent by CalMatters via text about how her measure would protect public officials, or whether she believed anyone had used information obtained from their voter registration to target them.

State lawmakers have often cited security concerns in passing laws that limit public disclosure. Last year, they made it harder to access politicians’ phone numbers, home addresses and records about properties they own, all of which they are required to disclose in their economic interest statements. A 2022 law allowed California government workers and contractors to shield their addresses from the public if they fear violence.

This year, as lawmakers pushed to reduce public access, they cited fear of violence when they sought to shield use-of-force reports by peace officers and to restrict data brokers from selling politicians’ personal information.

“Every single year, we see a number of attempts to limit the public’s access to information and access to their lawmakers in person,” said Brittney Barsotti, general counsel of the California News Publishers Association. “(AB 1392) is just another attempt that is concerning.”

Timothy Cromartie, representing Weber’s office, said at a Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendment Committee hearing earlier this month that “escalating threats” to public officials make the measure “an urgent necessity.” He pointed to the slaying of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband last month, the arson on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home in April, the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump last year and the 2022 hammer attack on former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband at their home.

An earlier version of the measure only applied to state and federal officials. But at the suggestion of the Senate elections committee, it was expanded to apply to local elected officials and candidates for office and allow the secretary of state’s office to make the information private sooner.

But critics doubt the proposal would help prevent tragedies like the Minnesota shootings, where the alleged suspect appeared to have obtained the lawmakers’ home addresses via “people search” sites instead of the voter roll.

They argue that state law lays out a rigorous request process, where those qualified to receive the voter registration information must submit their names and contact information, explain the reason for their request and attest to their honesty under penalty of perjury.

“It seems highly unlikely at best that reporters or others able to take advantage of that carve out under those strict conditions are going to commit crimes with that information,” Loy said.

Loy said the information not only helps journalists fact check officials’ residency claims, but also allows reporters to identify politicians if they did things such as receiving a home as a gift from special interests, or leasing to or renting property from their major donors.

A check on data brokers

Another proposal inspired by the Minnesota tragedy, AB302 by Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan of San Ramon, sought to allow politicians to request businesses, including data brokers and media outlets, to take down or refrain from publishing their personal information, opening the organizations up to lawsuits and fines if they do not comply.

An earlier version of the measure risked violating the First Amendment since it could chill and censor legitimate speech, according to a Senate Judiciary Committee analysis. The First Amendment Coalition and the Freedom of the Press Foundation opposed the effort, citing similar concerns, adding that newsrooms could be exposed to frivolous lawsuits simply because politicians do not like stories they publish.

“These demands and lawsuits will chill news outlets from reporting on matters of public concern,” the groups said in a joint letter. “The fact that news outlets will have to defend their reporting as relating to a matter of public concern, potentially through multiple appeals, will cause some to self-censor.”

Bauer-Kahan told CalMatters Monday that her intention was to discourage data brokers from selling politicians’ personal information. She has agreed to amend the measure to instead require the California Privacy Protection Agency to compile a list of politicians and request data brokers to delete their personal information.

“That’s not nearly as troubling as giving them … a tool to be weaponized to silence legitimate reporting,” Loy said.