Eureka High School release: 

Dear Eureka City Schools Families and Staff,

This morning, a bomb threat was reported at Eureka High School. The Eureka Police Department (EPD) responded promptly and thoroughly investigated the situation. After a detailed assessment, the threat was determined not to be credible.

As a precautionary measure, all students and staff were evacuated while the investigation was conducted. We are happy to report that all students and staff are safe, and regular school operations have resumed.

We appreciate the quick response from EPD and the cooperation of our students and staff during this incident. The safety and well-being of our school community are always our top priority.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Gary Strorts
Superintendent, Eureka City Schools

-GO HERE TO ENTER AND VOTE-

Well, what do we have here?! We realize this is kind of last minute, but LoCO finds itself in possession of a pair of four-day passes to this weekend’s Redwood Coast Music Festival and they’re burning a hole in our pixel-y pocket! Perhaps you’d like ‘em, yeah? Maybe you were thinking, “Gee golly, I’d like to go to that thing, but $170 per pass seems a bit steep for me at the moment. I’ll just listen to 8-tracks in the garage again.” Well, here’s your chance to boogie down for free on LoCO. But you’ll have to earn it.

How, you ask? We’re gonna play LoCO KARAOKO. Follow along, music lover, for directions on how this is gonna go:

• First, record a new under-60-second video of yourself singing a song of your choosing. We are not limiting your genre or song selection, just try to think of a song that will win over your Humboldt neighbors. You can sing acapella or with musical backing. It doesn’t matter. Just be entertaining. 
• At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1, we will launch the official LoCO KARAOKO post on our Facebook page, which we’ll link HERE to make it easy to find.
• Upload your video to the comment section of that Facebook post. One entry per singer. 
• Then, hopefully, Humboldt’s Facebook users will organically find and enjoy your musical stylings enough to grace you with a “like” or a “heart” or whatever (but we know that you’ll probably all be rallying your troops, which is fine).
• This all culminates, at noon on Thursday, Oct. 3, when we will close voting. Whichever singer garners the most reactions will be declared the winner. (We will weigh “like”s, “heart”s, “wow”s, etc. equally, in this instance.) 

Does that make sense? We’ve done contests like this on our Facebook page in the past with some success, so we have no reason to believe this won’t work again (though, sometimes things go hilariously sideways). A couple more notes for voters, though:

• LoCO is watching. To those who might like to game the system by voting through their business/artist/political campaign pages, we see you. 
• Now, can you vote for multiple entries? Sure. If you’d like to dilute your vote that way, LoCO is not going to stop you. You are full of love and appreciation, and that’s fine. 

OK. Let’s try this out! Again, you’re competing to win two $170 passes to the RCMF. So that’s — hold on… uh… carry the one — a $340 value, people! Hot damn. Thank you in advance for your dulcet tones. And good luck! 

# # #

[Note: While it’s true we used a dog in our li’l graphic for this contest, entrants must be human to be eligible to win. Thank you for understanding.]

From the Office of Assemblymember Jim Wood:

Governor Newsom signed a bill by Assemblymember Jim Wood (D- Healdsburg), AB 1797 recognizing the Dungeness crab – Metacarcinus magister – as California’s official crustacean. Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) is the principal coauthor and Assembly Members Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) and Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz) are coauthors.

“The Dungeness crab is an iconic crustacean in California and one that has made a significant contribution to the economies of coastal communities in California and to those in the commercial fishing industry,” said Wood.

The Governor noted in his signing message that “Dungeness crab is one of the oldest commercial fisheries” and “remains a pillar of the state’s local economy.” The industry supports fishing ports and bolsters retail and hospitality businesses, bringing patrons in to restaurants and inns. It is a key delicacy that is often at high demand when Californians ring in the New Year.

“We must recognize, however that the Dungeness crab industry is not without its challenges,” said Wood. “We need to ensure that the fishing industry, the ocean and its inhabitants are all well protected.”

Both commercial and recreational fisheries for Dungeness crab exist in California, having slightly different seasons within the two distinct management areas, divided north and south by the Sonoma/Mendocino line.

“I’m proud to have helped the Dungeness crab become the state’s official crustacean,” said Wood. “It’s important to the commercial fishing industry and to the communities that depend on its health and abundance.”

PREVIOUSLY:

• OP-ED: The City’s Plan For H and I Streets Will Make Eureka a Better Place

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Six years ago, I wrote a guest opinion about H and I streets in the LoCO. It’s been roughly six months since the upgrades to the two streets, and as a resident of H Street, I can attest that traffic is calmer and slower, people on bicycles are enjoying the new bike lane, and people are able to actually cross the streets without fearing for their lives.

Photo: Erin Kelly.

In my previous column, I wrote about the many problems of H and I streets: that there were more than three times the number of collisions relative to comparable streets in California. That I watched high schoolers run across the streets (in crosswalks) while speeding motorists ignored their presence. That it was dangerous for both motorists and pedestrians when there were crosswalks across (essentially) a highway. H and I streets are right in the center of town, and they have a lot of cross traffic and pedestrians. The way the road became highway-like wasn’t because of thoughtful design, it was because of lack of design, and the streets unfortunately served to cut Eureka in two.

And so, the city council and staff decided to update the roads to account for the different ways people use them. They reduced the lanes from three to two, created a buffered bike lane, put in flashing lights at crosswalks, and installed bulb-outs to aid people crossing the street.

I’ve seen some criticism of the changes to the streets and it’s true: many cars now need more time to get down these streets. This is because the average speed of vehicles has been reduced to closer to the actual speed limit.

But the benefits have been immense. The crosswalks, once only decorative, have become functional. The groups of high schoolers heading to and from school cross H and I streets safely. Cars stop because of the flashing crosswalk lights, and the bulb-outs mean that people crossing don’t have to run across so many lanes to get to their destination. The bike lanes feel safe and I see a lot of folks bicycling on them. The other night, I was on my bike on H Street, stopped at a traffic light. A couple rode up behind me, one of them with a toddler in a seat on the front of her bike. We rode together for a few blocks, chatting about how nice it was to be on H Street – as cars passed us safely on our left.

The reduced speed, and reduced swerving across three lanes, has made our streets feel more like the city streets that they are. Families with kids, older folks walking dogs, teenagers on skateboards, bicyclists in lycra tights and bicyclists in skirts, all get to use these streets, alongside cars. Their prior design made most modes of transit unsafe. The upgrades now mean that people are able to enjoy H and I streets more safely.

Six years ago, I wrote that “I think that the proposed H and I Streets project helps us to prepare for the future we want, rather than living with the infrastructure we are stuck with.” Now I can start to see the changes that the H and I upgrades have brought. People can cross the streets and ride their bicycles to downtown and to Henderson Center. And they can also still drive down those streets. I drive down those streets. And I appreciate knowing that everyone is safer, in cars and outside of cars, while doing so.

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Erin Kelly lives on H Street.

California’s homeless service providers have a problem: They aren’t getting paid on time, and it’s making it even harder for them to get people off the street.

Nonprofits that provide everything from shelter beds, to counseling for homeless residents, to affordable housing, say they regularly are kept waiting weeks, if not months, for the city, county and state funding they rely on. That means they’re struggling to pay their employees, make rent payments for their clients, and, in some cases, even keep the lights on. Some are turning down new projects despite the massive need for services in their communities. Others are borrowing to stay afloat, ending up paying tens of thousands of dollars each month in interest — money they would rather spend on helping homeless Californians. It’s hampering the state’s efforts to solve what is arguably its biggest problem: Nearly 186,000 people have nowhere to call home.

“It is the single biggest factor in our inability to grow and serve more people,” said Vivian Wan, CEO of Abode Services, which provides shelter, housing and other aid for unhoused people across seven Bay Area counties. “This is a huge issue.”

And it’s getting harder to ignore. With inflation driving up expenses and the growing homelessness crisis driving up need, some nonprofits have reached their breaking point. After a group of Los Angeles-based homeless service providers raised the alarm earlier this year, the county Board of Supervisors overhauled the way it doles out funds. Providers hope the move will be replicated throughout the state.

Why are nonprofits missing millions of dollars?

It’s the kind of problem that’s a hallmark of bureaucracy.

When a city opens a new shelter or housing program, it lacks the capacity to run the program itself, so it contracts with a nonprofit that has expertise working with unhoused clients. The nonprofits who provide these services told CalMatters that because city officials are trying to move quickly, they sometimes set up the program and start providing services immediately — even before a formal contract is signed. The nonprofit can’t get reimbursed for the services it’s already provided until that contract is finalized, which can take months.

But even when a contract is drawn up right away, it generally requires the nonprofit to start work before getting paid, and then send an invoice to the city asking for reimbursement. That process can get bogged down in delays at multiple levels.

First, drafting invoices is onerous and time-consuming, requiring the nonprofit to account for every penny spent. Next, the city or county has to go over each invoice with a fine-tooth comb, which can take weeks or months. Finding any problems means the process starts over.

Delays also crop up when the city is waiting for state funding to pay its contracts.

Santa Cruz County usually pays its invoices within two to four weeks, said Robert Ratner, director of Housing for Health for the county. But if there’s a problem with the invoice, payment could be delayed another month.

“I think everyone involved would like it to go faster,” he said.

On any given day, Abode generally is owed between $35 million and $40 million from their various government contracts, Wan said. Despite those missing funds, Abode still has to make rent payments on the first of every month for its thousands of clients living in subsidized housing.

“We’re not going to let people become homeless or not get their rent paid,” Wan said.

Instead, she’s turning down new projects that would make the organization’s funding gap worse — to the detriment of the people in desperate need of Abode’s services. She recently decided not to apply for a contract providing rental assistance on behalf of the Santa Clara County Probation Department, even though Abode is one of the few organizations that could do the work.

Multiple nonprofits CalMatters spoke with said they’ve had to take out high-interest loans to fill the gaps while they’re waiting for government funds. The People Concern, which provides homeless services in Los Angeles County, is paying $63,000 a month in interest on its lines of credit. The nonprofit will never get that money back, even when its government checks come in.

“That’s $63,000 a month we should just be burning, because we can’t be compensated for it,” said CEO John Maceri.

Funding delays also are hampering Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ signature effort to get Angelenos off the streets. Through the program dubbed Inside Safe, the city contracts with nonprofits to move people from encampments into hotels.

PATH was one of the nonprofits that jumped at the chance to participate, back when the program first launched in 2022. But lately, CEO Jennifer Hark Dietz is more wary. As of last month, the city owed her organization close to $7 million for its work on Inside Safe. The city, under recent pressure from local nonprofits to speed up its reimbursements, paid off some of that last week. But it still owes PATH $1.18 million for work done in June, Dietz said.

Now, to avoid over-extending her organization, she’s having to make hard choices. She’s started refusing when the city asks her to take on new Inside Safe locations before a contract is in place.

“It’s definitely for me, personally, heartbreaking,” she said.

Mayor Bass knows there’s a problem, and says her office is working on a solution with the city council, but she hasn’t provided details on what that solution will look like or when it will roll out. The situation came to a head in May, when the city owed $26 million on its homeless services contracts. In September, the mayor said that money has been paid and all Inside Safe invoices for the first quarter of the fiscal year have been processed.

“We must transform the City’s entire approach to payment — going beyond the payments for service providers — to overhaul and modernize the entire system,” Bass said in an emailed statement.

Los Angeles County recently tried to do just that. Now, the county offers nonprofits advances on some of their contracts upfront, so they don’t have to do work without first getting paid.

“It’s new,” Paul Rubenstein, deputy chief external relations officer for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, said of the overhaul. “But it feels like it’s working.”

California’s role in the problem

Sometimes, the state government is to blame for these delays. In April, Gov. Gavin Newsom awarded his latest round of grants through the Encampment Resolution Fund, a program that doles out state money to help cities and counties clear encampments and move camp occupants indoors. Marin County, which won an $18 million grant, was told to expect the contract in July, said Gary Naja-Riese, director of the county’s Whole Person Care and Homelessness Division. Instead, the document kept getting delayed, and now it’s been five months and no one has yet to see a penny. The state finally sent out the contracts last month, but it’s unclear when the money will come through.

That’s created a big headache in Santa Barbara County. The county won a nearly $8 million grant to clear 21 vehicle encampments, and it contracted with nonprofit New Beginnings to do the work of connecting with people living in cars and RVs, offering them services and moving them into housing. New Beginnings got straight to work as soon as its contract with the county was signed in June, and so far has moved at least 23 people into shelter and another six into permanent housing. They couldn’t afford to wait: the grant has a strict timeline, requiring recipients to spend half the money by June 30, 2025, or risk losing it.

But New Beginnings has yet to be paid for that work. The nonprofit has had to borrow money — $350,000 so far, at a 9.5% interest rate — to make ends meet in the meantime, said Executive Director Kristine Schwarz. She’s worried borrowing too much more will plunge her organization into a hole it can’t get out of. So she’s pulling back on the services she offers. That means she’s leaving people on the street because she can’t afford a hotel room for them, she said.

“I can’t just continue to spend money without any idea of when we’re going to get reimbursed,” Schwarz said.

The delay at the state level is at least partly because the California Department of Housing and Community Development took over the grants from another state agency this year.

“The ERF Round 3, Window 1 standard agreements were somewhat impacted by the transition and additional accountability considerations, but that should not be an issue going forward,” Megan Kirkeby, deputy director of housing policy development for the Department of Housing and Community Development, said in an email to CalMatters. Cities and counties will be reimbursed for money they spent before the contracts were signed, she said.

‘I need my money when it’s due’

Funding delays are an especially dire problem for small nonprofits. Kalain Hadley’s organization Reclaim-Possibility provides 44 beds in Los Angeles for men recently released from jail and prison. Hadley opened right before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and because he had no clients and therefore no income, had to burn through his savings and go into debt to keep the organization afloat.

Now, his payments come from the state and Los Angeles County, through two contractors that act as intermediaries. They’re usually at least a few days late, Hadley said. That might not be a big deal for a larger nonprofit, but for an organization like his that has no cushion, it’s devastating.

“I’m running around trying to withdraw cash so I’ll be able to pay my folks over the weekend. And that’s the pattern every month,” he said. “I need my money when it’s due.”

To stay afloat, Hadley is taking advantage of a new lifeline in Los Angeles County. Nonprofit Future Communities Institute recently launched a program called the LA Working Capital Fund to give no-interest bridge loans to homeless service nonprofits waiting for government funding. So far, Hadley has taken out four loans ranging from $15,000 to $20,000 – all of which he’s paid back.

Future Communities Institute hopes to raise money to scale up the program and offer more loans, said Justin Szlasa, director of homeless initiatives.

Without that money, Hadley’s nonprofit might have shut down by now, he said. But even so, the loans aren’t a solution to the overarching problem — they’re just a Band-Aid.

“Somebody needs to figure out why we can’t get paid on time,” Hadley said.

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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

We are writing this to celebrate the life of our dad, Ronald Joseph Doebel. He was a character that lived an interesting life. He was born in Fletcher, Oklahoma to Joseph and Hazel Doebel on the 2nd month, 9th day of 1938. When asked, that’s exactly how he would say it. He left this earth to be with his heavenly family on the 9th month, 2nd day of 2024.

He was the fifth of six children, and in 1941 the family moved to St. Paul, Kansas. Our dad lived most of his younger years in St. Paul. He made many friends in there, and one of his best friends was Arnie Ward. Arnie’s brother, Tom, had moved to Northern California to work in the timber industry. So dad and Arnie decided to give it a try. Our dad went to work for the Pacific Lumber Company and he was employed by them for over 40 years doing many different jobs.

In 1962, he married our mother, Linda Louise Sarvinski. They were married for 52 years until she passed in 2014. They had two children, Santina and Shawn.

In the 1970s, dad decided to go back to school. So he got his GED and enrolled at College of the Redwoods. He studied diesel mechanics and welding. He joined the Diesel Club. Our dad helped build the first diesel-powered race car, and it held the record for the fastest speed for a diesel motor for over 40 years.

Dad had so many interests and he filled his life helping the community. He was a member of the Eel River Valley Model A Club. He served as the President of the Eel River Valley Pop Warner Football. He was an active member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Scotia. He and our mother were very active in the Charismatic movement and they traveled all over leading and participating in worship services spreading the Good News about God.

Our dad really loved making firewood. He spent many Saturdays making firewood for our family or any friend that needed it.

He felt like one of his greatest accomplishments was being a recovering alcoholic. He spent many hours at AA meetings and he loved sharing recovery with anyone who needed his help. Our dad was somewhat of a coin collector, but the coins he loved the most were the coins he got for another year of sobriety, which was almost over 40 years.

Three of his five siblings are still living in Kansas — his sisters, Sister Mary Clare Doebel & Philamena Blaes (her loving family), and one brother, Robert Doebel and his wife Edna. Dad has many cousins still living in the Midwest. Thank you to all the Kansas Doebel family for loving our dad from the beginning.

He married into the Sarvinski family and he loved and appreciated being part of the family. Thank you to all of the Sarvinskis for loving and accepting our dad as one of their own. It meant so much to him.

Our dad had so many great friends. Many have passed. But the ones he was able to communicate with often were Arnie Ward, Richard Peterson, Jerry and Marlene Aldrich, Tom Webb, Dave Houseworth and Darlene O’Neil just to name a few. Thank you to all of these people for being such a good friend to our dad.

In 1988, our parents purchased property on Holmes Flat. They started Doeby’s Dried Flower Basket. They were in business for almost 10 years. He loved his property on Holmes Flat and he spent many hours working the ground with his tractor and mowing lots of grass. This is where he spent the past 37 years until the day he left us to go to Heaven.

He had two amazing granddaughters, Kaylie and Shelby. He really loved both the girls and at some point decided to save his spare change for them. So each time one of the girls came to visit they usually got a roll of quarters. When Shelby married Matt Hernandez, he started getting quarters, too.

Our dad was a fix-it kind of guy. If something broke, he tried his best to fix it. We were talking and we can’t remember a single incident when a repairman came to our home. Dad would either figure out a way to repair what wasn’t working right or he would seek out advice from someone who knew and then dad completed the job. He truly had a mechanical mind. He wasn’t always perfect, but he gave it his best shot. He taught us not to give up, to just keep trying and figure out a way.

He loved football! He loved watching all the family members over the years play football. He followed and loved the 49ers. He had a brief alliance with the Denver Broncos when Shawn and his family lived in Colorado. The team he grew to love the most was the Kansas City Chiefs. I’m sure being from Kansas influenced his appeal for the team.

He also loved to deer hunt. And he and Jerry would each get their deer every year. Often times it would be one shot then the second shot. And in an instance, they each filled their tag. As he got older, it was hard for him to hunt. But he invited many people to come and hunt on our property. Sheaden Kadle was the first and then then Jason. Dad would love to see what they got every time. It really excited him.

Our dad is preceded in death by his parents Joseph and Hazel Doebel. His wife, Linda Doebel. His brothers, Herbert and Raymond Doebel. Brother-in-law, Raymond Blaes, His mother and father-in-law, Henry and Mildred Sarvinski, his brother-in-law’s, Galen Sarvinski, and Frank Cardoza(Frank’s granddaughter, Sarah).

He is survived by his children, Santina Bolton(boyfriend Neil Reiners) and Shawn Doebel( his wife, Marta Martinez). His granddaughters Kaylie Doebel & Shelby Hernandez and her husband Staff Sergeant Matthew Hernandez. His sisters, Sister Mary Claire Doebel, Philamena Blaes (her children and their families) and brother, Robert Doebel and his wife Edna. He is also survived by his brothers and sisters-in-law, Lottie Luke, Gary and Linda Sarvinski, Amy Sarvinski, Gerald and Julie Sarvinski, Leanne and Gary Ryan, Greg and Tammie Sarvinski, Gene and Ginger Sarvinski, & Lisa and Vince Gamboa. And also many nieces and nephews.

Our dad had a special bond with his daughter-in-law, Marta. She always treated him with the most respect. She always called him, Mr. Doebel and he loved it! Thank you Marta for being so kind to our dad and for being there for both Shawn and I during the time of dad’s passing. We can’t thank you enough!

One thing dad taught us was to never give up. He kept going, moving forward in life, and tackling whatever came his way.

Some people have asked where they can make a donation in his memory. If anyone wishes to do something like that, we would ask that you Pay It Forward. There were so many times that our dad would help someone that needed it. Dad came home one day and told our mother I want you to start making me two sandwiches every day for lunch. He found out one of his coworkers didn’t have money to bring lunch. So dad started bringing him a sandwich to work every day. I can tell many more instances but I think you understand. So in his honor sometime just, Pay It Forward.

Every time our dad would talk to his sisters on the telephone, he would always tell them…” now remember we still love you.” So to end this tribute to our dad, Ronald Joseph Doebel, even though you are no longer here with us physically, always remember that we still love you!

Maureen Kay Freeman passed away peacefully on September 27, 2024, surrounded by her loving husband of almost 42 years and her daughter.

Maureen was born August 11, 1952 in Oakland to Wayne and Ethel Fanning, but spent the majority of her childhood in Anaheim. There she grew up with her older brother, Teri, and her younger brother, Hugh. They enjoyed many days going to the beach as a family.

In high school, Maureen was athletic and played every sport she could all four years and was good at them all. In her senior year she was voted “Most Athletic” – her favorite being basketball and volleyball — and would go onto college to play basketball.

Maureen worked various jobs throughout her career, but most jobs involved a hospital setting and patient accounts —  from Mercy Hospital in Sacramento, to Redwood Memorial in Fortuna and retiring from St. Joseph’s in Eureka in 2015.

Maureen met the love of her life and partner in every adventure, Steve, in Sacramento while playing co-ed softball together in 1979. They were ones for chasing snowstorms in the Sierras and up into Oregon to go cross-country skiing. After marrying in 1982, their honeymoon was cross-country skiing in Hope Valley and snow camping. Maureen followed Steve up and down California for various jobs but settled in Humboldt County.

In 1986, Steve and Maureen welcomed their one and only daughter, Erin. Maureen and Erin had a strong mother-daughter bond, whether they were going on shopping trips to their favorite places, trying out a new bakery or in the kitchen together making food from scratch together.

Maureen had a passion for cooking and baking from scratch and sharing those foods with her family. Each birthday or holiday she took pride in making something special that was usually a specific request from her family. Baking and cooking was her love language. Steve and Maureen enjoyed BBQ’ing, trying new techniques, new recipes and going to “real” BBQ places to see what technique they could come home and do better.

Family was always important to Maureen. Following the death of her father, she moved her mother in with her and her family and took care of her for over 20 years before she passed away. Her grandkids meant the world to her and she enjoyed watching each of them grow up. From watching Isobel excel in basketball – she loved watching her play in person and online once she got to college, to cheering on Gabby as a cross country runner, and watching Grady play baseball all over California, Oregon, Nevada and Arizona. She was proud of all of them and loved to brag about their accolades.

Maureen is preceded in death by her parents, Wayne and Ethel Fanning, and older brother Teri Fanning. She is survived by her husband, Steve Freeman; daughter Erin Crosswhite and husband Jesse Crosswhite; granddaughters Isobel Crosswhite, Gabriella Crosswhite; grandson Grady Crosswhite,; brother Hugh Fanning and wife Maureen Fanning.

To celebrate and honor Maureen, her family asks that you take the time to make your favorite meal for your family, spend time with your loved ones, share memories and laughs. Maureen is greatly missed and there will be a forever hole in our hearts.