Farmers can estimate the size of a harvest months in advance by counting the blossoms on their trees. Similarly, salmon fishers can cast an eye into the future by counting spawning fish in a river. Fishery managers are doing that now in the Sacramento River and its tributaries, and what they’re seeing could be a bad sign for next year.

The low count of returning adult salmon, made by the federally operated Coleman National Fish Hatchery, is preliminary, with several weeks left in the natural spawning period for the Sacramento Valley’s fall-run Chinook, backbone of the state’s salmon fishing economy.

There is even some possible good news in the numbers — a large percentage of immature Chinook, called “jacks.” This demographic slice of the salmon population can be a predictive indicator of ocean abundance for the coming season, and it could be a sign there are more fish in the ocean than many expected — though officials say it’s too early to say.

Overall, the unwelcome numbers, mirroring similar figures from last year, are alarming to people who fish, for they portend the possible continuation of the two-year-and-counting statewide ban on salmon fishing, imposed in 2023 following a weak spawning season.

Already, the loss of revenue from the fishery shutdown has devastated the coastal fishing fleet, which is still waiting for $20 million in federal funds allocated for disaster relief early this year.

R.J. Waldron, who took recreational anglers salmon fishing on his Emeryville charter boat Sundance for more than a decade, recently sold his vessel. The reduced income was too skimpy to pay the overhead costs of owning a boat and renting a slip. He said relief funds, had they been portioned out, would have kept him afloat.

“That would have helped me maintain my boat and basically ride the storm out until we get salmon fishing back — if we get salmon fishing back,” he said.

Sarah Bates, owner of the San Francisco-based commercial vessel The Bounty, said she drew about 90% of her income from Chinook salmon sales prior to the closure and has helped make ends meet by fishing for other species, like black cod, shrimp and rockfish. Others, she said, have been targeting halibut.

Bates said the uncertain outlook has been disorienting for the men and women who shape their lives around a calendar year of fishing seasons and regulations.

“A lot of us feel a little untethered,” she said.

At least six more months may pass before financial relief arrives. Barry Thom, executive director of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission — which has helped facilitate the grant application process — said in an email that the federal funds could be distributed sometime in May and June of 2025.

The odds of whether fishers will be returning to work by then still looks like a tossup. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Brett Galyean, project leader at the Coleman hatchery, described “really low” numbers of 3- and 4-year-old adult Chinook. As of Oct. 29, his staff had collected 4 million eggs from female fish — less than one-third the hatchery’s target of 14 to 15 million eggs.

The spawning run is drawing toward the end, too, with new arrivals at the hatchery now “slowing down,” according to Galyean.

At several other Central Valley hatcheries operated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, facility managers have only just started counting salmon, an official said. This means overall numbers could still mount to promising levels.

The low returns to Coleman, the state’s largest fish hatchery, reflect a long-term decline in Chinook salmon numbers regionwide. As many as 2 million adult Chinook historically spawned in the Central Valley’s rivers, and the fish were a keystone feature of marine and inland ecosystems.

“If you kill all the baby salmon, three years later you don’t have adult salmon.”
— Barry Nelson, policy representative, Golden State Salmon Association

The industrialization of the landscape to produce gold, water, cities, and crops has sent salmon runs tumbling. While the Central Valley’s fish hatcheries — built last century to augment the wild stocks — release millions of baby Chinook each year, populations have dropped below fishable levels.

In 2022 officials counted just 69,000 adult fall-run Chinook in the entire Sacramento Valley, with a moderate improvement last year. In the mainstem of the Sacramento River alone, a key spawning destination, annual returns have dropped below 4,000 adults — down from an average of almost 60,000 each year from 1990 to 2009.

What ails California’s salmon is perennially debated. Water users lean on explanations such as invasive species, reduced floodplain habitat, and climate change. Fishery advocates often stress the importance of water, especially quantity and temperature.

Bates said the Central Valley needs more aggressive floodplain restoration to provide feeding and refuge habitat for small fish, but that sufficient water is the key.

“It’s the water — there’s no way around it,” Bates said. “The water conditions in the Sacramento River and the Delta no longer support juvenile salmon migrating downstream.”

Sometimes, the outflow from Lake Shasta and into the Sacramento River during the spawning season is just a few degrees too warm — conditions that can abort millions of eggs and newly born fish and has become a recurring problem in recent years. Hot weather has played a role, though environmentalists say negligent management of the reservoir — especially failure to keep its water sufficiently deep into the late summer — is just as problematic.

As the young salmon migrate downstream, they face such perils as low flows, high temperatures, water pumps and predators. Thiamine deficiency, a relatively new and emerging ecological hiccup connected to the marine food web, has also impacted Chinook salmon. Climate change is a long-term threat.

Barry Nelson, policy representative for the Golden State Salmon Association, believes the main reason for the Sacramento’s salmon collapse has been inadequate river conditions downstream of Shasta, and low smolt survival.

“We sterilized the Sacramento River,” he said. “We killed almost all the fish, and rule number one in fisheries management is, if you kill all the baby salmon, three years later you don’t have adult salmon.”

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

Cal Poly Humboldt press release:

The California State University (CSU) has partnered with the Riverside County Office of Education to offer the first-ever direct admission pilot for the CSU system. Eligible students at every public high school in Riverside County will soon be offered direct admission to the CSU for the Fall 2025 term, before they even apply.

Qualifying high school seniors in Riverside County—those on track to meet college preparatory courses (A-G requirements)—are being offered immediate, conditional admission to 10 CSU campuses by way of a brochure mailed to their home address. Students will then use the CaliforniaColleges.edu platform to select their preferred CSU campuses, with official acceptance letters to be sent directly from the universities.

“This partnership is Humboldt’s first-ever direct admissions program, and we are excited to offer this opportunity for California students to pursue a polytechnic education amidst the redwoods,” says Chrissy Holliday, vice president of Enrollment Management & Student Success at Cal Poly Humboldt. “We hope to expand direct admissions to other districts across California, leveraging what we learn from this effort, and the power of the California Colleges platform and data partnerships. This is just one way we are rising to meet the needs of our state, in preparing students for their chosen careers and a lifetime of success.”

Cal Poly Humboldt joins Channel Islands, Chico, East Bay, Maritime Academy, Monterey Bay, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Marcos, and Sonoma that will offer direct admission. Riverside students may apply to other CSUs not on the direct admissions list. If a student applies to an impacted program or campus, additional criteria may be required for admission.

Humboldt has a long history of drawing students from Southern California, with 28% of our Fall 2024 students coming from the region. In keeping with Humboldt’s purpose to provide access to higher education, the University saw the percentage of first-generation students increase to 42% of new student enrollments, while Pell grant recipients climbed to 39% of its new student population.

“We are grateful for this ground-breaking partnership with the CSU to expand access to a world-class college education for our diverse and talented students in Riverside County,” said Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez. “As one of the fastest growing regions in California, the need for college-educated professionals will continue to soar, and this partnership will remove barriers to higher education, welcoming more college-ready students to the CSU system through this innovative direct admission program.”

After direct-admitted students submit their applications, they must continue to meet the A-G requirements and graduate from high school. Once receiving official acceptance from their university of choice, students must confirm their intent to enroll by the campus deadline and complete any additional enrollment steps such as attending orientation, paying tuition fees, and providing final transcripts or other documentation. Students are also encouraged to apply for financial aid by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA) as soon as possible, and no later than the California deadline, which has historically been March 2.

“We are excited to provide a direct pathway to higher education for thousands of high school students across Riverside County,” said April Grommo, CSU assistant vice chancellor of Strategic Enrollment Management. “We want students to know that the door to college opportunity is open to them, and to help relieve some of the stress and uncertainty about applying for college. Riverside County is an excellent location for this first-ever program for the CSU, as it is ethnically and economically representative of the diversity of California, and many of the students the CSU is so proud to serve.”

Eligible students and families can visit calstate.edu/rcoe for more information.

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Press release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — The U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced nearly $46 million in investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for ecosystem restoration activities that address high-priority Klamath Basin water-related challenges in southern Oregon and northern California.

In February, the Department announced a landmark agreement between the Klamath Tribes, Yurok Tribe, Karuk Tribe and Klamath Water Users Association to advance collaborative efforts to restore the Klamath Basin ecosystem and improve water supply reliability for Klamath Project agriculture. Funds announced today will support 24 restoration projects developed by signers of this agreement, as well as other Tribes and other conservation partners.
 
“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is funding restoration projects that will provide lasting ecological solutions, critical habitat restoration needed for threatened and endangered species, and agriculture resilience for the Klamath Basin,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “With the help of our partners in the basin, our shared commitment to protecting this ecosystem will benefit the watersheds, agriculture, forests and abundant populations of species that call this landscape home.”
 
“It’s inspiring to help advance our efforts to achieve a drought-resilient and restored ecosystem in this region,” said Service Director Martha Williams. “I am grateful for the work with Tribes and many partners to collectively choose projects focused on holistic solutions in the basin that will continue for many generations to come.”
 
Through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Department is implementing more than $2 billion in investments to restore the nation’s lands and waters. To guide these historic investments, and in support of the President’s America the Beautiful initiative, the Department unveiled the Restoration and Resilience Framework, to support coordination across agency programs and drive transformational outcomes, including a commitment to advance collaborative efforts to restore the Klamath Basin ecosystem and improve water supply reliability for Klamath Project agriculture through the Klamath Keystone Initiative. By working collaboratively with ranchers, state and local governments, Tribal nations, and other stakeholders, the Department is working to build ecological resilience in core habitats and make landscape-scale restoration investments across this important ecosystem.
 
Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Service is investing a total of $162 million over five years to restore the Klamath region’s ecosystem and repair local economies. These investments will secure reliable water for the national wildlife refuges, advance the restoration of salmon post dam removal, address water quality and conveyance issues, and support co-developed restoration projects with Tribes, farmers and ranchers, and conservation partners.
 
As part of today’s investments, $13 million will be used to complete restoration of the Agency-Barnes wetland units of Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge and provide fish habitat access in Fourmile and Sevenmile creeks. Covering 14,356 acres, the restored wetland will create vital habitat for waterfowl, federally endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers, and other species, making it one of the largest wetland restoration initiatives in the United States. 
 
Other projects announced today will help to develop and restore wetlands, shorelines and native habitats around Lake Ewauna, Link River, Tule Lake, Scott River and upper Williamson River. These include:
 
Lake Ewauna Restoration for the Benefit of People, Fish and Wildlife, $3,000,000 – These funds will be used to develop and restore wetlands and shoreline around Lake Ewauna in downtown Klamath Falls, Ore., for the benefit of native fish and wildlife species and to tell the story of the local Tribes, farmers and communities in the Klamath Basin. Restorative improvements to habitat in Link River and instream habitat improvements within Lake Ewauna will benefit Lost River and shortnose suckers, native trout, migratory waterfowl and other species. With the recently removed Klamath dams, salmon and steelhead will also be migrating through Lake Ewauna for the first time in over a century.

Tule Lake Flow Through Infrastructure Improvement, $2,540,000 – This project encompasses a suite of infrastructure improvements and operational changes to provide natural ecosystem services with respect to water quality in the Klamath Basin. Water used for farmland irrigation would then flow through wetlands before returning to the Klamath River. In addition to water quality benefits for the Klamath River, this project will provide habitat for threatened and endangered fish, support migratory wildlife, recharge groundwater and provide other ecosystem benefits. 

Scott River Habitat Restoration – Strengthening Resiliency of Farms and Fish, $1,850,000 – The Scott River supports the largest cohort of state and federally threatened wild coho salmon in California. However, seasonally low stream flows through the upper reach of the mainstem Scott River prevent access to vital headwater tributaries. This project will focus on recovery activities that enhance and extend surface flow connectivity to ensure sufficient instream flows are given priority, along with efforts to increase summer and winter rearing habitat that reduce lethal stream temperatures and fine sediment mobilization.
 
Upper Williamson River Restoration (Phase 2), $3,500,000 – This project will provide fish passage to over 26 miles of the upper Williamson River and reconnect several thousand acres of adjacent wetlands and riparian habitats within the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge project area. Existing irrigation infrastructure and hydrologic modifications, including delivery ditches, drains and levees, currently limit fish passage and floodplain connectivity, alter timing and duration of flooding, hinder volitional movement of native fish species, and restrain the storage capacity of the Klamath Marsh. Funds will be directed to the removal of existing irrigation infrastructure, installation of fish screens, and creation of roughened channels for fish passage.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Beginning last week and continuing through the Thanksgiving holiday on Nov. 28, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) is in the process of testing a new radio system throughout the county. This may result in patrol vehicles parked or driving in remote, rural areas; we would like to encourage the public not to be concerned if you see a patrol vehicle in your area.

This radio system will be a digital upgrade to our current analog system, and it is compliant with new regulations set forth by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

One measure on California’s ballot would make it easier for local governments to build critical infrastructure and affordable housing with borrowed money. Proposition 5 would lower the percentage of votes needed for a bond to pass, from today’s two-thirds supermajority to a 55% majority.

General obligation bonds allow local governments to finance big projects, such as roads, libraries and parks. Over time, Californians pay them off by paying higher property taxes.

A number of bond measures on this year’s ballot could benefit immediately if Prop. 5 passes. Sacramento County has proposed a $415 million bond for fire station improvements. In San Francisco, a $390 million bond would fund improvements to hospitals and pedestrian safety projects. And in the state’s rural and underserved areas, where community hospitals are under imminent threat of closures, a Prop. 5 victory could help them keep their doors open.

“It’s pretty much a no brainer,” said Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, the Democrat of Davis who authored the legislation that put the measure before voters. “Prop. 5 gives local communities an option. Right now, they don’t have anything in the toolbox except for the two-thirds.”

She called the measure, which applies to special districts, cities and counties, an “opt-in” for government officials to have flexibility in how they pass a bond.

“They can either do a two-thirds bond with no guardrails on it, or they can have a bond at 55% threshold with guardrails – with accountability, transparency, citizens’ oversight, independent audits,” she said.

But opponents including Susan Shelley, vice president of communications for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said Prop. 5 would authorize countless government entities to put bonds on the ballot, sugarcoating their descriptions and underplaying their costs. Those costs, Shelley said, add up over time.

“Some of the proponents have said this is not a tax increase, but this is an engine for tax increases forever — and it will absolutely result in higher property taxes over and over again and people will start losing their homes if that happens,” she said.

Darien Shanske, a law professor at UC Davis, said the idea that bonds would push somebody into insolvency is “very, very improbable.”

“Our norm as a democratic society is that every vote is equal,” Shanske said. “A supermajority rule is a deviation from that norm. It allows one-third of voters to essentially block what a large majority would like to do.”

Voters are divided over Prop. 5, with 48% percent saying they would approve the measure, according to polling by the Public Policy Institute of California.

The measure is one of the more expensive ones on the ballot. Opponents, including the California Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business, have raised about $30 million. Prop. 5 supporters, such as the pro-development group California YIMBY and the labor organization the California State Building and Construction Trades Council, have raised about $5 million.

California constitution restricts borrowing

The requirement for a two-thirds vote to take on local debt was codified in the 1879 California constitution for local government entities and school boards. Nearly a century later, voters passed the landmark Proposition 13, which restricted property tax assessments and further constrained government spending.

“We vote on (bonds) in the constitution as a matter of policy really because it’s an obligation on future generations,” said Michael Coleman, a California local government finance expert who consults for cities. “Do you want to enter into this contract that commits future generations to paying this off? But future generations also get the benefit of these public improvements.”

Shanske describes it another way: A community passes a bond to build a new bridge. Over the course of multiple generations, people have a chance to enjoy the bridge and pay it off through taxes or tolls.

“But the actual amount of money of a big project divided over a whole community spread over 30 years is typically pretty low,” he said. “The notion of local politicians and local voters deliberately overburdening their property tax base is pretty unlikely, especially since they would also need to get outside investors to sign off on it.”

Shelley from the taxpayers association said the increased charges connected to bonds can ripple out in the economy and affect many people.

“You would see these higher taxes passed through as higher rents, higher consumer prices, even a little small donut shop in a strip mall will have a higher operating cost because the property owner will be passing those higher property taxes right through on the lease,” she said.

Californians have already made an exception once, voting in 2000 to amend the constitution for school bonds, lowering the voter threshold to 55%.

“That really opened up and made it a lot easier for schools to pass these measures. And that’s basically what Prop. 5 would do – bring cities and counties and special districts into the same sort of ability level,” Coleman said.

Coleman tracks votes on general obligation bonds for his work advising California cities. According to him, roughly half of general obligation bonds pass. Of those that fail, about half of them receive over 55% of votes but cannot clear a two-thirds margin. If Prop. 5 passes, he expects to see a 70 to 80% passage rate for general obligation bonds.

“There’s a lot of needs out there,” Coleman said. “I think we’ll see more local governments say, ‘Hey, now there’s a real chance that we’ll be able to get this passed – that the will of the community will be able to be realized at the ballot box.’”

California community hospitals ask for earthquake bonds

Over the years, many housing and infrastructure bonds have failed by slim margins. Those campaigning for Prop. 5 have referenced some near misses. In 2023, a fire protection bond in Santa Cruz County failed despite receiving 66% of the vote. A 2022 affordable housing bond in Berkeley failed with 59% of the vote. In Whittier, a 2017 library bond failed with 66%.

Those misses also include attempts by the Antelope Valley Healthcare District, which has tried and failed three times to pass a bond for its community hospital north of Los Angeles, according to the Association of California Healthcare Districts. In 2022, it failed with 57% of votes.

The district is one of 77 health care districts, a type of “special district,” across California. They were formed in the 1940s to bring critical services such as hospitals, ambulance providers, and skilled nursing facilities to rural and underserved communities.

The Beach Cities Health District medical complex in Redondo Beach on Oct. 27, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

“The difficulty, though, is because they’re community-owned and they’re public entities, they’re very limited in how they can finance large-scale or even medium to small size infrastructure projects,” said Sarah Bridge, a vice president of advocacy and strategy at the Association of California Healthcare Districts. “We have really small margins.”

The 33 health care districts operating community hospitals fall under a state mandate to retrofit their buildings for earthquake safety by 2035. But so far, Antelope Valley Healthcare District and many others are still working to secure the funds to make those changes. If they fail to meet the state mandate, they will be forced to close.

At least two health care districts have bonds on the November ballot, including one in Redondo Beach.

From his office window, Tom Bakaly, chief executive officer of Beach Cities Health District, looks out at a sea of asphalt. But that would change if voters in three Los Angeles cities approve a $30 million bond, at an estimated cost of $3 per $100,000 of assessed value for property owners.

The asphalt would transform into two acres of open space for community health and wellness programs, such as yoga and Zumba. In an adjacent corner of the health campus, a youth mental health facility, which has had close to 9,000 visits over the past two years, would expand. And the 1960 hospital would be demolished due to seismic issues.

The Beach Cities Health District Administrative Offices and Shirley Rogers Student Services Center in Redondo Beach on Oct. 27, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

“The vision is to create a place where people can come and be well,” Bakaly said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for voters to decide what they want.”

In the small coastal town of Cambria, the city’s Community Healthcare District has proposed a $5.9 million bond to build an ambulance station.

“We consider (our ambulances) our lifeline,” said Laurie Mileur, board member of Cambria Community Healthcare District.

She said that the ambulance crew operates out of a 70-year-old building that’s not designed for 24-hour use. The new building would include a garage for the ambulances, a decontamination space and more storage.

According to Mileur, the bond would cost property owners roughly $50 a year, on average.

“It’s a cup of coffee a month,” she said. “We feel it’s time for the community to step up and share this commitment to our service.”

It’s their second attempt. Two years ago, the health care district’s bond for a new ambulance station failed at 61.4%, a shortfall of roughly 200 votes.

“For a small agency who really doesn’t have the cash reserves that could actually pay for infrastructure, we really rely on bonds. And setting such a high threshold makes it very difficult,” she said. “We’re confident we’re going to get over 60% again. It’s whether or not we can get to 66.7%. It would be heartbreaking if we lost by one vote.”

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Cayla Mihalovich is a California Local News fellow.

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

Craig Ray Haberstock passed away October 12, 2024, at the age of 62.

Craig was born on June 16, 1962, to Raymond and Annette Haberstock.

Craig attended private school growing up. At the age of 16, he started working alongside his father surveying, and later the family opened a construction company as well. Craig worked alongside his father for Haberstock Construction and Surveying for forty years, driving truck and operating heavy equipment. He had a passion for the construction industry, had a great love of animals, and loved his children. In his free time, he loved restoring old cars. You could also find him lying in the yard eating popsicles as he watched the kids perform the lengthy chore list he made Saturday morning, which instilled strong work ethic in each of his children. He was also known as a man who possessed an amazing green thumb, always maintaining a meticulous garden, and taking immense pride in the home in which he raised his children.

Surviving family members:

Annette Haberstock - Mother, Kent Haberstock (Charlie- brother), Cody Haberstock - Son, Daughter in Law - Ashley Stuart, April Haberstock - Daughter, Shane. Craig also had a total of seven grandchildren - Echo, Bailey, Maliah, Rykin, Bryton, Austin, and Major, as well as an aunt, an uncle, numerous cousins, and countless friends who will miss him dearly.

Predeceased family members:

Craig was preceded in death by his grandparents George and Signe Haberstock, as well as his father Raymond George Haberstock.

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

Alexander V. Winogradov was born on May 10, 1991, in Eureka, to Dale and Angela Winogradov. Four short years later, he welcomed his baby sister, Ashlyn. Throughout Angela’s pregnancy, Alex was eager to meet his new sibling. But upon entering the room and hearing the cries of his newborn sister, he promptly put his hands over his ears and asked his mother if she could “put her back in.” Alex’s personality shone bright, even as a young child. He was, by all accounts, the perfect baby, constantly smiling and giggling.

Everyone adored holding him, charmed by his joy. He was so captivating, he could have been on the cover of a Gerber magazine — minus the endearing fluffs of hair that made him uniquely Alex.

From an early age, Alex showed remarkable intelligence, excelling in school and in any sport he took an interest in. A natural daredevil, he loved speed and adventure, especially spending weekends with his dad riding dirt bikes. When he wasn’t on two wheels with a motor, he excelled at BMX, though it wasn’t his first-place ribbons that made him memorable. Alex’s sportsmanship was evident whenever he’d stop mid-race to check on someone after a wreck. This generous spirit carried him through his life; even when he had nothing, he would give the shirt off his back. Alex had one of the kindest and most generous hearts of anyone one could hope to meet.

After graduating high school early, Alex set out to find his place in the world, discovering a love for travel. Of all the places he explored, Hawaii remained his favorite. What started as a six-week trip turned into two years, and he often called home to share his awe at the warmth of the beaches compared to the cold sands of California. Alex had a heart for the outdoors, with an unbounded free spirit and a remarkable courage for new experiences. He was unafraid of change, embracing each new adventure with open arms.

Alex passed away surrounded by family on October 23, 2024. Our family’s loss is profound and will be felt for a lifetime. Yet, true to Alex’s nature, his final act was one of immense generosity, he was eligible to be a donor; forever changing the lives of four recipients. Alex is survived by his parents, Dale and Angela Winogradov; his sister, Ashlyn Farrington, and her husband, Ryan; his two beautiful nieces, Isabella and Galilee Farrington; his grandparents, Andrea and Karl Arnold; his great-grandmother, Patricia Wilsey; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins — so many that Alex often joked he was blessed with thousands of them.

A memorial service will be held at the Wharfinger Building on November 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. All who knew Alex are welcome to join and celebrate his life.

In closing, I know without a shadow of a doubt that Alex would want everyone to keep living life fully — to keep exploring, to continue adventuring, to cherish those you love, to seize every opportunity, and to laugh often. If you knew Alex, you know he was always smiling, always joking, and always brightening the days of those around him.

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