Photo by Jesse Wilkens on Unsplash.
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Ain’t a whole lot going on this week in the world of local government!
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors and the Arcata and Eureka planning commissions are meeting this week, but agendas for all three bureaucratic bodies are looking pretty thin. (The Arcata Planning Commission will consider a proposal from another aspiring weed lounge, which the Outpost has already covered here.) But even meager agendas are worth previewing for our dedicated readers. Plus, there are a couple of other public meetings happening a little later in the week you might want to know about.
Let’s take a peek at what’s in store.
Eureka Planning Commission
The Eureka Planning Commission will meet tonight at 5:30 p.m. The lone item on the agenda — a pending parcel reconfiguration for a few properties near Winco — is a part of the Housing Authority of the City of Eureka’s “repositioning” plan to redevelop and expand access to affordable housing in Eureka. The plan aims to convert the housing authority’s stock to a Section 8 platform.
Read the staff report here. The agenda can be found here.
Humboldt County Board of Supervisors
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will meet Tuesday morning for the shortest agenda in recent memory, with just two action items listed on the docket. (There are also three entries on the consent calendar and a couple of items to discuss during closed session, but those probably won’t generate much, if any, discussion.)
The board will go through its annual chore of selecting delegates and alternates for three state boards — the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) Board of Directors, Golden State Finance Authority (GSFA) and Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA) — for 2027. First District Supervisor Rex Bohn currently serves as the delegate for all three boards, with Third District Supervisor and Board Chair Mike Wilson as alternate.
Who will fill the seats this go-around? Bohn will almost certainly continue as the delegate for RCRC, a board he’s served on for more than a dozen years. He’s served on the GSFA and the GSCA for the last couple of years.
How much does it cost? The county pays an annual $12,000 membership fee, but each board reimburses the county for travel costs, as stated in the staff report.
The board will also go through the painstaking process of setting its meeting schedule for 2027. The draft calendar can be found here.
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will meet Tuesday at 9 a.m. in board chambers at the Humboldt County Courthouse. Click here for the full agenda.
Preparing Humboldt for El Niño
The county is hosting several meetings to get residents living in flood-prone areas prepared for the incoming “super” El Niño, which is expected to be one of the strongest on record. While it’s anyone’s guess as to how Humboldt will be affected by the storm system, local emergency officials are doing their part to get folks prepared.
The county will host a meeting for folks living in Bayside, Freshwater and Jacoby Creek at the Freshwater Grange (49 Grange Road) on Thursday, Nov. 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. Details here.
Community Meeting for CHP’s New HQ
Also on Thursday, the California Highway Patrol will hold a virtual community meeting to discuss next steps for its new headquarters in Eureka. The proposed facility, which is still in the early planning stages, is slated for the former Jacobs Middle School campus in Eureka’s Highland Park neighborhood. You can read all about the background of the highly sought-after property here.
Thursday’s meeting will focus on the notice of preparation (NOP), which is the first step in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review process. The Zoom meeting will begin at 6 p.m. The meeting ID is 884 4788 3442, and the passcode is 955386.
Members of the public have until Thursday, Dec. 3 to submit written comment on the proposed project. Comments must be mailed to Jennifer Parson, senior environmental planner, State of California Department of General Services Real Estate Services Division, Project Management & Development Branch, 707 Third Street, 4th Floor, MS509 West Sacramento, CA 95605. Comments can also be emailed to environmental@dgs.ca.gov.