If a proposed state-level budget cut to the California State University system passes, Cal Poly Humboldt will have to deal with a $7.9 million reduction in the budget on top of a pre-existing $3.8 million deficit.

Governor Gavin Newsom released the proposed California budget back in January. Included in its provisos is an 8%, $375 million reduction in the CSU’s budget to cover a projected $47 billion deficit. 

There’s still a chance the CSU might not be hit with the reduction. Newsom has until late June to finalize the budget, and the CSU is attempting to convince students and alumni to reach out to legislators and complain.

It’s coming at a bad time for CPH, which is already dealing with a projected budget shortfall. It’s 26% under enrolled, and although it did manage to enroll 1% more students this year than the last, the university estimates there will only be 6,105 students enrolled this fall. It needs 7,375 to receive full funding from the CSU, who will withhold 3% of CPH’s state funding because it is considered overfunded. 

The University Resource and Planning Committee has a plan to negate about $7.7 million of the total $11.6 million it’s lacking. 

Instead of taking a funding hit, the President’s Office will take on the responsibilities of two other divisions. CPH anticipated some future budget challenges, so the remaining $3.8 million gap will be filled by the use of one-time funds set aside during 2024.

“The URPC recommends that the campus continue moving forward with the proposed $7.7 million in reductions, regardless of the eventual outcome of the state budget or its impact on CSU funding,” reads the URPC budget recommendation. “If the state budget does improve, it could provide the University with a valuable opportunity to get ahead of projected budget deficits in future years.”

The University’s budget will be finalized in July.

CPH isn’t completely sure what kind of practical effects these reductions will have on the university, but it’s safe to say that there will be fewer classes and fewer professors.

“Students will be impacted,” reads a message from the university. “They will have larger class sizes and less courses available, and it will take students longer to graduate. These cuts will negatively impact pathways that put people on a trajectory to achieve upward social mobility.”

The URPC said it made its recommendations with students and long-time employees in mind.

“While we must continue to monitor the California state and CSU budgets as they evolve over the coming months, thanks to the diligent work of our campus community, we are entering the 2025-26 fiscal year with an approved draft budget that is reflective of the priorities and principles of our university,” vice president of administrative affairs Michael Fisher said in a press release. “This outcome is a testament to the collaborative spirit, strategic thinking, and hard decisions that have shaped our path forward. It is also a powerful affirmation of what we can achieve together when we engage in transparent, inclusive planning.”

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Press release from North Edge Financing:

Redwood Region RISE (Resilient Inclusive Sustainable Economy) announces the preliminary selection of Catalyst Awardees who will receive a total of $8.1 million in funding to boost economic development throughout the Redwood Region. With North Edge Financing as Fiscal Agent and the California Center for Rural Policy (CCRP) at Cal Poly Humboldt as Regional Convener, this California Jobs First initiative will support pre-development projects that align RRRISE’s 10-year Regional Roadmap.

Transformative Funding for Regional Prosperity

“The Catalyst Fund represents critical investment in the future of Redwood Region’s rural economies,” says Susan Seaman, Program Director of North Edge. “These preliminary awards mark the beginning of projects that will leverage our key industry sectors and foster inclusive economic development and job growth for all Redwood Region residents.”

About the Catalyst Awards

The Catalyst Awards support high-impact projects at two key stages: early-stage “exploratory” initiatives and near implementation-ready “last-mile” efforts. These awards position promising projects to compete for future regional, state, private, and federal implementation funding, focusing on initiatives that advance the RRRISE Regional Roadmap‘s four key sectors: Arts, Culture, and Tourism; Health and Caregiving; Renewable and Resilient Energy; and Working Lands and Blue Economy.

With over 70% of the Catalyst funding directed to projects led by priority and disinvested communities, the selected awardees address critical regional challenges through sustainable food systems, renewable energy projects, affordable housing solutions, workforce training, cultural preservation, and forest management practices. Many projects specifically target priority communities to overcome persistent barriers to economic advancement in rural and Tribal areas.

Selected Catalyst Awardees

The preliminary list of Catalyst Awardees includes:

● BLBS GRID Workforce Training Tiny Home Construction ($331,702) - Building Lives By Building Structure Hoopa 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization (BLBS) - Combining affordable housing construction with renewable energy integration while training Native American youth.

● Career Pathways: Fire, Forest, Fish & Facilities ($1,127,936) - Trees Foundation - Creating sustainable wage opportunities in natural resource jobs across three counties.

● Del Norte Center for the Performing Arts & Civics - Partnership for Performing Arts ($268,250) - Cultural hub serving as performance venue, educational space, and emergency resource.

● Fire Lines & Fiber Bioregions: A Regional Wool Industry Cluster ($607,856) - Kaos Sheep Outfit - Developing sustainable fiber production and exploring a Regional Wool Industry Cluster.

● Lake County Healthcare Education and Simulator - Lake County Economic Development Corporation ($650,000) - Enhancing healthcare education and workforce development through simulation facilities.

● Middletown Rancheria Community RISE Project - Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California ($500,000) - Addressing Tribal community challenges through housing, climate resilience, and cultural preservation.

● North Coast Resilient Food Systems Initiative ($2,306,574) - Connecting Del Norte Meat Processing Facility - Hmong Association of Crescent City with North Coast Food System Network - North Coast Growers’ Association to strengthen regional food systems.

● Red Hills Bioenergy Facility & Central Wood Processing Plant - Scotts Valley Energy Corporation to advance renewable energy solutions and workforce training.

● Timber & Workforce Development Initiative ($1,959,897) - Three interconnected initiatives: Carving a Legacy: Tribal Traditions, Woodworking, and Workforce Development - Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe; Connecting Mass Timber to Regional Housing and Building Needs - Mad River Mass Timber; and Developing a Climate Forward Workforce and Innovation Pipeline - Forest WRX Alliance.

Community Leadership and Impact

“The California Center for Rural Policy is proud to support this process as the Regional Convener,” said Dawn Arledge, Executive Director of CCRP. “These projects reflect RRRISE’s 150+ organization’s collaborative vision of and commitment to help rural and Tribal communities access the resources they need to thrive.”

Next Steps

Preliminary Catalyst Awardees will undergo rigorous contracting and compliance measures before receiving funding. Implementation is expected to begin in May of 2025, with completion by September 2026. The Redwood Region RISE Collaborative and its four Sector

Investment Coordinators are committed to supporting these and the many other excellent economic development projects throughout the region.

The work of Redwood Region RISE is supported by the statewide initiative California Jobs First and has helped inform the newly released California Jobs First Economic Blueprint.

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About Redwood Region RISE

Redwood Region RISE is a coalition of 150+ organizations across Tribal Lands, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties implementing a 10-year Regional Roadmap to bring sustainable, quality jobs to our region while advancing environmental stewardship and social equity. RRRISE envisions the Redwood Region as a healing place where everyone belongs, with stable jobs, accessible healthcare, and a flourishing natural environment. Together, we work towards a future where anyone can thrive.

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On April 27, patrol deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 1400 block of Anderson Avenue, McKinleyville, to conduct a parole search at a residence believed to be occupied by Nathan Ruptak, 43, of McKinleyville.

This search stemmed from an investigation of a vehicle burglary that occurred sometime during the night of April 26, or early April 27, where two firearms were stolen— one rifle and one loaded handgun. The victim’s wallet and other miscellaneous personal property were also taken.

Over the course of the investigation, security footage of the suspect using the victim’s bank card was located and Ruptak was positively identified as the subject using the card at multiple locations.

Upon arrival at the residence, Ruptak was in a detached garage on the property. Ruptak was detained and a search pursuant to his parole terms was conducted. Deputies located the stolen rifle in a vehicle that was parked near the residence. Due to the extensive search area, K9 Hank, who is trained in detecting firearms, was utilized to assist in the search. With K9 Hank’s assistance, the loaded handgun was located stowed under the driver’s side seat, concealed in a leather binder.

Ruptak was subsequently arrested and transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where he was booked for the following charges:

• Felon in possession of a firearm—PC 29800(a)(1)
• Prohibited person in possession of ammunition—PC 30305(a)(1)
• Possession of stolen property—PC 496(a)
• Theft by use of card—PC 484G
• Parole violation—PC 3000.08(c)
• Probation violation—PC 1203.2(a)(1)

This case will be forwarded to the Humboldt District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

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.

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Press release from CalTrout:

CalTrout, in partnership with the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC), announced today the acquisition of four key parcels of former ranch land (175 acres) along the Elk River in Humboldt County, marking a significant step in the ongoing efforts to protect and restore the Elk River estuary. Three of these parcels will eventually be transferred to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) existing Elk River Wildlife Area (ERWA) for continued stewardship and ecological restoration, while the fourth parcel, of special cultural importance to the Wiyot Tribe, was returned to the Tribe for its ancestral ownership.

The Elk River, the largest tributary to Humboldt Bay, supports sustainable local agriculture, is a hub for essential fish habitat, and flows through several residential communities. However, years of intensive land uses for timber harvest and agriculture have caused significant changes across the landscape, shifting the balance away from functional ecosystems and native fish populations. This acquisition and land transfer will drive forward efforts by CalTrout to rebalance this working landscape with expanded tidal marsh and salmon habitat, while simultaneously reducing threats from flooding and sea level rise

“CalTrout is proud to lead this collaborative restoration effort in the Elk River watershed, which is not only vital to the health of local ecosystems but also to the local communities who live here,” said Darren Mierau, CalTrout’s North Coast Regional Director. “We will continue working with our engineering and science team, private landowners, our state agency partners, and the Wiyot Tribe to ensure that this land is restored and stewarded for future generations.”

The parcel returned to the Wiyot Tribe represents a moment of restorative justice for the Tribe, who have lived on and stewarded this landscape since time immemorial. This particular parcel holds immense cultural and historical significance. It is where salmon were traditionally harvested from the river, and it is steeped in rich tribal mythology. The Wiyot Tribe has preserved the name “Chwanuchguk” for this site, underscoring its deep connection to the land.

“Chwanuchguk, ‘a ridge comes down there,’ is a traditional fishing village where Wiyot people lived, harvested food, and smoked fish since time immemorial.  Access to the Hikshari’ (Elk) River and fish restoration on the Hikshari’ (Elk) River is of vital importance to the continuation of the Tribe’s cultural practices.” Brian Mead, Tribal Chair of the Wiyot Tribe.    

The total cost of the land acquisition was $1.8 million, funded through a grant from the State Coastal Conservancy, and with support from The Conservation Alliance (TCA). This collaboration highlights commitment to preserving the environmental and cultural integrity of the Elk River watershed, while protecting valuable working lands. In addition, project plans include significant upgrades to public access amenities at the existing Elk River Wildlife Area to allow nature study and outdoor recreation opportunities.

“This keystone acquisition launches a longstanding restoration vision for the Elk River made possible through close partnership with CalTrout, the Wiyot Tribe, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It will make habitat and agriculturally productive areas more resilient to peak flood events and sea level rise, and it will extend earlier State Coastal Conservancy-funded estuary restoration upstream to support the broader restoration of the entire Elk River watershed,” said Amy Hutzel, Executive Officer of the State Coastal Conservancy.

“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is proud to recognize the collaboration with private landowners, CalTrout, the Wiyot Tribe, and our local agency partners in the ongoing efforts to conserve and enhance invaluable coastal wetlands and marshlands of Humboldt County’s North Coast,” said Shawn Fresz, CDFW Lands and Wildlife Program Supervisor.

“Together we are advancing CDFW’s mission and with this acquisition and addition to the Elk River Wildlife Area we will protect California’s natural resources, restore public lands and increase their resiliency while expanding public lands and access to them for future generations.”

Since 2014, CalTrout and the project engineering and science team from Northern Hydrology and Engineering, Stillwater Sciences, and GHD have worked closely with local residents, agricultural landowners, and state agency partners to develop science-driven, collaborative solutions for the Elk River watershed. CalTrout is spearheading a landscape-scale strategy to address river channel impairment, floodplain restoration, and improve long-term resilience to land-use pressures.

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From the living room window of their waterfront home, Carol and Tony Anello have watched the rise and fall of Bodega Bay. Traffic on Westshore Road flows past in waves, fishing boats pull into the docks and throngs of visitors line up at Spud Point Crab Co., their restaurant next door. Launched more than 20 years ago and known for its chowder and Dungeness crab rolls, the restaurant has helped make the Anellos beacons of the community.

It has also served as a life raft as they left the commercial fishing business.

“I had a premonition that the fishing industry was going down,” said Tony Anello, who fished commercially for salmon, crab and herring for 54 years before selling his boat Anabelle last year. “There are guys dropping out of this industry like flies, and I’m one of them.”

At Bodega Bay and other picturesque seaside villages along the California coast, the fishing economy is gradually sinking.

The latest blows came earlier this month: Commercial harvest of Chinook salmon was banned in California for the third consecutive year because of low populations, and the state’s Dungeness crab fishery has been severely restricted in an effort to protect humpback whales from entanglements. Sportfishing for salmon — a valuable industry and a beloved pastime — also was prohibited for two straight years, and will be severely cut back this year to what may amount to a single weekend in June in Northern California.

Now coastal towns that once relied on freshly caught seafood are finding ways to adapt. In Bodega Bay, fishing has increasingly taken a backseat to tourism and the draw of souvenir shops and art galleries, saltwater taffy, waterfront dining, vacation rentals and a backdrop from Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”

Tourism is “the lifeblood of this town now. It’s not fishing,” Tony Anello said. He nodded to the line of boats moored at the harbor — elaborate rigs that can cost the price of a Bay Area home. “All the boats are in. What are they fishing for? Niente. Nothing.”

Tony Anello, left, and Carol Anello, owners of Spud Point Crab Co., shown at the family restaurant in Bodega Bay. “There are guys dropping out of (the fishing) industry like flies, and I’m one of them,” Tony Anello said. Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters

When the salmon closure hit two years ago, sportfishing charter boat operator Ty Taube’s revenue stream was cut almost in half. To compensate, he has shifted much of his business from Bodega Bay to San Francisco Bay, where he now rents a second berth in Richmond and takes his clients fishing in the spring and summer for halibut and striped bass.

“Bodega Bay now has very little to offer,” he said.

Tourism is “the lifeblood of this town now. It’s not fishing. All the boats are in. What are they fishing for? Niente. Nothing.”
— Tony Anello, restaurant owner and former commercial fisherman.

Mike Long, who ran a Bodega Bay fishing charter company on his boat Miss Vic for eight years, said Chinook salmon fishing used to drive a frenzy of local activity.

“Bodega Bay, back in the day when the salmon were running … was an absolute party. People were camping, having fun,” he said. “From a fishing standpoint, Bodega Bay has become a ghost town.”

Lucrative salmon harvests — sometimes exceeding a million fish in a season — and a robust population persisted through the mid-2000s, before the fish seemed to cross a tipping point, collapsing almost to extinction in 2009. Experts say the harvests were sustainable but that Delta water diversions, loss of river habitat and poor ocean conditions are driving the collapse of the past 20 years.

The Anellos fondly recall those banner days of their youth, and the fishery’s prime, rehashing stories of big days on the water and unloading the catch in port.

“I remember saying, ‘My God, is there a bottom to this boat? The fish just kept coming up and coming up,” Carol Anello said.

At nearby boat ramps, the traffic jams of the salmon season are a thing of the past, at least for now, though a trickle of skiffs still comes and goes, mostly targeting either crab or rockfish. Some anglers come to fish from shore.

“Bodega Bay, back in the day when the salmon were running … was an absolute party. People were camping, having fun. From a fishing standpoint, Bodega Bay has become a ghost town.”
— Mike Long, captain of the charter boat Miss Vic.

Abalone, and the kelp forests they live in, also have almost vanished, the victims of overfishing and climate change. Banned in 2018, diving for abalone was a recreational attraction for decades that brought visitors and cash flow to remote North Coast communities.

A small fleet of party boat services, including Taube’s vessel Dragonfly, Pole Dancin’ and New Sea Angler, still keeps a presence in the harbor, but some don’t fish as much as they once did. Some are turning to cruises, whale-watching and ash-scattering voyages to replace lost fishing opportunities.

Visitors to the town still expect seafood, and they still get it — but many menus feature products farmed or delivered from faraway waters, including clams, oysters and shrimp.

Local Dungeness crab has become more expensive — a boon to fishers — but it remains plentiful, even when the season ends, thanks to freezing and thawing on demand. Salmon has dropped off most local menus.

Crab pots used to catch Dungeness crab in Bodega Bay. The industry has been restricted in California waters because of entanglements with humpback whales. Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters

At Fishetarian Fish Market, co-owner Shane Lucas supports local boats but must lean on imported catch. This market-cafe at the south edge of town on a recent day was selling farmed New Zealand Chinook salmon under their display case, and it may shift later to wild salmon from the Pacific Northwest. Rockfish, though locally available, mostly comes from Oregon, simply because local hook-and-line commercial fishers don’t catch enough to meet his needs.

Oysters are a plentiful local product, with their crushed shells mashed into the asphalt and picnic grounds throughout town. But they are mostly farmed — not fished — in nearby Tomales Bay. Lingcod and halibut remain seasonal catches, along with albacore tuna and some bluefin, too.

Nothing, however, matches the value and cachet of Chinook salmon, also known as king salmon.

Last fall, restaurants countywide collaborated with Bodega Bay fishers and the county tourism board in a promotional push dubbed “Black Cod Week.” The idea was to promote the buttery, soft flesh of locally caught black cod, also known as sablefish, as a stand-in for salmon.

“They were looking for an alternative fish that is highly sustainable, with lots of them out there,” said Patty Ginochio, owner of Ginochio’s Kitchen on the northeast shore of Bodega Bay, explaining that black cod is oily but delicious.

“We offered black cod tacos in lieu of the salmon tacos that we would normally have been offering,” she said. Ginochio, who has not served salmon since California’s season was shut down two years ago, also served smoked black cod.

“No matter what you do, it’s not king salmon,” she said.

Untangling whales and crabs

At least for now, Dungeness crab remains a valuable fishery, though seasonal catches range wildly. 2022 saw one of the poorest statewide harvests in 40 years. 2023 was a huge year, 2024 less so and this year another bummer.

“It’s been horrible,” said Bodega Bay commercial fisherman Dick Ogg on a recent morning as he prepared to offload and sell one of his last Dungeness crab hauls of the season at Spud Point Marina, across the road from the Anellos’ restaurant.

First: Boats in Spud Point Marina in Bodega Bay. Last: The menu at the Fishetarian Fish Market in Bodega Bay. Photos by Florence Middleton for CalMatters

Tourists Kim Derr, left, and Sylvia Derr from Bishop pose for a photo outside the Fishetarian Fish Market in Bodega Bay. “Gonna order crab for sure,” said Sylvia Derr. “That’s the only reason I came here.” Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters

Ogg, who has fished out of Bodega Bay for 25 years, said profitability of crab fishing has declined, contributing to attrition in the statewide fleet.

“The gear has gone from $50 a pot to $350 a pot, plus the rope is more expensive. The regulations are more stringent, and the time we get to fish has been condensed down to three months,” he said. “If you sit back and look at what’s happening, it’s getting to the point where you just can’t make a living.”

The West Coast’s Dungeness crab population is generally booming, and landings have soared since the early 2000s. 2024’s catch of 14 million pounds was worth $50 million, and 2023 saw the eighth largest catch — 21 million pounds — in the past 45 years.

But new regulations have constrained the fishery, including trap limits and frequent season closures. This year, the Dungeness fishery opened late — in January — and state officials announced last week that they are shutting it down early, on May 1, in much of the state.

Dungeness crab fishers work the waters off Marin County. Off San Mateo County, a humpback whale feeds on anchovies near a recreational angler. Video by Andrew Bland for CalMatters

The complicating factor is whales — particularly humpbacks, which are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act and routinely become entangled in ropes that connect floating buoys to crab traps on the seafloor. These synthetic lines can slice deep into their skin and blubber and, when attached to heavy traps, exhaust and drown the giants.

Entanglements have increased in the last decade following a change in feeding activity that has concentrated the animals closer to the California coast, especially from spring through summer.

“The regulations are more stringent…It’s getting to the point where you just can’t make a living” off Dungeness crab.
— Bodega Bay fisherman Dick Ogg.

Since about 2014, reported entanglements have averaged several dozen per year. Last year, 31 humpbacks were reported snagged in fishing gear off the West Coast.

“We know that we’re only observing maybe 10%, maybe 20% of the entanglements,” said Catherine Kilduff, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.

About 84% of entangled humpbacks may die or suffer serious injury as a result, according to an estimate by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Shifting gears: Can an old industry learn new tricks?

Commercial crabbers are collaborating with environmental groups, including Oceana, to develop whale-safe crab gear that involves no unattended vertical ropes in the water.

They have experimented with a system reliant on compressed buoys fixed to each trap and which inflate by remote control, lifting the cage to the surface with no rope. Another model relies on a buoy spool coiled with rope and fixed to the sunken trap, then released via remote control. When the spool surfaces, the fishers, standing by, retrieve it and their gear.

The concept for each is brilliant, but the problem that manufacturers have struggled with is reliability. Ogg, who has tried some of these methods, said they fail too frequently to be trusted. While advocates have cited a 98% reliability figure, Ogg said it’s lower, likely less than 90%.

Ogg plans to move ahead with a whale-safe system in which he drops a line of crab traps strung together on a single rope, then retrieves the array later by snagging it with a grappling hook dragged over the bottom.

Bodega Bay fisherman Dick Ogg on his boat in the Spud Point Marina. Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters

First: Live Dungeness crab on Ogg’s boat. Last: Crab pots used to catch Dungeness in Bodega Bay. Photos by Florence Middleton for CalMatters

Ogg thinks this alternative gear system could represent the future of crabbing, allowing fishers to bypass seasonal bans on conventional gear implemented when whales are near.

Retrieving gear via grapple hook takes at least twice as long per trap, Ogg said. “It’s a pain in the butt, it’s hard to do,” he said.

But maybe worse, he said, is snagging a whale. “Nobody wants to interact with an animal other than the targeted species.”

Boom and bust of salmon

For Taube, the glory days of the North Coast salmon fishery are just a few years gone. Taube launched his fishing charter service in 2019, cashing in on several good years. Sometimes, he said, fishing was hot enough just outside the Bodega Bay harbor that he was able to run two trips daily, each with about a half-dozen customers.

“We would do a morning trip, and we’d do an afternoon trip … it was easy fishing,” said Taube, owner of Reel Obsession Sportfishing, which features a 34-foot boat named Dragonfly.

Those were the days when salmon season traffic jammed up the bay’s boat ramps, when wait times could be an hour and early morning tempers sometimes flared. All morning, commercial trollers, private skiffs and charter boats like Dragonfly funneled out the mouth of the harbor, where they dispersed across the water.

Often, the fish were barely a mile outside the Bodega Bay harbor mouth, with clouds of anchovies darkening the electronic screen of the dashboard “fish finder,” feeding whales surging in all directions and the salmon quick to strike a bait.

“If we catch the quota quickly, then it could be done in a day or two. It’s not going to make a difference in the 100 (salmon sportfishing) trips or so that we used to run.”
— Ty Taube, captain of the charter boat Dragonfly.

This year, the tradition will resume — but perhaps for just one weekend. Recreational anglers have been allocated a sliver of a season for the first time since 2022. Fishing will begin June 7, and while multiple weekends are designated for fishing, there is a catch: a 7,000-fish quota.

“If we catch the quota quickly, then it could be done in a day or two,” Taube said. “It’s not going to make a difference in the 100 trips or so that we used to run.”

Along part of the Central Coast, a second fishing window, with a 7,500-fish quota, will open in September.

In the historical context, such numbers are almost nothing — what a single commercial boat might catch in a season. “Total averages (in the 1970s) would be about 80 fish a day,” Tony Anello said.

Long left the fishing business when the salmon closure took effect two years ago. Now — like many other boat operators — he runs the Miss Vic to cash in on alternative guiding opportunities.

“We do whale-watching trips now,” he said.

Graphs depicting past abundance show a towering wall of California Chinook through the 1980s and 90s. In the record year of 1988, ocean harvest in California — commercial and recreational combined — amounted to nearly 1.4 million salmon, the best year on record. Even after that huge harvest, more than 200,000 fish returned to the Sacramento River to spawn that fall and in 2002, more Chinook swam into the Central Valley than ever recorded before — about 900,000 adults.

Salmon abundance plunged off a cliff in the late 2000s, and it has never recovered. Just 140,000 adults migrated up the Central Valley’s rivers last year, and that came after two years with essentially no harvest.

Return of the salmon

A salmon rebound would change everything, and it’s something state officials are calling for.

“We are hell-bent … pushing as hard as we can, because we hate the idea of a future California without salmon,” said Chuck Bonham, director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Some positive signals, maybe suggesting a comeback, are emerging from the watersheds where salmon spawn — due, Bonham says, to the state’s restoration efforts as well as the record wet year in 2023. Wet winters increase river flows, which help juvenile salmon reach the ocean, and can be a precursor to salmon rebounds. Bonham is optimistic that next year will see a bump. Already, numbers of spawning endangered coho salmon in coastal watersheds jumped last winter to several times the recent historical average.

In the Sacramento River, premature returning Chinook — two-year-old males known to biologists as “jacks” — returned in very large numbers last fall. That could reflect a swelling population in the ocean.

A major victory was recently scored in the Klamath basin, where four dams were removed from 2023 to 2024. Already, Chinook are reported to be entering spawning habitat that was inaccessible for decades, and experts and local tribes anticipate a revival.

“We are hell-bent … pushing as hard as we can, because we hate the idea of a future California without salmon.”
— Chuck Bonham, director of California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.

Bonham said a state policy of “cutting the green tape” has allowed faster movement on projects to rebuild habitat features like wetlands and floodplains, mostly in the Central Valley. Another new state policy allowing project developers to pack multiple project permits into a single approval has helped the state make progress on salmon restoration work.

“Just last year, we streamlined the approvals for 60 important projects related to salmon,” he said. “We don’t have a chance to dink around and take 20 more years.” We need “more good projects faster and cheaper,” he said.

Fishery experts and advocates say the state is not doing enough to save salmon. Scott Artis, executive director of the Golden State Salmon Association, an industry group, said the state has failed to guarantee that Central Valley rivers contain adequate cold water for salmon. He said reservoirs are drained too early, which depletes the supply of cold water essential for successful spawning, and too much water is pumped to farms and cities to the south.

“Dead salmon don’t use habitat,” Artis said. “So if we kill all the salmon because there is no water, are we really creating habitat and allowing them to use it?”

Relics of a thriving industry

At Bodega Bay, an old fishing pier, succumbing to saltwater and wind, is falling to pieces and is no longer accessible.

The local ice machine, installed at the Spud Point Marina in the 1980s, is in disrepair, too.

“It’s long past its life expectancy,” said Noah Wagner, marina supervisor for the Sonoma County Regional Parks Department, which operates the facility. “We’re very concerned that we’re going to have a catastrophic failure that necessitates a complete replacement of that ice house during one of these really important seasons for the salmon or crab.”

Officials with the state and county visited last year, part of an ongoing quest for funding to modernize the ice house, which is the only one of its kind between San Francisco and Fort Bragg, Wagner said. “All the fishing boats and the processors … rely on this ice house, so it’s vitally important to the fleet,” he said.

A fishing boat, Condor II, is docked at Bodega Bay. Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters

While the community thrives on the bustling tourism economy, many residents and business owners are worried about the town’s fishers.

Waves of Compassion is a local nonprofit that, among other things, helps struggling commercial fishers in and around Bodega Bay with food, clothes, laundry money, dog food and other items that Ginochio, a cofounder, says many fishers increasingly cannot afford.

Lucas, at Fishetarian, sees a gray future for the local fishing economy.

“It’s sad because my grandfather was a commercial fisherman, but I don’t think there will be a commercial fisherman left here in 10 years,” he said. “They’re going to be all gone. To support a family in California as a commercial fisherman, you’ve got to be doing something else.”

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Dozens of California violence prevention and victim service programs, including ones to protect survivors of domestic violence and end sexual abuse in jails and prisons, are facing devastating cuts after the Trump administration abruptly pulled funding from them.

“These programs literally save lives – not just for the victims, but for our entire communities,” said Tinisch Hollins, executive director of the nonprofit organization Californians for Safety and Justice. “When they go away, we lose a safety net.”

The U.S. Justice Department last week slashed grants that were initially valued at $811 million. In California alone, the department cut just over $80 million, the majority of which was for groups based in Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco, according to a U.S. Justice Department document obtained and published by Reuters.

The organizations might have already spent some of the grant funding, which typically lasts for three years, and it’s unclear how much the administration clawed back. They have 30 days to appeal the decision. The U.S. Justice Department did not respond to repeated attempts to confirm the list of affected grant recipients in California.

In a statement to CalMatters, Justice Department spokesman Gates McGavick said, “Under Attorney General (Pam) Bondi’s leadership, the Department of Justice is committed to ensuring its resources are spent on arresting criminals, getting drugs off the streets, and crucial litigation. We will always protect victims of crime and legitimate law enforcement initiatives, but we will no longer spend millions on ‘listening sessions’ and ‘bridging socio-ecological contexts.’”

California officials rejected the Trump administration’s characterization of the grants, and described the programs as critical.

“The Trump administration is recklessly disregarding the safety of the people it is sworn to serve,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta in a statement to CalMatters. “These resources are not optional luxuries, they are essential, and critical to ensuring the security and stability of our communities nationwide. My office will do everything in our power to stop the potentially deadly consequences of freezing federal funding.”

Representatives from three organizations that lost money told CalMatters they were committed to continuing their programs, and they stressed that they provide vital services to vulnerable people.

In Oakland, the nonprofit organization Youth ALIVE! lost its $2 million grant to support the nation’s first hospital-based violence intervention program. The organization’s staff appear at the hospital bedside of youth who have been violently injured in order to help them navigate their recovery and prevent retaliatory violence.

Through ongoing support such as mental health and housing services, the organization maintains that it can break cycles of violence. Last year, it served 113 clients, only one of whom was injured again.

“It’s an essential part of the ecosystem, because you need to be in specific places to help quell violence and help people heal,” said Dr. Joseph Griffin, executive director of Youth ALIVE! “It’s about increasing the health of the community.”

When he learned that the organization had lost its funding, he said he was in disbelief.

“It’s not an impact that we can absorb lightly,” he said. “Replacing $2 million is never easy.”

A banner hangs on a wall in the Youth ALIVE office in Oakland on April 28, 2025. Youth ALIVE!, which aims to break the cycle of violence in Oakland, is one of the many California organizations impacted after the U.S. Justice Department terminated more than $800 million in grants to justice-focused organizations. Photo by Florence Middleton for CalMatters

Elsewhere in Oakland, the organization Impact Justice lost $8.5 million in grant funding.

“This was a sledgehammer,” said Alex Busansky, its founder and president.

The organization was awarded a $4 million grant to expand opportunities for reentry housing for people returning home from prison. It also received three grants totaling $4.5 million to support its work in eliminating sexual abuse and sexual harm from confined facilities, such as prisons and jails.

“To take that away puts the most vulnerable people in a much riskier and potentially harmful situation,” Busansky said.

Asian Women’s Shelter, one of three domestic violence shelters in San Francisco, lost its $500,000 grant to support Arab survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking through connecting them with legal and social services.

The competitive grant had only been awarded to five organizations last year, according to the Asian Women’s Shelter’s communications and community engagement specialist, Saara Ahmed.

“The irony is that the reasons given by the Justice Department is that they’re shifting funding toward law enforcement to combat violent crime and trafficking. But violent crime and trafficking affects survivors so there’s a lot of contradiction,” Ahmed said. “It’s a matter of asking: Whose safety and security are they prioritizing?”

On April 25, over 600 local, state and national organizations, including the Asian Women’s Shelter, signed a letter to Attorney General Bondi expressing “deep concern” over the Justice Department’s federal funding decisions, including the canceled grants.

“This longstanding bipartisan commitment to supporting services and prevention efforts for victims of [domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and trafficking] remains strong; however, the Department’s recent actions have left these critical lifesaving programs uncertain about their ability to continue serving victims,” advocates wrote.

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office also lost a grant in the culling. “It is heartbreaking to see funds cut for such critical work,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, whose grant supported at-risk youth and young adults from underserved communities.

“Public safety, at its core, is fewer victims of crime overall. And as a government, we cannot simply be reactionary,” she said. “We have to do the front end, proactive work so that people don’t feel the need to get involved in crime in the first place.”

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Cayla Mihalovich is a California Local News fellow.

Ines A. Boldrini
August 15, 1937 - April 24, 2025

Ines A. Boldrini, nee Senestraro, passed away on April 24, 2025, at the age of 87. She was residing at First Choice Care Home in Fortuna. She had lived in Humboldt County for 65 years.

Ines A. Boldrini was born on August 15, 1937 in Creola D’Ossola, Italy, daughter of Celestino and Anita Senestraro.

Ines immigrated to the United State in 1957, with mother, father and sister, and settled in San Francisco before moving to Humboldt County in 1959. In 1961 she married Sandro Boldrini in Italy who then came to America and started work as a dairyman for Gene Senestraro in Elk River. Ines and Sandro moved to Ferndale in 1970, where they started their own dairy business, which is currently owned and operated by their youngest son Frank.

Throughout Ines’ life she worked the family farm alongside Sandro, caring for calves, chickens and gardening. Ines was a disciplined homemaker who thoroughly enjoyed all kinds of arts and crafts. Ines was known as a great cook and her homemade Italian dishes are still talked about fondly by family members. Later in life, Ines enjoyed providing loving care and support for her four grandchildren. She was an avid competitive bowler and participated in numerous state and national tournaments in Las Vegas, Nevada in the early 1990s.

Ines was a member of Church of the Assumption in Ferndale and a frequent volunteer for the annual church bazaar.

Ines was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, Alessandro Boldrini. Ines has three children, Robby Boldrini (Sue Ewy) West End, N.C.; Sandy Pedrotti (Donnie) Eureka; Frank Boldrini (Renee Alexandar) Ferndale. Ines has four grandchildren, Kelly Roach (Wyatt) Eureka; Lauren Pedrotti, Burlington; Kyle Pedrotti, Eureka; Baylee Boldrini, Fortuna, and one great-grandchild Clara Roach. Sister, Albina Stagnoli, Bend Oregon, nephews/niece Paul, Dan, and Rina Stagnoli.

There are no services planned. There was an inurnment where she was placed beside Sandro Boldrini at Sunset Memorial Park in Eureka.

“We will always carry your memory in our hearts.”

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