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State Senator Mike McGuire was in Arcata yesterday to celebrate the expansion of Carlson Park, that newish city park up in Valley West on the banks of the Mad River.

While he was there, the Outpost’s John Kennedy O’Connor was able to buttonhole him for a chat about many hot-button local issues with a Sacramento nexus — the Cal Poly Humboldt expansion and the associated drive to build new housing in the county, poverty and benefit programs at the end of the pandemic and McGuire’s particular pet project The Great Redwood Trail.

Video above, transcript below.

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JOHN KENNEDY O’CONNOR:

Welcome to another Humboldt Conversation. I’m very pleased to say I’m here today with State Senator Mike McGuire. Mike, great to see you.

MCGUIRE:

Thank you so much for being here.

O’CONNOR:

Well, it’s a pleasure.

MCGUIRE:

I’m very grateful.

MCGUIRE:

No, I’m very grateful that you’re here today. How have things been going?

O’CONNOR:

It’s been great. You know, Humboldt Today has been going well and it’s great to have you as a guest. Thank you.

MIKE MCGUIRE:

How about Conversations? I love watching. And you said we need to do tea, so we got to figure out how to do that.

O’CONNOR:

You’ve got to work that out, absolutely. You’ve got to come and have a cup of tea.

MIKE MCGUIRE:

Earl Grey, what do you do?

O’CONNOR:

We’ve been using PG Tips, but I do like Earl Grey.

MCGUIRE:

Hot damn. I like it.

O’CONNOR:

Well Mike it’s great to see you, thank you so much for joining us today. Now obviously Carlson Park is the reason you’re here today. This is a big project for Arcata, something you’ve been very passionate about, so congratulations.

MCGUIRE:

We are here today because of the dedication of the Arcata City Council and literally dozens of members of the Arcata community who have come forward and want to see a park on the north side of town. It is going to open up, for the first time in history, public access to the Mad River here in the city of Arcata and it’s an underrepresented community neighborhood where this park will be.

O’CONNOR:

No, that’s absolutely right. Now you’re very passionate about these projects, because the Great Rail Trail is another one that you’ve been very involved in. And you just recently, actually, released a report on the huge financial benefits that that’s going to have an archive. community as well.

MCGUIRE:

Yeah, absolutely. The Red River Trail generate about $60 million in visitor spending and new tax revenue for the North Coast. That’s just from the Mendocino County line all the way up to Humboldt. We also know there’s going to be an additional $40 million in health benefits to the residents of the North Coast. This is a game changer. The average trail user will spend about $90 per day in lodging, $60 per day in both eating out as well as spending. This is going to be one of the larger economic drivers that we’ve seen on the North Coast in decades.

O’CONNOR:

I agree with you, but now some people that have been quite negative, they’re saying, you know, our cities need regeneration, our cities need housing, our cities need commercial regeneration. How do you react to that? Should they be investing in these, if you like, beautification projects?

MCGUIRE:

I mean this is an economic development project. I don’t think that there is any one silver bullet in regards to a rejuvenation of our rural communities. And that’s why you’re seeing literally hundreds of millions of dollars over the last eight years since I’ve been in the Senate invested in Humboldt County, Mendocino County, and Del Norte. $350 million is being invested with Cal Poly Humboldt, turning into the third polytechnic university here in the state of California. That is a massive investment and commitment by the state to better turn our rural economy around. You’re going to see significant investment in workforce housing based on that Cal Poly Humboldt project.

The Great Redwood Trail is more of an economic driver than it is a beautification project. This is going to be a game changer for rural communities that have some of the highest poverty rates that we see in the state of California. And we’re investing tens of millions of dollars to better combat our homelessness crisis here on the North Coast and throughout the state. Over $8 billion over the last 48 months has been invested to help combat the homelessness crisis. Hundreds of units of new permanent supportive housing, when it comes to housing wrapped with mental health care as well as addiction services, have been and will be built in Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte counties.

So there is not one single strategy. It has to be a multitude of strategies that we deploy. The Great Redwood Trail is one of them. Cal Poly Humboldt is another. And the last thing I’ll just say on housing, the state of California over five years will invest $14 billion on workforce affordable housing. And we’re seeing hundreds of units built throughout the three-county region. We are seeing more progress than we’ve seen in decades. I’ll just be honest, it’s not going to happen all overnight. But we are going to see significant momentum here in the months to come.

O’CONNOR:

But of course student housing is a huge issue. We’re here in Arcata today just near Cal Poly Humboldt. That’s been a very hot topic recently. They’re talking about bringing in a ship. Obviously as the Cal Poly Humboldt campus expands we need to house the students.

MCGUIRE:

Oh, 100%. So that’s why you see that $350 million that’s been invested. It’s not just going to be for expanded academic programs and new buildings for students. It’s going to also focus on student housing. But I also believe that we need to be transparent. The first five years of this transition, we’re going to have some bumps. What the state has always known were the biggest challenges to the transition of Humboldt State to Cal Poly Humboldt, will be finding enough student housing.

So that’s why you’re seeing Cal Poly Humboldt now moving with speed, acquiring pre-built properties like hotels throughout the region. Here in Arcata, I believe you’re going to see additional action taken in other areas for student housing in and around the campus. But just want to be really honest about it, right? I think we need to be transparent. The first five years of the transition, while generationally this is going to have a massive impact on this community, getting such a large project up and running is going to be a little bumpy.

But we’re going to get there. I’m committed to that. We were committed to secure this money to help turn our economy around here that used to be focused on natural resources. Now you’re going to see new innovation hubs for jobs established here, just like you’ve seen in Pomona, as well as San Luis Obispo. You’re going to see that same impact here in Humboldt. But again, we are going to have some growing pains. I’ll describe it as short-term pain for long-term gain. And we have to focus on housing. We have to focus on transportation for students. That’s another issue that we’re very focused on with the administration at Cal Poly Humboldt, as well as the Chancellor’s Office. The Chancellor’s Office is deeply involved on this project. And we’re going to remain attached at the hip to make sure that this is going to be successful for generations to come.

O’CONNOR:

Now, you touched on there, talking about poverty, and this is an issue around the area. Last time we met actually you were looking at the new Food for People facility. When are we going to get to a point, are we ever going to get to a point where we don’t need facilities like that, where we can lift people out of poverty, they’re not reliant on food banks?

MCGUIRE:

Well, if we take a look at what … This pandemic was tragic, right? For this country and for rural parts of America, right here in California. But what we also saw was historic, game-changing investment in programs that combated poverty — expanded CalFresh benefits, expanded Medicare benefits. Actually getting folks the resources they need to be able to pay their rent, to be able to purchase food and fuel. And now that the pandemic is over, the federal government is now starting to cut back on those benefits.

We know what we have to do to be able to bust poverty in this nation, in this state, but what it’s gonna take is ongoing investment. And I’m a firm believer of this: A government’s budget, a business’s budget, it’s a value statement. If we value people when it comes to busting poverty, combating our homelessness crisis, making sure that working families have the resources they need to thrive in this state, then we’re gonna fund it.

And we’re gonna fund it one of two ways. Either upstream, making sure that we’re actually focused on the challenge, or we’re gonna fund it on the back end and being reactive. And again, we know a silver lining in this pandemic — the levels of assistance was coming from the federal government, helped cut childhood poverty in this country. But now because we’re out of the public health crisis, they’re starting to cut it back. I think that we need to continue that status quo, because we saw real life-changing benefits from that increase in benefits.

O’CONNOR:

Well Mike, as always your passion about these subjects is always evident and always there and I really appreciate that and it’s great to chat with you today. Eight years at Healdsburg, eight years in the Senate, where next? Governor’s mansion?

MCGUIRE:

Oh my gosh, hey, hot dang — I just want tea!

O’CONNOR:

Tea first, Governor’s mansion next.

MCGUIRE:

I just want to say the Lost Coast Outpost is so lucky to have you. Thank you. No BS. You are really good at what you do and I’m grateful that you’re here today. Thank you.

O’CONNOR:

Mike, it’s great to see you and so grateful you’re here too. Thanks so much. And join us for another Humboldt Conversation very soon.