Cynthia Lynn Silva
May 10, 1974 – April 23, 2025

Cynthia Lynn Silva, a lifelong resident of Humboldt County, passed away on April 23, 2025, due to complications from a stroke. She was 50 years old.

Cynthia was born in Eureka on May 10, 1974, to Nancy and the late John Silva. She graduated from Arcata High School in 1993 and remained close to her roots, always finding joy in her family, her community, and the simple pleasures of life.

Cynthia had a spirited and kind soul. She was a devoted NASCAR fan, faithfully cheering on her favorite driver, Tony Stewart, and attending local races at Redwood Acres Raceway. Whether she was watching the cars fly by or soaking in the sounds of her favorite music, Cynthia brought energy and enthusiasm to everything she loved.

She enjoyed dancing and listening to music during the weekends out at local casinos and the Boardwalk, where her joy was contagious and her laughter unforgettable. Cynthia also had a deep love for animals and especially cherished the time she spent babysitting her families’ fur babies.

She is survived by her loving mother, Nancy Silva; her sisters, Paula Silva (Jim Carpenter) and Janey Silva (Bryan Goodman); her nephew, Trae Carpenter (Brandi Carpenter); and her niece, Courteney Goodman (Jacob Pochop). Cynthia’s kindness, humor, and love will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the nurses and staff at both Mad River Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital for their exceptional care. A heartfelt thank you is extended to Cynthia’s devoted social worker, Natalia Sobato, whose compassion and advocacy ensured Cynthia’s final days were peaceful and dignified.

Funeral Services:

A rosary will be held on May 17 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Mary Church in Arcata, followed by a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Interment will take place at 12:15 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cemetery. A reception will follow at 1 p.m. at the Portuguese Hall in Arcata.

Cynthia’s light and laughter will live on in the hearts of all who loved her.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Cynthia Silva’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Board OKs Another $3.5 Million for New Garberville Vets Hall Despite Ongoing Financial Woes; HCSO Settles Contract Dispute with Blue Lake
• Six Years After Closing the Garberville Veterans Hall, Humboldt Supervisors Approve Contract to Design New Facility

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Applause broke out in the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Chambers this afternoon after the board approved long-awaited plans to reconstruct the John Haynes Memorial Veterans Hall in Garberville, a once-vibrant gathering space for the Southern Humboldt community.

After more than an hour of emotional public testimony and tense deliberation over the county’s ongoing budgetary constraints, the board voted 4-1, with Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson dissenting, to award a $3.79 million contract to Eureka-based Adams Commercial General Contracting, Inc. for the construction the new veterans hall at the corner of Conger and Locust streets in Garberville. 

The new building will replace the John Haynes Memorial Veterans Hall, which was shuttered in May of 2016 after county inspectors found black mold growing in the walls and ceiling following years of deferred maintenance. The building sat for years before the Board of Supervisors voted in 2021 to demolish and rebuild a slightly smaller version of the original building at the same site, which was donated to the county by the mother of John Haynes, a local man who died while serving in World War II. 

Speaking at today’s meeting, Public Works Director Tom Mattson encouraged the board to approve the bid award, despite budget restrictions, noting that the property was donated to the county with the “explicit purpose” of hosting a veterans hall. 

“Due to intensive project management on the part of my staff working very closely with the veterans, we have reduced the cost of this … by about a million dollars, which is a 17 percent reduction,” Mattson said, referring to the previous project estimate provided by staff in June 2024. “We know in the building trade … that costs only go up. We are ready to build this facility, and we are recommending that you approve this so we can move it forward.” 

Citing concerns about “dynamic” construction costs, Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo asked if the proposed 10 percent contingency (a chunk of funding set aside to cover any unexpected costs that arise during a project) was standard practice. First District Supervisor Rex Bohn echoed her concerns, adding that the 10 percent contingency might seem like a small figure, but “it’s really a lot of money.”

“It’s very rare that we go over our contingencies,” Mattson said, adding that construction estimates are often more reliable when starting from scratch. “You’re already invested in the demolition of the building, and that’s when you run into scary things like asbestos and lead that can change costs drastically. … If there was an existing building, I’d be a little bit more worried because … you never know what you’re going to hit. … I am very confident this is going to be a very good project, and we will be holding the contractor responsible to his bid.”

Bohn said he would vote in favor of the project but would do so reluctantly because of the county’s aforementioned budget constraints. “I’m gonna hold my nose and say, ‘Damn, I don’t want to spend this much money,’ but I’m also going to say it needs to get done because we can’t kick this can down any farther [down the road].”

Similarly, Arroyo said she would also vote in favor of the project despite “serious fiscal issues.”

“I gotta say, I was really deeply disappointed the last time this came up in the way that people addressed some of my colleagues,” she continued. “You can have the right to say whatever you want, but it nearly changed my mind about this project. … I agree with [some comments] about following through on what we have said, but we have to be able to work together on this building. This is going to function as a community center. All of our veteran halls have that community use element, and we need to have a good relationship between the county and the veterans groups to be able to facilitate that.”

At a few points during the discussion, Second District Supervisor and Board Chair Michelle Bushnell expressed her emphatic support for the project, noting that the county stood in the way of veterans who wanted to fix the building themselves. 

“[The veterans] had that idea and wanted to do that, not have [the] building torn down,” Bushnell said. “In fact, it was the exact opposite. … [They] wanted the original building fixed and repaired.  … We prevented that. The county prevented that.”

Wilson | Screenshot

Wilson agreed that the veterans should have a dedicated space in Garberville but it would be fiscally irresponsible to build a brand new facility with so many existing vacant buildings in town.

“I’ve been consistent in advocating for a permanent space for veterans, one that honors their service, supports their needs, and provides a place to gather, heal, and build community,” Wilson said. “I’ve also been consistent in emphasizing that we must leverage outside funding to responsibly finance this facility, just as we strive to do with all of our other capital projects — and I mean all of them. … Every other facility we are leveraging and requesting funding to get from external sources.”

“We may disagree on that strategy … but I want to just really, really clear that something needs to happen,” he added.

Everyone who spoke during the public comment portion of the discussion advocated on behalf of the veterans, urging the board to approve the contract and break ground on the new facility as soon as possible. There were a few speakers who entertained Wilson’s proposal to put the vets hall in an existing building, but felt it was too late in the game to consider yet another proposal.

“I’m a little baffled why this wasn’t brought ahead when we weren’t in this huge distress,” said Craig Johnson. “I don’t know if [it’s] possible to take over something like the Blue Room or one of our existing buildings, but how long do we have to wait to make that happen? I think it’s really important we move with lightning speed for the sake of our veterans.”

Several Southern Humboldt veterans spoke in favor of building a new facility to provide a designated place for them to meet, but, more importantly, it would give “veterans a chance to make themselves useful to the community on a level that most of us cannot do individually,” said Jeff Hedin.

Hedin | Screenshot

“I think it’s important that this be a government-centered effort … that we all pay for,” Hedin continued, his voice wavering with emotion. “We chose … to create a building that was in memory of service in general. And we chose the veterans because they gambled an ultimate service. Most of us were drafted in, and we had no idea where we were going to wind up. Some of us were in situations of extreme peril. And others were in situations of extreme service.”

Following public comment, Bushnell made a motion to approve the bid award, which was seconded by Arroyo. After a bit of additional discussion between supervisors and staff, the board voted 4-1, with Wilson dissenting, to approve the contract and move the project forward.

Letter Opposing Richard Stobaugh’s Residency

A little earlier in the meeting, the board unanimously voted to approve a letter opposing the relocation of Richard Stobaugh, a convicted “sexually violent predator” currently residing in Coalinga State Hospital in Fresno County, to a residence on Peninsula Drive in Manila.

Stobaugh was convicted of a series of “sexually violent offenses” dating back to the early 1980s when he raped an 18-year-old college student in her dorm room, Humboldt District Attorney Stacey Eads said at today’s meeting.

“After serving only five years for that offense, Mr. Stobaugh was released on parole,” Eads continued. “It wasn’t long before he was re-offending, victimizing women. His range of victims included those from the 18-year-old up to the age of [a] 71-year-old female victim. He raped a 41-year-old. He raped a number of victims, almost always with the use of a mask covering his identity as he slipped into their homes. He almost always — if not always — was armed with either a firearm or a knife when he committed these offenses.”

Stobaugh was eventually committed to a state hospital, and in 2023, he petitioned to be released through the state’s Conditional Release Program. Liberty Healthcare, the program that’s contracted to supervise people on conditional release, has been looking for a potential placement for Stobaugh and landed on a single-family residence in Manila.

“This is an entirely inappropriate potential placement for a person such as Mr. Stobaugh,” Eads said. “That particular residence is located in a semi-rural location. It would take approximately 16 minutes for the Sheriff’s Department to respond if there’s some sort of incident. There’s no plan in place in terms of how Mr. Stobaugh will be supervised by the Liberty Healthcare program. We don’t know what the terms and conditions would be for that.”

Stobaugh would be subject to GPS monitoring, Eads said, but who would conduct the monitoring and how violations would be treated remains to be seen. 

During the board’s discussion on the matter, Bohn said the proposal to transfer Stobaugh evoked memories of the community backlash that surrounded the proposed relocation of Joshua Bryan Cooley, another “sexually violent predator” who, after serving 16 years in prison, was slated for release in Freshwater. His relocation was denied by Humboldt County Superior Court Judge John Feeney in 2018, and he was ultimately sent back to the state hospital in Coalinga.

Following a brief discussion, the board unanimously agreed to approve the letter of opposition, which will be forwarded to Judge Kaleb Cockrum, who will consider Stobaugh’s proposed relocation during a community placement hearing at the Humboldt County Courthouse tomorrow at 10:15 a.m.

A copy of the letter of opposition can be found here.

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PREVIOUSLY: 

• Sheriff William Honsal Pens Open Letter to Express Opposition to Release of Sexually Violent Predator Into Humboldt

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The following press release, issued today by the Klamath Trinity Teachers Association, announces a succession of “no confidence” votes recently cast against the chief financial officer of the Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District.

In an accompanying email, KTTA Co-President Robert Anderson alleges that fiscal reporting mistakes and abusive behavior from the CFO have increased over the past year.

“At the same time,” he continues, “the political rhetoric coming out of Washington DC has made it clear that our district is about to face incredibly painful cuts to our funding. As a district serving tribal lands that states may not tax, our district receives federal impact aid which in addition to the Title 1 funding amounts to over 60% of our annual funding. This promises to be worse for us than the Great Recession was.”

Hoopa Valley High School Principal David “Scotty” Appleford was cc’d on the email issuing the press release, and in a reply-all email of his own Appleford said, “This district has been in historical turmoil for many years as we struggle to serve our indigenous children.”

Though she is not identified in those emails or in the press release below, the CFO in question is Carmelita K. Hostler. The Outpost reached out to her via the district’s website to request a response to the allegations. We’ll update readers if and when she replies.

We also reached out to the Board of Trustees for the district to request a statement on the situation. 

Here’s the press release:

An overwhelming majority of principals, teachers, and support staff have all signed separate votes of no confidence in the district’s Chief Financial Officer, citing a pattern of abusive behavior to district employees, serious financial errors, and misrepresenting the fiscal state of the district. 

These three separate letters follow collective shock in March that the school board was proposing to lay off or eliminate the majority of special education aids, a special education teacher, and other student supports. The school board voted narrowly against most cuts only after a large community outpouring of support for special education programs.

Separate Freedom of Information requests of the district’s independent auditor uncovered budgeting errors approaching one million dollars for the last two consecutive years, as well as failure to disclose accurate financial information to the school board, and $1.2 million of unspent grant money for student services. 

Six of the seven principals employed by the district had filed the first vote of no confidence on April 8th, citing their concerns over financial mismanagement, audit violations, and non-payment of services that directly harmed services to the students, and unprofessional abusive behavior by the CFO. The also expressed concerns over a “disconnect between financial leadership and educational priorities”.  

The teachers’ union had lodged a vote of no confidence against the CFO four years ago citing a hostile work environment and retribution created by the CFO that has remained unresolved.

The teachers’ union followed the next day with their second vote of no confidence in the CFO. This echoed the concerns of apparent financial mismanagement, lack of transparency, and misinforming the school board. According to the union, student services have been directly harmed by mismanagement and misrepresentation of the district’s finances. “Good people can make bad policy if given bad information,” they noted in reference to their view [that] the proposed cuts in March were misguided and would have gutted services to vulnerable students. 

The local CSEA [California School Employees Association] unit 347 representing aides, office workers, and other vital services wrote: “These are not isolated concerns or interpersonal conflicts. They are systemic issues that undermine public trust and impact student outcomes, employee morale, and overall district operation.”

At this time, there has been no official response or reaction from the School Board. In the April Board meeting, it was revealed that the CFO had not included the full findings of the district’s independent auditor. Community members and staff asked for accountability for the unspent grant money intended for student services within the time of the grants. Over $1 million aimed at after school activities and other uses went unspent while the board had been informed that there was not enough money to fully staff those programs as needed.

The community and staff turned out in numbers again during a special meeting to discuss the hiring of a new superintendent and once more asked the board to recognize the votes of no confidence and investigate financial matters and unprofessional behaviors by the CFO. As dozens of people still showed up with their concerns to a procedural meeting and only a twenty-four-hour notice, it seems clear that this issue is not going away through inaction.

Many of these employees feel that they have stuck their necks out to make the district aware of critical problems in how its finances are being handled on the eve of a period of cutbacks for a district that relies on federal funding more than many others, in addition to a long history of poor communication and retaliation from the CFO.

We can only hope to see the board take some appropriate action for the next regular meeting planned for May 13th at the District Office in Hoopa. As the district relies on federal funding more than many other districts, cuts to education are already placing pressure on the district. This has increased the resolve of teachers and other staff to get our financial house in order by replacing the current CFO that has had to many issues and drawn so many complaints over the years when the fiscal situation was more stable.

[Signed]

Kimberly Moon
Robert Anderson

KTTA Presidents

UPDATE, MAY 12: All clear! As of this morning, an inspector found no new sign of rodent activity and all materials sanitized and stored properly. A pest control service has been contracted. It may reopen. 

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UPDATE, MAY 9 (later): The Environmental Health Division has un-reopened Old Town Coffee and Chocolates, and says that today’s reopening was an error.

Here’s a statement from Director Mario Kalson:

Environmental Health has reclosed Old Town Coffee & Chocolates. It appears they were reopened this morning in error. We regret that this error was made and are reviewing internal processes and training.

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UPDATE, MAY 9: DHHS has announced that, following a reinspection, Old Town Coffee and Chocolates’ retail food facility permit has been reinstated. 

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Original Post: The Humboldt County Division of Environmental Health has ordered downtown Eureka staple Old Town Coffee & Chocolates to close its doors to the public, at least until such time as it has dealt with what the division is characterizing as a major rodent infestation.

During a visit yesterday, a health inspector noted rodent feces “in every area of [the] facility” — including, but not limited to, kitchen counters, underneath coffee makers, in the “chocolate room,” in dry storage, and on floors in the dining area.

In order to reopen, the cafe will have to clean and sanitize all contaminated surfaces, throw away a bunch of single-use utensils and the like, and contract with a pest control service. 

Read the entire inspection report here.

(AUDIO) Food For People on KSLG

In an interview this week with KSLG’s Dale Cooper, Food For People’s David Reed estimated that the beloved Humboldt County nonprofit now provides food to around 21,000 locals, constituting roughly 15 percent of Humboldt County’s population. Needless to say, it’s a rough time out there for a lot of people, so your food donations are very appreciated. 

And hey, Food For People is going to make donating food extra easy for you this week. Recently, there are good odds that you got a blue plastic baggie in your mail. That’s because it’s again time for the annual National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive, one of the largest campaigns of its type in the country. If you’re able, fill that bag with non-perishable food items and leave it by your mailbox on Saturday, May 10. Then, your very capable letter carrier will pick it up and take its contents to one of Food For People’s local food pantries. It’s that easy!

For more info, tune into Dale Cooper’s interview with David Reed and local letter carrier Erick Kendall above. 

College of the Redwoods officials decided to remove a resolution from an upcoming Board of Trustees meeting today that, if passed, would have rescinded previous resolutions recognizing various diversity, equity, and inclusion-related subjects. 

Keith Flamer, CR’s president, originally recommended that the board pass Resolution 828 at today’s meeting, which would have rescinded six resolutions from 2020 through 2024 that recognized “an inclusive environment against racism,” Women’s History Month, hate against Asian-Americans, CR’s commitment to DEI, its support for undocumented students, and campus Pride month. 

According to the resolution, it was a preventative measure against the Trump administration’s punitive anti-university policies, such as denying grants and funding to universities that have supported DEI policies in the past. 

“The Board desires to resolve any uncertainty about compliance with the current state of federal law and federal funding,” the resolution reads, “…and the Board determines that rescinding Resolution Numbers 770, 776, 778, 779, 793, and 806 will resolve that uncertainty and reserve the College of the Redwoods’ continuing eligibility for such funding, and its students’ ability to qualify for continuing federal grants and loans.”

Molly Blakemore, CR’s director of marketing and communications, said in an email this morning that Flamer believes that the “work we’ve done, coupled with the various legal challenges in process” are enough to protect CR from the federal government. 

“We’ll continue to serve all students and uphold our commitment to academic freedom and access to education for everyone,” Blakemore said. “This decision to pull the item reflects the college’s ongoing efforts to update language and policy in a way that is inclusive of the entire CR community — without changing our core values or how we operate.”

Update, 1:31 5/6

Board members read a statement from Flamer at today’s meeting emphasizing CR’s commitments to free speech and its own future. 

“In response to recent federal executive orders and guidance from the Department of Education, we began a careful review of our policies and practices to ensure legal compliance while protecting the values that define CR,” Flamer wrote. “This work was never about retreating from our commitments, it was about adapting thoughtfully in a complex and shifting legal and political landscape…I am not advocating for any revisions in response to outside political pressures or ideological interference.”

“We will not allow external political forces to dictate what our faculty—trained scholars and disciplinary experts—are permitted to teach, research, or discuss. The right to explore ideas, challenge assumptions, and pursue truth is not only protected, but also essential to the mission of higher education and a functioning democracy.”

Several community members also stated their opposition to the resolution, though the board made it clear that the resolution had been pulled and they would not be revisiting it.

“Taking away those [DEI resolutions] wouldn’t help anyone feel safe or welcome here,” said one speaker. 

“[If the board rescinds those resolutions] we’ve already lost,” said another. “That’s not education. The college would lose all credibility.”

From the Eureka Police Department:

EPD is actively working a fatal collision at W. Harris and Union. Please avoid the area and use alternative routes as nearby roadways are closed.